In This Charming Paris Neighborhood, You Can Live Like a Local

As popular a destination as Paris is, some of its arrondissements (or neighborhoods in English) are better known than others. There’s the imperial majesty of the 1st and 8th. There’s the effortless chic of the 3rd and the 4th—a chunk of both making up Le Marais—that is as enduring as a pair of Chanel flats. Head to the 10th, and it feels like every street is hipper than the next; meanwhile, the easygoing charm of the fifth is Old World glory made manifest.

But what about the 15th? The southernmost expanse of the Left Bank is not only one of the largest arrondissements in Paris, but it’s also in close proximity to some of the city’s biggest tourist attractions, including the Eiffel Tower. Yet most travelers have never found themselves exploring its meandering streets, eating in its Michelin-starred restaurants, or mining the treasures of its markets.

The arrival of a handful of charming new boutique hotels, however, may soon change that. “The 15th arrondissement is actually where 10 percent of Parisians live,” says Louis Solanet, who, with his wife Anouk, founded the hospitality brand Orso Hotels in 2020. Because of this, he says, what you end up getting is an “area that is authentic and very Parisian.”

It’s this authenticity that inspired the couple to open two properties there in 2021. Wallace Hôtel & Bar and Hotel Ami are intimate and design-forward, and both are already resonating with travelers eager to venture away from the more tourist-heavy pockets of Paris but still wanting considered French hospitality. “People who come out here are typically seeking a more tranquil hotel without having to compromise on design and comfort,” Solanet explains, adding that given the 15th’s limited traveler traffic, the hotels in the area have conventionally been a little staid.

If more desirable lodging is a critical part of seducing travelers to the 15th, then Orso (along with Mama Shelter which has a property here, and Villa M, a new hotel designed by Philippe Starck) will only continue to help put the area on people’s radar. But the neighborhood is already home to so many other fantastic venues that local residents have been enjoying for years, from under-the-radar museums to urban farms to one of the city’s Statues of Liberty. If you’re not already planning to make your way to the 15th arrondissement, Solanet says you’re “missing out on another version of Paris”—and we’re inclined to agree.

This is certainly the case during the 2024 Olympic Games, when a plethora of exciting initiatives and activations will be taking place within and around the 15th arrondissement. Did you know that to get locals even more excited about the 33rd Olympiad, Paris staged the District Olympics, where residents can represent their arrondissements in a citywide competition in a variety of sports like table tennis and basketball? Everywhere in the City of Light, including the 15th, the spirit of the games is already palpable.

Here, our guide to the best neighborhood in Paris you don’t know.

Where to Stay

As part of the Orso takeover, Wallace Hotel & Bar has been transformed into a cool 45-room refuge by the designers at Hauvette & Madani. Rooms are small but stylish with their glazed wood headboards, fringe-trimmed sconces, gilded side tables, and curtains in shocking red-and-white stripes. There are larger suites, too, of course, and some have windows that perfectly frame the Eiffel Tower. (You can also see the tower from the leafy second-floor terrace where the hot tub and sauna await.) The basement-level bar, where breakfast is served, is an intimate hangout where you can mingle with other guests over refreshing cocktails and Italian bites from the team at Fulgrances and sweeter treats (like a decadent serving of babka) from Adar’s Israeli kitchen. And they’ve recently reimagined the rooftop space into Tuco, an al fresco lounge inspired by the Italian Riviera. It’s the perfect spot to sneak away to if the city’s Olympic buzz starts to get too heavy. Here, bright cocktails, easy-drinking natural wines, and snackable cheese plates will keep you company while you enjoy a more intimate retreat.

A 10-minute stroll towards the river brings you to Hotel Ami, Orso’s 41-room Nordic-inspired hideaway tucked inside a 17th-century building. Here, German-Danish designer Gesa Hansen has created a whimsical melange of texture: brick walls, leather banquettes, playful carpeting, abstract wallpaper, slender mid-century wood chairs, and mix-and-match tilework. Don’t expect sprawling chambers, but small traveling families may appreciate the family room with its deep red walls, two balconies, and a sofa that doubles up as a bed. There’s also a sweet interior courtyard where most guests take their breakfast on sunny mornings.

Where to Eat and Drink

Last year, celebrated French chef Cyril Lignac transformed his buzzy restaurant Le Quinzième into Ischia, a similarly see-and-be-seen culinary address named after the rugged island in the Gulf of Naples. As you can guess, the glamorous dining room is dedicated to Italian delicacies that span the entire boot: veal Milanese, pappardelle bolognese, anolini pasta from Parma, Neapolitan pizza, and gelato made with hazelnut from Piedmont. For a Michelin-starred experience, head to Japanese chef Hideki Nishi’s easygoing Neige d'été. Nishi, who cut his teeth at the George V, combines both French and Japanese techniques to create a menu that is as precise as it is artistic. Think: grilled pieces of A5 Wagyu plated with Caviar Kristal and a teeny-tiny dollop of oyster sauce, grilled tuna belly served with pickled vegetables, and an indulgent course of lobster pie, veal sweetbreads, and foie gras.

