Paris The City and Districts

If you are looking for property in the Paris area, whether in the city itself or somewhere in the Isle-de-France, it is easy to get confused with Departments, arrondissements and ‘districts’. These terms often refer to entirely different things or areas, different administrations or places, and often ‘ne’er the ‘twain shall meet’. Some Parisian Districts come within two or more arrondissements, whilst some districts are considered to be wholly within one. Whilst this is considered normal in Paris, it can really confuse non-Parisian and foreigner alike. Some districts or quarters can be identified by their commercial activity where many people with the same trade or profession live and work, whilst others are named after particular landmarks recognisable even to the non-Parisian. In the very centre of the city are the Ile de la Cite and the Ile Saint-Louis, the former being famous for the cathedral of Notre Dame, the police headquarters, courts, hospital and other major public buildings, with only a few mainly very old residential buildings; whereas the latter is a residential area built in the 17th Century, and is an oasis of tranquillity in busy Paris. Like many other capital cities Paris, from the centre, devolved along both banks of the river: Hungary’s Buda and Pest either side if the Danube; and London’s ‘North’ and ‘South’ of ‘The River’; are in Paris termed  ‘La Rive Droite’, or the Right Bank and ‘La Rive Gauche’ or the Left Bank. The Right Bank of the Seine has historically been, and indeed remains, one of the highest density areas of population in the world. Chatelet-Les Halles, Hotel de Ville, Le Louvre, Opera, Concorde, Les Champs Elysees, Montmartre and La Bastille, are names most people have heard of, and all evince their own Parisian charm. Each area is divisively different from the other, as is the available accommodation, local food and character of the district. The Left Bank, La Rive Gauche however is more residential in its atmosphere. Saint-Germain-de-Pres is an upper-class residential district with wonderful clothes and food if you can afford them. Next door, Odeon and the land of cinemas and cafes, gives way to the Sorbonne and further on is the Eiffel Tower and some tourist areas rarely set foot in by Parisians. The Montparnasse area named after the cemetery has not only become a major hub for commuters but has become a thriving business area in its own right. In 1929 the parks of Bois de Boulogne and Bois de Vincennes were added to the city boundaries on respectively the East and West of Paris, in the nature of a ‘green belt’ to prevent development in these wonderful areas. The difficulty with choosing property in Paris is the very diverse scope of its districts, but of course that is part of the fun when you are thinking of where to buy a property in Paris.    Click here for more information on Property in Paris