Historic Districts — Paris

A 4.5-kilometre canal Napoleon ordered in 1802 to bring fresh water into Paris, its iron footbridges, tree-lined quays and locks now a favourite picnic spot for young Parisians.

The boat-shaped island in the Seine where Paris began, a Gallic fishing settlement over two thousand years ago and now home to Notre-Dame, Sainte-Chapelle and the flower market.

A former marsh drained in the Middle Ages and built up with 17th-century aristocratic mansions, now a dense, walkable district mixing the Jewish quarter, LGBTQ+ nightlife and independent boutiques.

The hillside village annexed by Paris in 1860, once home to Picasso, Renoir and Toulouse-Lautrec, still keeps its cobbled lanes, vineyard and easel-toting street artists around Place du Tertre.