Paris by Arrondissement – 2e Arrondissement

Paris 2nd Arrondissement is Home to the Historic Paris Bourse and the Banking Sector:

Galerie Vivienne, a Beautiful Covered Passage way

Located on the right bank of the Seine River, the 2e arrondissement or 2nd arrondissement is home to the historic Paris Bourse and a large number of bank and airlines head offices, making this Paris district primarily a business zone.

2nd arrondissement

The 2nd arrondissement is the smallest of the Paris districts, but what it lacks in size, it more than makes up for in economic importance. The Palais Brongniart, located in the Place de la Bourse, is home to the old Paris stock exchange and as such many of the banking offices are located in this district. The 2nd arrondissement has the highest concentration of business activities of all Paris districts.

Attractions

But it’s not all work and no play in the 2nd arrondissement. Some of the attractions include:

• Bibliothèque Nationale de France – the historical National Library of France
• Opéra-Comique – a Parisian opera company
• Théâtre des Bouffes Parisiens
• Théâtre des Variétés
• Théâtre-Musée des Capucines, a perfume museum
• Tour Jean Sans-Peur, this is where “Fearless Jean”, the Duke of Burgundy, assassinated his cousin the Duke of Orleans

Passages Couverts

The 2nd arrondissement is also home to many of Paris’s surviving covered arcades. Between the 18th and the 19th centuries when most of the streets of Paris were dark, muddy and lacked sidewalks, a few entrepreneurs began to build covered passageways, fashioned upon the success of the Passage des Panoramas, with its well-lit, dry and paved pedestrian walkways. However, by the middle of the 19th century when paved sidewalks were introduced in Paris’s main streets as well as gas street lighting, most of the covered passages disappeared. In the 2nd arrondissement you can see some of the finer examples of these surviving covered passages such as the Galeries du Palais Royal, Galerie Vivienne and Galerie Colbert.

Shopping in rue Montorgueil Gateway

Shopping

Rue Montorgueil is the world famous food street in the 2nd arrondissement. Stroll along this street and you’ll be exposed to all the delightful food that are available in Paris and you can also shop for chocolates, cheese and household items here. Rue Montorgueil also has some famous and historical restaurants.

Around the Le Sentier area are the wholesale outlets of the Paris garment district, where thousands of garments are sold (usually in bulk) to buyers from clothing stores throughout Europe.  There are some retail stores here where locals come to buy fabrics.

Hotels in the 2nd arrondissement

For 5-star luxury, the Park Hyatt Paris Vendôme is next to the famous Place Vendôme and a 2-minute walk from the Opera Garnier. Other hotels close to the Opera Garnier include the Edouard 7 Opéra, a 4-star hotel about a 3 minute walk from this magnificent opera house and 500 metres from Galeries Lafayette, the luxurious Hotel Westminster with antique clocks, marble fireplaces and classic artwork or the 3-star Choiseul Opera. For the complete list of 2nd arrondissement hotels see here.

Map of 2nd Arrondissement:

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