Paris Arrondissements Explained: All 20, Metro Times and Who Each Suits (2026)

The arrondissement number on a Paris address tells a visitor less than it seems to. It says roughly how far the place is from the Louvre and which side of the river it is on. It does not say whether the street is quiet at night, which metro line stops at the corner, or whether the neighborhood a traveler has read about is on that side of an administrative line. The Marais is split between the 3rd and the 4th. Saint-Germain-des-Prés runs from the 6th into the 7th. Montparnasse touches three arrondissements. A hotel in the “6th” can be five minutes from the Luxembourg Gardens or twenty.

Most explainers rank the 20 arrondissements from best to worst, or describe each in three adjectives. Both approaches skip what actually shapes a trip: the spiral layout that makes low numbers central and high numbers peripheral, the Left Bank and Right Bank split, and the metro minutes from each area to the two places nearly every visitor goes, the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower. Those three things explain why the 12th can be faster to the Louvre than the 7th, and why the 16th is next to the Eiffel Tower while the 20th is the far side of the city.

This guide takes the 20 arrondissements in the order of the map, grouped by area, with what each contains, its metro lines, metro minutes to the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower, and who it suits. Lodging is covered separately in where to stay in Paris. Fares, closing days and administrative facts below were checked against official websites in November 2026.

The Arrondissement Number Is Not the Neighborhood

Parisians use two maps at once. One is the administrative map of 20 numbered arrondissements. The other is a mental map of named neighborhoods, or quartiers: the Marais, Saint-Germain, the Latin Quarter, Montmartre, Pigalle, Bastille, Oberkampf, the Canal Saint-Martin, Batignolles, Belleville, Montparnasse. The two maps do not line up. Arrondissement borders follow boulevards and village limits drawn in 1860. Neighborhood names follow history.

For a visitor, this matters in three ways. First, a search for “the best arrondissement” returns a number, but the experience being sought usually has a name. Someone who wants the Marais needs the southern half of the 3rd or the northern half of the 4th, not the whole of either. Second, a single arrondissement can hold very different streets. The 18th contains both the lanes around Place du Tertre and the wholesale fabric shops and traffic of Barbès. The 10th contains the quiet locks of the Canal Saint-Martin and the forecourt of Gare du Nord. Third, the arrondissement says nothing about the metro, and the metro decides how a day goes. A room 200 meters from a line 1 or line 14 station in the 12th beats a room 900 meters from any station in the 7th for most itineraries.

The practical rule: use the arrondissement to place an address on the map, use the neighborhood name to judge the street, and use the metro line to judge the day.

Reading the Map: the Spiral, the Banks and the Périphérique

The spiral

Paris went from 12 to 20 arrondissements on January 1, 1860, when the city annexed the villages around its old customs wall, including Montmartre, Belleville, Passy, Vaugirard, Batignolles and Grenelle. The new numbering starts with the 1st around the Louvre and winds clockwise and outward. The 1st to 4th form the center on the Right Bank. The 5th, 6th and 7th cross the river to the Left Bank. The 8th to 12th swing back north and east in a ring around the center. The 13th, 14th and 15th run along the southern edge. The 16th to 20th complete the outer ring from the west, around the north, to the east.

The result is that low numbers are central and high numbers are outer, with two exceptions worth knowing. The 7th and the 8th are central in feel and in metro minutes despite their mid-range numbers. And the 16th, an outer arrondissement on paper, is the closest one to the Eiffel Tower after the 7th and the 15th.

The postal code

Every Paris postal code starts with 75 and ends with the arrondissement: 75001 for the 1st, 75020 for the 20th. The 16th has two codes, 75016 for the south and 75116 for the north around Étoile and avenue Victor-Hugo. Street signs carry the arrondissement number above the street name.

Paris Centre

Since July 2020, the 1st to 4th have shared one town hall as Paris Centre, in the former mairie of the 3rd. The four arrondissements, their numbers and postal codes still exist. For a visitor, nothing changes.

The two banks

The Seine enters Paris from the southeast, curves north through the center and leaves to the southwest. The Right Bank, rive droite, is the north side. The Left Bank, rive gauche, is the south side. Six arrondissements are entirely on the Left Bank: the 5th, 6th, 7th, 13th, 14th and 15th. The 1st and the 4th share Île de la Cité, with Notre-Dame in the 4th and Sainte-Chapelle in the 1st. Île Saint-Louis is entirely in the 4th. The rest is Right Bank.

