Paris/9th arrondissement

The 9th arrondissement of Paris is a diverse, "in between" section of the French capital. The Grands Boulevards area of shopping thoroughfares and flagship department stores (as well as the original Opera - hence the common name for the district) is to be found in the southern part of the arrondissement (shared with the 2nd and the 8th). By way of contrast, the fading red-light and cheap shopping district of Pigalle is in the north of the 9th, closely adjoining Montmartre on the hill above in the 18th. In between the two, relatively-speaking, lies a traveller's no-man's-land / terra incognita - though the streets around St Lazare used to be the Impressionists stronghold in Paris.

By Métro
Main stations are: Opéra, Chaussée d'Antin La Fayette, Grands Boulevards, Le Peletier, Notre-Dame-de-Lorette, Richelieu-Drouot.

See


As with the other 19 arrondissements of Paris there are a lot of little commemorative plaques scattered around on the houses of the 9th. One example is the site of the first public demonstration of the Lumiere brother's moving picture projection system which is marked by a pair of commemorative plaques at 14, boul des Capucines between rue Scribe and rue Edward VIII.



Do
Admire the skyline from the roofs of Printemps or the Galeries Lafayette. There's also a hot air balloon at Parc André Citroën (southwest Paris), but not on windy days.



Buy
Particularly interesting in this area are the covered passageways built in the 19th century, charming early versions of the shopping mall. There are several in the vicinity of boulevard Haussmann and rue Vivienne, including passage Jouffroy and passage Verdeau, and across the boulevard Haussmann in the 2nd arrondissement, the passage des Panoramas.

The department stores along the boulevard Haussmann are overpriced compared to smaller specialty shops. For a more interesting selection and better quality-price ratio, venture out to the innumerable shopping streets in Paris. Make sure to say bonjour on entering and merci, au revoir on leaving. For more information on common courtesy in Paris, see the main Paris article.



Eat
If you're in the southern part of the neighbourhood, you might also consider arrondissements 2 or 8 - neither are more than a short walking distance. You could also visit the food section of any of the grands magasins, or one of the smaller traiteurs (shops selling prepared food), and pick up the ingredients for a piquenique in the square Louis XVI on boulevard Haussmann and rue Pasquier; square de la Trinité, at the top of rue de la chaussée d'Antan--free concerts in the church at 12:30 most Thursdays; or the square du Montholon on rue de la Fayette between rue Cadet and rue du faubourg Poissonière. Otherwise, here are some good eating options: