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Municipal arrondissement in Île-de-France, France
Photo: Cristian Bortes from Cluj-Napoca, Romania, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The centre of contemporary Paris and the site of such landmarks as the Louvre and of the Tuileries and Palais-Royal, the 1st arrondissement is full of attractions for travellers of all inclinations, including some of the finest parks, museums, shops, and bars in the city. The 1st occupies the Right Bank of the River Seine and extends onto the western section of the Île de la Cité in the midst of the river.
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The centrepiece of a magnificent 8-sided square first laid out in 1699 to show off an equestrian statue of the Sun King, Louis XIV. The statue was removed amid revolutionary fervor in 1792 and replaced in 1806 with the Colonne de la Grande Armée. This was modelled on Trajan's column in Rome and decorated with Napoleon's military exploits. The present column is a replica, however, as the original was pulled down during the 1871 Paris Commune. Place Vendôme represents the best of well-heeled Paris, being home to an abundance of exclusive boutiques, jewellers and fashion labels—Cartier, Boucheron, Trussardi, van Cleef & Arpels—several banks, the French Ministry of Justice, and the Hôtel Ritz.
The ancient medieval fortress and prison of the city's island, site of some remarkable medieval royal architecture and the scene of Marie Antoinette's imprisonment in the period leading to her execution in 1793; lots of revolutionary associations.
The massive parish church of the Les Halles area is a notable example of late Gothic interspersed with Renaissance details (including the entire front façade), as it was only completed in the 17th century. Its unique form results from a combination of relatively short length and impressive height of over 30 metres inside. The latter allows room not only for an array of stained glass windows and paintings, but also France's largest church organ of 8,000 pipes. The sculpture Écoute, depicting an oversized human head, was placed in front of the church's southern facade and has become a favourite photo spot.
Built adjoining the now-lost royal palace of the Tuileries, these gardens lying immediately west of the Louvre offer a central open space for Parisians and visitors with semi-formal gardens (an outdoor gallery for modern sculpture), various cafés, ice cream and crépe stalls, and a summer fun fair. The gardens are frequently home to a giant Ferris wheel and enclose the Musée de la Orangerie and the Jeu de Paume.
Ordered by Cardinal de Richelieu (1585-1642), King Louis XIII's prime Minister in 1629 (completed in 1636); originally called Palais Cardinal; it became Le Palais Royal when Anne d'Autriche, Louis XIII's wife, came to live here to get away from the Louvre palace. It eventually housed Louis XIV until the move to Versailles. It includes also a beautiful garden Les jardins du Palais Royal, enclosed by the buildings. It's been the theatre of one of the seminal events of the French Revolution (Camille Desmoulins made a famous declaration here in 1789). The Théatre Français nearby was built in 1716. There are numerous restaurants inside the garden, including famous Le Grand Véfour. There's also the controversial Colonnes de Buren, striped columns installed within the inside yard amid the 17th century architecture.
This Gothic church functioned until the 19th century as the parish church of the kings of France. In this role, the church has sometimes played a gruesome part in history. Its bell called 'Marie' sounded on the night of 23 August 1572, to launch the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre, in which thousands of Huguenots were killed by Catholic mobs. Nowadays, the church is peaceful and an active parish church for commoners (the monarchy having long since given way to the Republic), and well worth visiting.
Soaring stained glass windows beaming ample light onto the rich primary colours of the tile mosaics on the floor, this photogenic church was built by the French kings to house the relics of the Crown of Thorns. Make sure you go on a sunny day, as the highlight of this small chapel in Rayonnante Gothic style are the large stained-glass windows which soar up to near the vaulted ceiling. Also of interest is the extremely ornate lower level. If it happens to be rainy or cloudy, give Sainte-Chapelle a miss, as the play of coloured lights on the floor is well worth the wait for a sunnier day. As the chapelle is inside the Courts of Justice, there will thus be a security check. Note: you may have to book a week in advance.