The Périphérique and the two woods

The Boulevard Périphérique, the ring road, marks the city limit almost everywhere. The Bois de Boulogne to the west belongs to the 16th and the Bois de Vincennes to the east belongs to the 12th, which is why those two arrondissements are the largest on a map. Saint-Ouen, La Défense, Boulogne and Vincennes, just outside, are separate towns on the same metro.

Neighborhood Names That Cross Arrondissement Lines

This is where the named neighborhoods actually sit.

Each of these names has its own guide: the Marais, Saint-Germain-des-Prés, the Latin Quarter, Montmartre, the Canal Saint-Martin, Batignolles, Belleville and Montparnasse.

Metro Minutes Matter More Than Distance

A straight 3-kilometer line on the map can take 12 minutes on one metro line or 30 minutes with two changes. The times in this guide are platform-to-platform metro or RER times from a typical station in each arrondissement to the stations serving the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower, including one change where needed, but not the walk to the first station. Add 5 to 10 minutes at each end. They are estimates built from the number of stops on each line, at about 1.5 minutes a stop and 5 minutes a change, so the stop count is given with each route.

The reference stations are Palais Royal–Musée du Louvre (lines 1 and 7) for the Louvre, or Pyramides (line 14) a short walk away, and for the Eiffel Tower whichever is nearest on the route: Bir-Hakeim (line 6), Trocadéro (lines 6 and 9), École Militaire (line 8) or Champ de Mars–Tour Eiffel (RER C). Each of these is still a walk of 5 to 15 minutes from the tower’s base.

The lines that carry most visitor trips:

• Line 1, driverless, runs east-west along the Right Bank through Gare de Lyon, Bastille, Hôtel de Ville, the Louvre, Concorde, the Champs-Élysées and Étoile. It is also the line most often named for pickpockets.
• Line 14, driverless and the fastest in the network, runs from Saint-Denis–Pleyel through Saint-Lazare, Madeleine, Pyramides, Châtelet, Gare de Lyon and Bibliothèque François-Mitterrand to Orly Airport.
• Line 4 runs north-south through Gare du Nord, Châtelet, Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Montparnasse and Denfert-Rochereau.
• Line 6 arcs across the south, partly above ground, from Nation through Place d’Italie and Montparnasse to Bir-Hakeim and Étoile.
• RER C follows the Left Bank quays from Bibliothèque François-Mitterrand through Saint-Michel and Musée d’Orsay to Champ de Mars–Tour Eiffel.
• Line 8 runs from Bastille along the Grands Boulevards to Madeleine, Concorde, Invalides and École Militaire.

The Paris metro guide covers tickets, rush hours and accessibility. The table below summarizes the times given in each section.

The Center: the 1st to the 4th (Paris Centre)

1st Arrondissement: Louvre, Tuileries and Les Halles

The 1st is the most central and one of the least residential arrondissements, running from Concorde to Châtelet plus the western tip of Île de la Cité. It contains the Louvre, the Tuileries Garden, the Palais-Royal and its garden, Place Vendôme, the Bourse de Commerce, the Forum des Halles, Sainte-Chapelle, the Conciergerie and the Pont Neuf. The Orangerie sits in the Tuileries. Since October 2025, the Fondation Cartier has its galleries at 2 place du Palais-Royal, opposite the Louvre.

Metro: lines 1 and 7 at Palais Royal–Musée du Louvre, line 14 at Pyramides, and Châtelet–Les Halles, where lines 1, 4, 7, 11 and 14 meet RER A, B and D. From Châtelet, the Louvre is about 3 minutes on line 1, two stops, or 15 minutes on foot along rue de Rivoli. The Eiffel Tower is about 20 minutes, on line 1 to Franklin D. Roosevelt, six stops, and line 9 to Trocadéro, three stops.

Who it suits: short, museum-focused first visits, and arrivals from CDG on RER B, which stops at Châtelet. The limitation is the evening: the Louvre area empties after closing, and the Forum des Halles is a place to pass through late at night. The Louvre is closed on Tuesday. Read the 1st arrondissement guide and, for the gardens, the Tuileries guide.

2nd Arrondissement: Passages, Sentier and Rue Montorgueil

The 2nd is the smallest arrondissement. It holds most of the covered passages, including Galerie Vivienne and the Passage des Panoramas, the pedestrian market street of rue Montorgueil, the old garment district of the Sentier, the Bourse, the Opéra-Comique and the Richelieu site of the Bibliothèque nationale de France.

