Paris corporate housing short term rentals

1st Châtelet , les Halles, Louvre, Tuileries , Palais Royal There you find the Conciergerie and the Sainte Chapelle, the Louvre Museum, the” Forum des Halles mall” full of coloured and noisy people, but also the Place Vendôme and rue Saint Honoré with rich and smart customers. More secret areas are to be discovered wandering around Palais Royal gardens, arcades and passages.

Musée du Louvre

Le 2nd – Opera, Bourse, Place des Victoires
Fashion is the main activity here today. On one side the narrow busy streets of the Sentier area, on the other side, the smart fashion houses of Place des Victoires. The Stock Exchange (la Bourse) is now only a virtual exchange place. The actual wealth stands in the precious manuscripts of the BN (national library) and under the glass roofs of the passages : Galerie Vivienne, Passage Choiseul, Passage des Princes (84 passages were created in the early 19th century.

Bourse

Le 3rd – Marais – quartier du temple
In the northern part the Musée des Arts et métiers (Museum of Arts & crafts) and the popular quartier du temple. In the southern part the “Marais” (“marsh” so called for the swampy ground) with its beautiful aristocratic mansions built in the 16th or 17th centuries. Palais de Soubise (national archives), Hôtel Carnavalet (museum on Paris history through paintings and furniture), Hôtel Salé (Picasso Museum).

Hôtel de Soubise - Musée de l'Histoire de France

Le 4th –Bastille/Marais – Châtelet/ Beaubourg – Hôtel de ville – Ile Saint Louis – Notre Dame
Full of rich places, with the river Seine in its center, Notre dame cathedral built on the Ile de la cité , the adjacent Ile Saint louis with splendid 17th century residences, the Hôtel de ville townhall next to the historical jewish district with its main street rue des Rosiers and rue des Francs Bourgeois. Going toward Bastille, you walk through quartier St Paul and across rue Saint Antoine, you find the splendid Hôtel Sully and the magnificent Place des Vosges (ex royal square).

Hôtel de ville - mairie de Paris

Le 5th – Quartier latin – St Michel – Luxembourg – Pantheon
Between Boulevard St Michel on the west and jardin des plantes on the east, it is a historic district : ancian gallo roman baths complex and arena (arènes de lutèce), medieval churches St Severin and Cloitre des Benardins. Montagne Ste Geneviève – a place dedicated to studying since the 12th century where the Sorbon Chapel is testimony of that time. It is the student district together with the neighbouring 6th arrdt.

La Sorbonne

Le 6th – Saint Michel – Luxembourg – Saint Germain des Prés – Odéon
The two symbols of the districts are Jardin du Luxembourg and St Germain des Prés church, The Luxembourg garden is one of the most beautiful parc in Paris with gorgeous trees, green lawns and flowers beds in french style and a pond where children play with small sailing boats. On place Saint Germain des prés you will find the well known “two magots “ and next to it “café de flore”–where Boris Vian and Jean Paul Sartre used to stay.

Jardin du Luxembourg - Palais du Luxembourg - Sénat

Le 7th – Tour Eiffel – Champ de Mars – Ecole Militaire – Invalides – Assemblée nationale
Many administrations, Embassies and international organizations are located in this district, as well as museums and monuments : the Musée d’Orsay (a former railway station) and l’Hôtel des Invalides including the Army museum, the Eiffel Tower rising up form the Champ de Mars gardens, the Rodin Museum with statues by Rodin en in the garden. The new Quai Branly Museum, dedicated to exotic prime art, is quite spectacular. Along rue du Bac and rue de Sèvres you find design and fine arts shops and a department store “le Bon Marché” with a sophisticated international food shop called “la grande Epicerie”.

Hôtel des Invalides

Le 8th – Concorde – Madeleine – Etoile – Champs Elysées – Monceau
This is a smart area with fashion houses, big art galleries, Grand (glassdomed) and Petit Palais in the Champs Elysées gardens, theatres, very expensive restaurants etc..the Palais de l’Elysée is the Presidential Residence and the Ministry of Home Affairs stands nearby on Place Beauvau. Place de la Concorde (the largest square in Paris, and Place de la Madeleine (with the Athenian temple church) are connected by the rue Royale where Maxim’s famous restaurant is located. More north you find Boulevard Haussmann running from Gare St Lazare (a busy area ! ) to nearly Place de l’Etoile, a geometrical round space named after General de Gaulle which is the confluence of 12 avenues. Further north lies the Parc Monceau, a very nice English style garden dating from Napoleon III.

