Paris/2nd arrondissement

The 2nd arrondissement of Paris is one of the financial centres of Europe, being home to the Bourse (stock exchange) and thus the CAC 40 index you hear about in world financial news. Other major activities in the neighbourhood are journalism and fashion.

Understand
The 2nd is home to the galleries—covered passages lined with shops—which are quite possibly the prototypes of today's shopping malls. One finds shops, cafés and hotels inside.

While the aforementioned are all daylight activities, the east end of the arrondissement has an entirely different reputation, having been home to Paris's red-light district since sometime in the early renaissance.

By Métro
Being right in the middle of the city, the 2nd arrondissement is well served by the Métro system. 5 lines provide direct access to the district via 10 different stations.


 * and both run east-west right across the northern edge of the arrondissement with 4 stations, distanced every 200 to 400 meters. Take your pick, all of the stations are small, and unless you're making a connection just as good as another.
 * runs east-west right through the centre of the arrondissement, with 5 stations down rue du Quatre Septembre and rue Réaumur.
 * runs north-south along the eastern edge.
 * running north-south, has one stop (Opéra) near the west edge of the arrondissement.

Get around
As the 2nd is the smallest arrondissement, it is easy to travel many places within it on foot. It's possible to comfortably walk the entire perimeter of the district in around an hour. Much of the SE corner is closed to traffic.

Architecture
The 2nd arrondissement covers some of the nicest old parts of Paris.



History
There have been dozens of attempts by various regimes at all levels including the city, the state, and the church to chase the working girls away from the east end of the 2nd arrondissement, but for some reason they always come back. Interestingly, the word "bordello" originates here, from the boards that the women used to subdivide the rooms they rented in houses along the rue Saint Denis and others.

The press has had nearly as long a run in the neighbourhood just to the west, and several of France's major newspapers still maintain offices here.



The galleries
Prototypical indoor shopping malls, the galleries got their start in 1786 when the Duke of Orleans realized that there was money to be made by renting out his cloistered garden to small shops. With their glass roofs and tiled floors they were a welcome respite to the newly emerging middle-class shopper of the early 19th century, in the days before electric light and sidewalks.

A walking tour of the galleries can easily be accomplished in an hour or so, and is worthwhile even though they are long past their glory days.

You can find more galleries throughout the arrondissement, namely