Metro: line 3 at Bourse and Sentier, lines 8 and 9 at Grands Boulevards and Bonne Nouvelle. The Louvre is 10 to 15 minutes on foot from Bourse, down rue Vivienne and through the Palais-Royal garden, usually quicker than the metro. The Eiffel Tower is about 11 minutes on line 8 from Grands Boulevards to École Militaire, seven stops without a change.

Who it suits: food-focused travelers and repeat visitors who want a central base. The limitation: the 2nd is quiet on Sunday, when offices and many restaurants close. Read the 2nd arrondissement guide.

3rd Arrondissement: the Upper Marais

The 3rd is the northern half of the Marais, often called the Haut Marais. It contains the Musée Picasso on rue de Thorigny, the Musée Carnavalet on rue de Sévigné, the Musée des Arts et Métiers, the Marché des Enfants-Rouges and the shops of rue de Bretagne and rue Charlot. The Musée Picasso is closed on Monday. Carnavalet, the city history museum, has free entry to its permanent collection and is also closed on Monday.

Metro: lines 3 and 11 at Arts et Métiers, line 8 at Filles du Calvaire and Saint-Sébastien–Froissart, line 1 at Saint-Paul on the 4th side of the border. The Louvre is about 13 minutes from Arts et Métiers, on line 11 to Hôtel de Ville, two stops, and line 1, three stops. The Eiffel Tower is about 17 minutes on line 8 from Filles du Calvaire to École Militaire, 11 stops without a change.

Who it suits: travelers who want the Marais with less weekend traffic than the 4th, and gallery visitors. The limitation: slower metro links to the Left Bank. Read the 3rd arrondissement guide and the Marais guide.

4th Arrondissement: Notre-Dame, Île Saint-Louis and the Lower Marais

The 4th covers the eastern half of Île de la Cité with Notre-Dame, all of Île Saint-Louis, the Hôtel de Ville, the southern Marais around rue des Rosiers and rue Vieille-du-Temple, most of Place des Vosges with the Maison de Victor Hugo and the Mémorial de la Shoah. It also contains the Centre Pompidou, which has been closed since September 2025 and is announced to reopen in 2030. Entry to Notre-Dame is free, with optional reservation.

Metro: line 1 at Hôtel de Ville and Saint-Paul, line 7 at Pont Marie and Sully-Morland, line 11 at Rambuteau and Hôtel de Ville, line 4 at Cité. The Louvre is about 6 minutes from Saint-Paul on line 1, four stops, or 20 minutes on foot along the quays. The Eiffel Tower is about 22 minutes, on line 1 to Franklin D. Roosevelt, eight stops, and line 9 to Trocadéro, three stops.

Who it suits: first-time visitors who want evening life and Sunday shopping, since much of the Marais lies in a zone where shops may open on Sunday, and couples drawn to Île Saint-Louis. The limitation: crowded weekend afternoons. Read the 4th arrondissement guide, the two islands guide and the Notre-Dame visit guide.

The Left Bank Core: the 5th, 6th and 7th

5th Arrondissement: Latin Quarter and the Panthéon

The 5th is the heart of the Latin Quarter. It holds the Sorbonne, the Panthéon, the Musée de Cluny, Saint-Étienne-du-Mont, the Jardin des Plantes with the natural history galleries, the Institut du Monde Arabe and rue Mouffetard. The tourist-menu streets around rue de la Huchette are the least representative part.

Metro: line 7 at Place Monge, Jussieu and Censier-Daubenton, line 10 at Maubert-Mutualité and Cluny-La Sorbonne, RER B at Luxembourg and Saint-Michel–Notre-Dame, RER C at Saint-Michel. The Louvre is about 9 minutes from Place Monge on line 7, six stops. The Eiffel Tower is about 6 minutes from Saint-Michel on RER C to Champ de Mars–Tour Eiffel, four stops, with trains less frequent than the metro.

Who it suits: first-time visitors on a mid-range budget, families, and CDG arrivals on RER B. The limitation: the slope up to the Panthéon, and many walk-up buildings. Read the 5th arrondissement guide, the Latin Quarter guide and the Panthéon visit guide.

6th Arrondissement: Saint-Germain-des-Prés and the Luxembourg

The 6th contains the village of Saint-Germain-des-Prés and its church, the cafés of boulevard Saint-Germain, the church of Saint-Sulpice, the Luxembourg Gardens and the Senate in the Luxembourg Palace, the Musée du Luxembourg and the gallery streets around rue de Seine.