Palais de l'Elysée

Le 9th – Opera – St Lazare – Clichy – Pigalle
The magnificent Opera House built by Charles Garnier is an architectural masterpiece of the Second Empire which overlooks Place and Avenue de l’Opera. Only 1971 seats but 450 people can stay on the stage. A false ceiling was painted by Chagall in 1964, covering the original one. Perpendicular to Avenue de l’Opera are the Grands Boulevards which run from Madeleine to Bastille and have become more democratic since 1950, losing their high reputation in smartness and fashion. The Drouot auction house was reshaped in a very modern style and includes 16 salesrooms where one can watch the criers and auctioneers operate. Northern boundaries are Place Clichy and Place Pigalle.

Opéra Garnier

Le 10th – Gare de l’Est et Gare du Nord
In this district you can have exotic experiences: many Indian shops and restaurants along Faubourg St Denis and Bd de Strasbourg. African settlements in rue du Château d’Eau and Turkish ones in rue des Petites Ecuries. Place de la République is the starting point for many popular demonstrations. The Canal St Martin, built in the early 1900’s, was source of inspiration for thriller writers in the first half of the XXth century and is now more trendy style.

Canal Saint-Martin

Le 11th – République – Bastille – Nation
From République to Bastille or Nation is the usual itinerary for most political demonstrations or protests. You still find craft activities in the many courtyards and passages although some places were reshaped in private housing (living in a loft means being in an accommodation). In this arrondissement you also have the Cirque d’hiver (winter circus), the rue de Lappe with its “Balajo” (dance hall in the 1930’s), the Faubourg St Antoine dedicated to furniture –making and rue de la Roquette leading to the Pere Lachaise cemetery (world’s most visited one)

Boulevard Richard Lenoir - Place de la Bastille

Le 12th – la Nation – le nouveau quartier de Bercy – Le Bois de Vincennes - Reuilly
Both popular and trendy, the area is reshaping thoroughy . Opera Bastille’s modern architecture contrasts with the narrow streets behind its old Gare de Lyon’s Train Bleu Restaurant reminds the “belle époque” (1900’s). The railway tracks on the top of Viaduct des Arts have become a promenade, planted with flowers and bushes, which leads to the Bois de Vincennes. The arcades underneath host craft and design shops. Nearby the marché d’Aligre is the place where young Parisian and North African populations mix to get their food on Sunday mornings. Further east you find the Parc de Bercy, formerly the place where wine barrels were stored and most rearranged with shops, bars, restaurants, gardens and a huge sports and concerts covered arena.

Viaduc des Arts

Le 13th – Tolbiac – Gobelins – Place d’Italie
Place d’italie is the centre where the main arteries converge. On Boulevard de l’Hôpital you have the biggest hospital in Paris regrouping two units: la Pitié and la Salpétrière with its magnificient (8 naves and octagonal dome) 17th century Chapelle Saint Louis. Avenue des Gobelins is named after the National Tapestry Center set up at Louis XIV time. Southwest the Buttes aux Cailles lost its windmills but kept some old houses and steep winding streets. The Paris Chinatown spreads between the tower blocks along Avenue d’Italie and ave d’Ivry. The southeastern part of the 13th is the most modern one with the Bibliothèque Nationale F. Mitterand, the new Tolbiac University buildings and all sorts of new activities developing around them.

Bibliothèque Nationale de France - Site Francois Mitterrand

Le 14th –Montparnasse – Denfert Rochereau – Porte d’Orleans
The main part is Boulevard Montparnasse with its art deco buildings and festive evening life thanks to many theatres, cinemas, restaurants and night bars. The well known Montparnasse cemetery hosts the tombs of many important people especially in culture – JP Sartre and Serge Gainsbourg are buried there. You can also visit Parc Montsouris and la Cité Universitaire with its 1930 residential pavilions for foreign students. Modern Gare Montparnasse and surroundings don’t deserve any applause but you may appreciate the more popular Plaisance Pernety area where you also find a still active arsenal.

