The centre of contemporary Paris and the site of such landmarks as the Louvre and of the Tuileries and Palais-Royal, the 1st Arrondissement (http://www.mairie1.paris.fr) is full of attractions for travellers of all inclinations, including some of the finest parks, museums, shops, and bars in the city. The 1st occupies the Right Bank of the River Seine and extends onto the western section of the Île de la Cité in the midst of the river.
For occupying such a compact space, however the 1st feels remarkably different from one end to the other. The almost incredibly upscale western end of the arrondissement gives way to the hustle and bustle of the big city east of the Palais Royal, and then further east to the pedestrian and tourist dominated area around Les Halles and the currently shuttered Samaritaine, where tourists mix with especially young Parisiens and Parisiennes in huge numbers on the order of 800,000 unique visitors per day according to the Mayor's office.