Metro: line 4 at Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Saint-Sulpice and Odéon, line 10 at Mabillon and Odéon, line 12 at Rennes and Notre-Dame-des-Champs, RER B at Luxembourg. The Louvre is about 15 minutes on foot from Saint-Germain-des-Prés over the Pont des Arts, quicker than the metro. The Eiffel Tower is about 16 minutes from Mabillon, on line 10 to La Motte-Picquet–Grenelle, five stops, and line 6 to Bir-Hakeim, two stops.

Who it suits: first-time visitors who can afford it, couples, and families who will use the Luxembourg playground. The usual first-visit recommendation is fair. The limitation is price, and evenings end earlier than in the Marais. Read the 6th arrondissement guide, the Saint-Germain-des-Prés guide and the Luxembourg Gardens guide.

7th Arrondissement: Eiffel Tower, Invalides and Rue Cler

The 7th holds the Eiffel Tower and the Champ de Mars, the Invalides with Napoleon’s tomb and the Musée de l’Armée, the Musée d’Orsay, the Musée Rodin, the Musée du Quai Branly, the Bon Marché and rue Cler. Its eastern part is the old Faubourg Saint-Germain, which is why “Saint-Germain” in an address can mean the 7th. The Musée d’Orsay is closed on Monday.

Metro: line 8 at École Militaire, La Tour-Maubourg and Invalides, line 13 at Varenne and Invalides, line 12 at Solférino and Rue du Bac, RER C along the river. The Louvre is about 13 minutes from École Militaire, on line 8 to Concorde, three stops, and line 1, two stops, or on RER C to Musée d’Orsay and a walk over the Passerelle Léopold-Sédar-Senghor. The Eiffel Tower is within a 20-minute walk of the western 7th, around rue Cler and École Militaire. From the eastern 7th near Orsay, it is about 5 minutes on RER C to Champ de Mars–Tour Eiffel, three stops.

Who it suits: families, older travelers and trips centered on the tower and the Left Bank museums. The limitation: quiet evenings after 10 p.m. and thinner metro coverage than the Right Bank. Read the 7th arrondissement guide, the Invalides guide and the Rodin Museum guide.

The Inner Right Bank Ring: the 8th to the 10th

8th Arrondissement: Champs-Élysées, Étoile and the Golden Triangle

The 8th contains the Champs-Élysées, the Arc de Triomphe at Place Charles-de-Gaulle, Place de la Concorde, the Grand Palais (fully reopened in June 2025), the Petit Palais, the Madeleine church, Gare Saint-Lazare, Parc Monceau and the Golden Triangle of avenue Montaigne and avenue George-V.

Metro: line 1 along the Champs-Élysées at George V, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Champs-Élysées–Clemenceau, line 9 at Franklin D. Roosevelt and Alma-Marceau, line 13 at Champs-Élysées–Clemenceau, line 14 at Madeleine and Saint-Lazare. The Louvre is about 6 minutes from Franklin D. Roosevelt on line 1, four stops. The Eiffel Tower is about 5 minutes on line 9 to Trocadéro, three stops, then the walk across the Pont d’Iéna.

Who it suits: larger budgets, shoppers, and anyone who wants line 1 at the door. The limitation: offices and flagship stores, with little neighborhood life after closing. Read the 8th arrondissement guide, the Champs-Élysées guide and the Arc de Triomphe rooftop guide.

9th Arrondissement: Opéra, Pigalle and the Department Stores

The 9th runs from the Palais Garnier and the department stores on boulevard Haussmann up to the foot of Montmartre at Pigalle. It contains Galeries Lafayette and Printemps Haussmann, the Musée de la Vie Romantique and rue des Martyrs, with the restaurants of South Pigalle, or SoPi, in its northern half.

Metro: lines 3, 7 and 8 at Opéra, lines 7 and 9 at Chaussée d’Antin–La Fayette, line 12 at Notre-Dame-de-Lorette and Saint-Georges, lines 2 and 12 at Pigalle. The Louvre is about 3 minutes from Opéra on line 7, two stops, or 15 minutes on foot down avenue de l’Opéra. The Eiffel Tower is about 8 minutes from Opéra on line 8 to École Militaire, five stops.

Who it suits: a central Right Bank base below 8th arrondissement prices, with one of the densest metro networks in the city. The limitation: loud, crowded boulevards on Saturday afternoons. Read the 9th arrondissement guide and the Palais Garnier visit guide.

