The 9th arrondissement is a diverse crossroads area of the French capital. The old Opéra district can be found here, as well as the Grands Boulevards area of shopping thoroughfares and flagship stores.
The 9th district (“IXe arrondissement” in French), located on the Right Bank of Paris, sits at a cultural crossroads, adjacent the business district of the 2nd, the luxurious and grand 8th district (home of the Champs Elysees), the 18th which contains the artistic Montmartre, and more.
Although some parts of the 9th are perhaps not as suited for families as for those of a more bohemian bent, those seeking proximity to Paris’ main attractions and an exciting energy will find a home in this colorful area that has so much to offer and is also close to so much.
Your Paris apartment rental 9th arrondissement puts you close to the many places of interest in the 9th, including the amazing shopping of the Boulevard Haussmann and its celebrated department stores, Printemps and Galeries Lafayette.
The diversity of this district is due in large part to its location. Nestled in central Paris, it leads gently uphill from south to north to approach the buttes of the Montmartre. The southernmost area (Opéra, Galaries Lafayette) is suffused with attractions popular among tourists, and to the northwest, just below the Montmartre, is the fading red light district of Pigalle and the more popular Clichy, with its famous Moulin Rouge and bustling nightlife.
In keeping with the colorful artistic history of the area, many wealthy thespians live in the ninth, as many luxurious Paris apartment rentals 9th attest.
Everything from the Opera District (“Quartier de l'Opéra”) to the red-light shops of Pigalle (the infamous "Pig Alley" for the GI's of World War II) falls within the 9th. Over the years, the 9th has been celebrated in literature and song for the famous music halls that brought a sense of fun to Paris nightlife. Marguerite Gautier (aka Marie Duplessis), the heroine of Alexandre Dumas’s Lady of the Camelias (made famous by Greta Garbo's portrayal in the film Camille), died at 17 blvd de la Madeleine. The bustling Boulevard des Italiens is home to the Café de la Paix, opened in 1856 and once the meeting place of the Romantic poets (including Alfred de Musset and Théophile Gautier). Later, Charles de Gaulle, Marlene Dietrich, and a tremendous influx of international expatriates also began to arrive.
At Place Pigalle, the Café La Nouvelle Athènes, where Degas, Pissarro, and Manet used to meet, is long gone. However, other major attractions here include the Folies Bergère, where cancan dancers have been high-kicking since 1868. French entertainers such as Edith Piaf and Maurice Chevalier have appeared here along with Josephine Baker, once hailed as "the toast of Paris." From one of several apartment rentals paris, you may feel the exciting tempo of these wonderful days gone by.
Above all other sights, it was the Opéra Garnier (Paris Opera House) that made the 9th the crowning jewel of Second Empire opulence. Pavlova danced Swan Lake here, and Chagall painted the ceilings in a modern addition. Many Paris vacation apartments allow you to stroll here at your leisure.
Major sights here are the Opéra Garnier at 1, place de l'Opéra. The setting for The Phantom of the Opera, the inside is as opulent as the outside. However, since the opening of the new Opera Bastille in the 12th, the Palais Garnier has been reserved mostly for dance performances, particularly ballet.
The Musée Gustave Moreau at 14 rue de la Rochefoucauld is the erstwhile home of the Symbolist painter, and has now become a museum to his life and work.
For shopping, look no further than the Grands Boulevards. The Galeries Lafayette are situated here, at 40 boulevard Haussmann. The gourmet food section is a Paris institution that takes up an entire floor, featuring (among many other things) a few hundred types of cheese, several vendors offering deluxe baguettes, and an entire aisle containing nothing but varieties of mustard.
The 9th is an exciting part of central Paris that (in addition to attractions of its own), brings you close to many other districts, which means that fun is always just a short hop away.
