16th arrondissement, Paris: neighborhood guide

The 16th covers most of western Paris, from the Jardins du Trocadéro facing the Eiffel Tower out to the Bois de Boulogne, which takes up a large share of the district. It runs from the Étoile in the north down to the city's southern edge. This is affluent, residential Paris: embassies, private mansions, wide avenues and a lot of green space.

It splits into recognisable parts. Passy, around rue de Passy, is the shopping and café spine. Auteuil, to the south, is quieter and village-like around rue d'Auteuil. Chaillot, by Trocadéro, is the museum and view end. The Bois de Boulogne gives you rowing lakes, cycling paths and the Jardin d'Acclimatation for children.

Two big sporting addresses sit here: Roland-Garros, home of the French Open tennis, and the Parc des Princes, home of Paris Saint-Germain. On match and tournament days the area around Porte d'Auteuil and Porte de Saint-Cloud fills up and prices jump.

Yes, if your trip is about museums, green space and coming back to a calm street at night. The 16th suits families, older travellers, and anyone staying a week or more who wants an apartment rather than a hotel corridor. It also works well if you are combining Paris with Versailles, since the trains run from this side of the city.

No, if this is your first short trip and you want to step out of the door into cafés, markets and evening life. The 16th is short on both, and the distances between sights are real: Trocadéro to the Eiffel Tower is a 15-minute walk across the river, but Trocadéro to the Marais is a 30-minute Métro ride.

A middle option: stay two or three nights here for the museums and the Bois, then move to the 4th, 5th or 11th for the rest of the trip.

Food here is solid rather than fashionable. Rue de Passy and rue d'Auteuil carry bakeries, cheese shops, butchers and neighbourhood bistros where the menu is short and the room is full of locals. Around Trocadéro and Porte Maillot you get more tourist-facing terraces with higher prices and plainer food.

For cheap meals, look at the market streets and the covered markets rather than the avenues. Auteuil and Passy have daily food shopping; the streets around rue de l'Annonciation are the busiest. Expect a bistro main around €18–28 and a sandwich or crêpe under €10 (2026 estimate).

Evening options thin out after about 22:00. If you want a late dinner, plan to travel east or eat earlier.

Five Métro lines touch the district. Line 1 runs along the northern edge through Charles de Gaulle-Étoile, Argentine and Porte Maillot. Line 2 ends at Porte Dauphine, with Étoile and Victor Hugo in between. Line 9 crosses north to south from Alma-Marceau to Porte de Saint-Cloud. Line 6 leaves Étoile and heads south, crossing the Seine towards the 15th between Passy and Bir-Hakeim. Line 10 loops through the south, starting at Mirabeau.

From the airports: Roissybus links Charles de Gaulle airport with Opéra, which is a short Métro hop away; for Orly, the Orlyval plus RER B or a taxi is the usual route (check current services and fares). A taxi from Charles de Gaulle to the 16th is typically €55–65 flat rate, and Orly €36–44 (2026 estimate).

Inside the district, walking is the main mode, but the ground rises between Passy and Trocadéro, so allow extra minutes with luggage. Buses along the avenues are often faster than doubling back through Métro interchanges. Vélib' bike stations are common near the river and the Bois.