La Samaritaine is one of Paris's greatest department stores located in a spectacular art nouveau building dating back to 1870. It reopened on June 23, 2021 after a 16-year closure for renovations.
Its exhibits come from such diverse origins as ancient Egypt, classical Greece and the Roman Empire, medieval Europe, and Napoleonic France, but controversially including many items that were looted from their places of origin. Its most famous exhibit, of course, is Leonardo da Vinci's painting of the Mona Lisa (French: La Joconde, Italian: La Gioconda), generally to be found surrounded by hordes of camera-flashing tourists. The Louvre poses many of the same challenges to the visitor as Paris itself; overwhelming in size, crowded in high seasons, and much information available only in French. If you want to see everything in the Louvre, plan at least two full days. However, it is better to pick and choose, as the collection was assembled with an eye to completeness rather than quality. As of July 2019, due to intense crowding and reports of ticket fraud, entry now almost always requires a pre-booked timed ticket, even for holders of the Paris Museum Pass.
Musée de la Orangerie
Reopened after extensive renovations, this small museum near the Louvre houses the Jean Walter and Paul Guillaume Collection, sold to the French Republic on very generous terms and numbering 143 paintings from the late 19th century and the first half of the 20th century (15 Cézannes, 24 Renoirs, 10 Matisses, 12 Picassos, 28 Derains, 22 Soutines). The collection joined the eight immense Water Lilies that Monet gave France in 1922 and which have been displayed since 1927 in two huge oval rooms purpose-built on the artist's instructions.
Built during the First Empire, in imitation of the Orangerie, this small building is used by the Galerie Nationale to display temporary exhibitions of art photography, either contemporary or historic. This museum once housed many of the Impressionist painters that are now to be found in the Musée d'Orsay on the other side of the River Seine.
A monument to the French art de vivre, housed in a 19th-century wing of the Louvre that has been restored to beaux-arts splendour, its galleries and period rooms showcase eight centuries of Gallic taste in interior decoration.
The little brother of the original Musée en Herbe in the Bois de Boulogne, this museum is also geared to children. They have games and hands-on exhibits, so you won't have to supervise quite as closely as in other museums. Arts workshops are available as well, but you'll need to reserve a space in advance.
Commodities Exchange Building
Since 2021 the 18th-century former Bourse de Commerce building has been the Paris home of the art collection of the French business magnate François Pinault, showing a rotating selection of contemporary artworks either newly commissioned or taken from his collection.
Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain
The Fondation Cartier's new Paris premises, which are in a Haussmannian building dating from 1855 at number 2 Place du Palais-Royal, have been completely remodelled by architect Jean Nouvel. Check website for details of exhibitions.
Théâtre-Français, La maison de Molière
The theatre is one of the rare state theatres in France. The company's primary venue is the Salle Richelieu. It was enlarged and modified in the 1800s, then rebuilt in 1900 after a severe fire. The played repertoires sum to around 3,000 works.
Discover French wines with a native French sommelier. Informative, relaxing, and fun. In English in a beautiful Parisian loft.
Lémoni Hérold
Small plates, also for take-away.
La Tour de Montlhéry
Small, owner-operated bistro with traditional French country food in a nearly rustic setting. As such it's not exactly veggie-friendly.
A la cloche des Halles
The bell no longer rings, but the brasserie-restaurant still has the flair from the old little bars from the good old times named "troquets".
Small restaurant serving mostly tasty Basque food. Fantastic choice of wines.
Steakhouse serving black angus
Part of the Grand Louvre redevelopment. Café Marly was opened in 1994 and is on the balcony on the northern terrace of the Cour Napoléon. Patrons can enjoy direct views of the Louvre Pyramid while sitting back in comfortable chairs, watching tourists stroll by.
What was once just a great wine bar with decent food has become a must-visit restaurant with the addition of star chef Thierry Bourbonnais. Second-empire atmosphere with fantastic food.
