Our guide was written by Elizabeth Milovidov and Laura Zvulun. The neighborhoods area to live in Paris vary enormously and appeal to a wide range of tastes and incomes. You will be sure to find something that suits you and your family and caters to your needs.
Note that there are private athletic facilities gyms, studios, etc in virtually every neighborhood; included in the list below are the public offerings of the city of Paris. You may spend a lot of time in the 1er arrondissement once you are in Paris. After all, the Louvre museum, Notre-Dame cathedral, and many other attractions that tourists come to see are located here, close to the center of the city.
This, however, is not much of a residential neighborhood. Apartments are few and far between, as are schools, grocery stores, and daycare facilities. There are, however, plentiful shops and restaurants, and some fabulous hotels, so it could be a very pleasant base for house-hunting, or a quick reconnaissance trip to scope out the city.
This is not really a residential area either, although it is becoming more popular with trendy Parisians as a place to live, and not just go out. There are apartments, mostly in the western edge, clustered around rue Montorgueil where cafes, cinemas and theaters keep the area alive well into the night.
The Third and Fourth Arrondissements are known as the Marais, literally swampland, that was once part of the riverbed of the Seine. It is overall a trendy area with small, narrow streets and refurbished buildings that evoke the historical Paris of years ago. The Marais escaped the 19th century restructuring of Paris and retains the medieval character of its streets and buildings. Organized around a central cobblestone courtyard, often with a garden or fountain, they are delightful respites from the bustling city, but rare and expensive.
