wandering the most photogenic part of paris

a guide to the 1st and 2nd arrondissements

In most cities in the world, I actively avoid the city center. You know, the places with the most famous landmarks, infested by tourists and ridden with copy-and-paste souvenir shops and restaurants that suspiciously cater to foreigners with multi-language menus and flag symbols and a person beckoning you at the entrance. Think Westminster in London or Times Square in New York, the red light district in Amsterdam or old town in Prague. They’re places you go once, obligatorily on your first trip to a city, before you are free to exist elsewhere in more locally oriented neighborhoods.

And then there’s Paris. There’s no place quite like being in the center of Paris. Here, you don’t feel like you are at the center of the world. You feel like this is all the world you care about. Surrounded by Haussman façades, streets that intersect at the perfect angle offer unobstructed views to landmarks, it feels timeless. Very much alive with the buzz of a contemporary city but woven into historic buildings and reminders of the past, when this was all of Paris.

Yes, it’s crowded and the queue for the Louvre is enough for anyone to want to run away. And there’s nothing quite like the frustration of navigating Chatelet-Les Halles during rush hour. But then you turn a corner and all is calm and you’re just surrounded by the beautiful architecture and it looks exactly like the Paris of your imagination and you realize there’s nowhere you’d rather be than right here in the center of Paris.

And so whenever I’m back in Paris I find myself back here. In the first two arrondissements in the center of it all. Allured by the opulence. Drawn back to visit some of my favorite buildings in the world. The views that never get old. And new perspectives on familiar places.

The very first time I set foot in Paris, which was also the very first time I set foot in France, and very well the first time I set foot in Europe, I was dropped off right in the center of it all. Place des Victoires. Half of which is in the 2e arrondissement, but I was destined to call the 1er half home for a while. A top floor window overlooking the circle with Louis XIV at the center. It felt like a movie. Years later I still think that’s perhaps the best address I’ll ever call home. From there I began my orientation to the city. The six streets that radiate out. The Louvre, L’Opera, Palais Royal all just steps away. Sentier, Bonne Nouvelle, Grands Boulevards, Les Halles becoming my stomping grounds. A surreal reality that became my everyday scenery.

Waking up to and saying good night to the city from this perch never got old. What an introduction to this excruciatingly pretty city that knows she’s that girl.

Paris is a small city. 20 arrondissements tightly spiraled. Cut through into uneven halves by the winding Seine. From one end to the other, perhaps only an hour’s walk, though there’s plenty of tempting detours to distract you. But even at its petite size, so much of Paris is packed into the center, with the outer arrondissements more residential and local. And as a visitor, it’s easy to stay here in the central districts. There’s everything you need and more.

Over the years, I’ve grown fonder of existing in those less covered parts. But time after time, I do gravitate back towards the center, even if just for a few hours. Almost like a methodical survey, retracing old steps years later, letting muscle memory take over and lingering to admire my favorite buildings.

Any trip to Paris, for me, requires a lot of walking. Because, even though the metro has admittedly improved over the years, I want to be street level. To be able to peek into hidden courtyards, to people watch on the sidewalks, to turn around a corner and discover a different perspective on a block you used to know. And without a specific agenda or destination, the best place to wander is probably here. The very center, historic core of the city. 1er and 2e, and perhaps a little bit of the 9e arrondissement.

It’s a walk meant to be meandering, not for getting from one place to another. A lot of steps to cover not a lot of area. The 1st and 2nd arrondissements combined is barely over 1 square mile. But packed within are some of the greatest hits the city has to offer, and a lot of sleeper hits.

getting oriented

For the purposes of this guide, we’re bounded by Concorde to the west, Opera Garnier and Boulevard Poissonniere to the north, Boulevard de Sébastopol to the east, and of course the Seine to the south (technically a section of Cité is also a part of the 1er arrondissement but we’re going to stay firmly in the Right Bank today).

Even in the square mile and change within these bounds, there are distinct districts. Saint-Germain-l’Auxerrois along the Seine, Vendôme and Palais-Royal named for their landmarks, Les Halles for the historic market turned Westfield Mall, Vivienne home to the Little Tokyo of Paris, the business-y Gaillon by Opera, the vibrant boulevards and covered passages in Mail and Bonne-Nouvelle and Sentier. All rather different vibes but they somehow flow well together.

07:30 start early at the louvre

This leisurely wander is best started early in the quiet hours before the city comes to life, when it’s just you and the buildings and the perfect soft morning light. The 1er arrondissements is the least populated neighborhood: a good half of it is taken up by the Louvre and Tuileries. Which means in these early hours, it’s remarkably peaceful. A few pedestrians, some lucky locals and eager tourists, but it feels exclusive in a way.

I start at the Louvre. At Place du Carousel, looking towards the Louvre. I.M. Pei’s glass pyramid that has over the decades matured from a controversial construction to a symbol of the institution. Juxtaposed against the grand Renaissance and Baroque façade of the palace turned museum, without the visual clutter of people taking that annoying picture posing to touch the tip of the pyramid, it feels particularly precious.

Walk over to Pavillon de la Trémoille and admire the peacefulness of the quai at these hours, and the neat architecture along the river.

Walk back over to the other side of the Louvre, along a particularly photogenic block of Rue de Rivoli, home to the Musée des Arts Décoratifs.

08:00 wake up with the royals

Then I take a straight shot up to Palais Royal. Past Hotel du Louvre, Comédie Française, and into the hushed garden of Palais Royal. Daniel Buren’s striped columns bathed in light. Sit down for a coffee in the garden. In brisk morning air, things feel particularly still here. Maybe it is the neat lines of the trimmed row of trees. Maybe it is the felt presence of the history. It’s a good place for morning reflection. Say hi to Molière at Place Mireille.