The restaurant serves fusion cuisine inspired by French Vietnamese meals in an atmosphere perfect for couples.
Hemingway tried to drink here once per week even before he made it big. In August 1944 Hemingway made a booze-powered drive into Paris ahead of the advancing Free French 2nd Tank Division to "liberate the Ritz", and specifically the bar which was shortly thereafter renamed in his honour. Today the bar is considered by many to be one of the best bars in the world, in no small part due to the bar-tending skills of Colin Field, who creates elaborate cocktails as a fine art, and with the rest of the staff is skilled at bringing his guests together in conversation.
Café Oz Châtelet
You probably didn't think you were coming to Paris to sample Australian culture, but if after a long day of strolling from one end of the city to another you would just like to let go a bit and meet up with some fellow anglophones then you could do a lot worse than this almost legendarily hard-partying Aussie joint (ask the neighbours). Warning: as with other Aussie places in Paris for some reason, weekend nights here tend to bring out hoards of young single Frenchmen looking to chat up some (any) visiting sheilas. This has been known to lead to, um, confrontations. ~€7 pints.
The bistro serves many different wines from around the world and tapas. You can buy a bottle to take home if you like it.
It's actually a restaurant and is more upscale than Juvéniles, serving good food and good-to-great bottles of wine with a focus on the Rhône Valley, but including many from Burgundy, the Loire, as well as Italians, and "Atlantic crossing" Californians. The dinner menu by chef François Yon Great won the "Bib Gourmet 2009" award, and there are cheeses & desserts (yummy crumble) for after. Reservations recommended.
This is just about as cheap as it's going to get in the 1st. If you are here to study at the Louvre, and want to stay focused it has a location which can't be beat, just across rue Rivoli.
Next to Les Halles Metro Station.
Another semi-cheapie right in the middle of everything.
Close to the Louvre. The place was renovated in the last few years, so the comfort level is pretty good considering it hasn't received a star rating yet.
The executive and deluxe rooms offer a breathtaking views of the Louvre, the Jardin des Tuileries, and the Eiffel Tower. Classic Parisian-style hotel next to shopping and cultural hot spots.
Anglophiles in Paris could do worse than to stay at this most Anglophile of French hotels. The location is good, at the very east end of the 1st.
Hôtel le Loiret
Most reviewers give the hotel very high marks for cleanliness and comfort, but the real draw is the location: only steps from the Palais Royal/Louvre stop on Métro Line 1.
This charming 3-star hotel is next to the Place Vendôme and 2 minutes' walk from the Opera Garnier and famous Parisian department stores. Antique furniture and paintings create an atmosphere of typical Parisian house.
As its name suggests, this hotel is really close to the Louvre. Rooms on the street offer an impressive view on the Louvre.
A cozy, competitively priced 24 room hotel with a friendly Art Deco atmosphere. It is located next to the Chatelet Theatre in the very centre of Paris across from Notre Dame. It is close to bus, taxi, Metro and RER stations: Chatelet les Halles, as well as three nearby monitored parking garages.
Modern aparthotel with 9 furnished apartments, from budget studios to 2BR duplex. Various amenities including AC, kitchen and digital concierge.
Renovated to Novotel's newest standards, it is one of the brand's flagships and earns consistently good reviews. While much cheaper than the luxury hotels closer to Place Vendôme, it is one of the pricier Novotels in Paris, if not the world.
In the fashion district of Paris, the Castille Paris offers chic rooms that all look out onto the Rue Cambon. Some rooms are designed in a "Coco Chanel" style with beige and black tones.
When the Costes brothers, who made their fortune in the Paris café trade, opened this designer hotel a couple of years ago it became an instant hit with the rich and famous, especially those of Hollywood. Whether it's worth the price for the exquisite interior decoration and the chance to rub elbows with a few movie stars is up to you to decide. They don't pay travel agent commissions, so either book it yourself, or pony up the extra €50 the agent would normally get.
