What are the arrondissements of Paris?

The arrondissements of Paris are administrative districts organised in a spiral pattern. From the 1st arrondissement – the historical heart of Paris – the following arrondissements work their way out in numerical order like a snail shell shape. Here are a few facts about the 20 arrondissements of Paris. 

A few facts about the arrondissements of Paris

The 20 arrondissements of Paris © French Moments

The City of Paris is divided into twenty administrative districts called “arrondissements” in French. This territorial division dates back to the French Revolution when Paris was organised into 12 arrondissements in 1795 (and 8 new arrondissements were added later in 1860).

The arrondissement of Paris are set in the form of an outward clockwise spiral starting from the centre of Paris (1st arrondissement).

The smallest arrondissement is the 2nd (0.992 km2) and the largest is the 12th (16.324 km2 including Bois de Vincennes).

The most populous arrondissement is the 15th with approximately 232,400 inhabitants.

Six arrondissements are found on the Left Bank (5th, 6th, 7th, 13th, 14th and 15th) and the remaining 14 on the Right Bank. The two central islands (Île de la Cité and Île Saint-Louis) are part of the 1st and 4th arrondissements.

The Western and central arrondissements (1st, 4th, 6h, 7th, 8th, 9th, 15th, 16th and 17th) are the wealthiest and generally vote right. The Eastern arrondissements, which traditionally included a working class population, vote left.

Discover the 20 arrondissements of Paris:

Click on the links below to reach the dedicate page for each arrondissement:

1st arrondissement (Louvre)

2nd arrondissement (Bourse)

3rd arrondissement (Marais – north)

4th arrondissement (Marais – south, Notre-Dame)

5th arrondissement (Latin Quarter)

6th arrondissement (St. Germain-des-Prés, Luxembourg Garden)

7th arrondissement (Eiffel Tower, Invalides)

8th arrondissement (Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Élysées)

9th arrondissement (Opéra Garnier, Grands Boulevards)

10th arrondissement (Canal Saint-Martin)

11th arrondissement (Faubourg St. Antoine – Oberkampf)

12th arrondissement (Bercy, Bois de Vincennes)

13th arrondissement (Tolbiac, Gobelins, Paris Rive Gauche)

14th arrondissement (Montparnasse)

15th arrondissement (Vaugirard, Grenelle)

16th arrondissement (Passy, Auteuil)

17th arrondissement (Batignolles, Monceau)

18th arrondissement (Montmartre)

19th arrondissement (La Villette, Buttes-Chaumont)

20th arrondissement (Belleville, Ménilmontant)

The excellent Europe Up Close blog has published another post with a useful list of hotels or apartment in each of the Paris arrondissements. Check it out here.

What is/are your favourite arrondissement(s) in Paris? Let us know by leaving a comment below!