The Best Things About The 11th Arrondissement

Paris boasts a reputation as a glamorous metropolis where everyone has fun. People are wearing the finest clothes, shopping till they drop, indulging in the most delicious dishes, and popping open champagne bottles left and right. Of course, this is only one side of the French capital. Paris is more than its glossy fame and sparkling exterior. Nevertheless, the city still has a lot of fun and excitement to offer. And you'll find a lot of them in the 11th arrondissement. Here, there's the famous Rue Oberkampf, the fashionable Rue de Charonne, the amazing Opéra Bastille, and more. You'd do well to check this district out!

The Bustling Rue Oberkampf

It may not be as well-known as Avenue des Champs-Élysées in the 8th arrondissement or the fashionable Rue Saint-Honoré, but Rue Oberkampf is definitely famous among the locals. Located in the 11th arrondissement, this is the best place to experience nightlife in Paris. The entire street is lined with bars, bistros, and nightclubs, all of which stay open up until the wee hours of the next day. It's also the reason why so many younger residents would love to live in or near the district. If you ever saw Paris as this sparkling metropolis where people have the time of their lives, it's because of streets like Rue Oberkampf! Source: Wikimedia Commons/ Chabe01

The Culinary Scene

You can also expect a lot of great foodie hotspots on Rue Oberkampf as well as the other parts of the 11th arrondissement. From Michelin-starred restaurants to the most charming cafes in Paris, this area is one of the best places for you to go on a foodie tour. What's great about the culinary scene here is its diversity. Not just with foreign cuisines, but also with different price points. Be it haute cuisine or a humble mom-and-pop store that's been around for ages, you get to taste the true flavors of Paris here in the 11th arrondissement! Source: Wikimedia Commons

The Fashionable Rue de Charonne

One of the longest streets in Paris, there's a good chance you'll spend a lot of time on Rue de Charonne. It's another of the 11th arrondissement's popular streets, drawing in both locals and tourists alike from dawn till dusk. But what about it is so worthwhile? Well, Rue de Charonne is a shopaholic's dream. With so many boutiques in store, one day isn't enough to have a true-blue shopping spree here. And they offer a mix of famous designer brands and unknown but still fascinating new labels too. In a nutshell, Rue de Charonne truly upholds Paris as the fashion capital of the world. Source: Wikimedia Commons/ Huỳnh Phạm So Ny's Album

The Oldest Street in Pairs

From one of the longest to the oldest street in Paris, the 11th arrondissement sure has a lot of interesting places. One of them is Rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine. A prominent thoroughfare that links Place de la Bastille to the Place de la Nation, you can say that it's the heart of the district. And like the other popular streets in the area, Rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine is lined with as many hotspots as you can count. It has retained its role as a major street of trade and commerce in Paris. Talk about historic! Source: Wikimedia Commons/ Jeanne Menjoulet

The Historic Public Squares

Speaking of the two public squares, they're actually pretty historic in their own rights too. Firstly, there's Place de la Nation, also known as “Place de la République,” which borders the 11th arrondissement with its neighboring districts, especially the 10th arrondissement. Famous for the Marianne statue that proudly stands in the middle of the plaza, this place has often been used as the venue for political rallies, demonstrations, and the like. The other one, Place de la Bastille, on the other hand, was where the infamous Bastille Prison once stood. It was when that prison was invaded back in July of 1789 that sparked the French Revolution. Source: Flickr.com/ Fred Romero

The Modern Opéra Bastille

Beyond its famous streets and thoroughfares, the 11th arrondissement actually has a few top tourist attractions on offer too. One of them is Opéra Bastille on Place de la Bastille. Home to the Opéra National de Paris, it's a fairly new theater. You can already tell by its distinctly modern architecture designed by Canadian-Uruguayan architect, Carlos Ott. Though it's far from the likes of Palais Garnier in terms of popularity, it's actually a big contrast to that centuries-old opera house. With its contemporary look and modern space, the art form of opera gets to enjoy another, more current home in the city. Source: Wikimedia Commons/ Arthur Weidmann

The Musée Edith Piaf

Finally, you'll find Musée Edith Piaf on Rue Crespin du Gast in the 11th arrondissement of Paris. It's a private museum dedicated to the most iconic and most important French singer of all time, Édith Piaf. She's even regarded as 'France's National Chanteuse,' enjoying a status that's almost as legendary as Marianne herself. In this fascinating museum, you can learn all about her life, how her talent and songs have impacted France over the years, and even see items that she herself used when she was at the peak of her career. Source: Wikimedia Commons

With its lively nightlife scene and hip hotspots, the 11th arrondissement is home to the bustling energy of Paris. This is the place where the young and the restless have fun, hang out, and enjoy the excitement that the French capital has to offer.