If there is any one hotel in the world which is not merely "putting on" the Ritz it would be this one, whose very name has entered the English language as a generic word for luxury (or the appearance thereof). The Ritz may not in fact be the fanciest hotel in Paris anymore, but it's always in the running. It's 350 times the price of a budget room in the neighborhood, but heck, maybe it's your honeymoon.
Occupying a building which was once the site of the Embassy of the Republic of Texas, the Hôtel de Vendôme is one of the most exclusive addresses anywhere, much like the neighbouring Ritz. The 29 rooms each have been decorated in the style of a different period, such as Classic, Baroque, or Deco.
The hotel, built in 1855, is a brand itself enough for Hyatt to take second place to it. The hotel is a cornerstone for the Unbound Collection, a new Hyatt sub-brand created for notable properties, many of which pre-date the Hyatt chain itself. It is literally next to the Louvre and keeps the belle epoque charm alive throughout the property, albeit remaining contemporary and not pretentious. The Brasserie, where breakfasts are served, has a terrace with a splendid direct view of the Louvre.
In business since 1815 and founded to cater to English travellers, Le Meurice has a rare distinction of being considered an actual palace by the French government (yes, they do regulate such things). Refurbished many times, the last time in 2007 by Philippe Stark, it has followed the changing demands of travellers yet retains numerous artefacts of its long history. Both its rooms and its famous ground-floor restaurant are frequent haunts of celebrities of all sorts, and it becomes a true potpourri of famous faces during the Paris Fashion Weeks.
Hidden in a side street and slightly demure, the Renaissance offers a welcome break from the revival-furniture-and-chandelier-filled surrounding hotels. Tasteful decor and quality service make up for the fact that some rooms are on the small side.
A favourite with wealthy Russian tourists, the Westin Vendôme seems almost like a poor relative to other luxury hotels in the district, and certainly rises above the chain's average to match them. Not all rooms are created equal, and to get the best, one needs to shell out a significant supplement for the Tuileries view and high floor. All rooms are quite large by Parisian standards, though. The hotel has a sizeable area devoted to function rooms, and there is almost always something happening inside. When not closed for an event, the Summer Terrace is a highlight.
This shop sells stylish umbrellas and old-style canes, meant to last a lifetime. Also fancy hats, scarfs and gloves.
A small version of the French Carrefour supermarket chain has the appearance of a neighbourhood shop, with stalls filled with fresh fruit and vegetables on its shopfront, and is about the only place to get reasonably-priced nourishment and beverages on the go when visiting the Vendôme area.
A diverse underground shopping precinct adjoining the Louvre Museum. Open daily including Sundays. There is also a direct access into the Louvre.
In the late 1960s what was Paris's primary farmers' market moved out to the suburbs to be replaced by a park above ground, and a sprawling underground shopping centre below. The interior design is strikingly period (think Logan's Run). The place is showing its age now, but still draws nearly a half-million Parisians per day, mostly teenagers. There's a movie theatre and a media library too. Les Halles underwent extensive refurbishment in 2016.
The chocolatier is known for his excellent hand made chocolates especially the "praliné croquant".
British and American bookshop, specialising in fine arts.
The "cordonnerie" repairs shoes and leather with the best materials.
High-end jewelry and watch boutiques on the place created by Napoleon I.
On her wedding day Princess Charlène de Monaco wore a Lorenz Bäumer tiara. This new jewellery-maker fashions novel forms combined with classical influences.
Princess Caroline de Monaco got her wedding ornament at this traditional shop, open since 1906.
The Swiss luxury watch manufacturer, founded in 1851, is known for precise mechanics.
The largest English-language bookshop in Paris carries many of the newest releases.
Having arrived in the 1st arrondissement walking will most likely suffice for transport. Paris cabs are quite cheap, but even they don't have access to much of the car-free eastern end of the arrondissement.
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