10th Arrondissement: Canal Saint-Martin and the Two Stations

The 10th holds Gare du Nord, for the Eurostar and the north, and Gare de l’Est, for eastern France and Germany. Between and below them run the Canal Saint-Martin, with its locks and iron footbridges and rue du Faubourg-Saint-Denis with its food shops. Most bars line the quai de Valmy and the quai de Jemmapes.

Metro: lines 4 and 5 at Gare du Nord with RER B, D and E, lines 4, 5 and 7 at Gare de l’Est, line 5 at Jacques Bonsergent, and République on the border with the 3rd and 11th. The Louvre is about 11 minutes from Gare de l’Est on line 7, seven stops. The Eiffel Tower is about 20 minutes, on line 7 to Opéra, five stops, and line 8 to École Militaire, five stops.

Who it suits: Eurostar travelers and repeat visitors who want canal-side evenings. The limitation: Gare du Nord and the canal’s north end toward Stalingrad call for attention late at night. Read the 10th arrondissement guide, the Canal Saint-Martin guide and the London to Paris Eurostar guide.

The East Side: the 11th and 12th

11th Arrondissement: Oberkampf, Bastille and the Bistro Belt

The 11th is the most densely populated arrondissement and the bar and bistro district. It runs from Place de la République to Place de la Nation and contains Oberkampf, rue Jean-Pierre-Timbaud, rue de Charonne, rue de la Roquette, the Bastille market on boulevard Richard-Lenoir on Thursday and Sunday mornings and the Atelier des Lumières digital art space at 38 rue Saint-Maur.

Metro: line 1 at Bastille, lines 5 and 9 at Oberkampf and République, line 9 at Voltaire and Charonne, line 3 at Parmentier, line 8 at Ledru-Rollin and Faidherbe-Chaligny. The Louvre is about 8 minutes from Bastille on line 1, five stops. The Eiffel Tower is about 21 minutes, on line 8 from Bastille to École Militaire or line 9 from Oberkampf to Trocadéro, 14 stops each without a change.

Who it suits: food travelers, late diners and budget-minded travelers. The limitation: weekend noise around Oberkampf and rue de Lappe, and few sights on foot. Read the 11th arrondissement guide and the nightlife guide.

12th Arrondissement: Bercy, Gare de Lyon and the Promenade Plantée

The 12th contains Gare de Lyon, for TGV trains to the south and the Alps, the Opéra Bastille, the Marché d’Aligre, the Coulée Verte René-Dumont (the elevated Promenade Plantée), Bercy Park and Bercy Village, the Cinémathèque française and the Bois de Vincennes with the Paris zoo.

Metro: lines 1 and 14 with RER A and D at Gare de Lyon, lines 6 and 14 at Bercy, line 8 at Ledru-Rollin and Daumesnil, lines 1, 2, 6, 9 and RER A at Nation. The Louvre is 3 to 9 minutes from Gare de Lyon: about 3 on line 14 to Pyramides, two stops, then a short walk, or about 9 on line 1 to Palais Royal, six stops. The Eiffel Tower is about 26 minutes on line 6 from Bercy to Bir-Hakeim, 17 stops without a change.

Who it suits: budget-minded travelers on line 1 or 14, families, and early trains south. The limitation: far from the Eiffel Tower end of the city. Read the 12th arrondissement guide and the Vincennes and Boulogne woods guide.

The Southern Left Bank: the 13th, 14th and 15th

13th Arrondissement: Chinatown, Butte-aux-Cailles and Street Art

The 13th holds the main Asian neighborhood of Paris around avenue d’Ivry and avenue de Choisy, the village streets of the Butte-aux-Cailles, the large murals along boulevard Vincent-Auriol, the Bibliothèque nationale de France François-Mitterrand and the Gobelins tapestry manufactory.

Metro: lines 5, 6 and 7 at Place d’Italie, line 6 at Corvisart, line 7 at Tolbiac and Porte d’Ivry, line 14 and RER C at Bibliothèque François-Mitterrand. The Louvre is 8 to 14 minutes: about 8 on line 14 from Bibliothèque François-Mitterrand to Pyramides, five stops, about 14 on line 7 from Place d’Italie, nine stops. The Eiffel Tower is about 20 minutes on line 6 from Place d’Italie to Bir-Hakeim, 13 stops without a change.

Who it suits: budget travelers, food travelers after Vietnamese and Chinese cooking, and street art walkers. The limitation: spread out, with few sights close together. Read the 13th arrondissement guide.