Then I usually, for sentiment, pop out the other side and stop by Place des Victoires.

These beautiful streets are even more beautiful in the morning. Timeless in the best way. When you feel compelled to turn your phone on do not disturb mode.

09:30 market mornings

Head east on Rue Étienne Marcel. Peel down on Rue Montmartre and stop by Église Saint-Eustache. If appropriate, step in. This church is younger than its more famous neighbor the Notre Dame, a little less Gothic (there’s a little Renaissance and Classical sprinkled in there), and much less famous. But still a significant historical landmark, and well worth stepping in. A much more peaceful experience than the Notre Dame.

Across the street is Les Halles. Once a bustling market that was the heart of the city, it now is a commercial and transportation center anchored by, of course, a well-trafficked Westfield mall. Usually I steer clear unless I’m running a particular errand (there’s a large pharmacy in there for the skincare girlies). If there’s time for a detour, cross over to see the Fontaine des Innocents. And then swing around to admire the Art Nouveau and Art Deco façade of the restored department store La Samaritaine.

Then turn right back around and go up Rue Montorgueil.

This is what I fondly call the food court. It’s a thriving market street that seems to be well traversed at all hours. And while it is hardly a kept secret, it still maintains more of a local feel. Lined by cafés and boulangeries, fromageries and poissonneries, bistros and fleuristes and épiceries.

This is where you grab a bite. Pop into a the oldest bakery in the world, Stohrer. Go where your nose takes you. And then pop out the other side at Rue Réaumur.

11:30 Bourse and Bonne Nouvelle

Hang left on Rue Réaumur until you reach Bourse. The Neoclassical Palais Brongniart was once home to the stock exchange, and now a venue for events and galleries.

This is usually when I often give into the temptation of shopping. But resist the urges and take a tour of the many historic “passages couverts,” covered arcades that are perhaps the precursor to indoor malls, but way more beautiful. These ones feel small, intimate, often tucked away and easy to miss. Passage des Panoramas is a particularly notable one, filled with shops and bistrots covered by a beautiful glass and iron roof. The narrow passages juxtaposed with the wide boulevards feel like a city growing with the times. Here you’ll also find Grand Rex, a beautiful art deco movie theater.

13:00 Hello Opera

No matter how many times I see this building I am always enraptured by its opulence. The detail. The gold. The intricate embellishments. A palace dedicated to the arts. We’re technically in the 9th now, but how can I resist when it’s right there?

By afternoon the city is fully alive. The streets are full, both of pedestrians and cars. This is a business district, with plenty of people walking around with a purpose. But the absurd beauty of it means you’ll also be dodging many people mouths agape and cameras pointed toward the pretty building.

To the side of Opéra Garnier is the highly photogenic Café de la Paix. Better seen than dined. Walk around the opera house. Both to admire it from all angles, and to get into the true palace of commerce, Galeries Lafayette. Home to all of the glamorous fashion houses, yes, but also worth going into to see the stained glass roof and then climb up to the roof for panoramic views of the city.

This view alone is worth elbowing your way past the international shoppers in Galeries Lafayette

14:30 Flowers and Impressions

Head back down Rue de la Paix and straight into Place Vendôme.

Then continue through to Rue de Rivoli. The famed street of shopping that extends all the way through to La Bastille. It’s quieter in these parts, most foot traffic coming in and out of the garden. Stop into Angelina for a decadent chocolat chaud.

Jardin de Tuileries is perfectly manicured. Flowers and trees composed just as deliberately as the statues amongst them. On a nice day, the fountains are filled with sailboats and the iconic green lawn chairs filled with city dwellers looking to soak up some sun.

Wander your way in the opposite direction to the Louvre and go to Place de la Concorde. A grand plaza and confounding traffic circle with Église de la Madeleine on one side and a bridge to the National Assembly on the other. Known for the obelisk to many, and flanked by two ornate fountains, one of which is famous to many for being the very spot where Andy throws her phone in. Every direction you look, another landmark. To the west, you can see Arc du Triomphe in the distance, and to the east past the garden, the Louvre.

If you’ve never been, it’s worth stopping into Musée de l’Orangerie to immerse in the larger than life lilies of Monet. The bite sized museum is the perfect contrast to the palatial Louvre on the other end.

17:30 a little detour to japan

Take Rue Saint Roche up. Turn right onto Rue des Petits Champs until you get to Rue Sainte-Anne. This used to be an IYKYK kind of place a decade ago but now is a celebrated culinary hub with some of the best Asian food surely in Paris if not all of France. It’s the Little Tokyo of Paris, or as my fellow Angeleno classmates fondly remember it, the Sawtelle of Paris. From humble ramen shops to Taiwanese cafes and Korean eateries, I’ll always remember this to be the first place I had ever seen Parisians queue for food. Relative to other options in the neighborhood, it’s a solid place to have a decently priced meal.

While you’re here, be sure to detour over to the small Square Louvois across from the Bibliothèque nationale de France. And then pop into the beautiful Galerie Vivienne, another 19th century covered arcade, filled with precious shops and cafes. And walk by the Basilique Notre-Dame-des-Victoires.

20:00 Sunset at the Seine

On the longer days, when sunset is late, I love a post dinner walk back to the river. To admire Musée d’Orsay from afar. The glistening city beyond.

As the skies darken, the courtyard of the Louvre is left with hushed tones of private conversations. The buildings are lit up, façades glowing with warm light in the blue light of dusk.

Good night, Louvre. À demain, Paris.