Paris is made up of 20 distinct neighborhoods, or districts, which are arranged in a spiral in the shape of a snail with the first district and the Louvre Museum in the center. Most visitors to the City of Light are quite familiar with the famous landmarks that are mostly clustered in the city center, but tourists tend to avoid the residential and commercial districts of Paris. The 13th arrondissement, in the southern part of the city, not far from the famous Latin Quarter, is worth a visit when in Paris.
Distrito de Butte aux Cailles
A town within a neighborhood, mountainous Butte aux Cailles is a cobbled section in the 13th arrondissement with artist studios, galleries, quaint homes, art deco architecture alongside modern skyscrapers and busy sidewalk cafes. The area was named a historic monument in 1990. It features a popular 1920s pool complex open to the public, with an indoor pool and the only year-round outdoor ‘Nordic’ pool where the water is heated by recovered heat. of technology data centers in the area.
Chinatown in Paris
The 13th district is also home to the large Parisian community, mostly Chinese, Cambodian and Vietnamese. Some think that it is the largest Chinatown in Europe and is the main site for Chinese New Year celebrations in Paris. This is a great place to find many Asian shops and restaurants, especially Vietnamese pho houses.
French national library
The modern Bibliothèque National de France, with glass, houses more than 15 million books and printed documents, manuscripts, engravings, photographs, maps, musical scores, coins, medals, sound documents and more that preserve the French national heritage. Numerous cultural events, such as special exhibits, conferences, concerts, and meetings take place in the library throughout the year.
Leprechaun Tapestry Workshop
This historic workshop complex dates back to the 15th and 16th centuries, when it was first used to create natural dyes for woolen tapestries. In the 17th century, hundreds of tapestries were created to furnish the royal houses of France. Today, the workshops of the Manufacture Nationale des Gobelins employ 30 staff members and have 15 looms that produce modern tapestries. The complex is open to the public for special exhibitions and guided tours.
Austerlitz station
Originally built in 1840, the Gare d’Austerlitz is one of the main train stations in Paris. Located along the banks of the Seine, the station was named after Napoleon’s famous battle that was fought in the region that is now the Czech Republic. Today, trains carry passengers to cities in the south of France, as well as to more remote places like Barcelona and Madrid.
Station F
Listed as the world’s largest start-up campus, this ambitious complex opened in June 2017 in a huge former rail depot dating from the 1920s, now a historic landmark. The large facility was created to provide everything modern entrepreneurs need, including office space, meeting rooms, event spaces, kitchens, and even a restaurant. Access to station F is 24/7, and housing is planned for 600 tenants in 100 shared apartments.
