The best neighbourhoods for students in Paris

Being a very large city, we recommend that you check where the university and faculty you’re going to go is, to ensure that the neighbourhood you choose is close or has a good and fast public transport connection. Sometimes it’s better to pay a little more for housing and avoid spending time and money on transportation.

The first fact that you have to keep in mind is that in Paris they refer to the different areas of the city by district number, which are called “arrondissements”. Likewise, each district is divided into its own neighbourhoods.

Quartier Latin - Panthéon (5ème arrondissement)

This is one of the best neighbourhoods for students in Paris. It’s located in the central area of the city, where the main campus of the Sorbonne University is located, one of the most prestigious institutions in the world!

Quartier Latin’s one of the liveliest in the city, with a large number of cafés frequented by students. In addition, it has a variety of bars, some affordable and others of a higher level. It’s also known for its bookstores, like the famous Shakespeare & Company.

Going out to eat in this neighbourhood can be quite expensive, because it also receives many tourists.

Being located in the centre of Paris, in Quartier Latin there’s a large number of cultural sites to visit. Among the most important are the Pantheon, the National Museum of Natural History (Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle) and the ruins of a Roman amphitheater (Arènes de Lutèce).

Despite being in the heart of the city, an advantage of this neighbourhood is that it has several outdoor spaces and green areas to enjoy. In fact, it has one of the most beautiful gardens, the Jardin des Plantes, and it’s close to the famous Jardin du Luxembourg. You can also take walks along the banks of the Seine river.

Many students choose to walk or cycle through this district, since the streets are very beautiful and everything is close. To reach the rest of the city, there are good connections with the metro (4, 7 and 10), bus and train.

Montparnasse (14th arrondissement)

Montparnasse is a historic neighbourhood that combines tradition and modernity, hosting a large number of students due to its proximity to Districts 5 and 6. (In fact, from this neighbourhood you can reach the facilities of the Sorbonne University in a very short time.)

To the south of District 14 is the Paris International University City (Cité internationale universitaire de Paris), which is home to a large number of students. Thanks to this, Montparnasse is an area traversed by a large number of young people each day, being between that University City and the Quartier Latin.

In this neighbourhood of the 14th Arrondissement, there’s a wide variety of eateries, which range from fast food chains to more exclusive establishments. There’s also a varied offer of bars, with cocktails or craft beers. And there are many nightclubs! Most of the bars and clubs frequented by young people are located in the streets between the Montparnasse Tower and the neighbourhood cemetery.

In Montparnasse there are must-see cultural sites, like the Catacombs (Les Catacombes), the Cartier Foundation (Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain), the observatory (Observatoire de Paris) and the beautiful Tower of Montparnasse (Tour Montparnasse) with its views of the city.

Regarding the public transport, here’s the large Gare Montparnasse train station, which is served by several trains and buses. It also has stations of lines 4, 6 and 13 of the metro.

Oberkampf (11th arrondissement)

This is one of the best neighbourhoods for students in Paris who want to be in an area where nightlife is predominant. It’s a multicultural and very lively neighbourhood, considered one of the coolest in the French capital.

In Oberkampf there are a large number of places to go out at night: bars, pubs, nightclubs (being Nouveau Casino the most popular), and live music venues (such as the famous Bataclan).

Thanks to the fact that it’s a multicultural neighbourhood, in Oberkampf there are restaurants with food from different parts of the world, including French, Indian, Algerian, Tunisian, Italian, Moroccan, and several more.

This neighbourhood also has a variety of galleries and art centers, such as Atelier des Lumières, as well as bookstores.

A disadvantage of Oberkampf is that it doesn’t have large green spaces. However, it has some gardens and small parks, including the Maurice Gardette and Jules-Ferry. It’s also close to the canals, a good area for leisure walks.

It has several lines of metro (2, 3, 5, 8, and 9) and buses. It can connect in a short time by bike to the most central area of ​​the city, and even walk to neighbourhoods like Le Marais.

Belleville (20th arrondissement)

Belleville is located next to Oberkampf, a little further away from the centre of Paris. That’s why rental prices here are usually more affordable than in the other neighbourhoods that we mention in the article.

In Belleville there’s a wide variety of affordable eateries for Paris. Additionally, many of them offer cuisines from different parts of the world, such as French, Chinese, Laotian, Italian, Lebanese, West African, among others. There are also many bars that students frequent, especially around the streets surrounding the Belleville metro station.

As for cultural spots, in this neighbourhood there are many art galleries and contemporary street art, while Regard Saint-Martin is one of the only historical monuments to visit.

One of the most beautiful areas of this neighbourhood is the Parc de Belleville, a park that has ponds, gardens, an amphitheater, and several monuments. It also has incredible views from Paris to see the sunset! In fact, it’s one of the favourite plans for students.

Regarding public transportation, Belleville has access to different parts of the city through metro lines (2 and 11) and buses. It should also be noted that it's about half an hour away by bike from the most central area, but be careful with the slopes!

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