Best Arrondissement to Stay in Paris for Families

classic apartment buildings in the chic seventh arrondissement of Paris

Classic apartment buildings in the chic seventh Arrondissement of Paris © Owen Franken / Getty Images

Paris is a mosaic of densely populated neighborhoods, known equally arrondissements, which screw clockwise like a snail trounce from the Left Depository financial institution (due south) and Right Bank (north) of the Seine River right upwards to the périphérique (ring road) that encircles the city.

Each arrondissement has its own distinctive personality and draws for visitors, from the raucous jazz bars of the Latin Quarter (5th Arrondissement) to the leafy parks of the far-flung 19th Arrondissement. Hither we provide a cursory overview of all 20 Paris arrondissements, with details of the elevation attractions for travelers in each.

A map of Paris arrondissements — A map of Paris's arrondissements © Lonely Planet

A handy tip: The last 2 numbers of whatsoever Paris postcode (which offset with the city's département number, 75) indicate which arrondissement that location is in. For instance, 75001 means the 1st Arrondissement, and 75002 is in the 2nd Arrondissement. These numbers make it easy to quickly check the location of hotels and rental apartments in the metropolis (postcodes that don't start with 75 fall outside the périphérique).

Large glass pyramid that serves as the entrance to the Louvre in Paris, France — Paris' 1st Arrondissement is domicile to a number of the city'southward large-hitter attractions, including the Louvre © manjik / Shutterstock

1st Arrondissement

Best neighborhood for sightseeing

Primarily assail the Correct Depository financial institution, Paris' elegant 1st Arrondissement (premier)has the fewest residents but a huge number of sights, including the Musée du Louvre, stately gardens Jardin des Tuileries and Jardin du Palais Royal, contemporary art museum Collection Pinault – Paris, and awning-topped shopping mall and transport hub Forum des Halles on the site of the city's former wholesale markets. The 1st Arrondissement also takes in the western wedge of the Île de la Cité (the larger of fundamental Paris' two inhabited islands), which hides the ethereal stained-glass chapel Sainte-Chapelle.

Narrow walkway through Passage des Panoramas, the oldest covered passageway in Paris — A number of Paris' 19th-century covered passageways tin be plant in the second Arrondissement © Kiev.Victor / Shutterstock

2nd Arrondissement

Best neighborhood for celebrated passageways and pretty streets

Paris' smallest district, the 2d Arrondissement (deuxième) contains many of the city'south 19th-century drinking glass-roofed covered passages, including the oldest, Passage des Panoramas. Street stalls and nutrient shops such as Stohrer, a bakery opened in 1730, line pedestrianized Rue Montorgueil, whose northern extension, Rue des Petits Carreaux, heads into the vestiges of Paris' garment-making district, Sentier, hopping with bistros and bars.

The exterior of the Musée National Picasso in Paris, France — Musée National Picasso is an fine art gallery dedicated to the works of Pablo Picasso, who produced some of his most famous paintings while living in Paris © Takashi Images / Shutterstock

3rd Arrondissement

Best neighborhood for cafes and museums

Known every bit the Haut Marais (Upper Marais), the 3rd Arrondissement (troisième) underwent a mid-2000s metamorphosis and today bursts with design ateliers and stylish cafes. Unmissable sights include the Musée National Picasso, in a mid-17th-century private mansion, and the Musée Carnavalet, retelling the history of the French capital.

The exterior of Centre Pompidou in Paris, France — Eye Pompidou, which houses a modern art museum, exhibition spaces and galleries, is ane of Paris' most striking buildings © Pics Factory / Shutterstock

4th Arrondissement

Best neighborhood for hip Paris and world famous heritage sites

Office of the quaternary Arrondissement (quatrième), the Le Marais district received a facelift of its own in the 1960s and '70s and remains ane of Paris' about fashionable addresses. The multifaceted quaternary Arrondissement is also home to thriving Jewish and LGBTQI+ communities, and the iconic Centre Pompidou cultural center, displaying modern and contemporary art. Also within this area is the eastern finish of the Île de la Cité island, dominated by Notre Dame. The smaller island to its east, boutique-lined Île St-Louis, is the dwelling of Berthillon ice cream.

Musicians performing at Le Caveau de la Huchette, a jazz club in the Latin Quarter, Paris — The Latin Quarter buzzes with life when the sun goes downwardly © Jean-Bernard Carillet / Lonely Planet

fifth Arrondissement

Best neighborhood for nightlife

Fanning out around La Sorbonne's prestigious university campus on the Left Bank, the student-filled 5th Arrondissement (cinquième), also known every bit the Latin Quarter, abounds with secondhand bookstores and record shops, inexpensive restaurants, fine art-deco cinemas, jazz clubs and late-night bars. The Musée National du Moyen Âge incorporates both medieval and Roman-era compages, while natural history museums are located in the botanic gardens of Jardin des Plantes. French luminaries are laid to balance in the domed Panthéon mausoleum.

