The 16th arrondissement: bourgeois, moneyed, residential

When I lived in the 16th arrondissement for a year back in 2016, I disliked it so much that I left Paris. The experience made me temporarily fall out of love with the city. So when I returned three years later, I looked for a place in the 11th arrondissement and – bam! – the butterflies were back.

Now, let me be clear: I wasn’t exactly slumming it in the 16th. I had a three-bedroom gem of an apartment, fully renovated, with fireplaces, ornate moldings, only steps from the Arc de Triomphe. I lived alone. It was quiet. It was elegant. It was hell.

See, the 16th is like a five-star retirement village. Impeccably dressed, meticulously maintained… and dead boring. It’s far from the action, and the effort to cross town for anything remotely fun made me opt out more often than not. It felt like Paris without the pulse – a beautiful suburb masquerading as a neighborhood.

Home to some of Paris’ best museums

Let’s give credit where it’s due. The 16th is pristine. It’s safe enough to roam at 3am in full glam with your phone out and zero fear (not that there’s anywhere to go after 10pm). It’s serene, stable, and, yes, stunning.

But if you’re hunting for third spaces – cool cafés, buzzing bars, cozy corners to read or write or vibe in – look elsewhere. International food? Good luck. Nightlife? Practically extinct. Still, art lovers and sports fans can find their fix. The 16th is home to some of Paris’ top cultural spots: the Fondation Louis Vuitton, Palais de Tokyo, Musée d’Art Moderne, Palais Galliera, and the always-underrated Musée Marmottan. Meanwhile, tennis fans flock to Roland Garros, football devotees worship at Parc des Princes, and horse racing still gallops on at the two hippodromes in the Bois de Boulogne, which officially belongs to the 16th. This also makes it home to the city’s second-largest green space.

The “rich ghetto”

Thanks to a staggeringly low percentage of social housing (just 2.5% compared to the city’s mandatory minimum of 20%), most of the buildings here are stunning examples of Haussmannian and Art Deco architecture. The interiors of these striking facades are often impressive, too. I remember visiting the apartment of an older woman near Trocadero. It was at least three times the size of mine, yet she complained about the lack of space. Due to her, for her own standards, low pension, she recently had to downsize from an even bigger apartment. Remember that there are couples in more culturally diverse arrondissements who live together in 15 square meters.

The residents of the 16th arrondissement can seem a bit out of touch. It’s no wonder the arrondissement is often considered a “rich ghetto,” where the upper class seeks social isolation and seclusion. This explains the old-fashioned vibe here compared to other areas, especially the trendiest parts of the city. It’s also staunchly conservative – politically and aesthetically. But surprisingly, it’s not the priciest arrondissement. Real estate in central Paris (1st–8th) tends to cost more per square meter.

Still, it remains the residence of choice for affluent individuals, such as Carla Bruni and Nicolas Sarkozy, Lenny Kravitz, and Celine Dion, as well as over 90 embassies and other diplomatic missions. There is a significant difference in population between the north, where wealthy families mainly reside, and the south, where many older people live. The two areas even have different postal codes: 75116 for the north, and 75016 for the south. The 16th is the only arrondissement to have more than one postcode.

Should you stay in the 16th arrondissement?

If your dream Paris includes long walks, clean streets, stately buildings, and zero chaos, the 16th is your match. It’s ideal for sightseeing near the Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Élysées, and Trocadéro, with luxury rentals and five-star hotels to match. You’ll sleep well, feel safe, and wake up to stunning architecture every morning. Just don’t expect to find underground jazz bars or a killer ramen joint around the corner. That’s not what the 16th is about.

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