Living in Arts et Métiers

Understanding life in Arts et Métiers

Why people choose to live here

Arts et Métiers covers the north west of the 3rd arrondissement, between the Boulevard Saint-Martin, the Rue du Temple, the Boulevard de Sébastopol and the Rue des Gravilliers. It is the northern, less touristy edge of the Marais, where historic streets, workshops and wholesale shops sit beside new restaurants, bars and creative studios. Young professionals, creatives and international newcomers choose it for its central location, its lively but local atmosphere and its outstanding metro links, with the Marais, République and Les Halles all within a short walk.

History and architectural character of Arts et Métiers

The district grew around the priory of Saint-Martin-des-Champs, founded in the Middle Ages outside the city walls. After the Revolution, the Abbé Grégoire created the Conservatoire national des arts et métiers in 1794, and its museum now occupies the old priory buildings. The Église Saint-Nicolas-des-Champs, on the Rue Saint-Martin, mixes Gothic and Renaissance styles. From the early 20th century, immigrants from Wenzhou settled around the Rue au Maire and the Rue Volta, creating the oldest Chinatown in Paris, known for its leather and jewellery workshops and its restaurants.

Daily life in Arts et Métiers

Shopping and local services

Daily shopping is easy and varied. The Rue de Turbigo and the Rue Réaumur have bakeries, supermarkets, pharmacies and everyday stores, while the Rue des Gravilliers and the Rue Notre-Dame-de-Nazareth mix wholesale shops, concept stores and cafés. Asian grocers on the Rue au Maire add a different flavour to the weekly shop. For bigger purchases, the Forum des Halles is a short walk south west and the boutiques of the Haut Marais are just east. Town hall services are handled by the Mairie of Paris Centre, on the Rue Eugène-Spuller.

Education and family life

Families have local public schools within the district. The École élémentaire des Vertus, at 8 rue des Vertus, and the École polyvalente Vaucanson, at 6 rue Vaucanson, serve younger children, and the Collège Montgolfier, at 15 rue Montgolfier, takes secondary pupils. The Lycée Turgot, at 69 rue de Turbigo, offers general and technology courses, and the Lycée professionnel Abbé-Grégoire runs vocational programmes nearby. Places in public schools are allocated by home address through the Mairie of Paris Centre. The Square Émile-Chautemps is the local meeting point for families after school.

Health and medical services

Healthcare is easy to reach from here. The Hôpital Saint-Louis, an AP-HP teaching hospital with an emergency department, is a short trip north east in the 10th arrondissement, and the Hôtel-Dieu, on the Île de la Cité, is a few metro stops south. General practitioners, dentists and specialists practise throughout the 3rd, and many accept the carte Vitale under the French public health system. Pharmacies are found on the Rue de Turbigo and the Rue Réaumur. Newcomers should register with a médecin traitant to lower the cost of most consultations.

Transportation and connectivity

Getting around is very easy. Arts et Métiers station serves metro lines 3 and 11, and its line 11 platform, redesigned in 1994 by the artist François Schuiten, is lined with copper panels and portholes like a submarine. Réaumur-Sébastopol connects lines 3 and 4, and Temple is on line 3. Strasbourg-Saint-Denis and République are just beyond the edges of the district, adding lines 5, 8 and 9. Châtelet-Les Halles, with RER A, B and D, is a short ride away, and cycle lanes run along the Boulevard de Sébastopol.

Leisure, culture, and social life

Parks and green spaces

Green space is limited but well loved. The Square Émile-Chautemps, laid out under the Second Empire between the Rue Saint-Martin and the Boulevard de Sébastopol, has lawns, fountains, benches and a playground in front of the Gaîté Lyrique. The garden of the Square du Temple, in the neighbouring Enfants-Rouges quarter, adds a pond and shaded paths. For longer walks, the Canal Saint-Martin and the Place de la République are a few minutes north east, and the Seine quays can be reached on foot in about fifteen minutes.

Restaurants, cafés, and nightlife

The food scene is one of the most exciting in central Paris. Elmer, at 30 rue Notre-Dame-de-Nazareth, cooks seasonal produce over a wood fire and opens Tuesday to Saturday. L'Oyat, at 11 rue Notre-Dame-de-Nazareth, is a small, refined French restaurant, and Anahi, at 49 rue Volta, is known for its Argentinian grilled meats. On the Rue Volta, Chez Xu serves noodle soups and dishes from Wenzhou. The Rue des Gravilliers and the Rue Réaumur add cocktail bars and late night spots, so evenings are lively.

Culture and local events

Culture is woven into the streets. The Musée des Arts et Métiers, at 60 rue Réaumur, displays inventions, scientific instruments and Foucault's pendulum in the former priory, and opens Tuesday to Sunday from 10 to 18, with late opening until 21 on Fridays. La Gaîté Lyrique, at 3 bis rue Papin, is a former theatre turned centre for digital culture, music and exhibitions. The Église Saint-Nicolas-des-Champs hosts concerts, and galleries and design studios have settled in the streets around the Rue Volta and the Rue des Gravilliers.