Overview of Neighborhoods

Paris is divided into 20 arrondissements, numbered spirally from the center outward (like a snail — "escargot"). Each arrondissement has its own character:

1st–4th Arr.: The Historic Center

For whom: First-time visitors, art and history fans
The Louvre (1st Arr.), the Île de la Cité with Notre-Dame (4th Arr.), the Marais (3rd–4th Arr.) with its city palaces and Jewish community, the Tuileries, and the Palais Royal. Everything is close together here.

5th–6th Arr.: Saint-Germain-des-Prés & Latin Quarter

For whom: Literature fans, bistro lovers, romantics
The intellectual heart of Paris: Sartre and Beauvoir at Café de Flore, the Sorbonne, the Panthéon, the bouquinistes on the Seine banks, the narrow streets of the Latin Quarter with Greek restaurants and jazz cellars. Saint-Germain is elegant and expensive, the Latin Quarter student-like and lively.

7th Arr.: Eiffel Tower & Les Invalides

For whom: First-time visitors, architecture fans
The Eiffel Tower, the Champ de Mars, the Musée d'Orsay, Les Invalides with Napoleon's tomb, and the Musée Rodin. An elegant residential area with wide boulevards and embassies.

8th Arr.: Champs-Élysées & Arc de Triomphe

For whom: Shopping fans, strollers
The most famous street in the world, the Arc de Triomphe, the Grand and Petit Palais, and the luxury boutiques of Avenue Montaigne.

18th Arr.: Montmartre & Sacré-Cœur

For whom: Bohemian lovers, romantics, artists
The artist district on the hill: Sacré-Cœur, Place du Tertre (street painters), Moulin Rouge, vineyards, and cobblestone alleys. The spirit of Picasso, Renoir, and Amélie lives on here.

10th–11th Arr.: Canal Saint-Martin & Oberkampf

For whom: Hipsters, foodies, night owls
Rome's answer to Berlin-Kreuzberg: craft coffee, natural wine bars, international cuisine, and the city's liveliest nightlife. The Canal Saint-Martin is Parisian Dolce Vita for the young generation.