Paris x Olympics 2024
Une ville que je connais bien et que j'apprécie toujours / A City I have spent a lot of time in and still enjoy. With the Summer Olympics right around the corner, let’s discuss some of the in and outs.
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Paris is indeed a glorious city, though unless you are attending the Summer Olympic Games (especially with the sticker shock) it may not be the ideal time to be in the city, but if you are make sure you brush up on safe practices and pre-book any dining and special excursions. Women in particular, be careful about where you walk at night and on transportation, just like any major city, but Paris is generally safe to roam around in most areas during the day. (check out American-in-Paris TikToker Amanda Rollins for some great tips). That said, here is a quick overview - so walk, eat, drink, visit museums & art institutions and so much more…
Transportation
Paris has one of the most sustainable transportation systems in the world, so not only is it one of the loveliest cities to take long walks in, but it has an excellent subway and train system, also the RER, bus, batobus, openbus, taxi and yes, Uber is there too. The metro is a simple, fast and economical way to get around, with the network is made up of 16 lines and has more than 300 stations. Just be vigilent and beware pickpockets, just as you would in NYC. When purchasing tickets from an automatic distributor in a Metro or RER station, only debit cards and coins are accepted in some stations, so if you have only bills you may need to purchase tickets from a vendor at the "Vente" (Sales) desk, and when boarding Paris buses, pay in exact change. You can also buy. multi-trip passes.
The 20 Arrondissements
Paris is a mosaic of densely populated neighborhoods, known as arrondissements, which spiral clockwise like a snail shell from the Left Bank (south) and Right Bank (north) of the Seine River right up to the périphérique (ring road) that encircles the city. Each arrondissement has its own distinctive personality and draws for visitors.
1st arrondissement: Sightseeing
Primarily set on the Right Bank, Paris' elegant 1st arrondissement (premier) has the fewest residents but a huge number of blockbuster sights, including the Musée du Louvre, stately gardens Jardin des Tuileries and Jardin du Palais Royal, contemporary art museum Bourse de Commerce, and the grandiose Place Vendôme, home of some of the world’s most luxurious jewelry brands.
2nd arrondissement / Historic passageways and pretty streets
Paris' smallest district, the 2nd arrondissement (deuxième) contains many of the city's 19th-century glass-roofed covered passages, including the oldest, Passage des Panoramas. Street stalls and food shops such as Stohrer, a bakery opened in 1730, line pedestrianized rue Montorgueil, whose northern extension, rue des Petits Carreaux, heads into the vestiges of Paris' garment-making district, Sentier, hopping with bistros and bars.
3rd arrondissement / Cafes and museums
Known as the Haut Marais (Upper Marais), the 3rd arrondissement (troisième) underwent a mid-2000s metamorphosis and today bursts with design ateliers and stylish cafes. Unmissable sights include the Musée National Picasso, in a mid-17th-century private mansion, and the Musée Carnavalet, retelling the history of the French capital.
4th arrondissement / Hip Paris, world-famous heritage sites
Part of the 4th arrondissement (quatrième), the Marais district received a facelift of its own in the 1960s and '70s and remains one of Paris' most fashionable addresses. The multifaceted 4th arrondissement is also home to thriving Jewish and LGBTIQ+ communities, and the iconic Centre Pompidou cultural center, displaying modern and contemporary art. Also within this area is the eastern end of the Île de la Cité island, dominated by Notre Dame.
5th arrondissement / Nightlife
Fanning out around La Sorbonne’s prestigious university campus on the Left Bank, the student-filled 5th arrondissement (cinquième), also known as the Latin Quarter, abounds with secondhand bookstores and record shops, cheap restaurants, art deco cinemas, jazz clubs and late-night bars. The Musée National du Moyen Âge incorporates both medieval and Roman-era architecture, while natural history museums are located in the botanic gardens of Jardin des Plantes. French luminaries are laid to rest in the domed Panthéon mausoleum.
6th arrondissement / Quintessential Paris
Famed for fabled literary cafes like Les Deux Magots, which sits opposite the city's oldest church, 11th-century Église St-Germain des Prés, the quintessentially Parisian 6th arrondissement (sixième) is a jewel-box of exquisite boutiques, restaurants and hotels. In the arrondissement's southeast is the chestnut-shaded park Jardin du Luxembourg, where children prod 1920s wooden toy sailboats on its octagonal pond.
7th arrondissement / Iconic Paris landmarks
West along the Left Bank is the wealthy 7th arrondissement (septième). Shaped like a fan, its attractions span the impressionist art showcase Musée d'Orsay, the Musée Rodin's sculpture-filled mansion and rose garden, and the indigenous and folk-art museum, Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac. Manicured lawns front the central Hôtel des Invalides military complex containing Napoléon's tomb. To the west is Paris' emblematic Eiffel Tower.
8th arrondissement / Luxury shopping
Back on the Right Bank, the grand 8th arrondissement (huitième) is bisected by broad avenues including the Champs-Élysées, bookended by the mighty Arc de Triomphe and the vast Place de la Concorde, where Louis XVI was guillotined. Avenues Champs-Élysées, George V and Montaigne form the Triangle d’Or (Golden Triangle), home to flagship fashion houses like Chanel and Dior. Gourmet emporiums surround Place de la Madeleine's Grecian temple-style church Église de la Madeleine.
