Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Paris Arrondisement info-updated 1-10

I am re-posting this as it seems to be the thread that will not die...have fun. Paris Arrondisement Info (your mileage may vary) NB: I have not tried to list where every famous site or monument is (a map can tell you that), but rather describe the arrondisement itself. Also, some of the monuments/quarters mentioned may be on the cusp of two arrondisements or may spill over from one to the other--Paris is not an exact science! Enjoy your trip! 1rst Old Paris; the center: the Louvre, the Palais Royale, the Tuileries. Les Halles, a horrible, 70s-style underground shopping mall, is to be avoided at all costs (grimy, ugly and not so safe at night). rue de Rivoli is packed with people and stores, some interesting (old dept stores like Le BHV, La Samaritaine), though most are boring chain stores. 2nd Also old and interesting, but has some more business-y districts, like around la Bourse (stock exchange). Also has the funky place des Victoires and Etienne Marcel shopping districts. 3rd This area is famous for the Sentier, the Parisian garment district. Some of the famed Marais is here, but the better known parts are in the 4th. 4th These are some of the most beautiful areas of town: the Marais and the Isle St Louis. The area right around rue St Croix de la Brettonerie and rue Vielle du Temple is the closest thing Paris has to a gay neighborhood. In general, the 4th is beautiful and full of charm and has a lot of nice shops (nb: one of the only shopping districts open on Sunday). The area between blvd St Antoine and the river has many antique shops and fewer tourists. 5th The Latin Quarter: the Sorbonne, the Pantheon, the Cluny museum, the Institut du Monde Arabe, all lovely. The overcrowded, touristy rue Mouffetard, rue de la Huchette and blvd St Michel, somewhat less lovely. Rue Mouffetard is worth a walk down, but it’s probably better to avoid eating there. Same for rue de la Huchette, which is cute but lined with tourist traps. 6th St Germain des Pres. Lots of crumbly old buildings and tiny streets. A wonderful, romantic place to walk around aimlessly night or day. Great boutiques and restaurants, though chain stores are unfortunately starting to take over. The Jardin de Luxembourg is a highlight. 7th Largely a rich, residential area with lots of embassies and government buildings where nothing much happens *except* for the rue Cler and St Dominique neighborhoods which are full of life. There are also the Eiffel Tower, les Invalides, the Ecole Militaire, the Champs de Mars and le Bon Marché, the most Parisian department store. 8th Business-y, where a lot of the high-end shopping is (avenue Montaigne). Not much else going on for visitors aside from the Arc de Triomphe, one of the loveliest monuments in the city. The Champs Elysées is just a big boulevard with lots of chain stores and airline offices: not such a big deal. You do get a great view of the Arc, though. 9th The people’s downtown: big department stores (yawn), European chain stores, cinemas and chain restaurants on blvds des Italiens, des Capucines and de l’Opera, hordes of people, kind of bland. There are some nice things to visit: the old covered shopping galleries (which spill into the 2nd), the Garnier Opera. The area around place St Georges and the rue des Martyrs is nice to explore. 10th Has two of the main train stations. Lots of cheap stores, not much to visit. The rue St Denis is the red light district- not so nice. The Canal St Martin is lots of fun to walk along and has become quiet trendy with cafés and shops (it runs between the 10th and 19th) if you have already been to Paris several times and want to see something new. There are boat trips down it as well.