Places to Explore

• Around the Eiffel Tower

  One of Paris's most upscale neighborhoods, the posh 7e arrondissement is home to the French bourgeoisie and well-heeled expats, where nearly every elegant block affords a view of the ultimate symbol of... (more)

• Around the Louvre

  The neighborhoods in this chapter, from the Faubourg St-Honoré to Les Halles are a study in contrasts, from très chic to trendy, with the Louvre in the midst of the bustle.... The impossibly... (more)

• The Champs-Élysées

  Welcome to bling-bling Paris. Make no mistake, the Champs-Élysées, while ceding some of its elegance in recent times, remains the city's—if not the world's—most famous avenue... (more)

• Eastern Paris

  The Bastille used to be the star of this area and a stop here—home turf of the French Revolution—was a must. The small streets forking off the Place de la Bastille still buzz at night, with... (more)

• The Islands

  At the heart of Paris, linked to the banks of the Seine by a series of bridges, are two small islands: Ile St-Louis and Ile de la Cité. They're the perfect place to begin a visit to Paris, with... (more)

• The Latin Quarter

  The Quartier Latin is the heart of student Paris—and has been for more than 800 years. France's oldest university, La Sorbonne, was founded here in 1257, and the neighborhood takes its name from... (more)

• Les Grands Boulevards

  In Belle Époque Paris, the Grand Boulevards were the place to see and be seen: in the cafés, at the opera, or in the ornate passages couverts, the glass-roofed arcades that were the world's... (more)

• The Marais

  From swampy to swanky, the Marais has a fascinating history. Like an aging pop star, the quartier has remade itself many times, and today retains several identities: the city's epicenter of cool with hip... (more)

• Montmartre

  Montmartre has become almost too charming for its own good. Yes, it feels like a village (if you wander off the beaten path); yes, there are working artists here (though far fewer than there used to be)... (more)

• Montparnasse

  Once a warren of artist studios and swinging cafés, much of Montparnasse was leveled in the 1960s to make way for a gritty train station and Paris's only—and much maligned—skyscraper... (more)

• St-Germain-des-Prés

  If you had to choose the most classically Parisian neighborhood in Paris, this would be it. St-Germain-des-Prés has it all: genteel blocks lined with upscale art galleries, storied cafés... (more)

• Western Paris

  Welcome to Paris at its most prim and proper—but hardly stodgy. This genteel area is a study in smart urban planning, with classical architecture and newer construction commingling as easily as the... (more)