Paris Châtelet-Les Halles (1er, 2ème)

Paris's Châtelet-Les Halles is famous for turning Paris's pet vices into beloved institutions. Its most famous sight, the Louvre, was home to French kings for four centuries; absolute monarchy has since gone out of fashion, and the bedchambers and dining rooms of the ancien régime palace now house the world's finest art. The surrounding Jardin des Tuileries was redesigned in 1660 by Louis XIV's favorite architect, André Le Nôtre, but the Sun King's prized grounds are now a public park, host to crowds of strolling plebeians like ourselves that Louis probably wouldn't touch with a 10 ft. pole. Still, the arrondissement's legacy of excess is certainly alive and well; we suspect that toilet paper rolls are made of €1000 notes around the Bourse de Valeurs, and the world's oldest profession reigns supreme along the curbs of rue St-Denis. One of Paris's main tourist hubs, Châtelet-Les Halles is heavily frequented by travelers, locals, and lots of scam artists. Seeing somebody run after a pickpocket is not an uncommon occurence here, so move cautiously and confidently.

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