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Belleville

The 20th Arrondissement
At the eastern end of town, the Belleville-Ménilmontant neighborhood is among the most popular and lively in the city. One of the most affordable parts of Paris, the 20th arrondissement is a vibrant, diverse, and laid-back area with many unique boutiques, outdoor markets, and hip bars along the main avenues. The bustling boulevards around Belleville are covered with street art, but the neighborhood has a quieter, calmer side too. The Parc de Belleville offers stunning sunset views of Paris and you can visit the tombs of Chopin, Oscar Wilde, or Jim Morrison at the lovely Père Lachaise cemetery.

The Must-Sees Near Belleville

WHAT NOT TO MISS IN THIS PARIS NEIGHBORHOOD
  • Sunset over Paris with Eiffel Tower.

    Catch a sunset at the Parc de Belleville for great views of Paris

  • La Vie est Belle a Belleville street art in the 20th Arrondissement.

    Hunt for street art in the streets of Belleville – artists are often painting on Rue Denoyez

  • Church in Ménilmontant, Notre Dame de la Croix.

    Admire the impressive Notre-Dame-de-la-Croix cathedral in Ménilmontant

  • Large mausoleum at Paris cemetery Père Lachaise

    Stroll through the Père Lachaise Cemetery and search for Jim Morrison’s grave

The Best Shops in Belleville

WHERE TO DO SOME SHOPPING

The Best Ways to Relax Around Belleville

WHERE TO UNWIND IN THE ARRONDISSEMENT
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Map of Belleville

Discover the district with our bird’s-eye-view map
Map of the Belleville neighborhood in Paris

The 20th arrondissement is split into three neighborhoods: Belleville, Ménilmontant, and Gambetta/Père Lachaise.

Main metro stations in the 20th Arrondissement:

  • Belleville (Lines 2, 11)
  • Ménilmontant (Line 2)
  • Père Lachaise (Lines 2, 3)
  • Gambetta (Lines 3, 3bis)

Self-Guided Walking Tour

Follow Our Step-by-Step Itinerary
Portrait of Urbansider Paris blogger Alesa

Life in the Neighborhood

By Alesa

“It was a lovely spring evening and some friends from the US were in town, passing through Paris just for a night. We met up at a brasserie in Ménilmontant, L’Entrepot’s on the animated Rue Sorbier, and sat outside on the terrace catching up over some delicious Belgian beer. Midnight came and went, and so did the last metro. We were having too good of a time to leave and decided we’d take a velib’ whenever we were ready to go.

When the bar closed up around 2am, we headed to a nearby velib’ station and each hopped on one of the public bikes. My friends were staying in an apartment somewhere near Nation and didn’t know Paris that well, so I accompanied them even though I lived nearby. The Rue de Menilmontant is pretty steep, but we were near the top, so we flew down on our bikes, hair in the wind, all smiles on the empty streets. It felt like we had the city all to ourselves.”