Museums in Paris’ 16th district may not be the first things that come to mind. But they should!


Move over, Mona Lisa and Notre-Dame Cathedral: Paris’ culture hotspot is the 16th arrondissement (district). Certainly the 56Paris office may be most familiar with the Musée d’Orsay, a stone’s throw from our home in the 7th district. But in terms of museums per capita, the posh 16th can’t be beat.


Nestled in the western part of Paris, this district sits in a loop of the Seine. From the Bois de Boulogne it gains a gorgeous and accessible green space. To the north, it includes the famous Place de l’Etoile.


If you’re looking for property in this elegant district, 56Paris currently has a stunning apartment in a Haussmannian building for sale, with a terrace and a balcony offering a beautiful view of the Arc de Triomphe.


The lovely suburb of Neuilly, often considered an extension of the 16th, sits tranquilly just above. Along the 16th district’s eastern edge, the Seine provides views of the Eiffel Tower and the miniature Statue of Liberty installed on l'Île aux Cygnes (Swan Island). The terrain is so vast (more than six square miles), in fact, that it’s divided into northern and southern sections.


Where but Roland-Garros and Longchamp can you watch world-class tennis and horse racing? In the Bagatelle park, you can you peer at peacocks and watch a waterfall cascade. As a whole, with 26,000 inhabitants per square mile, the 16th district is comfortable.



A quick history of the 16th district



It’s not just the largest, but also one of the newest arrondissements: the 16th was only formed in 1860. The villages of Auteuil, Passy, and Chaillot were united.


It has always been a hotspot for embassies. If there’s a “rue Franklin” in the Passy neighborhood, it’s because Benjamin Franklin set up the first American legation there in the 1770s. That’s before the U.S. Embassy was established off the Champs-Élysées.


Franklin himself lived in the village of Passy as ambassador (technically “minister”), and rumor has it that most Americans in Paris at the time were invited to his home for Sunday lunch.


But the 16th is desirable for another reason as well. Culturally, it’s one of the richest arrondissements. In fact, in museums per capita, it likely wins.


An extraordinary art hotspot



The 16th is peppered with museums and cultural institutions. (See our list below.) 


If you want to see Claude Monet’s Impression, Sunrise, the painting which gave Impressionism its name, it’s the Musée Marmottan Monet you need. Having inherited his works from Giverny, the museum has the largest collection of Monets in the world.


Should you be interested in Khmer sculptures, find your way to the Guimet museum. It has the largest collection outside of Cambodia. And the museum itself—the legacy of Émile Guimet—represents the most robust collection of Asian art in the world.


Want to stand in the biggest space dedicated to contemporary art in Europe? Head to the Palais de Tokyo. It shares the same 1937-built structure as the Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris and hosts rotating temporary exhibitions in its 236,806-square-foot footprint of concrete and steel.



Architectural wonders



Looking for yet more museums in Paris’ 16th district?


Peer at those sails of glass and steel peeking up above the canopy of the Bois de Boulogne. That’s the Fondation Louis Vuitton by world-class architect Frank Gehry. Warhol and Basquiat, Rothko and Pop Art draw crowds to splashy vernissages (opening nights) for stunning shows. And the view from inside the nesting terraces is reason enough to go.


The Cité de l’Architecture museum may reside in the 16th, but it’s France’s greatest architectural legend we like to highlight. A little-known fact: considering the number of houses Le Corbusier designed, the 16th district has by far the most significant concentration.


The Maison La Roche, built in the 1920s, is a UNESCO listing. As is Le Corbusier’s studio-apartment in the 16th. There are only 15 others, and only eight of those are in France. So Le Corbusier fans? This is their spot.


We also like to gander at the Palais Galliera, a museum dedicated entirely to fashion, with a restoration workshop and storerooms offsite that offers 50,000 square feet devoted to the expert conservation of the museum's garments and accessories. Yes, go for its gorgeous fashion and fashion photography exhibitions, but also for the Italian Renaissance-style building.



More cultural gems



Did you know there was a museum based on wine in Paris? There is, and it’s in the 16th. A visit offers an encyclopedic look at the French winemaking methods and general history. It’s located in an area that used to hold vineyards. That’s how nearby rue Vineuse (Vine Street) got its name.


And 56Paris happens to have a property for sale in this attractive neighborhood. A cozy 2-bedroom apartment with soaring 10-foot ceilings is nestled on the ground floor of an elegant 19th-century building on rue Vineuse.


Literary fans will find one of Honoré de Balzac’s many homes in what used to be the village of Passy. (He was often in debt and changed domiciles frequently.) Here, you can see his sturdy writing desk and enjoy one of the quaint “house museums” of Paris—museums built around a real abode. 


Fashion pilgrims have the Yves Saint Laurent museum to ogle. Lodged in his former haute couture house, it puts on temporary exhibitions that wow the senses. During monthly visits, the conservators offer glimpses of the archival materials in the Grand Salon. Sketches, diagrams and more bring the fashion designer’s creative process to life then.


So many museums, so little time. And yet, one more: the sea. The Musée de la Marine is yet another ultra-specific treasure hidden in the 16th arrondissement. One could say, with all the museums in Paris’ 16th district, that it has all the culture there is to be seen, and the kitchen sink. We say it has it all—plus the sea.