Explore Paris
Exploring Paris, the City of Light,
is like exploring the history of Western civilization and the finest features of its culture
as it developed over the generations. The spirit of each major era in human history is captured
and preserved in each of the arrondissements, or circular zones, of the city as they formed around
the central first arrondissement, mirroring the layers of tradition and culture as they changed with
each passing generation. Complementary to the array of arrondissements emanating from the center,
Paris also is divided in half by the River Seine. The Left Bank of Paris is on the south side of
the River Seine, and traditionally has hosted the blue collar and artistic communities, while the
Right Bank north of the River Seine catered more to the upper classes. In recent decades, however,
these lines of distinction have blurred as they have in other major metropolitan areas around the
world. Neighborhoods formerly the domain of the starving artist now host some of the most chic and
nouvelle dining, shopping and lodging options, while the north part of the city retains its traditional
glory and price tags, but is inclined to appeal to an older, more conservative crowd. The artists have
been pushed gradually out from the center of town, from one arrondissement to the next as real estate
prices have climbed, and presently live around the rue Oberkampf in the 11th arrondissement. If it has
been many years since your last trip to Paris, you will be pleased to find an increased congeniality
towards Americans, and less of an insistence on speaking perfect French. In fact, in recent years there
has been a growing interest among Parisians in learning more about American culture and the English
language.
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1st – 4th Arrondissements
The first four arrondissements of the Right Bank contain the features common to the downtown
sections of most major metropolitan areas. The cultural center, including the Louvre, is at the
heart of town along the Right Bank of the River Seine, followed by the business and financial center
in the 2nd arrondissement. Next, the 3rd and 4th arrondissements include the area known as Le Marais,
which originally was the domain of 17th century aristocrats, but in recent decades has included the
Jewish quarter of which only a few of the oldest establishments now remain, and presently serves as
the civic center of the gay community.
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5th – 7th Arrondissements
The next three arrondissements of the Left Bank are home to the spirit of Parisian culture
and its intelligentsia. The 5th arrondissement, and part of the 6th, is also called the Latin Quarter,
so named because the Sorbonne’s original 13th century students were required to speak in Latin.
Here you will find the cafes frequented by Descartes, Sartres, Camus and Hemingway, Notre-Dame,
bookstores, student housing, the Roman ruins and the various immigrant communities' ethnic restaurants.
The 6th arrondissement, also called St. Germain/Luxembourg, has a cozy old residential feel,
characterized by narrow winding streets and hidden away apartments formerly occupied by famous
writers and artists, and is home to the Ecole des Beaux Arts, many French publishing houses and
small family-owned bakeries. In the 7th arrondissement, newer landmarks of French history are found,
including the Eiffel Tower and Napoleon’s Tomb.
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8th – 12th Arrondissements
These 5 arrondissements on the Right Bank reflect the commercial side of Paris and its history.
The Paris strip, or Champs-Elysses, is in the 8th arrondissement which extends from the Arc de Triomphe
to the Obelisk of Luxor and is the busiest section of town. The real estate here, both residential
and commercial, is the most expensive yet not necessarily of the highest quality. Fast food joints
and strip clubs share the area with some of the most expensive hotels and popular tourist attractions
in town. The 9th arrondissement is home to Pigalle, nicknamed Pig Alley by World War II soldiers,
the Opera Garnier and Folies-Bergere. The 10th arrondissement, or Gard du Nord and Gard de l’Est,
continues the trend of the preceding two arrondissements, and in many respects is the least attractive
area of town, where the oldest porn theatres and other such venues are found. The 11th arrondissement
historically was the grimiest neighborhood of all, but in recent years the Place de la Bastille has
become the site of the Opera Bastille, and a community of artists and avant-garde residents has been
forming. Finally, the 12th arrondissement on the eastern outskirts of Paris is home to the Bois de
Vincennes, a popular area of gardens, parks, boating lakes and zoos that have replaced the urban blight
and deserted railroad tracks of preceding decades.
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13th – 15th Arrondissements
The 13th arrondissement is home to Paris’s Chinatown, now comprised largely of Vietnamese immigrants,
which centers around the Tolbiac stop of the Metro. South of the 5th arrondissement with its
intellectual history is the north edge of the 14th arrondissement, or Montparnasse, known as the home
of the “lost generation,” where Gertrude Stein, Alice B. Toklas and T.S. Eliot flourished. West of
Montparnasse, the 15th arrondissement, or Gare Montparnasse, is largely residential, but was the home
of a few famous early 20th century artists as well as the Institut Pasteur.
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16th – 20th Arrondissements
On the Right Bank, on the west side of town across the Seine River from the 7th arrondissement, hotels
in the upscale residential 16th arrondissement offer the least obstructed view of the Eiffel Tower.
The residential neighborhoods of Parc Monceau and Place Clichy comprise the 17th arrondissement at the
northern edge of town. The 18th arrondissement, or Montmartre, was the home of Toulouse Lautrec and
the Moulin Rouge, Picasso and Matisse, and has many attractions for those interested in the history
of the period, though now overrun with tourist shops and nightclubs cashing in on its former
atmosphere.
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