14th Arrondissement: Montparnasse, Denfert and the Catacombs

The 14th contains the Catacombs, with the entrance at Place Denfert-Rochereau, the Montparnasse Cemetery, the market street of rue Daguerre, the crêperies of rue du Montparnasse and rue d’Odessa and the Parc Montsouris. Gare Montparnasse sits on the border with the 15th, and the Tour Montparnasse is just over it, in the 15th.

Metro: lines 4 and 6 and RER B at Denfert-Rochereau, lines 4, 6, 12 and 13 at Montparnasse–Bienvenüe, line 13 at Gaîté and Pernety. The Louvre is about 19 minutes from Montparnasse, on line 4 to Châtelet, seven stops, and line 1, two stops, or on line 12 to Concorde and a walk through the Tuileries. The Eiffel Tower is 9 to 14 minutes on line 6 to Bir-Hakeim, six stops from Montparnasse or nine from Denfert-Rochereau.

Who it suits: train arrivals from the west, RER B airport travelers, families and repeat visitors. The limitation: the main sights are a metro ride away. Read the 14th arrondissement guide, the Montparnasse neighborhood guide and the Catacombs tickets guide.

15th Arrondissement: Eiffel Tower Side, Residential Prices

The 15th is the most populous arrondissement and one of the largest. Its northern edge faces the Eiffel Tower across avenue de Suffren and runs along the Seine past Beaugrenelle and the Île aux Cygnes, with its small Statue of Liberty. It contains the shopping street of rue du Commerce, the Parc André-Citroën, the Parc Georges-Brassens, the Tour Montparnasse and Paris Expo at Porte de Versailles.

Metro: lines 6, 8 and 10 at La Motte-Picquet–Grenelle, line 6 at Dupleix, Bir-Hakeim and Cambronne, line 8 at Commerce, line 12 at Vaugirard and Convention, line 10 at Javel and Charles Michels, RER C at Javel. The Louvre is about 14 minutes from La Motte-Picquet, on line 8 to Concorde, four stops, and line 1, two stops, and longer from the southern 15th. The Eiffel Tower is 10 to 20 minutes on foot from the northern 15th, about 10 from Bir-Hakeim station.

Who it suits: families and mid-range budgets that want the tower nearby without 7th arrondissement prices. The limitation: the southern half is far from the center, so the exact address matters. Read the 15th arrondissement guide.

The Western Edge: the 16th and 17th

16th Arrondissement: Trocadéro, Passy and the Museum Quarter

The 16th holds the Trocadéro and the Palais de Chaillot, with the Cité de l’Architecture and the Musée de l’Homme, plus the Musée Guimet of Asian art, the Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris and the Palais de Tokyo, the Musée Marmottan Monet, the Fondation Louis Vuitton by the Bois de Boulogne, and Roland-Garros.

Metro: lines 6 and 9 at Trocadéro, line 6 at Passy, line 9 at Iéna, La Muette and Michel-Ange, line 2 at Victor Hugo, and Charles-de-Gaulle–Étoile, which the 16th shares with the 8th and 17th. The Louvre is about 16 minutes from Trocadéro, on line 9 to Franklin D. Roosevelt, three stops, and line 1, four stops. The Eiffel Tower is about 10 minutes on foot from Trocadéro across the Pont d’Iéna.

Who it suits: families, older travelers and museum visitors who prefer smaller collections. The limitation: quiet evenings, a remote southern half around Auteuil, and pickpockets at Trocadéro. Read the 16th arrondissement guide and the Eiffel Tower views guide.

17th Arrondissement: Batignolles and Monceau

The 17th has two halves. The southwest, around Ternes, avenue de Wagram and the plaine Monceau, is a quieter extension of the 8th and 16th. The east is Batignolles, a former village with a covered market, the Square des Batignolles, the newer Parc Clichy-Batignolles–Martin-Luther-King and the Paris courthouse, the Tribunal de Paris, at Porte de Clichy. Parc Monceau itself sits just across the border in the 8th.

Metro: line 2 at Ternes, Villiers and Rome, line 3 at Villiers and Wagram, line 13 at Brochant and La Fourche, line 14 at Pont Cardinet and Porte de Clichy. The Louvre is about 5 minutes from Pont Cardinet, on line 14 to Pyramides, three stops, then a short walk. The Eiffel Tower is about 14 minutes, on line 14 to Madeleine, two stops, and line 8 to École Militaire, four stops.

