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Chatelet

Postal Codes 75001 & 75002
This Right Bank neighborhood is perhaps the busiest place in Paris. Home to the city’s main transportation hub and an enormous underground shopping center, Châtelet – Les Halles is always active. With a wide variety of boutiques, cafés, restaurants, and theaters, a true mix of styles and tastes, the area has something for everyone. Passing just in front of the Église Saint-Eustache, the Rue Montorgueil leads north through the hip Montorgeuil area. Here, the small cobblestone streets are lined with more restaurants and traders than you can count, including many vegan spots.

The Must-Sees Near Chatelet

WHAT NOT TO MISS IN THIS PARIS NEIGHBORHOOD
  • Parisian gallery Passage du Grand Cerf.

    Duck into the Passage du Grand Cerf to shop the unique boutiques in this Parisian covered passage

  • Sainte-Eustache church in Paris near Les Halles.

    Visit the Eglise Sainte-Eustache, an imposing 16th-century cathedral home to France’s largest pipe organ

  • Glass and metal canopy over Les Halls shopping center in Paris.

    Admire (or critique) the Canopée des Halles, the new glass & metal canopy covering Paris’s central shopping mall

  • Au Rocher de Cancale classic Parisian café

    Wander the cobblestone streets of the Montorgueil area & enjoy a meal in one of the many great restaurants in the quartier

  • Historic Paris pastry shop Stohrer

    Get dessert at Stohrer, the oldest pastry shop in Paris, dating back to 1730! Located at 51 Rue Montorgueil.

The Best Ways to Relax Around Chatelet

WHERE TO UNWIND IN THE ARRONDISSEMENT
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Map of Chatelet

Discover the district with our bird’s-eye-view map
Châtelet neighborhood of Paris

All roads lead to this central Paris neighborhood in the 1st and 2nd arrondissements. Several metro lines and RER lines meet here, making it easy to explore.

Main metro stations in the Châtelet neighborhood:

  • Châtelet (Lines 1, 4, 7, 11, 14)
  • Châtelet – Les Halles (Line 4, RER A, B, D)
  • Sentier (Line 3)
  • Réamur Sébastopol (Lines 3, 4)

Self-Guided Walking Tour

Follow Our Step-by-Step Itinerary

Life in the Neighborhood

“When I arrived in Paris, I was immediately drawn to the Montorgueil neighborhood, the area reminding me of the village where I grew up. Here, everybody knows everybody and the main street is both picturesque and lively.

I always find excellent, very French products here: wines, cheeses, entrecôte. For real gourmands, the Stohrer pastry shop – the oldest pâtisserie in Paris – has excellent chocolate éclairs, raspberry tartes, and a marvelous baba au rhum, and chocolate lovers will love the famous Diamant Noir from Charles Chocolatier.

There’s no better way to discover this Paris neighborhood than through its covered passages. Although not as famous as the Galerie Vivienne or the Passage des Panoramas which are farther to the West, the Passage du Grand Cerf and its artisinal boutiques are certainly worth exploring. I also love having a beer at the Frog & Rosbif whenever there’s a Rugby match – the atmosphere is electric!

Then there’s La Canopée, the new architectural feature crowning the top of Les Halles. Some like it, I don’t much care for it, but I do like stopping here to read in the park on a sunny day. Soon we’ll be able to see exhibitions in the former Bourse du Commerce (currently closed for renovations), but in the meantime, visit the Église Sainte-Eustache or do some shopping–might I suggest the shop Agnès B on the Rue du Jour.

The area around Les Halles (called Le Ventre de Paris by Emile Zola) is teeming with good restaurants, one of the most emblematic being Au Pied de Cochon where you can enjoy great onion soup any time of day or night – it’s one of the few places in Paris open 24/7!”

Cathy