Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
5 Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville
Hip bars and restaurants, emerging designers' boutiques and the city's thriving gay and Jew-
ish communities all squeeze into Le Marais' warren of narrow medieval laneways. Neigh-
bouring Ménilmontant has some of the city's most happening nightlife, while hilly, multi-
cultural Belleville is an up-and-coming Parisian hotspot.
6 Bastille & Eastern Paris
Fabulous markets, intimate bistros, and a disused 19th-century railway viaduct with artist
studios below and an elevated park (Promenade Plantée) on top make this neighbourhood
one of the best places to discover the Parisians' Paris.
7 The Islands
Paris' geographic and historic heart is here in the Seine. The larger of the two inner-city is-
lands, the Île de la Cité, is dominated by Notre Dame. Serene little Île St-Louis is graced
with elegant apartments and hotels and charming eateries and boutiques.
8 Latin Quarter
The hub of academic life in Paris, the Latin Quarter centres on the Sorbonne's main uni-
versity campus. In addition to lively student hangouts, it harbours some fine museums and
churches, and Paris' beautiful art deco mosque and botanic gardens.
9 St-Germain & Les Invalides
Literary buffs, antique collectors and fashionistas flock to this mythological part of Paris,
where presences of writers such as Sartre, de Beauvoir and Hemingway still linger in histor-
ic cafes and exquisite window displays entice shoppers into chic boutiques.
