In 1860, the Emperor Napoleon III redivided Paris into twenty arrondissements (municipal districts), with the 1st arrondissement located in the historic center, near the left bank of the Seine, and the 19 remaining districts spiraling out clockwise (see a helpful interactive map at About.com Europe Travel). Each arrondissement, often comprising several neighborhoods, has its own distinct flavor and cultural attractions, so if you're looking to figure out what to see in the area where you're staying, this guide is a good starting point. Each arrondissement is listed in order, with key places and attractions below.
1st Arrondissement: Louvre
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- Musée du Louvre (Louvre Museum)
- Tuileries Gardens
- Jeu de Paume-National Galleries
- Musée de l'Orangerie
- Palais Royal (former seat of royal power)
- La Comédie Française (classic Paris theater where French playwright Molière once performed)
- Place Vendôme
- Forum des Halles (monstrous shopping center and district)
- Eglise Saint-Eustache
- Chatelet and the Saint-Jacques Tower
- Sainte-Chapelle
- Pont Neuf Bridge (oldest bridge in Paris)
2nd Arrondissement: Bourse
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- The Rue Montorgueil neighborhood
- Grands Boulevards Neighborhood
- Le Tour Jean-Sans-Peur
- Paris Stock Exchange (Bourse de Paris)-- historic headquarters
- Opéra Comique
- Bibliothèque Nationale de France (French National Library-- historic site)
- Passage des Panoramas
- Le Grand Rex (historic movie theatre, club and concert hall)
3rd Arrondissement: Temple
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- The Marais Neighborhood (also part of the 4th arrondissement)
- Musée Carnavalet (Paris history museum and Renaissance-era residence)
- Picasso Museum
- Musée des Arts et Métiers
- Hotel de Soubise (Renaissance-era mansion) and the French National Archives
- Musée de la Poupée (Paris Doll Museum)
- Centre Culturel Suedois (Swedish Cultural Center)
4th Arrondissement: "Beaubourg", the Marais and the Ile St-Louis
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- Centre Georges Pompidou and the National Museum of Modern Art
- The "Beaubourg" Neighborhood
- The Marais Neighborhood
- St-Gervais St-Protais Church
- St-Paul St-Louis Church
- Hotel de Sens (Medieval mansion)
- Place des Vosges
- Hotel de Ville (Paris City Hall)
- Old Jewish District (Rue des Rosiers and Le "Pletzl")
- Place de la Bastille (shared by 4th, 11th and 12th arrondissements
- Ile Saint-Louis Neighborhood
- Notre Dame Cathedral
- Seine River Booksellers
- Shoah Memorial and Museum
5th Arrondissement: The Latin Quarter
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- The Sorbonne
- The Panthéon
- Place Saint-Michel
- Musée and Hotel de Cluny (Medieval Museum and Gardens)
- Jardin des Plantes
- La Grande Mosquée de Paris (Paris Mosque, tearoom and hammam)
- Institut du Monde Arabe
- Rue Mouffetard District
- Arènes de Lutece (Roman-era coliseum)
- Historic Paris Movie Theaters
6th Arrondissement: Luxembourg and Saint-Germain-des-Prés
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- Luxembourg Gardens
- Odéon Theater
- Saint-Sulpice Church
- Saint-Germain des Prés neighborhood (and the historic abbey)
- Café Les Deux Magots and Café de Flore (former haunts of artists and writers)
- Le Procope (oldest café in Paris)
- Hotel Lutetia (famous historic hotel)
7th Arrondissement: Orsay, Eiffel Tower and Invalides
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- Eiffel Tower and the Champ de Mars
- Musée d'Orsay
- French National Assembly
- Hôtel Matignon (seat of the Prime Minister)
- École Militaire
- Hôtel des Invalides (not a hotel at all, but a former military complex, and resting place of Napoleon I)
- Rodin Museum
- Musée de Quai Branly (recently opened indigenous arts museum)
- Maillol Museum
- Eugène Delacroix Museum
- Bon Marché Department Store and Gourmet Market
8th Arrondissement: Champs-Elysées and Madeleine
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9th Arrondissement: Opera Garnier and Grands Boulevards
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- Opera Garnier (Historic Paris Opera)
- Galeries Lafayette Department Store (also see Paris holiday lights and window displays)
- Printemps Department Store
- Musée Grevin (Wax Museum)
- Olympia Theater and Concert Hall (historic performances by Edith Piaf and others)
- Les Folies Bergères Cabaret
- Musée du Parfum Fragonard (Perfume Museum)
- Musée de la Vie Romantique
- Grands Boulevards Neighborhood
10th Arrondissement: Canal St-Martin and Goncourt
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