A Guide to Paris’s Most Underrated, Locals-Only Neighborhood

16th Arrondissement
The 16th Arrondissement in ParisPhoto: Alamy

Paris isn’t all Le Marais and Montmartre. On the same side of the Seine (the right bank), lies the 16th Arrondissement, an affluent, leafy district that has great views of the Eiffel Tower, but none of the tourists. Here, you’ll find locals shopping at markets or sitting in the pretty Bois de Boulogne Park, Paris’s answer to Central Park. The area might be less discovered than other parts of Paris, but it’s no less chic. Instead of waiting in line at the Louvre, spend your time here, drinking Bordeaux and eating baguettes with the locals. Below, how to enjoy the best of the area:

In Paris, there are more hotels with Napoleon-inspired interiors than lights on the Eiffel Tower. Molitor is not one of those hotels. Housed in a building of the former pool complex Piscine Molitor, Molitor's heritage dates back to 1929, during Paris’s good ol’ days. Piscine Molitor wasn’t just any old pool complex, it was the pool complex, where celebrities and It girls bathed topless on gleaming white sun beds and pool parties were hosted before pool parties were even a thing. When it closed its doors in the late ’80s, it became a playground for street artists and underground parties. Today, after undergoing a huge refurbishment under the guidance of French architect and interior designer Jean-Philippe Nuel, it remains one of the most iconic buildings in Paris. New additions like a Clarins Spa (more than 18,000 square feet) and a fancy rooftop terrace make it popular with the city’s coolest crowd. But the building’s exterior is still the same mustard yellow, the pool remains the centerpiece of the hotel, street art exists throughout the space, and the mix of contemporary and Art Deco–inspired interior details are all reminders of the building’s history and what it stands for.

molitor pool

Photo: Courtesy of Anna Dawson / @theballoondiary

A magnifique start to a magnifique day in Paris begins with a visit to a local market. If you’re in the city between Saturday and Wednesday, bring a very large basket, because the local President Wilson Market (Marché Président Wilson) has a very large selection of delicious local produce. Located on Avenue du Président Wilson, the market sells everything from fresh fish to flowers and fromage. Browse the produce, chat to the butcher at the boucherie, grab a bonbon or a baguette, and taste some cheese at the fromagerie—this is your moment to feel like a true Parisian.

The next best thing to do on a morning in Paris is eat a croissant, naturally. A few streets away from the market, sits La Pâtisserie Cyril Lignac. Behind the display cabinet filled with oodles of perfectly executed pastries, staff wearing stark-white chef jackets vigilantly take orders. If you don’t speak French and you don’t immediately see any croissants in the display cabinet, don’t panic. Just kindly say “un (or deux, or quatre) croissant, s’il vous plait.” The cashier will magically whip out your desired number of pastries from the secret stash below the cabinet.

Patisserie Cyril Lignac

Photo: Courtesy of La Patisserie Cyril Lignac

This leafy suburb has an abundance of cultural landmarks, one of these being the Louis Vuitton Foundation, which sits within a concession of the Bois de Boulogne. The impressive Frank Gehry–designed building hosts permanent and rotating exhibitions and has brilliant views from the top. Take the elevator to the terrace, where you can see Paris from a number of viewpoints. Stay for lunch at the museum’s restaurant Le Frank, or find a spot in the garden and tuck into your basket of baguettes and bonbons. If Parisians love anything more than red wine and champagne, it’s a picnic.

Been in Paris for one whole day and haven’t had one glass of champagne yet? Non, non, non! Drown that problem with a sundowner on the Molitor rooftop. Great views, good cocktails, and a laid-back atmosphere make this one of the best spots for a drink in the city. Refreshingly, it draws a crowd of old and young, hip and square. It’ll be hard to tear yourself away from the lazy couches for dinner.

If you want to see the Eiffel Tower without having to actually deal with the Eiffel Tower and all its fans, head to the incredibly sophisticated Monsieur Bleu for dinner. Here you can relish a glass of Bordeaux while you watch the Eiffel Tower’s lights dance in the distance, from the other side of the Seine. Located at the Palais de Tokyo, this Michelin-selected restaurant has a sleek Art Deco interior and a large outdoor terrace. There is no better place to smugly enjoy that you are a tourist but don’t look like a tourist.

Photo: Courtesy of Monsieur Bleu