Time Out - Paris

Paris in Profile

The Seine and Islands
Ile de la Cite is the bullseye of the capital, where its history begins - home to the law courts, Notre-Dame and a dinky flower market. East from here, Ile St-Louis is one of the smartest addresses in the capital.
The Louvre
The world's largest museum, the Louvre is home to some 35,000 works of art, from ancient Egypt to the 19th century. Crowds can be oppressive, especially around the Mona Lisa, but there's also plenty of space for contemplation.
Opere to Les Halles
At the Western end of this stretch, it's all large-scale consumerism and high-end culture; to the east are sleaze, buzz and Les Halles, home to the grim Forum des Halles mall. Heading south, the Tuileries gardens provide respite.
Champs-Elysees and Western Paris
The city's most famous thoroughfare, the Champs-Elysees has been transformed of late. At its Western end, the Arc de Triomphe is also gleaming after a refurb. Western Paris is a civilised mix of important museums and grand residences.
Montmartre and Pigalle
Montmartre has one of the city's densest concentrations of tourists. After the views and the Sacre-Coeur, explore the romantic side-streets. The popular image of Pigalle covers sex shops and neon, but the area is cleaning up its act.
Beaubourg and the Marais
Beaubourg is home to the Centre Pompidou, which holds Europe's largest collection of modern art. The Marais, with ancient buildings and a street plan largely unmolested by Haussmann, is the heartland of Jewish and gay Paris.
Bastille and Eastern Paris
Bastille is not so much revolutionary as creative these days; now the area around the iconic place de la Bastille is well stocked with record shops, music venues and lively bars. Further east lies Paris's biggest park, the Bois de Vincennes.
North-East Paris
The drab Gare du Nord is many visitors' first taste of Paris. But east are BElleville and Menilmontant, two of the city's most multicultural areas and now a real nightlife hub.
The Latin Quarter and The 13th
Academic tradition persists in the Latin Quarter, home to the Pantheon and the Sorbonne. Further east, the vast ZAC Rive Gauche development project means the 13th is on the up.
St-Germain-des-Pres and Odeon
Intellectual heritage and some of the most expensive coffee in the city are to be found in St-Germain-des-Pres and Odeon, now best known for its fashion houses and luxury brands.
Montparnasse and Beyond
There's just enough of a good-time feel in Montparnasse at night to recall the area's artistic heyday in the '20s and '30s. South, Parc Montsouris offers relief from the urban sprawl.
The 7th and Western Paris
The 7th is home to many of Paris's finest museums and the Eiffel Tower, its most celebrated monument. Elsewhere, this is a rarefied area of smart shops and posh homes.