Guide to the 16th arrondissement of Paris: The sweet life

Ah, the 16th arrondissement. Ignored by many tourists for being too “boring”, perhaps even too expensive – but there are plenty of treasures to find (and we found them).

It’s season 12 of The Earful Tower and we’re visiting each of the 20 Paris arrondissements in reverse order. Here comes the in-depth guide after we spent 24 hours in the 16th arrondissement.

A big thank you to the Patreon supporters, without whom we wouldn’t be making this season. Join them here.

The interactive map

First, here’s an interactive map of everything we are about to recommend, to help you find it all easily.

The Earful Tower podcast episode

Here’s the podcast episode, featuring me and my wife Lina discussing our findings. There’s also a chat with Franck Audoux, the owner of the Art Nouveau bar Cravan (more on him below). In the episode we also give our final ranking on the district out of 100.

Video guide to the 16th arrondissement

Here is our visit in video format, from our YouTube channel, so you can feel like you’re there too! We’ll be making one of these every week, so be sure to subscribe (you can do it in one click via this link).

The Earful Tower’s Guide to the 16th arrondissement

Where to stay?

Sourire Hotel: This is a lovely and charming boutique hotel in an excellent location. There are only five rooms and the owner, Ilhame, will welcome you like family. The breakfast was a delight, the rooms were tastefully designed, and the common rooms were beautiful. Address: 29 Rue des Marronniers, 75016 Paris @souriredepassy

The best restaurants in the 16th

Andia: This building was once a train station on the petite ceinture railway line. You can see in the photos below, the diners sit where the tracks once ran, there are even tables on the “platforms”, and the ticket booths are now chef’s kitchens and bars.

And a wonderful light fills the room from the glass ceiling. The food was excellent and the staff was exceptional. We loved it. Address: 19 Chau. de la Muette, 75016 @andia_paris

La Rotonde: An elegant brasserie in a beautiful building. Very Parisian vibe, with the interior decked out in wood and Versailles marble, and with top notch food to match. Address: 12 Chau. de la Muette, 75016 @larotondedelamuette

Best place for a cocktail

Cravan: This bar is a real treat: both visually and when it comes to its cocktails. You can find it inside an art nouveau building that dates back to 1911 – the cocktails are modern and equally impressive, read more about it here in our blog post. Address: 17 Rue Jean de la Fontaine, 75016 @cravanparis

Shangri-La: If you fancy a pricey cocktail, perhaps with a wildly expensive room for the night to match, you’ve come to the right place. My tip: Come for a look at the lobby and then escape into the night… Address: 10 Av. d’Iéna, 75116 @shangrilaparis

The best cafe in the 16th arrondissement

Coutume Grande Épicerie de Paris The team at Coutume never disappoints, and this place easily offers the best coffee in the neighbourhood. Address: 78 Rue de Passy, 75016 @coutumecafe

More things to find in the 16th arrondissement

Maison de Balzac: The extremely rare combination of garden and a home-turned-museum in Paris. Bonus: Eiffel Tower views and a cute cafe on site. This museum is cool even if you don’t know anything about Honoré de Balzac. Don’t miss his cane and the sketches from Picasso. Address: 47 Rue Raynouard, 75016

Musée du Vin: One for the wine aficionados out there – this place offers a few cool treasures like their corkscrew collection, but don’t go too far out of your way for it. Address: 5 Sq. Charles Dickens, 75016

Palais de Tokyo: There are regularly changing exhibits at this museum, and it’s sometimes open to midnight for all you late night culture vultures out there. Address: 13 Av. du Président Wilson, 75116 @palaisdetokyo

Musée Clemenceau: Featuring perhaps the best wooden desk you’ll find in Europe, this museum is the former home of Georges Clemenceau, a man who was the French prime minister, a writer, and a huge fan of the arts. Tastefully curated museum, and likely to be much emptier than Palais de Tokyo, for example. Address: 8 Rue Benjamin Franklin, 75116

Hunt for Hector Guimard architecture

Spend an afternoon finding all the buildings in the district designed by “the pope of art nouveau” Hector Guimard. Here’s our in-depth guide for where to find it all, but a good bet is to start at the Castel Béranger and head west. The gate of the Castel Béranger is on the left, below; a prominent feature of the building facade once ranked as the most beautiful in Paris.

Stroll in the parks

Now, we didn’t make it to these parks during our 24-hour visit, but if you’re craving the green space then here’s where to head: Jardin des Serres d’Auteuil for an enormous greenhouse (Address: 3 Av. de la Porte d’Auteuil, 75016 and of course the enormous Bois de Boulogne where you can even hire a rowboat.

Seek out the mosaic lobbies

Now these are private residences, so do this with respect and perhaps discretion. But dotted around the 16th are some of the finest lobbies you’ll find in France. Here’s a sneak peek at one we found that got me so overwhelmed that I had to sit down. (Here are all the pictures and the addresses from our mosaic explorations).

That will do for now! I hope you enjoyed episode five for this season. There are extra blog posts on the 16th arrondissement, start here with our recommendations of museums to visit in the 16th arrondissement. Otherwise here is our guide to the 15th arrondissement. A big thanks to Augusta Sagnelli for the Cravan and Guimard photos, Charlotte Pleasants for the additional reporting, and to the Patreon members who make all this possible. Join them here.

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