Fondation Cartier

Le 15th – Front de Seine, Beaugrenelle – Quai André Citroen – porte de Versailles – lecourbe – Vaugirard
In the Eastern part, the 200 meters-high tour Montparnasse was built where the old railway station stood. Its main interest is the panoramic Paris view from the top. At the beginning of Avenue du Maine (n° 21) you find a paved alley-way along which about 20 artists’studios, overflowed with vegetation, remind the old times of artistic Montparnasse. Going west you find avenue de Suffren (border of the 7th) with very smart apartments blocks and view on the Eiffel Tower. Southwestward you first get to Bir Hakeim bridge, bearing the open air metro-line segment. Proceeding along the Seine left bank you will find Parc André Citroen, a very pleasant garden. Another one is Parc Georges Brassens in the southeastern part.

Parc André Citroën

Le 16th – Etoile – Passy – Auteuil –Trocadéro – Porte Maillot
Enclosed between the Bois de Boulogne and the river Seine, the 16th is somewhat inexpected climbing streets, many 1900style private houses or villas in private streets, art deco buildings and wealthy residentials blocks. Different architectural styles for the main monumental buildings. Trocadero, Musée d’Art Moderne (Palais de Tokyo), Maison de Radio France. Numerous museums are housed in the 16th : musée de l’Homme and musée de la Marine In the Palais de Chaillot, Musée Guimet (Asian Art) on place d’Iéna, Musée Marmottan,(Monet), near the Ranelagh garden, Musée de la Mode et du post in Palais Galliera opposite the Musée d’Art moderne de la ville de Paris.

Jardins du Trocadero

Le 17th – Monceau – Batignolles – Porte Maillot – Ternes – Etoile
The southern part of the 17th looks like the 16th – weathly residential blocks, private houses with high wronght iron gates, etc… Although avenue de la grande Armée, with Arc de Triomphe and Palais des Congrès at each end, splits the two districts, you find the same architectural opulence in Place des Ternes and Parc Monceau surroundings. The Northern part was once the village Batignolles: a public square with landscape garden (napoleon III era) A mix of traditional trade and trendy art and design, shops are its present main features Avenue de clichy, once provincial has now many mixed populations. Cité des fleurs is worth looking at for its small houses with private gardens.

Palais des Congrès de Paris

Le 18ème – Montmartre
A must in a Paris visit is the village of Montmartre with its Place du Tertre as well as enjoying the view from the Sacré Coeur at dawn. However it is a night or with bad weather that a stroll along the northern slopes of the hill is best. The area has remained unchanged since the XIVth century. Wandering through the small churchyard and along the streets and stairs is a moving experience. The Abbesses district , an authentic popular spot, gets more and more trendy while Pigalle tends to be less licentious. Goutte d’or, between Boulevard Barbès and rue Ordener, has also improved. The whole area is progressively bettering thanks to town’planning and architectural projects. Half the population comes from abroad with about 56 different origins.

Basilique du Sacré-Coeur

Le 19th – la Villette – les Buttes Chaumont – Belleville
Two parks with specific characteristics : Parc des Buttes Chaumont, pure napoleon III style (designed by Haussmann) and the very modern Parc de la Villette. Several architectural creations : O Niemeyer’s communist Party headquarters, A.Fainsilber’s cite des Sciences complex or Christian de Portzamparc cite de la musique. Bassin de la villette results form the widening Canal St Martin and starts at Nicolas Ledoux Rotonde (XVIIIth century toll house) on place de Stalingrad. The whole area was once a cattle market and slaughter house so that the tradition of meat restaurants survived. The south border of the 19TH is rue de Belleville, walking down which is quite an exotic experience owing to the various immigrated populations.

Sports et loisirs au Parc de la Villette

Le 20th – Belleville – Menilmontant
The main place of interest is the very famous Pere Lachaise cemetery. It is a romantic place : old trees with salient roots, mostly tombs of poets, painters, writers, musicians, F Chopin’s is permanently flowered – every quarter is suggestive. The 20th regroups Belleville, Menilmontant and Charonne (once three villages) with a miscellaneous population. Old provincials, Italians, Portuguese, Spanish, Armenians, jewish, turks, Balkan, Africans and Asians.

Cimetière du Père Lachaise