Who it suits: repeat visitors, longer stays and families who want a market street and line 14. The limitation: few sights within walking distance. Read the 17th arrondissement guide and the Batignolles guide.

The Northern and Eastern Hills: the 18th, 19th and 20th

18th Arrondissement: Montmartre and Beyond

The 18th contains Montmartre, the Sacré-Cœur, Place du Tertre, the Musée de Montmartre, the Clos Montmartre vineyard, the Moulin Rouge on boulevard de Clichy, the fabric shops of the Marché Saint-Pierre and the Goutte d’Or around Barbès. The Saint-Ouen flea market is just across the Périphérique at Porte de Clignancourt. The funicular up to Sacré-Cœur costs one metro ticket.

Metro: line 12 at Abbesses and Lamarck-Caulaincourt, line 2 at Anvers, Pigalle and Blanche, line 4 at Barbès-Rochechouart and Porte de Clignancourt, line 13 at Guy Môquet. The Louvre is about 19 minutes from Abbesses, on line 12 to Concorde, seven stops, and line 1, two stops. The Eiffel Tower is about 20 to 23 minutes from Blanche or Anvers, on line 2 to Charles-de-Gaulle–Étoile, seven to nine stops, and line 6 to Trocadéro, three stops.

Who it suits: couples and repeat visitors who want steep lanes and evenings in Abbesses. The limitation: many stairs, and the steps below the Sacré-Cœur are pickpocket and bracelet-scam spots. Read the 18th arrondissement guide, the Montmartre walking route and the Sacré-Cœur and Montmartre guide.

19th Arrondissement: Buttes-Chaumont and La Villette

The 19th holds the Parc des Buttes-Chaumont, with its cliff and temple, the Parc de la Villette with the Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie, the Philharmonie de Paris and the Géode and the Bassin de la Villette.

Metro: lines 2, 5 and 7bis at Jaurès, line 7bis at Buttes-Chaumont and Botzaris, line 5 at Laumière and Porte de Pantin, line 7 at Stalingrad and Porte de la Villette, lines 2 and 11 at Belleville. The Louvre is about 20 minutes from Jaurès, on line 7bis to Louis Blanc, one stop, and line 7, nine stops, or about 15 minutes on line 7 from Stalingrad, ten stops. The Eiffel Tower is about 29 minutes from Jaurès, on line 2 to Charles-de-Gaulle–Étoile, 13 stops, and line 6 to Trocadéro, three stops.

Who it suits: families, budget travelers and Philharmonie concertgoers. The limitation: the far side of Paris from the Eiffel Tower, and Stalingrad late at night. Read the 19th arrondissement guide and the Buttes-Chaumont guide.

20th Arrondissement: Belleville, Ménilmontant and Père-Lachaise

The 20th closes the spiral in the east. It contains the Père-Lachaise Cemetery, the southern half of Belleville with the Parc de Belleville and its view west over the city, the street art of rue Dénoyez, Ménilmontant and the village streets of Saint-Blaise.

Metro: lines 2 and 3 at Père Lachaise, line 3 at Gambetta, lines 2 and 11 at Belleville, line 2 at Ménilmontant and Couronnes, line 11 at Pyrénées and Jourdain, line 9 at Alexandre Dumas and Maraîchers. The Louvre is about 17 minutes from Belleville, on line 11 to Hôtel de Ville, five stops, and line 1, three stops. The Eiffel Tower is about 28 minutes, on line 11 to République, two stops, and line 9 to Trocadéro, 13 stops.

Who it suits: budget travelers, repeat visitors and walkers. The limitation: every trip to the center is a metro ride. Read the 20th arrondissement guide, the Belleville guide and the Père-Lachaise guide.

By Situation

You are on a first visit of three or four days

The 1st, 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th put the main sights within a 20-minute walk or a 15-minute metro ride. Choose the 4th for evenings, the 6th or 5th for cafés, the 7th for calm. The first-time-in-Paris guide builds the days, and where to stay in Paris compares the lodging.

You have children

The 5th (Jardin des Plantes, natural history galleries), the 6th (Luxembourg playground and puppet theater), the 7th (Champ de Mars), the 15th (Parc André-Citroën) and the 19th (Cité des Sciences, Villette) are the strongest. Buses beat the metro with a stroller, since many stations have only stairs. The 7th and 15th guides cover the tower side.