For his second outing Pilgrim, which opened in 2019, Nishi entrusted his protege Yurika Kitano with the kitchen and the menu, which follows the same elegant ethos as Neige d'été but with a more visible air of playfulness, particularly for dessert. In this light-bathed restaurant, meals that start with chicken or Mangalitsa pork grilled on binchotan charcoal might end with an ice cream sandwich or a donut spiked with black sesame or genmaicha. More casual still is Le Radis Beurre, chef Jérôme Bonnet’s modest, seasonal-driven bistro, where meals are more rustic and robust: roasted partridge with stuffed cabbage, a plate of skate wing in a delicious butter sauce topped with capers. For a fuss-free brunch, pop into Good News Coffee Shop, an Australian-style cafe where meticulously prepared coffee can come before or after a bright salad, or a more fortifying eggs benedict sandwich with bacon.

What to Do

Stretching from the Eiffel Tower all the way to the southern border of the city, the 15th arrondissement is enormous, even by Parisian standards. In fact, according to Solanet, it feels like several smaller neighborhoods converging to create a larger one, with each little section of the 15th delivering its own atmosphere. There are parts that feel entirely residential thanks to its Haussmann buildings and larger parks, while others are busy with shops, restaurants, and bars. And then there are sections that recall the 15th arrondissement’s industrial past: during the 19th century, Citroën factories were erected in an area that has now become an expansive landscaped park.

Culture vultures should visit Musée Bourdelle, the 45-year home and studio of artist Antoine Bourdelle, who was once a student of Rodin. The space—free to enter—is covered with antiques, photos, drawings, and paintings by the likes of Van Gogh and Rodin, as well as the large-scale sculptures Bourdelle is famous for. (You can find many of his works throughout Paris, including at the Palais de Tokyo.) Then, on Île aux Cygnes—an artificial island on the Seine—you’ll find a quarter-size replica of the Statue of Liberty. Paris is home to many of these replicas, but this one was gifted by Americans to the French in 1889 and installed on this site only three years after the original one in New York.

The 15th is also known for its unique craft stores, such as Puzzle Michele Wilson which creates and sells wooden puzzles. Michele Wilson started making these puzzles in a small village in Burgundy in 1975, and now, there are two shops in Paris. The flagship location is in the 15th arrondissement, where you can find an impressive selection of puzzles, from kid-friendly ones to more elaborate scenes for adults; each cut to the whims and style of the craftsman who brought it to life. And if you love the baroque drama of stained glass, pop into La Maison du Vitrail, a workshop that designs, makes, and restores stained glass pieces. Glass artists and designer Emmanuelle Andrieux took over the family business, which has been operating since 1973.

So too did the world’s largest urban farm recently open atop the Porte de Versailles. The first phase launched in 2020 (and was officially inaugurated in 2022), but the project is ongoing, and they brought on Le Perchoir to operate a restaurant with fabulous views over Paris. They also offer tours of the farm and workshops if you’d like your souvenir to be a green thumb. And of course, there’s riverside Annette K and its sister project Rose Piscine. Combined, the sports and entertainment complex that debuted as a pool barge a couple of summers ago has become a hot commodity for locals and visitors alike, and we can’t imagine why it will be any different this summer—even if they say the Seine is now clean enough to swim in.

To celebrate the Olympics, a new exhibit called Spot 24, which celebrates some of the newer sports to become part of the Games, was launched earlier in 2024 near Pont de Grenelle. The multi-sensory installation will take a closer look at the history and legacy of disciplines like freestyle BMX, skateboarding, sport climbing, surfing and 3x3 basketball.

But just like the rest of the city, some parts of the arrondissement will be staged for many Olympic-related events—meaning the 15th will be busy this summer. Parc des Expositions near Porte de Versailles will be a major competition site for several Olympic and Paralympic disciplines; volleyball, weight lifting, and table tennis are just some of the top events scheduled here. And in front of the city hall is an open-to-all fan zone (there will be many throughout Paris) where matches will be broadcast alongside play areas, snack stands, and community events. And after the Games, in 2025, Bras de Grenelle, a section of the Seine in the 15th, will open as a public swimming space—and will no doubt serve as a lasting memento of Paris’s Olympic legacy.