9th arrondissement / Department stores and markets
Eastwards, the 9th arrondissement (neuvième) is the home of Paris' original and most famous opera house, Palais Garnier, thanks to a starring role in Gaston Leroux's 1910 novel The Phantom of the Opera. It's also where you'll find art-nouveau department stores Galeries Lafayette and Le Printemps. Foodie street rue des Martyrs, with fromageries (cheese stores), boulangeries (bakeries) and more, extends uphill from here, while glamorous cocktail bars such as Lulu White cluster in the north.
10th arrondissement / Transport links and canal side dining
Grittier than the arrondissements that precede it, the 10th arrondissement (dixième) is many visitors' introduction to Paris: train stations Gare du Nord and Gare de l'Est are both here. Iron footbridge-spanned Canal St-Martin's revival continues apace thanks to indie-run bars, restaurants, shops and cultural centers such as Point Éphémère.
11th arrondissement / For creatives
Home to traditional furniture makers and a new wave of graphic designers and multimedia artists, Paris' most densely populated arrondissement, the 11th (onzième), is a hotbed of creativity, with a foundry-housed digital museum, L'Atelier des Lumières, craft breweries, collaborative coffee roasteries and sizzling new restaurant openings. Rue Oberkampf, with live-music and DJ venues, is the area's nightlife spine.
12th arrondissement. /Local Flair
Stretching from Place de la Bastille (ground zero of the French Revolution) to the sprawling forest Bois de Vincennes, and traversed by elevated park Promenade Plantée, the resolutely local 12th arrondissement (douzième) harbors the monolithic Opéra Bastille, Marché d’Aligre's lively food markets and flea markets, and old-wine-warehouses-turned-shopping-center Bercy Village.
13th arrondissement / Unique flavors
Across on the Left Bank, the 13th arrondissement (treizième) is home to Paris' largest Chinatown, where Asian bakeries and Buddhist temples are surrounded by a forest of skyscrapers, many used as giant street-art canvases. Elsewhere, innovations like the book-shaped national library Bibliothèque Nationale de France and repurposed industrial sites – such as the former railway depot, now the housing startup campus Station F – make the regenerating 13th arrondissement unlike anywhere else in Paris.
14th arrondissement / Caracombs and creperies
The northern part of the 14th arrondissement (quatorzième) is the entry point for skull-and-bone-lined subterranean tunnels Les Catacombes, long-standing Montparnasse brasseries such as Le Select and stacks of Breton crêperies. Mostly residential, the south part of the district shelters leafy Parc Montsouris.
15th arrondissement / Bustling streets
Farthest west on the Left Bank, the sweeping 15th arrondissement (quinzième) is Paris' most populous, with a mix of 19th-century and modern apartment blocks. Sights are few, but parks here include Parc André Citroën, home to the helium-filled Ballon de Paris providing aerial views, and artificial island Île aux Cygnes.
16th arrondissement / Woodland walks
Incorporating the large Bois de Boulogne woodland area, the swanky Right Bank 16th arrondissement (seizième) is Paris' largest geographically. Top draws include the Palais de Chaillot's trio of museums overlooking the terraced Jardins du Trocadéro, while the hunting lodge-housed Musée Marmottan Monet is among its lesser-known gems.
17th arrondissement / off the beaten path Paris
Outside of Paris visitors' usual itineraries, the 17th arrondissement (dix-septième) is a mashup of classical Parisian residences, rejuvenated post-industrial areas and Clichy-Batignolles, a sustainable new "eco quarter," that’s known for its family-friendly credentials (numerous parks and gardens and restaurants where staff don’t bat an eyelid at a pushchair). In recent years, the artisan workshops and interior decoration firms have been replaced by upscale high-street boutiques and Instagram-friendly restaurants.
18th arrondissement / City views
The 18th arrondissement (dix-huitième) is synonymous with Montmartre's steep, ivy-clad streets crowned by hilltop Sacré-Cœur basilica. Portrait artists on touristy Place du Tertre recall the days when Picasso, Braque and Modigliani lived and worked here, though the throngs of tourists can detract from the romance of the area. To Montmartre's south is the (tame) red-light district Pigalle, home to the Moulin Rouge cabaret, while to its east, Château Rouge and La Goutte d'Or make up Paris' "Little Africa" neighborhood, with aromatic street markets, colorful fabric shops and a vibrant music scene.
19th Arrondissement / Green spaces
Few tourists venture out to the far-flung 19th arrondissement (dix-neuvième), but despite some rough edges, highlights are the futuristic Parc de la Villette with museums and wide-ranging music venues including the Philharmonie de Paris concert hall. Take a break from the crowds at La Villette, which is now so packed with things to do for the whole family, that it feels more like a giant fairground than a bucolic Saturday afternoon in the park. A spot that still feels relaxed, although it does get very packed in summer, is the picturesque Parc des Buttes Chaumont on the outskirts of Belleville, with grottoes, waterfalls and a lake.
20th arrondissement / Famous names
Paris' 20th arrondissement (vingtième) is home to Cimetière du Père Lachaise, burial place of famous names including Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde, Édith Piaf and countless other celebrities. Otherwise under-the-radar, it takes in the gentrifying neighborhoods of Ménilmontant and Belleville (which technically straddles four arrondissements), with artist studios and wonderfully old-school hangouts such as Le Vieux Belleville, hosting accordion-accompanied chansons.
*As a cool note, Breaking - which made its Olympic debut at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires in 2018 - has been chosen to feature on the Paris 2024 Olympic sports programme as a new sport, along with surfing, skateboarding and sport climbing. Watch the video teaser here
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