The different
Quarters, or districts, of Paris
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The
districts of Paris
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Like any big city,
Paris is not a homogenous block of urban development; an ancient city,
dating back to before Roman times, it is a city that has grown
organically over the centuries, to the point that it has reached today,
a city with an intra-muros population of 2 million
inhabitants, an urban/suburban area of 6 million, and a
metropolitan area of close to 10 million inhabitants.
Paris intra-muros
"Paris", in the strict sense of the term, is an area covering 10,539
hectores or 105.39 sq. km, corresponding to the "departement" of the
Seine (75), the smallest in France in terms of size. This area is
almost exactly delimited by theroute of the Paris inner ring road, or
"Boulevard Périphérique", which circles the city.
Within this area, Paris is divided
administratively into 20 urban boroughs, called arondissements,
conveniently known by their numbers, rather than historic names.
Parisians know the numbers, and often use them to refer to parts of the
city; yet the historic areas of Paris also have names, some of them
well-known, other less. Here therefore is a short guide to
the main "Quarters" of Paris.
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La
Cité
- the city: Part of
the 1st District (premier arondissement); La Cité is one of
the the
islands in the middle of the Seine, and is the historic heart of Paris.
L'Ile de la Cité is today home to a number of historic
monuments and
administrative buildings, including Notre Dame Cathedral, and the
Sainte Chapelle. Next to l'Ile de la Cité is the Ile Saint
Louis, another very old quarter, which is more residential, with shops,
restaurants and small hotels.
Les
Grands Boulevards
- the district of the Grand Boulevards (2e and 3e Arondissements, and
8e
to the 11e). Running more or less from the Place de la
Madeleine (8e
arondissement) to the Place de la Bastille (11e arondissement), this is
the main shopping area of central Paris. The heart of the shopping area
is the Boulevard Haussmann, near the Opéra (RER Auber, Metro
Opéra),
with some of the biggest department stores.
Le
Quartier Latin The Latin Quarter -
Covering part of the 6e arondissement, and also part of the 5e, this is
the traditional student quarter of Paris, centered on the Sorbonne and
the Panthéon. The narrow pedestrian streets are full of
cafés and
restaurants, and the busy boulevards, particularly the Boulevard Saint
Michel, known as the Boul'Mich, have bookshops, cinemas and other shops.
Le
Marais - the 4e Arondissement. This district, lying on the
north bank of the Seine, has become a chic residential area; it is a
district of narrow streets, with a lot of attractive historic
buildings, and has become particularly popular since the opening of the
modern art museum and library at the Pompidou Centre.
Le
Septième - Quartier des Invalides. This
district on the south bank of the Seine is largely administrative and
residential. It contains, among other things, the Eiffel Tower, the
Hotel des Invalides, the French National Assembly (parliament
building), the residence of the Prime Minister (Hôtel
Matignon), and the Musée d'Orsay. |
Pigalle / Montmartre - the 9e
and 18e arondissement. Pigalle is the night-life district of
Paris, famous for its clubs, cabarets and bars. It is also known as the
red light district of Paris. Among the world famous cabaret bars are
the Folies Bergère and the Moulin Rouge, popular tourist
attractions. It borders on Montmartre, the hill on which sits the
famous Sacré Coeur church, and the so-called artists quarter
of Paris, today rather commercial.
Le
Seizième - the sixteenth arondissement: over
in the west of Paris, this is the chic residential area of the Paris
west end, where housing is most expensive. A large number of foreign
embassies are situated here.
Chinatown,
le Treizième: Paris has a large Chinese and
south-east Asian population, which is concentrated in the 13th
district, around the Place d'Italie. This area has lot of oriental
restaurants - Chinese, Vietnamese, Cambodgian, and more, plus exotic
shops and commerces.
Quartier
de la Bastille. The area round the Place de la Bastille
(4e, 11e, 12e) is a popular bustling area of Paris; it is an area with
lots of shops, including all kinds of specialist shops which have set
up in this part of town which is cheaper than the other end of the
Grands Boulevards. This is also a chic cultural area, with the new
Paris Opera, and chic boutiques.
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La
Défense. Strictly lying outside Paris, la
Défense, in the north west of the city, is the modern
business district. La Défense lies at the edge of the city,
following the line of the Champs Elysées, beyond the 16e /
17e arondissements. |
About-France.com
- Paris
for free
There
are plenty of things to see and do in Paris, without spending a single
centime. They include;
Free
museums:
- City of Paris Museum of Modern Art, at the Trocadéro
- Maison de Balzac, devoted to France's great 19th century novelist.
- Musée Carnavalet - the museum of the history of Paris
- Petit Palais, City of Paris museum of fine arts; a large
collection of great master paintings and artefacts. Located just off
the Champs Elysées |
Free
only on
the first Sunday of each month:
The Louvre, Musée Rodin, Musée Picasso,
Musée d'Orsay and others.
Free
monuments;
Notre Dame cathedral, other Paris churches.
Free
to wander :
Wander along the banks of the Seine, through the parks, through the
narrow streets of the Latin quarter, up to the heights of Montmartre.
Free
travel:
Walk! But if you have a travel pass, then all your public
transport is free.
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