Tourism in Paris: what to do in Châtelet and in the center of Paris?

Culture, restaurants, coffee shops, here are our top 10 must-see places to visit if you are passing through heart of Paris, and in particular towards Chatelet.

Châtelet, a historic district of Paris

THE Châtelet of Paris was a medieval fortress fortified built at the beginning of the 12th century. Over the centuries, it was gradually transformed and became a market, the famous Halles market, which was finally moved to the town of Rungis in the 1970s to make way for a large shopping center.

Today Chatelet is a dynamic and lively neighborhood, crossroads of all the suburbs of Paris, and which houses the most diverse offering in Paris in terms of cafes, restaurants, theaters and fashion and beauty boutiques, etc… The Chatelet district is interesting to visit, especially since it is central and located on the borders of several major districts of Paris, Louvre-Rivoli to the west, the Marais to the east, and the 5th arrondissement, cultural and tourist hotspot on the south side.

Ready for the ride? Let's go !

Historical places to visit in Chatelet

You can start your visit from the Chatelet metro, which overlooks the Place du Chatelet, from which rises the Palm Fountain, built under Napoleon I to celebrate his military victories.

You can admire the view just opposite on the Pont-au-Change, an emblematic bridge of Paris very popular for taking magnificent photos.

Still on the Place du Chatelet, you have the Théâtre du Chatelet, and going back towards the North, you can visit the famous Saint-Jacques Tower, located in a small park, which is the only remaining part of a 16th century church destroyed during the French Revolution. Right next door, Rue de Rivoli with a whole bunch of boutiques for shopping and buying the latest fashionable clothes.

Then you just have to go north via rue Saint-Denis, rue du Renard or rue Saint-Martin, which are three emblematic streets of Paris thanks to which you will be able to discover an uncountable number boutiques, stalls, cafes and offers of all kinds. Moreover, on the way up, you will cross paths with the famous Center Pompidou.

The Beaubourg museum

The Center Pompidou (or Beaubourg museum), located in the heart of Paris, is a cultural and artistic hotspot in the capital. You will be able to discover a vast collection of modern and contemporary art, ranging from painting to sculpture and photography, and you will also be able to enjoy the exceptional panoramic view of the city of Paris from the museum terrace, on the rooftop. , and explore innovative spaces dedicated to music, cinema and the public library.

The Museum of Illusion

With its interactive galleries and optical effects, the museum of illusion will be the ideal place for family fun around the theme of illusion. Warning: you have to be patient on weekends, public holidays and on vacation because there is a wait, but it is a very pleasant outing especially if you have children.

Ready-to-wear and fashion in Chatelet

Still going back towards the Etienne Marcel metro station, don't hesitate to get lost in the streets to discover numerous second-hand stores and stalls. The Halles district is well known for its clothing stores, and the range is incredible.

Among the best-known second-hand clothes, you will find the boutique Episode rue Tiquetonne (a very beautiful street to visit between Etienne Marcel and Montorgueil), Kiliwatch located right next door on the same street, Hippie Market or Kilo Shop, all located in the neighborhood.

Take a walk between Chatelet, Etienne Marcel, Montorgueil and Rambuteau

To put it simply, the Chatelet district is a sort of triptych which encompasses 3 universes: Chatelet-Les-Halles in the center which overlooks the famous rue Saint-Denis, the Rambuteau district on the Marais side to the east, and the Etienne Marcel / Montorgueil / Sentier district further to the north.

These three neighborhoods are worth visiting and can be done in one or two days. All the streets adjacent to these neighborhoods have an incredible offering in terms of restaurants, ready-to-wear boutiques, cafes and concepts, each more interesting than the last.

And if you are looking for references, here is our top of the best addresses by theme to discover in the neighborhood.

The best restaurants and cafes in Chatelet in Paris

To keep it simple, here is a selection of the best-known restaurants and cafes in the area, as well as those that 100% recommends.