People sitting at tables at Les Deux Magots cafe in the 6th Arrondissement, Paris — A visit to the 6th Arrondissement is a must for lovers of traditional Parisian cafes © EQRoy / Shutterstock

sixth Arrondissement

Best neighborhood for quintessential Paris

Famed for fabulous literary cafes like Les Deux Magots, which sits reverse the city's oldest church, 11th-century Église St-Germain des Prés, the quintessentially Parisian 6th Arrondissement (sixième) is a jewel-box of exquisite boutiques, restaurants and hotels. In the arrondissement's southeast is the chestnut-shaded park Jardin du Grand duchy of luxembourg, where children prod 1920s wooden toy sailboats on its octagonal pond.

The Eiffel Tower framed by trees with colorful fall leaves in Paris, France — No trip to Paris is complete without a visit to the Eiffel Tower © ESB Professional / Shutterstock

7th Arrondissement

All-time neighborhood for iconic Paris landmarks

W along the Left Bank is the wealthy 7th Arrondissement (septième). Shaped like a fan, its attractions span the impressionist art showcase Musée d'Orsay, the Musée Rodin'due south sculpture-filled mansion and rose garden, and the indigenous and folk-fine art museum, Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac. Manicured lawns front the fundamental Hôtel des Invalides military complex containing Napoléon's tomb. To the west is Paris' emblematic Eiffel Tower.

Aerial view of the Arc de Triomphe, which stands in the middle of a roundabout in Paris, France — The Arc de Triomphe is a symbol of Paris © StockBrunet / Shutterstock

8th Arrondissement

Best neighborhood for luxury shopping

Back on the Right Bank, the grand 8th Arrondissement (huitième) is bisected by broad avenues including the Champs-Élysées, bookended past the mighty Arc de Triomphe and the vast Identify de la Concorde, where Louis Xvi was guillotined. Avenues Champs-Élysées, George V and Montaigne form the Triangle d'Or (Aureate Triangle), dwelling to flagship fashion houses like Chanel and Dior. Gourmet emporiums surround Place de la Madeleine's Grecian temple-style church Église de la Madeleine.

The golden-gilded interior of the Palais Garnier opera house in Paris, France — Palais Garnier is Paris' most famous opera house and the setting for Gaston Leroux's 1910 novel *The Phantom of the Opera* © Julie Mayfeng / Shutterstock

ninth Arrondissement

Best neighborhood for section stores and markets

Eastwards, the 9th Arrondissement (neuvième) is the home of Paris' original and well-nigh famous opera business firm, Palais Garnier, thanks to a starring function in Gaston Leroux's 1910 novel The Phantom of the Opera. It's also where you lot'll discover art-nouveau department stores Galeries Lafayette and Le Printemps. Foodie street Rue des Martyrs, with fromageries (cheese stores), boulangeries (bakeries) and more, extends uphill from here, while glamorous cocktail bars such as Lule White cluster in the north.

View of Canal St-Martin in Paris, France — Travelers arriving by train start see Paris' 10th Arrondissement © Bruno De Hogues / Getty Images

10th Arrondissement

All-time neighborhood for transport links and canal-side dining

Grittier than the arrondissements that precede it, the 10th Arrondissement (dixième) is many visitors' introduction to Paris: railroad train stations Gare du Nord and Gare de 50'Est are both here. Atomic number 26 footbridge-spanned Canal St-Martin'south revival continues speedily cheers to indie-run bars, restaurants, shops and cultural centers such every bit Betoken Éphémère.

11th Arrondissement

All-time neighborhood for creatives

Domicile to traditional furniture makers and a new moving ridge of graphic designers and multimedia artists, Paris' most densely populated arrondissement, the 11th (onzième), is a hotbed of inventiveness, with a foundry-housed digital museum, L'Atelier des Lumières, craft breweries, collaborative coffee roasteries and sizzling new restaurant openings. Rue Oberkampf, with live-music and DJ venues, is the area's nightlife spine.

