1st arrondissement (1)

Located on the Right Bank of the Seine, at the historic heart of Paris, the 1st arrondissement covers 183 hectares and has about 15,500 residents, making it the least populated district in the capital. Created in 1860 during the Haussmann-era reform that fixed the current boundaries of the twenty Paris arrondissements, it is home to the Louvre Museum, a former royal residence now the world's largest museum, and the Tuileries Garden, the largest green space among the arrondissements at 46 hectares. The historic Les Halles quarter, long the site of Paris's main food market, and the Palais-Royal, now home to the Council of State and the Constitutional Council, rank among its other landmarks. 

4th arrondissement (8)

The 4th arrondissement, on the Right Bank along the Seine, covers 160 hectares and has about 28,000 residents. Formed in 1860 like all of today's districts, it includes the Île de la Cité and the Île Saint-Louis, as well as Notre-Dame Cathedral, whose spire was rebuilt after the 2019 fire. It is also home to the Centre Pompidou, opened in 1977, and part of the Marais quarter, the historic center of Paris's Jewish community around Rue des Rosiers and a hub of Parisian LGBTQ+ life since the 1980s. The Paris City Hall, seat of the municipal government since the 14th century, is also located here. 

6th arrondissement (4)

The 6th arrondissement, on the Left Bank, covers 215 hectares and has about 40,400 residents. Like the other nineteen, it dates from the 1860 reform and encompasses the Saint-Germain-des-Prés quarter, a hub of Parisian intellectual life in the 20th century centered on cafés such as Café de Flore and Les Deux Magots, along with the Odéon district. It is home to the Luxembourg Garden, laid out in the 17th century for Marie de' Medici, and the adjoining Luxembourg Palace, seat of the French Senate since 1958. Saint-Sulpice Church, the second-largest church in Paris after Notre-Dame, also stands here. It is now one of the most expensive districts for real estate in France. 

7th arrondissement (5)

The 7th arrondissement, on the Left Bank, covers 409 hectares and has about 48,200 residents. Formed in 1860 like all of Paris's current districts, it is nicknamed the "Palais-Bourbon arrondissement," seat of the National Assembly. It is home to the Eiffel Tower, built by Gustave Eiffel for the 1889 World's Fair, Les Invalides, which houses Napoleon I's tomb, and the Hôtel Matignon, the Prime Minister's official residence. The Musée d'Orsay, set in a former 1900 railway station and devoted to 19th-century art, completes these major institutions. It is one of the largest arrondissements but also one of the least densely populated in the capital. 

8th arrondissement (14)

The 8th arrondissement, on the Right Bank, covers 388 hectares and has about 35,400 residents. Formed in 1860 during the Haussmann-era reform, it is home to the Élysée Palace, official residence of the President of the Republic since 1848, and the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, laid out as early as 1667 by André Le Nôtre and now lined with luxury shops. Place de la Concorde, formerly Place de la Révolution, was the site of numerous public executions during the Terror, including that of Louis XVI in 1793. The nearby Arc de Triomphe, on Place Charles-de-Gaulle, and the Madeleine church also rank among its landmarks. It is a major hub for luxury commerce and Parisian business. 

9th arrondissement (14)

The 9th arrondissement, on the Right Bank, covers 218 hectares and has about 58,400 residents. Formed in 1860 like all of today's districts, it is home to the Palais Garnier opera house, opened in 1875 and designed by Charles Garnier, as well as the historic department stores of the Grands Boulevards, such as Galeries Lafayette and Printemps, founded in the late 19th century. The Chaussée-d'Antin quarter and the lower slope of Montmartre, including Place Pigalle and the Museum of Romantic Life, also lie within its boundaries. The Grand Rex, Europe's largest cinema when it opened in 1932, is located here too. 

14th arrondissement (15)

The 14th arrondissement, on the Left Bank, covers 564 hectares and has about 137,600 residents. Dating from the 1860 reform, it is also known as the "Observatoire arrondissement," named after the Paris Observatory, founded in 1667 and still in operation. It includes the historic Montparnasse quarter, a center of Parisian artistic life in the 1920s around brasseries such as La Coupole and Le Dôme, frequented by Hemingway, Picasso and Modigliani. The Montparnasse Tower, completed in 1973, remains the tallest skyscraper in central Paris. The Paris Catacombs, former quarries converted into an ossuary in the late 18th century, also open into this arrondissement. 

15th arrondissement (16)

The 15th arrondissement, on the Left Bank, is the largest and most populous district in Paris, covering 848 hectares with about 228,800 residents. Formed in 1860 from the annexation of the former villages of Vaugirard and Grenelle, it is home to the Institut Pasteur, founded in 1888 by the chemist of the same name and still active in biomedical research. Parc André Citroën, laid out in 1992 on the site of the former Citroën car factory, is one of its main green spaces, with a tethered balloon offering views over the capital. The Beaugrenelle quarter, with its 1970s residential towers, marks one of the arrondissement's landmark developments. 

16th arrondissement (13)

The 16th arrondissement, on the Right Bank, covers 1,637 hectares and has about 159,700 residents, its large area owing to the inclusion of the Bois de Boulogne. Formed in 1860 from the annexation of the former villages of Auteuil, Passy and Chaillot, it hosts the largest concentration of embassies and consulates in Paris. It is home to the Palais de Chaillot and its Trocadéro esplanade, offering one of the most famous views of the Eiffel Tower, as well as the Roland-Garros and Parc des Princes stadiums. The Bois de Boulogne, landscaped in the 19th century by Baron Haussmann on the model of London's parks, forms its main green lung.