My favorite thing in every Paris arrondissement (according to a college student)

Thomas Farnham is a US college student who spent a semester studying in Paris. He also interned here at The Earful Tower. After his three months in the French capital, and visits to all the 20 Paris districts, here’s what he concluded to be the best bits. Over to you, Thomas.

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Twenty arrondissements make up Paris – in a spiraling snail-like formation from the first at the centre to the 20th in the outskirts of the city. And incidentally at the pace of a snail, I’ve taken my time to explore each section of the city. For those who don’t have as much time as I’ve had in this historic city, or for those looking for inspiration to start their own exploration, here are my highlights from every arrondissement in Paris. 

1st Arrondissement: A view to die for

Just a sliver of the Île de la Cité is a part of the 1st arrondissement. At the westernmost point of the island is a willow tree that hangs and dips its leaves into the water, leaving anyone sitting beneath with a cooling shade, a view to die for, and the ultimate spot in Paris to read a book. 

2nd Arrondissement: An epic cinema

The Grand Rex is the ultimate Paris cinema-going experience. Smaller theatres with comfy seats show movies that are currently airing and a grand hall that is one of the largest theatres in Paris showcases chosen events and films. Grand Rex Theatre: 1 Bd Poissonnière, 75002 Paris

3rd Arrondissement: A great cafe

Maison Matcha was my personal haunt for a quick and tasty drink in Le Marais. It’s a small shop with friendly staff, with matcha flavors from the super sweet (like white chocolate and raspberry) to more regular matcha options, and just enough room to work with a computer. Maison Matcha: 66 Rue du Temple, 75003 Paris

4th Arrondissement: A stunning park

Place des Vosges is the oldest square in Paris and it’s beautiful. It’s a charming park with 400-year-old stone arcades surrounding it, right in the heart of Le Marais.

5th Arrondissement: The best bookshop

The best English language bookstore in Paris is the Abbey Bookshop. With a down-to-earth atmosphere, books sit on wooden shelves down narrow alleyway-like corridors that are so full that you think they might swallow you. 

6th Arrondissement: A mystic church

I’ve called Saint Sulpice “Notre Dame’s Forgotten Little Brother” and I believe it deserves the name. It’s a giant old church that tourists don’t often fill, despite its beautiful frescoes and stained glass. This church gives the gothic and mystic feeling that you hope to find in the best churches in Europe.

7th Arrondissement: An iconic museum

The Musée D’Orsay can get busy if you go at the wrong time, but if you take a trip early in the morning, you can enjoy thousands of paintings, the largest impressionism and post-impressionism collection in the world, and hundreds of sculptures so realistic you assume they might follow you into the cafe for a latte.

8th Arrondissement: A fun pub

The Bowler is a small English-style pub not far from the Champs-Elysees. While the Guinness isn’t exactly priced for students, the pub food was cheap, and it’s the most active pub atmosphere in the city when local soccer team PSG is playing. 

9th Arrondissement: An exceptional church

The Église de la Trinité church is exceptional. It features a beautiful pastel color scheme and glimmering golden ceilings. And what’s more, I’ve been five times, and it has always been empty. 

10th Arrondissement: An atmospheric canal

On any night of the week, Canal St. Martin is buzzing with an atmosphere that makes any visitor feel welcome. Locals, tourists, young and old, all line the canal, drinking and winding down after work.

11th Arrondissement: An open-night bar

Every Monday night, Au Chat Noir hosts SpokenWord Poetry, where poets, comedians, and all forms of creatives, new and experienced, show off their work in an open mic event. You find an enigmatic and eclectic bunch of people huddled in a hot basement, and immediately you feel as though Hemingway or Kerouac would have felt at home there. I’ve seen performances ranging from poets published in the New Yorker, high school poetry clubs, to a man singing Bob Dylan while his dog gnawed at the leg of his pants. Au Chat Noir: 76 Rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud, 75011 Paris

12th Arrondissement: A huge forest

Bois de Vincennes is a massive forest that starts in the 12th and expands out of the city’s borders. There’s a lake with row boats, there’s a zoo, but the forest is what takes me back to my home state of Maine, especially when the light filters in through the canopy and falls on the soft dirt and gravel paths.

13th Arrondissement: A charming village

La Butte aux Cailles is like a mini-Montmartre that’s less touristy. Imagine a village-like collection of restaurants, cafes, pubs, and shops, sprawled across a charming hill. 

14th Arrondissement: A perfect picnic

Parc Montsouris is perfect for a picnic or a day lounging in the sun. There’s an open grass field that the sun shines down onto indiscriminately. You find people reading quietly, kids playing, and groups of teens playing football.

15th Arrondissement: A picturesque sports field

Centre Sportif Émile Anthoine sits at the foot of the Eiffel Tower and there isn’t another football field in Paris that’s as picturesque. The field and track are open to the public for most of the day and it’s an ideal spot to take some shots at goal while one of the most iconic landmarks in the world stares down on you. Address: 9 Rue Jean Rey, 75015

16th Arrondissement: An impressive museum

Musee Marmottan Monet is dedicated to the Impressionist painter Claude Monet and hosts some of his and other impressionists most famous paintings. In the basement of the museum you can enjoy many of the works that Monet made at his country home of Giverny, including the painting “Impression, Sunrise”, which gave the name to the impressionist movement. Musée Marmottan Monet: 2 Rue Louis Boilly, 75016 Paris

17th Arrondissement: An epic monument

The Arc de Triomphe is larger and more intricate than you imagine when you see it in photos. Be sure to take the tunnel beneath the massive roundabout to see it up close, but the most authentic Parisian-styler view is to admire it from the window of a car driving around it.

18th Arrondissement: A flashy photobooth

Fotoautomat is a vintage film photobooth that prints photos on real film (not digital, like most of the others). There is often a line, but the printing only takes four minutes, so it tends to move quickly. If you’re lucky, you’ll get it all to yourself, and you can spend way too much money taking dozens of photos with your friends. Its location, in the heart of Montmartre, is also a great starting point to walk around Montmartre, the most idyllic neighborhood of Paris. Fotoautomat: 53 Rue des Trois Frères, 75018 Paris

19th Arrondissement: A peaceful park

You can find the Parc des Buttes-Chaumont atop a hill on the eastern side of Paris. There are waterfalls, streams running down the side of the hill, and a pond that sits under a cliff where a pavilion rests at the top, overlooking the city. You can get lost on the numerous paths that tangle across the park and find some peace and quiet away from the bustle of the city.

20th Arrondissement: A magnificent cemetery

Père Lachaise is the famous cemetery in Paris where the likes of Chopin, Jim Morrison, and Proust are buried. But apart from the big names, there are thousands of magnificent graves and mausoleums where the people of Paris have been buried since 1810. It may be the most visited cemetery in the world, but it’s so expansive that you can sit at the side of a path for half an hour and not see a soul.

And voilà – these are my top tips after three months in Paris.

Want more tips from Paris? Check out The Earful Tower’s PDF guide to Paris on the link below.