Paris/15th arrondissement

The 15th arrondissement of Paris (also called arrondissment de Vaugirard) is in the city's southwest on the Left Bank of the Seine. Quite up-market and quiet, it is the largest arrondissement by both area and population. Housing over 230,000 inhabitants and providing around 150,000 jobs, it is dense with residential and office developments, including the high rise skyline of Front de Seine along the northern part of the 15th's bank of the river. On the other hand, it sees relatively little tourist traffic — but that does not mean it is devoid of attractions.

The famous skyscraper Tour Montparnasse and the neighbouring railway station Gare Montparnasse are on the eastern border of the 15th arrondissement, although the actual district of Montparnasse is right across the border in the 14th arrondissement.

Understand
The 15th arrondissement is further broken up administratively into four quartiers: Grenelle, Necker, Saint-Lambert and Javel.

Grenelle is the quarter closest to the 7th arrondissement and thus directly neighbouring the Champ de Mars and the Eiffel Tower. Therefore, it houses many hotels advertising the proximity of the Tower. The waterfront part of Grenelle is home to the 1970s high-rise residential development of Beaugrenelle, and the eponymous shopping mall. The more inland parts of the quarter are filled with 19th-century Haussmannian buildings, interspersed with some more modern ones.

The quarter of Necker, situated between Grenelle and the quarter of Montparnasse of the 14th arrondissement, is home to some of the locations named after Montparnasse, most notably the Tour Montparnasse and Gare Montparnasse. It also houses more large public service and commercial buildings, such as the expansive Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades. Otherwise, it is full of late 20th-century residential buildings, with many fewer Haussmannian structures than Grenelle.

The southeast quarter of Saint-Lambert is most known for the Parc des expositions de la porte de Versailles, which is one of the largest and most important exhibition centres in France and Europe.

The southwestern quartier Javel had long been an industrial area of Paris, but has been reclaimed as office, residential, and recreational over the decades. It contains the Parc André Citroën, created over the former Citroën factory grounds, and the Heliport of Paris in its southern extremity.

By train
The Gare Montparnasse is at the northeastern extremity of the arrondissement and offers many good connections within the district and all of Paris. Also a direct train to Chartres. The Transilien N ends its run here.

RER C runs along the left bank of the Seine across the 15th arrondissement and beyond with stops including Champ de Mars–Tour Eiffel, Musée d'Orsay, Saint-Michel-Notre Dame and Gare d'Austerlitz. In the other direction it is a direct line to Versailles-Château. Also to Orly airport through Pont de Rungis stop.

By metro
The following lines go through the 15th arrondissement:
 * crosses the northern part of the 15th from east to west over an elevated estacade. It forms a southern ring through Paris, running between Étoile and Nation and also stopping at Gare Montparnasse.
 * runs from the south of the 15th arrondissement northwards, continuing through the 7th onto the right bank of the Seine, including stops at Opéra, République and Bastille.
 * takes a southwest/northeast tangent through the 15th, connecting it to the 5th, 6th and Gare d'Austerlitz from one end, and the 16th as well as Boulogne-Billancourt from the other.
 * runs north-south through the eastern 15th, entering it at the north at Gare Montparnasse. It also stops further north at Saint-Lazare.

Major changeover stations:
 * Montparnasse-Bienvenüe (at the foot of Gare Montparnasse).
 * La Motte-Picquet–Grenelle
 * Porte de Versailles - also trams T2 and T3a pass here.

By tram

 * T2 from La Défense ends its run at Porte de Versailles, where it connects to T3a and M12
 * T3a runs across the south of the 15th arrondissement, starting from the Seine and continuing into the 14th, 13th and 12th

By bus

 * Lines: 39, 62, 42 (from Gare du Nord), 88, 80, 70, 39

By Batobus
Station Beaugrenelle, Port de Javel Haut

Parks
There are several parks, the biggest of which is the Parc André Citroën.

Learn




Eat
The quarter of Saint-Lambert contains many cafés and small restaurants, some of them in nice and quiet pedestrian streets or squares. You get out on the Metro station Convention and explore the myriads of small streets. Ideally not wandering too far off Vaugirard street, which fully traverses the 15th arrondissement. If you choose to go up to Montparnasse, there are several good places with fair prices before getting to the train station. On the other hand if you go in direction of Porte de Versailles you will have more choice, but with very fluctuating quality.

Budget




Connect
Paris Wi-Fi is free of charge and accessible in a number of parks (Parc Georges Brassens, Parc André Citroën, Jardin Atlantique, Jardin Nicole de Hautecloque) or squares (Saint Lambert, Violet, Clos Feuquières, rue Blomet, Alleray Labrouste), and in the Starbucks and rather fancy McDonald's on Place Charles Michels.

Go next

 * 6th arrondissement discover the western parts of the quartier latin.
 * 7th arrondissement has the Tour Eiffel on the Champ de Mars.
 * 14th arrondissement
 * 16th arrondissement is situated on the other side of the Seine, hosting the Paris Saint-Germain football club.