As I’m sure everyone knows (I didn’t), Paris is divided up into 20 arrondissements, or districts. The 1st Arron is in the center of the city, and they coil around clockwise from there like, say, an escargot. We stayed in the 1st and 3rd Arrondissements and loved both neighborhoods. We were in each neighborhood for two weeks, so I consider myself an authority.

1st Arrondissement

This neighborhood is centrally located and pretty perfect. The Louvre, Tuileries, and Rue Saint-Honore (street with all the fashion houses) are there. It’s really close to the Siene, Notre Dame, Sainte Chapelle, and Pont des Arts (bridge with the love locks, made famous on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Might have been famous before that, but I doubt it).

It is a small Arron, close to other nice areas. We initially were concerned it would feel really touristy, but not the case. The part of the neighborhood close to the river is touristy, but as you move north, closer to the 2nd Arron, it feels more like living amongst Parisians. We stayed close to Les Halles (a historic market that is now a mall, transit center, and big park).

Some hood highlights – as mentioned, we loved the Palais Royal.  It’s a nice park, where it’s fun to people watch, read a book, or stare into a fountain for awhile. Everyone walks their dogs and kids here.

We also spent a lot of time on Rue Montorgueil, a nice walking street (not actually a walking street, but the pedestrians make it so), with produce markets, patisseries, cheese and wine shops, and tons of cafes. And of course a Starbucks and McDonalds, but they are at the very end so it hardly counts. We did most of our grocery shopping here. A little less touristy than Rue Cler in the 7th Arron, which is another really nice market street worth checking out near the Eiffel Tower.

3rd Arrondissement

We stayed in the 3rd Arron for our last two weeks in Paris. X on the map was our spot.

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Initially, we didn’t love this neighborhood quite as much, but it grew on us. Rue Reamur is a street packed with cafes, a cool market – Marche des Enfants Rouges – lots of patisseries, pharmacies, and groceries. Everything you need. The little park – Square du Temple – Elie Wiesel – is beautiful with gardens, a pond with a waterfall, and some weird looking ducks. No dogs allowed was a bummer (and might have been the reason I initially thought the area stunk.)

The area is a little strange because there are wholesale jewelry stores EVERYWHERE. It is bizarre that whole blocks of commercial space are “look but don’t touch,” and annoying that you can’t actually go in them.

But, a few days in I was sold on the 3rd. It is close to the Marais, which is fun for shopping and eating. And it feels like a transition area between the tourists (closer to the river) and the locals (north of the X). If you are in the area, find the Jardin de Anne Frank. It’s a little hidden, and really beautiful.

Won’t throw any neighborhoods under the bus on this widely-read blog, but if you want to run an area by us to stay in, I’m sure we’ll have opinions.

Food Thoughts

We ate a lot of good food (and pastry), and will recommend a few spots below. My main take away is not to get grumpy trying to find the very best place to eat when you are hungry. You can go to literally any cafe, sit outside and people watch, and it will be awesome. The food might not be quite the best, but it will be really fun. Also, French service is SLOW. So be patient, and get ready for two plus hour meals.

By far, our favorite meal was at Frenchie bar a vins. Frenchie has a fancy Michelin star restaurant across the street, as well as a casual lunch place. We went to the bar and the lunch spot. The bar should not be missed. If I were to compare it to a restaurant in SF, I’d say it’s a combo of Al’s Place and Bar Crenn. Lunch place is good too, but the bar is special. I’m sure the Michelin star restaurant is even better.

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Le Comptoir de La Gastronomie is really good traditional french food. Get some snails and foie gras. Might be a good idea to make reservations, or get there on the early side for dinner. You can also just walk in and buy a hunk of foie gras and bread to munch on if you can handle that much duck fat.

There is a lot of tasty asian food in Paris. We went to Sanukiya twice. It will definitely have a line, but it goes quick. Get the beef udon.

These three places all happen to be in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd Arrons, but, again, there is great food everywhere. We used the app Le Fooding to find good restaurants near us. It’s a curated restaurant guide with short reviews on the good spots, and a map showing you what’s nearby. Google maps, rather than Yelp, has more reliable public food reviews.

Pastry post has all my thoughts on the pastry situation. Oh, and if someone offers you dessert, you say yes!

Closing Thoughts

Take me back! Paris is great.

Best unsolicited advice for a shorter trip – limit the museum visits, and wander without agenda. There are hidden gems everywhere, and it’s really fun to discovery things you weren’t looking for.

And drink a spritz at le cafe! Once a day please. (It doesn’t have to be a spritz, but it should be.)