The best street food or exotic restaurants in Chatelet:

• First of all, and you will excuse us for preaching for our parish, but it will of course absolutely be necessary to test LIBSHOP, the best restaurant in Chatelet, and this is normal since it is our Lebanese restaurant brand 🙂 located at 96 rue Saint-Denis. In one sentence, we are the specialists in hummus, falafel, shawarma and healthy and modern Lebanese cuisine, cooked in our own way and favored by a large number of Parisians. But other unmissable places are also to be discovered in Chatelet, and you will find the rest of our selection below 🙂

• If you're looking for good Chinese restaurants, the best known in the area are both located on rue Saint-Denis, next to the Etienne Marcel metro station. It is Little Bao And Tran Tran Zai, whose queue is never empty!
• Still around, you have Street Bangkok, which is a reference in Thai street food cuisine.
• As for burgers, we recommend the excellent Shiso Burger, located right next door in Rambuteau, and which in our opinion is one of the best burger restaurants in Paris, with Blend (Montorgueil side), the stream (also in Rambuteau, right in rue Rambuteau precisely), and Paris New York, which you will find a little further towards the Marais.
• Finally, towards the Rambuteau district, you will have many street food stalls including a large number of historic Lebanese snacks to discover.

The best brasseries in Chatelet:

• The Great Deer, just above in Etienne Marcel, if you are looking for a typical Parisian brasserie, where you can drink succulent cocktails and enjoy delicious cuisine, in a cozy, trendy, timeless decor and with adorable staff!
• Returning towards the Halles district, you have the Pigs foot, which is a Parisian institution open day and night, and which is worth trying at least once in your life. Nearby, Nelson's, a gigantic brasserie with impressive decoration.
• If you want to try other brasseries, go and get lost on rue Montorgueil and rue des Petits Carres, where you can take incredible photos in a magical and typical district of Paris. We particularly recommend Le Compas, Le Café du Centre, le Rocher de Cancale and Le Bianco, which are institutions and are located in the heart of rue Montorgueil.
• If you are looking for an Italian restaurant, two references in our opinion: Pupetta rue Saint-Denis for exceptional pizzas, and Little Italy rue Montorgueil.

The best coffee shops, bakeries and pastries in Chatelet:

• On the sweet side, we recommend Bachir Ice Cream in the Rambuteau district to discover the famous Lebanese “achta” ice cream, but as there is always a long wait, we suggest you try the competitor Baltis, located rather in Montorgueil, and which in our opinion offers the best quality of Lebanese ice cream.
• Still for those with a sweet tooth, go try it anteigaria, the specialist in pastéis de nata, located rue Rambuteau, or a little further Aleph House, a creative Levantine pastry that we love and that we recommend to you at 100%.
• Still in the Montorgueil district, if you are looking for a sweet offer, go to Crazy about Pastry, which offers a best-of of the best pastries from different pastry chefs, it's really great! Otherwise, you have Laura Todd which makes excellent cookies (try the Big Moelleux Chocomilk!!), Cookie Love by Jean Hwang Carrant which offers extraordinary fusion cookies, Boneshaker right next door for donuts, Breizh Café (their sweet crepes are incredible!), or even PLAQ if you like chocolate, theirs are exquisite.

• For a coffee shop, we recommend Partisan Cafe (but be careful, there are a lot of people), or Spirulina Coffee if you prefer to be more peaceful in a very charming place.
• We also recommend Friends, a very friendly bakery which offers creations without gluten or with alternative flours.
• As for brunch, here are two menus that we tested and approved at 100% in Chatelet: The Petit Crème just outside the Les Halles metro station, for a gourmet brunch and food porn, and the Charlie's Crew rue Mandar towards Montorgueil for a healthy and low-carb brunch (for those who want to reduce sugar intake).
• And if you just want to work, go to Cozy Corner where you can co-work in peace with unlimited drinks and biscuits for around €5 per hour.

There are certainly still many other addresses and places to discover in Chatelet, but these are the main places that we know and love.

However, we'll be sure to update this article with new locations and if you know of any cool ones to recommend, feel free to post them in comments !