19eme, Paris

The 19th arrondissement has seen its appeal broaden considerably in recent years, with two sprawling parks, a very popular museum, and lots of cool new nightlife venues springing up in converted historic buildings.

Savvy tourists and longtime resident alike know one of the best city views around can be had at Parc des Buttes-Chaumont, a 61-acre expanse of towering trees, waterfalls, and meandering trails that’s also home to a hilltop gazebo from which visitors can practically see the city end-to-end.

Created in the late 1980s, Parc de la Villette is even larger, with ten themed-gardens that provide nature-lovers ample escape from the urban scene, though it’s far better known as the home of the City of Science and Industry (the largest science museum in Paris), the City of Music museum, and three major concert halls.

Drinking dens in the 19th trend towards the bohemian set, including the very popular Rosa Bonheur tavern located in the middle of the Buttes-Chaumont woods, while glitzier spots like La Rotonde – housed in a centuries-old rotunda that was formerly Louis XVI’s government customs house – provide a small but ever-growing outlet for a more fashionable crowd to party like it’s 1799.