Where to stay in Paris
Each of the 20 arrondissements has its own character and access, and your metro line matters more than the distance.
Updated: 13 Oct 2026
The Seine divides Paris into the Right Bank, home to the Marais and Montmartre, and the Left Bank, where the 7th arrondissement sits. The historic centre puts the big monuments within walking distance, while neighbourhoods such as the Canal Saint-Martin trade that for local life and a metro ride. The tourism board's tip is to check the metro line rather than the distance in kilometres, and to favour the automated lines 1 and 14.
Quick picks
- First trip: Le Marais. It is the tourism board's own first-visit suggestion: most big sights are walkable, and line 1 runs straight to the Louvre and Concorde.
- Food and evenings: Canal Saint-Martin. The canal is known for informal restaurants, hip bars and brunches, and supper by the water has become a local institution.
- A calmer base: Eiffel Tower and Les Invalides. Wide avenues, ministries and big green spaces give it a calmer, more formal feel than the nightlife districts, though the exact block and room still matter.
- Local feel: Montmartre. Below the Sacré-Cœur, village-like streets such as Rue Lepic and Rue des Abbesses are lined with local shops.
1. Le Marais
3rd and 4th arrondissements
What it is like: Medieval streets and 17th- and 18th-century mansions turned museums, packed with boutiques, galleries and bars, with most big sights within walking distance.
Good for: First trip to Paris, Walking to the big sights, LGBTQ+ bars and nightlife
Skip it if: You want calm evenings away from busy bars, You dislike crowds on shopping streets
The catch: Its popularity is the trade-off: shoppers by day and countless bars and clubs by night keep many streets busy, so noise depends on the exact block and room.
Getting around: Metro line 1 stops at Hôtel de Ville and Saint-Paul, line 11 at Hôtel de Ville and Rambuteau, and line 8 at Chemin Vert and Saint-Sébastien–Froissart. Line 1 is automated, and the tourism board suggests favouring automated lines.
Nearby: Place des Vosges, Rue des Rosiers, Musée Picasso Paris, Musée Carnavalet
Open in Google Maps, Sources: Paris je t'aime – Tourist Office, Ville de Paris, Île-de-France Mobilités, Wikipedia
2. Eiffel Tower and Les Invalides
7th arrondissement
What it is like: A calm, formal Left Bank district of tree-lined avenues, ministries and major museums, with the Champ-de-Mars and Esplanade des Invalides as open space.
Good for: Families wanting a calmer base, Eiffel Tower and museum days, Walks along the Seine
Skip it if: You want a lively, festive neighbourhood, You want several metro lines close by
The catch: The city's tourism board rates transport access here as average, mainly metro line 8 and the RER C, and the mood is calm and formal rather than festive. The Champ-de-Mars by the Eiffel Tower also regularly hosts concerts, sports fixtures and major national events.
Getting around: Metro line 8 stops at École Militaire, La Tour-Maubourg and Invalides, which also has line 13 and the RER C. The RER C also stops at Musée d'Orsay and Champ de Mars–Tour Eiffel.
Nearby: Champ-de-Mars, Esplanade des Invalides, Musée d'Orsay, Musée Rodin
Open in Google Maps, Sources: Paris je t'aime – Tourist Office, Île-de-France Mobilités, Wikipedia
3. Montmartre
18th arrondissement
What it is like: Village-like streets on a hill crowned by the Sacré-Cœur, with caricaturists on Place du Tertre and shops along Rue Lepic and Rue des Abbesses.
Good for: Couples, Panoramic views over Paris, Art history and cabarets
Skip it if: You have mobility issues or heavy luggage, You want to walk to most big sights
The catch: The hill is the catch: the tourism board rates access as moderate because of slopes and stairs, and reaching the top means the funicular or 222 steps through Square Louise-Michel. Most other big sights are a metro ride away.
Getting around: Abbesses and Lamarck–Caulaincourt are on metro line 12, Anvers and Blanche on line 2, and Pigalle on both. The Montmartre funicular, run by RATP, climbs to the top of the hill.
Nearby: Sacré-Cœur, Place du Tertre, Rue des Abbesses, Rue Lepic
Open in Google Maps, Sources: Paris je t'aime – Tourist Office, Île-de-France Mobilités, Wikipedia
4. Canal Saint-Martin
10th arrondissement
What it is like: Chestnut-lined quays, locks and footbridges, with informal restaurants, hip bars and suppers by the water between République and Gare de l'Est.
Good for: Casual dinners and bars, Repeat visitors to Paris, Arriving by Eurostar
Skip it if: You want monuments within walking distance, You want quiet evenings outside your window
The catch: It is an area to experience rather than sightsee, so plan on the metro for the big monuments. In summer, people gather on the canal banks to picnic and drink, and the city notes that noise grows as the evening goes on, so the exact block and room matter.
Getting around: Jacques Bonsergent (line 5), Goncourt (line 11) and République (lines 3, 5, 8, 9 and 11) serve the southern quays, while Château-Landon (line 7) and Gare de l'Est (lines 4, 5 and 7) serve the northern end.
Nearby: Quai de Jemmapes, Récollets lock, Place Sainte-Marthe, Place de la République
Open in Google Maps, Sources: Paris je t'aime – Tourist Office, Ville de Paris, Île-de-France Mobilités, Wikivoyage