You want evenings out

The 11th (Oberkampf, rue de Charonne), the 10th (Canal Saint-Martin), the 3rd and 4th (the Marais), the 9th (SoPi) and the 18th (Abbesses) are where the streets stay lively after 10 p.m. The nightlife guide goes by arrondissement.

You are watching the budget

The 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 19th and 20th cost less and each sits on a direct line to the center: line 1 or 14 from the 12th, line 14 from the 13th, line 6 from the 14th, line 11 from the 20th. The Paris on a budget guide has the full arithmetic.

You are arriving or leaving by train

Gare du Nord and Gare de l’Est are in the 10th, Gare Saint-Lazare in the 8th, Gare de Lyon in the 12th and Gare Montparnasse on the 14th and 15th border. The 9th, 10th, 12th and 14th suit early departures. RER B from CDG and line 14 from Orly both cross the center. The airport to city guide has the details.

You are on a return visit

The 17th (Batignolles), the 13th (Butte-aux-Cailles), the 20th (Belleville), the 10th (Canal Saint-Martin) and the 14th (rue Daguerre) show daily Paris without the queues of the center. The Batignolles and Belleville guides are the starting points.

What It Actually Costs

A metro ticket inside Paris has one price regardless of distance, so the arrondissement changes the time spent, not the fare.

Worked example for two adults on four trips a day: €2.55 × 4 × 2 = €20.40 a day on single tickets, compared with €24.60 for two day passes. Single tickets win on a normal day in the center. A day pass pays off from five trips each. It does not cover the airports. A Monday-to-Sunday weekly pass at €32.40 each pays off for five or more days with an airport trip at both ends.

The time cost is what varies. A base in the 20th adds roughly 15 to 20 minutes each way to an Eiffel Tower day compared with the 7th. A base in the 12th next to line 14 costs almost nothing extra for a Louvre day. The Navigo Easy vs Navigo week guide and the Paris travel budget put these numbers into a full trip.

What Other Guides Get Wrong

1. They treat the arrondissement as the neighborhood. “Stay in the 3rd” sends readers to the Marais, but Arts et Métiers in the north 3rd feels nothing like rue des Rosiers in the 4th. Choose the named neighborhood, not the number.
2. They describe the 1st to 4th as gone. The 2020 merger created a shared town hall called Paris Centre. The 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th still exist, with postal codes 75001 to 75004.
3. They measure distance in kilometers. A trip from Bercy in the 12th to the Louvre takes about 5 minutes on line 14 to Pyramides, three stops, less than many trips from the 7th, which is closer on the map. Metro minutes and changes decide the day.
4. They put the Arc de Triomphe in the 16th or the Parc Monceau in the 17th. Both are in the 8th, even though they sit on its borders. The Tour Montparnasse is in the 15th, not the 14th, and the Bon Marché is in the 7th, not the 6th.
5. They still list the Centre Pompidou as a reason to stay in the 4th. It has been closed since September 2025 and is announced to reopen in 2030.
6. They label whole arrondissements as unsafe. The 10th, 18th and 19th contain some of the most pleasant streets in the city. Vigilance is about specific places at specific hours. The safest areas guide and the pickpockets guide give the detail.

Detailed Guides

• Le Marais settles where the 3rd ends and the 4th begins, and which shops open on Sunday.
• Saint-Germain-des-Prés separates the cafés worth sitting in from the ones that trade on a name.
• The Latin Quarter goes beyond rue de la Huchette to the streets students and residents actually use.
• Montmartre walking route gives a two-hour route from Abbesses to the vineyard that avoids the busiest steps.
• Canal Saint-Martin covers the locks, the bars and the Sunday when the quays close to cars.
• Île de la Cité and Île Saint-Louis fits both islands into half a day.
• Montparnasse covers the cafés, the cemetery and rue Daguerre beyond the tower.
• The Champs-Élysées says what is worth doing on the avenue and what is not.
• Belleville covers the view, the street art and the best-value dinners in the 19th and 20th.
• Batignolles explains why the 17th’s village works as a base for a return visit.
• Safest areas in Paris separates places that call for attention at night from the ones that are simply unfamiliar.
• Left Bank vs Right Bank decides what the river divide still means for a visitor.

Where to Go Next

Once the map makes sense, the next decision is where to sleep, and where to stay in Paris compares the arrondissements by traveler type and budget. For the sights that shape most itineraries, the Paris landmarks and tickets guide says which ones need a time slot, and the Paris museums guide sorts the collections by arrondissement and closing day. For a first trip built on these neighborhoods, the Paris in 3 days itinerary links them in a walkable order.