In short
- What’s there: the Butte-aux-Cailles neighborhood, Chinatown, the Gobelins Manufactory, the National Library and street art.
- Location: the Left Bank, south of the 5th arrondissement.
- Tickets: almost everything is free, and only the Gobelins requires a guided tour booked ahead.
- Food markets: seven, including one that runs on Fridays until 8:30 p.m.
- Restaurants: I have no recommendations in this arrondissement as of today.
- Who it suits: anyone looking for Asian food, street art and cheap places to stay.
- Walking itineraries: two of my itineraries pass through the arrondissement, and none takes place entirely inside it.
The 13th arrondissement doesn’t try to charm anyone, and that is exactly what makes it interesting. On one side you have concrete towers from the 1970s, on the other a neighborhood of low houses that looks like a village, and in the middle the largest Chinatown in Europe.
For food markets, this is the richest arrondissement I have come across so far: seven of them, including one that keeps going into the evening. For restaurants, on the other hand, I don’t have a single recommendation here yet, and I’d rather say so openly than fill the section with places I haven’t checked.
So before we set off, here is what you’ll find on this page: first the hotels and apartments I recommend in the arrondissement, then the attractions one by one, the seven food markets with their days and hours, and finally the walking itineraries.
Recommended Hotels in the 13th Arrondissement of Paris
The 13th is one of the cheapest places to stay in Paris, and with Line 14 and the RER the center is only a quarter of an hour away. If you’re not sure what suits you, answer three questions and I’ll pick from my recommendations:
My personal pick
Which hotel in the 13th arrondissement suits you?
One short question, and I will pick out of the places I already checked and wrote about on the site the ones that fit the trip you are planning.
One moment, I am going over my recommendations to find what fits you…
Prefer to go through all my recommendations yourself, with photos and details on every hotel? Here is my page of recommended hotels in the 13th.
Recommended Apartments in the 13th Arrondissement of Paris
With seven markets and a whole Chinatown, an apartment with a kitchen is the logical choice in this arrondissement. Here too, you can let me choose:
My personal pick
Which apartment in the 13th arrondissement suits you?
One question about the area, and I will filter the apartments I checked and wrote about on the site. The apartments I recommend directly get booked very fast, so I added excellent Booking.com apartments that I hand-picked for my readers.
One moment, I am going over my recommendations to find what fits you…
Want to see all the apartments I recommend, with photos and details? Here is my page of recommended apartments in the 13th.
Attractions in the 13th Arrondissement of Paris
These are the sights I recommend in the 13th, and two of them are whole neighborhoods rather than buildings you walk into.
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Free entry
The Butte-aux-Cailles Neighborhood
A neighborhood that looks like a village in the heart of Paris, and to me the most surprising corner of the arrondissement.
The neighborhood was built on a hill above the Bièvre river, and its soft, quarried ground made tall buildings impossible. That is why low houses from the late 19th century survived here, along with cobbled streets and street art on every corner. Look out for the public swimming pool from 1924, which is still open, and for the fountain on the square where locals fill bottles with spring water for free.
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Free entry
Chinatown in Paris
The largest Asian quarter in Europe, and the place to eat at prices you won’t see in the center.
The neighborhood took shape in the 1970s, when the concrete towers built here stood empty and were filled by immigrants from Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. The most interesting spot is the Tang Frères supermarket, which is an experience in itself, surrounded by small noodle restaurants. Around February, the biggest Chinese New Year parade in Paris takes place here.
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By appointment
The Gobelins Manufactory (Manufacture des Gobelins)
The workshop opened on the orders of Louis XIV, where weavers still work by hand today.
Jean-Baptiste Colbert (1619–1683), Louis XIV’s finance minister, realized that France was spending a fortune on imported tapestries, and set up a royal manufactory to make them at home instead. The method hasn’t changed since: an experienced weaver finishes a few square centimeters in a working day, and a single tapestry takes years. The workshops can only be visited on a guided tour, and it’s worth booking ahead.
