The 13th arrondissement of central Paris is primarily a residential and business district in the south-eastern part of the French capital, lying on the Left Bank of the river Seine. Although not usually recognised as a natural drawcard for tourists, the 13th nonetheless does hold several attractions of interest to the traveller that include the recently-completed Bibliothèque Nationale de France (National Library) and Paris' Chinatown district. The southern part of the arrondissement is the "China town" of Paris, one of (or even the) biggest in Europe.

Map of the 13th Arrondissement

Get in

By Foot

The easy walk to the 13th arrondissement from the center of Paris (Île de la Cité) takes around 40 minutes, either through back streets or along the Seine promenade. It can be a very pleasant walk: you can walk across the Quartier Latin, for example, through the rue Mouffetard in the Paris/5th arrondissement.

By Métro

You can get to the 13th arrondissement using 3 metro lines:

• Ligne 7
  • Gobelins - near the Manufacture des Gobelins
  • Place d'Italie
  • Tolbiac - good entrance point for the Paris Chinatown
  • Maison-Blanche
  • Porte d'Italie, Porte de Choisy and Porte d'Ivry: you will get to these three stations if and only if you take a train that goes to the Mairie d'Ivry direction. Other trains take another direction and leave Paris immediately after Maison-Blanche.

• Ligne 6
  • Glacière
  • Corvisart
  • Place d'Italie
  • Nationale
  • Chevaleret - near the avant-garde art galleries of rue Louise-Weiss
  • Quai de la Gare

• Ligne 14
  • Bibliothèque François-Mitterrand (near the new Bibliothèque de France), the terminus.

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See

• La Bibliothèque Nationale de France [1]
• La Butte aux Cailles A little district within the district. Very charming little streets on a hill in the western end of the 13 district. Nice for lunching/dinning activities. This is the place where the band "Mano Negra" was hanging around.
• Stade Charléty
• La manifacture des Gobelins

Do

Buy

• Chinese food. Les freres Tang is the biggest Chinese supermarket in Paris.

Eat

The southern part of the district is the good place to go if you like asian food.

• One address between others Sinorama in Avenue de Choisy at the corner with rue de Tolbiac.

Elsewhere the 13th has some other standouts.

• Guinguette Pirate
• Chez Gladines: on the "Butte aux cailles" (5 rue des Cinq Diamants), big Basque salads and a lot of ambiance in this moderately low-budget restaurant.
• le Temps des Cerises, 18-20, rue de la butte-aux-cailles (Métro: Place d'Italie). +33 1 45 89 69 48. If you are looking for quality French food, a large choice of good and affordable wine this is the place to go. This is what we can call a "restaurant populaire" (as opposed to other posh and expensive places around) with a friendly staff, a very nice atmosphere, no way to reserve a table, just show up and the "patron" will find a place for you (arrive before 8 if you don't want to queue up especially on week ends), shut down you mobile or you will be kicked out !!!. The "Boudin a la Normande" (blood sausage) is a must, you can also get very decent goose liver and other French speciality such as "Salade de Museau". 12€ to 20€ (with a sliding scale).

Drink

Bat-O-Far

• Batofar [2], 11 quai François Mauriac, Métro: Biblioteque François Mitterand or Quai de la Gare, tel +33 1 56 29 10 11 - this little red lighthouse boat which hosts dance and chill electronic music and other multimedia cultured events has been one of the coolest spots around for some time. The dancefloor is in the hold, and the lounge on the upper deck. Of particular interest is the Sunday afternoon chillout/cookout event which spills out onto the quai (during nice weather).

Sleep

Budget

All of the following hotels are located near Place d'Italie, where public transportation is excellent.

• Kyriad Italie Gobelins, 5 rue Veronese. + 33 1 47 07 20 90, fax + 33 1 45 35 25 27. [3]
• Hotel Ibis Paris Avenue d'Italie, 15 bis Avenue d'Italie.
• Timhotel Italie, 22 rue Barrault.
• Hôtel Verlaine, 51 rue Bobillot. +33 1 45 89 56 14.
• Jack's, 19 avenue Stéphen Pichon (a very quiet street). +33 1 45 85 17 34. Jean Genet died in this hotel in 1986.

Mid-Range

• La Manufacture, 8 Rue Phillipe de Champagne. +33 1 45 35 45 25, fax: +33 1 45 35 45 40. [4]
• Mercure Blanqui Place d'Italie, 25 boulevard Auguste Blanqui
• Mercure Gobelins, 8 bis avenue de la Soeur Rosalie
• Holiday Inn Bibliotheque, 21 rue de Tolbiac. +33 1 45 84 61 61 Fax: +33 1 45 84 43 38.
• Holiday Inn Express Paris place d'Italie, 178 boulevard Vincent Auriol. 178 boulevard Vincent Auriol. +33 1 44 24 01 01. Fax: +33 1 44 24 07 07.

Splurge

• Les Hotels de Paris Villa Lutece Port Royale, 52 Rue Jenner

Contact