View of Promenade Plantée, a raised narrow wooden-floored walkway between two buildings in Paris, France — Promenade Plantée is an elevated walkway built on a former railway line © Patrick Donovan / Getty Images

twelfth Arrondissement

Best neighborhood for local flair

A colorful parade for Chinese New Year celebrations in Paris, France — The 13th Arrondissement is home to Paris' largest Chinatown, which hosts a parade every Chinese New year's day © CatherineLProd / Shutterstock

13th Arrondissement

Best neighborhood for unique flavors

Across on the Left Bank, the 13th Arrondissement (treizième) is home to Paris' largest Chinatown, where Asian bakeries and Buddhist temples are surrounded by a wood of skyscrapers, many used as behemothic street-fine art canvases. Elsewhere, innovations like the book-shaped national library Bibliothèque Nationale de France and repurposed industrial sites – such as the former railway depot now housing startup campus Station F – make the regenerating 13th Arrondissement unlike anywhere else in Paris.

Tunnel lined with skulls and bones at Les Catacombes, Paris — Paris' catacombs, located in the 14th Arrondissement, hold the remains of more than than six meg people © Dirk Wenzel / Getty Images

14th Arrondissement

Best neighborhood for catacombs and crêperies

The northern part of the 14th Arrondissement (quatorzième) is the entry point for skull-and-bone-lined subterranean tunnels Les Catacombes, long-standing Montparnasse brasseries such as Le Select and stacks of Breton crêperies. By and large residential, the south part of the district shelters leafy Parc Montsouris.

Ballon de Paris floats in the sky — The Ballon de Paris, located in the 15th Arrondissement, lifts visitors almost 500ft in the air for unbeatable views © yari2000 / Shutterstock

15th Arrondissement

Best neighborhood for humming streets

Farthest west on the Left Bank, the sweeping 15th Arrondissement (quinzième) is Paris' well-nigh populous, with a mix of 19th-century and modern apartment blocks. Sights are few, but parks here include Parc André Citroën, home to the helium-filled Ballon de Paris providing aerial views, and artificial island Île aux Cygnes.

A woman looks at works by Claude Monet at Musée Marmottan Monet, Paris — The Nympheas serial past French artist Claude Monet at the Musée Marmottan Monet © ETIENNE LAURENT / AFP / Getty Images

16th Arrondissement

Best neighborhood for woodland walks

Incorporating the large Bois de Boulogne woodland expanse, the swanky Right Bank 16th Arrondissement (seizième) is Paris' largest geographically. Pinnacle draws include the Palais de Chaillot's trio of museums overlooking the terraced Jardins du Trocadéro, while the hunting social club-housed Musée Marmottan Monet is among its lesser-known gems.

Trees line the avenues of residential apartment blocks in Paris, France — The residential 17th Arrondissement is a must for lovers of traditional Parisian architecture © Daniel Thierry / Getty Images

17th Arrondissement

All-time neighborhood for off-the-beaten-rails Paris

Outside of Paris visitors' usual itineraries, the 17th Arrondissement (dix-septième) is a mashup of classical Parisian residences, rejuvenated post-industrial areas and Clichy-Batignolles, a sustainable new "eco quarter."

18th Arrondissement

All-time neighborhood for city views

The 18th Arrondissement (dix-huitième) is synonymous with Montmartre'south steep, ivy-clad streets crowned past hilltop Sacré-Cœur basilica. Portrait artists on touristy Place du Tertre call back the days when Picasso, Braque and Modigliani lived and worked here, though the throngs of tourists tin detract from the romance of the expanse. To Montmartre's due south is the (tame) red-lite district Pigalle, home to the Moulin Rouge cabaret, while to its eastward, Château Rouge and La Goutte d'Or make up Paris' "Little Africa" neighborhood, with aromatic street markets, colorful fabric shops and a vibrant music scene.

People lounge on the grass in the sun at Buttes-Chaumont Park, Paris — Parc des Buttes Chaumont is a lovely spot to unwind when the dominicus is shining © Bruno De Hogues / Getty Images

19th Arrondissement

All-time neighborhood for green spaces

Few tourists venture out to the far-flung 19th Arrondissement (dix-neuvième), but despite some rough edges, highlights include the futuristic Parc de la Villette with museums and wide-ranging music venues including the Philharmonie de Paris concert hall, and the idyllic Parc des Buttes Chaumont with grottoes, waterfalls and a lake.

Monuments in Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, France — Cimetière du Père Lachaise in the 20th Arrondissement is the final resting place of many celebrities © Bruno De Hogues / Getty Images

20th Arrondissement

Best neighborhood for paying respect to famous names

Paris' 20th Arrondissement (vingtième) is dwelling to Cimetière du Père Lachaise, burial identify of famous names including Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde, Édith Piaf and countless other celebrities. Otherwise under-the-radar, information technology takes in the gentrifying neighborhoods of Ménilmontant and Belleville (which technically straddles four arrondissements), with creative person studios and wonderfully former-school hangouts such every bit Le Vieux Belleville, hosting piano accordion-accompanied chansons.

This article was originally published in June 2019.

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Source: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/guide-paris-arrondissements