1st arrondissement of Paris, Central administrative district in Paris, France.
The 1st arrondissement of Paris sits on the right bank of the Seine and includes part of Île de la Cité, where Notre-Dame Cathedral stands. The streets run from the Louvre in the west to Les Halles in the east and include familiar spots such as the Jardin des Tuileries and the Comédie-Française.
The district was created in 1795 when Paris was divided into twelve areas and took its current shape in 1860 when the city expanded to twenty arrondissements. During the Middle Ages, this area was already the heart of royal and religious power, with the Louvre as a fortress and later a royal palace.
Place Vendôme stands among the most elegant squares in the city and now houses luxury jewelers and the Ministry of Justice in its north wing. When you walk through the columns of the Palais-Royal, you enter a quiet inner courtyard with arcades where Parisians stroll and rest on the benches.
The area is served by several metro lines, including stations at Louvre-Rivoli, Châtelet, and Palais-Royal-Musée du Louvre. If you want to visit the main museums and gardens, plan a full day since distances between the sights are manageable on foot.
The Kilomètre zéro des routes de France sits on the parvis of Notre-Dame and marks the symbolic starting point of all national roads in the country. Below the Forum des Halles lies one of the largest underground stations in Europe, connecting several train lines together.
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