The six Paris districts you should know, from classically French cobbled streets to edgy underground clubs

Looking for a relaxing stroll through museums? Vintage shopping down hidden side streets? Or fancy discovering street art in one of the grittier neighbourhoods? Anna Richards explores the districts that help you see the authentic side of Paris

The Rue des Saules in Montmartre is picture-perfect Paris (Getty Images)

All eyes are now on the French capital for the 2024 Olympic Games. But when you’re not dashing from the Stade de France to Champ-de-Mars to watch rugby players and wrestlers tussle for gold, which neighbouthoods deserve your time? And more importantly, where should you stay if you’re in town for the Games (or enjoying a Paris city break at any time for that matter)?

The best way to get your head around the layout of Paris’s 20 central arrondissements, which looks as illogical as the French counting system, is to think of it as a snail’s shell. How typically French, to structure their capital city like an escargot. The first arrondissement is where you’ll find the Louvre, former home of the French royals, and from here, the spiral goes clockwise and outwards.

Each district has it’s own distinct character and may well appeal to a different type of traveller. Part of the beauty of Paris is that it has a heart and soul away from the main tourist attractions (and from the buzz of the Games). These are the six districts that will help you discover it.

Le Marais

Best for: Art and culture

3rd and 4th arrondissements

La Place des Vosges in le Marais is arguably the prettiest square in Paris (Getty Images)

Meaning ‘the swamp’, Le Marais bears no resemblance to Shrek’s homeland. Until the 13th century, the population was largely Jewish, as antisemitic attitudes saw Parisians shunt their Jewish neighbours into the least desirable part of town (visit the Museum of Jewish Art and History, or book onto Emma Strangwayes-Booth’s walking tour of the Jewish history of Le Marais to learn more). By the 17th century, Le Marais had become fashionable with the French nobility. Now, it’s a delightful mash-up of some of the city’s best galleries (the Picasso Museum and Carnavalet Museum), jazz clubs, like the vaulted underground hidey hole 38Riv, and  damn good eating and drinking. Try La Belle Hortense, a restaurant and bar within a bookshop.

Where to stay

Hedonistic and seductive, a stay at five-star Sinner is an experience.

Read more: The best things to do in Paris

Belleville

Best for: A bit of edge

19th and 20th arrondissements

From the Temple de la Sibylle, in Parc des Buttes-Chaumont, you can enjoy beautiful views of the city (Getty Images)

If you thought you couldn’t get a decent curry in France, you’ve never been to Belleville, Paris’s edgy east end. All kinds of world cuisine rub shoulders here. La Cantine de Babelville, a solidarity restaurant with pay-what-you-can prices, has delicious dishes from all over Africa and Madhapur has real Indian and Bangladeshi food (pani puri is not something you typically find on a menu in France).

Belleville often feels crowded, albeit with people who really live and breathe the quartier rather than groups of tourists following a guide with an umbrella, but the abundance of green spaces mean there’s always somewhere to unwind. Parc des Buttes-Chaumont, a former gypsum quarry which also used to serve as a gibbet and then a sewage depository, is now an urban oasis, with views that take in the Eiffel Tower and La Defense in one shot.

Where to stay

With rooms as colourful as its neighbourhood, Mama Shelter Paris East has heaps of character.

Read more: The best hotels in Paris

Montmartre

Best for: Romantics

18th and 9th arrondissements

A stroll through Montmartre makes you feel like you’re on a film set (Getty Images)

It’s impossible not to see Amelie Poulain’s home through a cinematic lens. Montmartre has been the backdrop for some of the most famous films set in Paris, including Amelie, Moulin Rouge and French Cancan. Buskers play accordions on street corners, parkour aficionados use the railings of the steps leading to the Sacre Coeur as their playground, tourists gaze at the newly reinstated windmills of the Moulin Rouge, and the whole place feels like a movie.

Montmartre Cemetery isn’t as well-known as Pere Lachaise, but there’s something special about the grand old tombs flanked by Hausmann buildings. At the Musée de Montmartre, get a flavour for what the village of Montmartre was like before all the bourgeoisie moved in and it became absorbed into Paris, with the only urban vineyard in the city, Clos Montmartre.

Where to stay

Terrass’Hotel has a wonderful rooftop bar with an extensive cocktail menu.

Read more: What it’s like to stay in a backpacker hostel in Paris

The Latin Quarter

Best for: History buffs

5th arrondissement

Jardin des Plantes offers an oasis in the heart of the city (Getty Images)

So named as it was inhabited by the Romans 2,000 years ago, when Paris was still Lutetia, the Latin Quarter is one of the most historic parts of the city. The Arenes de Lutece, the Gallo-Roman amphitheatre, was built in the 2nd century, and it’s free to visit. From here, it’s only a 15-minute walk to the Musée de Cluny, to fast forward a few hundred years and plunge yourself into Paris in the Middle Ages. But Roman occupation seems recent in comparison with some of the specimens exhibited at Paris’s Natural History Museum. In the heart of the vast urban park, the Jardin des Plantes, there are fossils dating back to the age of the dinosaurs.

Where to stay

Hôtel Orphée has free cake in the lobby 24/7 and great value double rooms.

Read more: How to dine out in Paris for under €20

Saint-Germain-des-Pres

Best for: Fashionistas

6th and 7th arrondissements

Cafe culture is strong in Saint-Germain-des-Pres (Getty Images)

If you’re planning on treating Paris like a catwalk, Saint-Germain-des-Pres is for you. Not only is the white limestone an arguably more striking runway than a red carpet, but some of Paris’s finest department stores are here, including Le Bon Marché.

For people watching and a decent cup of coffee, skip the tourist traps Les Deux Magots and Cafe de Flore, where Hemingway’s patronage has retrospectively grossly inflated the price of an espresso, and head to Bonjour Jacob instead. Their collection of coffee table magazines will have you discovering places most Parisians have never heard of.

Where to stay

There’s a great little gym and spa at La Villa Saint Germain.

Read more: The best vegan places to eat in Paris

Ile de la Cite

Best for: Classic Paris

1st and 4th arrondissements

To see Paris’s most famous landmarks, Ile de la Cite is a convenient base (Getty Images)

The Paris that first-time visitors surely imagine is the twin islands of Ile de la Cite and Ile Saint-Louis, where every building and paving stone is impossibly gorgeous. Many come for Notre-Dame, even in its present, semi-scaffolded state, or the Conciergerie, former prison and court of justice, where Marie-Antoinette was detained.

If it wasn’t picturesque enough, the flower market (Monday-Sunday) on Ile de la Cite turns the area into a postcard. Don’t miss the finest shop window display in the area; that of the almost-too-famous bookstore, Shakespeare & Company.

Where to stay

Hotel Des Deux Iles on Ile Saint-Louis has wallpaper straight out of William Morris’s design book.

Read more: How to have the best Paris holiday with children