The 1st arrondissement (Ier arrondissement) is one of the 20 arrondissements of Paris. Located mostly on the Right Bank, it also covers the west end of the Île de la Cité. A significant part of the district is home to the Louvre and the Tuileries Gardens.
One of the oldest arrondissements in Paris, the 1st is the center of contemporary Paris, with some of the best parks, museums, shops and bars in the city. The 1st occupies the Right Bank of the River Seine and extends onto the western section of the Île de la Cité in the midst of the river.
This is a perfect arrondissement for Paris apartments rental !
Given that the district occupies such a compact space, the 1st feels remarkably different from one end to the other. This gives you a remarkable range when choosing your Paris apartment rental 1st arrondissement . The very upscale western portion of the district gives way to the hustle and bustle of the big city east of the Palais Royal, and then further east to the pedestrian-dominated zone around Les Halles. According to the Mayor’s office, three-quarters of a million unique visitors pass through here every day.
There is so much to see in this zone, you may find yourself challenged to know where to begin. The Louvre museum, formerly a palace, is breathtaking to see unto itself. It’s open daily except Tuesdays and certain public holidays, and the permanent collections are open from 9 am to 6 pm (Wednesday and Friday until 10 pm). The startling pyramid of I M Pei now lends a modern touch to the entrance. Highlights include the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, the Nike of Samothrace and the Egyptian galleries.
A few steps west of the Louvre, the Tuileries gardens offer a central open space for Parisians and visitors. These semi-formal gardens, created to adjoin a vanished palace, house an outdoor gallery for modern sculpture, and various cafés, crépe and ice-cream stalls. Many apartments in Paris 1st are within walking distance of this peaceful and fun place. A fair sets up here in the summertime. The gardens also enclose the Musée de la Orangerie and the Jeu de Paume.
All visitors to the first arrondissement should stop by the Place Vendôme, the magnificent 8-sided square first laid out in 1699 to show off an equestrian statue of the Sun King, Louis XIV. The Palais Royal is another popular spot. Open from 7 am to 11 pm during the summer and 7 am to 8:30 pm in the winter, it was build for Cardinal de Richelieu (1585-1642), King Louis XIIIth's prime Minister in 1629. It eventually housed Louis the XIVth until he moved the court to Versailles. Within the buildings is a beautiful garden, Les Jardins du Palais Royal. There are numerous restaurants inside the garden, including famous Le Grand Véfour.
The Sainte Chapelle church features soaring stained glass windows, and was built by the French kings to house the relics of the Crown of Thorns. (Even more breathtaking is the nearby Notre Dame.)
The ancient medieval fortress La Conciergerie, the prison of the city's island, is the locale of some impressive medieval royal architecture and the scene of Marie Antoinette's imprisonment.
There are a few wonderful museums in the area, large and small, as you will see while visiting from your nearby short term rent Paris. The Orangerie (Musée de la Orangerie), houses the Jean Walter and Paul Guillaume Collection, numbering 143 paintings from the late 19th century and the first half of the 20th century (15 Cézannes, 24 Renoirs, 10 Matisses, 12 Picassos, 28 Derains, 22 Soutines… ).
The Musée de la Mode et du Costume ("Museum of Fashion and Dress") has more than 10,000 articles of clothing from throughout history.
The Jeu de Paume, located in the northwestern corner of the Jardin des Tuileries, is used by the Galerie Nationale for shows dedicated to lesser known, intriguing artists. This museum once housed many of the Impressionist painters that are now to be found in the Musée d'Orsay on the other side of the River Seine.
The Musée des Arts Decoratifs, around the corner from the Musée du Louvre is a monument to the French sense of interior design. Housed in a 19th-century wing of the Louvre that has been restored to Beaux-Arts splendor, its galleries and period rooms showcase eight centuries interior decoration.
Paris also offers an exciting array of shopping possibilities. Fortunately one of our apartments in Paris makes it easy to spend time browsing at an easy pace. The Forum les Halles is a great place to start. Open daily from 9am to 7pm, this expansive underground shopping center was created in the late 1960s / early 1970s. Although the center shows some of its age, it still draws nearly a half-million visitors per day. The Forum is due to undergo a makeover within a few years, and one can see the architects' projects on display in a gallery on the lowest level.
To the north and west of Les Halles almost all of the streets are car-free, including the Rue Montorgueil, which contains some of Paris’ most famous and old bakeries, a fish market, and a bio organic foods store.
The Samaritaine department store is here, as is Le Carrousel Du Louvre, a diverse underground shopping precinct adjoining the Louvre.
Shopping, museums, restaurants, history … Paris apartment rentals the 1st arrondissement has so much to offer, you’ll know what it means to be in the true center of Paris.
