Paris_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 7th Edition) - Lonely Planet [49]
This guide starts on the Right Bank, north of the Seine, in the area around the Louvre and Les Halles, which largely takes in the 1er but also part of the 2e and the westernmost edge of the 4e. Next come the Marais (4e and 3e) and the contiguous Bastille (11e) districts to the east and southeast. The two islands in the Seine – Île de la Cité and Île St-Louis – are on neither the Right nor Left Bank but they do belong to arrondissements – the 1er and 4e, respectively.
We encounter the Left Bank in the Latin Quarter, the traditional centre of learning in Paris, and the leafy Jardin des Plantes to the east of it (both 5e). The 6e, to the west and southwest, is both a frenetic district (St-Germain and Odéon) and tranquil park (Luxembourg). To the south is Montparnasse (14e), once the centre of nightlife. Faubourg St-Germain and Les Invalides to the north in the 7e are important for their sights but also as the locations of many branches of government and embassies. To the west is the Eiffel Tower and, across the Seine on the Right Bank, the posh 16e arrondissement, a district of broad, tree-lined avenues and some excellent museums.
To the east and still on the Right Bank is the 8e, which includes the lion’s share of Parisian icons: Étoile, with its landmark Arc de Triomphe, and the wide boulevard known as the Champs-Élysées. At the end of this grand avenue are two very important places (squares): Concorde and, to the north, Madeleine. Above the 8e is the multifaceted 17e, with its beautiful, Haussmann-era buildings beyond the Gare St-Lazare and the working-class neighbourhoods of Clichy. To the east is the 9e, where you’ll find the city’s original Opéra and the Grands Boulevards.
The 10e, hosting both the Gare du Nord and the Gare de l’Est, is the city’s rail hub. Below République (3e) and its enormous and chaotic square is the branché (trendy) district of Ménilmontant – awash in alternative bars, cafés and restaurants, especially along rue Oberkampf in the northern 11e – and to the east, the solidly working-class neighbourhood of Belleville (20e).
The 12e contains Gare de Lyon to the northwest, the huge square-cum-roundabout called Nation to the east and, to the south, the redeveloped area of Bercy, its old wine-warehouses now turned into a wining-and-dining ‘theme park’. Across the Seine is the 13e arrondissement, home to Chinatown and the grandiose Bibliothèque Nationale de France, and currently undergoing massive redevelopment. The 15e arrondissement, the largest and most populous district but arguably, least interesting to tourists, is to the west.
To the north in the 18e is Montmartre, the Paris of myth and films, and Pigalle, the naughty red-light district that today looks pretty tame. La Villette, with its lovely park, canal and cutting-edge museums in the far-flung 19e arrondissement of the northeast, is the last district of major importance intra-muros, Latin for ‘within the walls’ and what Parisians call central Paris. Areas of interest to visitors ‘outside the walls’ include the Bois de Vincennes and Bois de Boulogne, Paris’ ‘lungs’ and recreational centres to the east and the west respectively; La Défense, the futuristic business and residential district at the northern end of metro line 1; and St-Denis, to the north on metro line 13, which has an important 12th-century cathedral.
In this chapter, the Transport boxed texts provide quick reference for the location of metro and train stations, tram and bus stops, and ferry piers in each district.
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ITINERARY BUILDER
It’s easy to see lots of Paris in a very short time; as we point out in Introducing Paris, familiar sights and landmarks seem to leap out at you from every corner. But to really get under the skin of Paris you’ll want to look beyond the obvious. This Itinerary Builder should help you find a range of both obvious and slightly more obscure