More Attractions in the 13th Worth Knowing About
These are places I haven’t written a separate article about yet, but if you’re wandering around the arrondissement, it’s good to know they’re there:
| Place | Address | Why stop there |
|---|---|---|
| The National Library (BnF François-Mitterrand) | Quai François-Mauriac | Four towers shaped like open books, around a sunken forest in the middle that you can look at but not walk into |
| The open-air street art gallery | Boulevard Vincent Auriol | Dozens of giant murals on building facades, from an ongoing city project |
| The Joséphine Baker pool (Piscine Joséphine Baker) | Quai François-Mauriac | A pool floating on the Seine with a retractable roof, named after Joséphine Baker (1906–1975). In summer you swim right above the river |
| Les Frigos | 19 Rue des Frigos | An abandoned cold-storage building that became dozens of artists’ studios. Open to the public on a few open days only |
| La Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital | 47 Boulevard de l’Hôpital | The hospital complex founded under Louis XIV, with a domed chapel. It was once an asylum for women, and the neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot (1825–1893) worked there |
| Place d’Italie | Place d’Italie | The central square of the arrondissement, and the starting point for its neighborhoods and markets |
| Station F | 5 Parvis Alan Turing | A huge railway depot from 1929 that became the largest startup campus in the world. The building is worth a look from the outside |
Tours and Activities in the 13th That Might Interest You
Show me more activities in Paris
And if you’re looking for attractions in other parts of the city, my Paris attractions page brings them all together in one place.
Restaurants in the 13th Arrondissement of Paris
I’ll say it openly: as of today I don’t have a single restaurant recommendation in the 13th, and I’d rather tell you that than fill the section with names I haven’t tried myself. What I can say with confidence is that the arrondissement’s Chinatown is one of the best places in Paris for Asian food at a normal price, and the triangle between its three main streets has dozens of restaurants to choose from.
Looking for recommended restaurants in other arrondissements? My page of recommended restaurants is organized by type of cuisine and by arrondissement, and the neighboring 5th and 12th are a short metro ride away.
Food Markets in the 13th Arrondissement of Paris
Seven markets, more than any other arrondissement I’ve covered so far. The odd one out is the Paris Rive Gauche market, which runs on Fridays from 10 in the morning into the evening, handy if you can’t get up at seven. The details come from the website of the 13th arrondissement town hall.
| Market | Address | Days and hours | Métro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marché Auguste-Blanqui | Boulevard Auguste Blanqui, between Place d’Italie and Rue Barrault | Tuesday and Friday 7:00 a.m.–1:30 p.m., Sunday 7:00 a.m.–2:30 p.m. | Corvisart or Place d’Italie |
| Marché Jeanne-d’Arc | Place Jeanne d’Arc | Thursday 7:00 a.m.–1:30 p.m., Sunday 7:00 a.m.–2:30 p.m. | Nationale or Olympiades |
| Marché Maison-Blanche | Avenue d’Italie, between Rue du Tage and Rue du Moulin de la Pointe | Thursday 7:00 a.m.–1:30 p.m., Sunday 7:00 a.m.–2:30 p.m. | Maison Blanche |
| Marché Vincent-Auriol | Boulevard Vincent Auriol, from number 64 to Rue Jeanne d’Arc | Wednesday 7:00 a.m.–1:30 p.m., Saturday 7:00 a.m.–2:30 p.m. | Chevaleret or Nationale |
| Marché Bobillot | Rue Bobillot, between Place de Rungis and Rue de la Colonie | Tuesday and Friday 7:00 a.m.–1:30 p.m. | Tolbiac |
| Marché Salpêtrière | Boulevard de l’Hôpital, along Square Marie Curie | Tuesday and Friday 7:00 a.m.–2:30 p.m. | Saint-Marcel |
| Marché Paris Rive Gauche | Rue Jean Anouilh | Friday only, 10:00 a.m.–8:30 p.m. | Bibliothèque François Mitterrand |
On my markets page you’ll find the recommended markets in the rest of the city.
Walking Itineraries in the 13th Arrondissement of Paris
I don’t have an itinerary that takes place entirely in this arrondissement, but two of my itineraries pass through it.
Want all the itineraries I’ve written, by arrondissement and by theme? My page of walking itineraries in Paris brings them all together.
The Next Step in Your Trip
The 13th is big and spread out, so it’s worth choosing between two lines: the Butte-aux-Cailles and the Gobelins in the west, or Chinatown and the National Library in the east. To the north, the Latin Quarter and the 5th arrondissement are waiting.
And if you want to be ready for every scenario ahead of time, my complete Paris guide brings together everything I’ve learned. Have a wonderful trip, and don’t forget to look up at the walls for me.
