The 8th arrondissement of Paris (8e arrondissement de Paris) is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of Paris (France).
The arrondissement, called Élysée, is situated on the right bank of the River Seine and centered on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. The 8th arrondissement is, together with the 1st, 9th, 16th and 17th arrondissements, one of Paris’ main business districts.
According to the 1999 census, it was the place of employment of more people than any other single arrondissement of the capital. It is also the location of many places of interest, among them the Champs-Élysées, the Arc de Triomphe (partial) and the Place de la Concorde, as well as the Élysée Palace, the official residence and office of the President of France.
Most French fashion luxury brands have their main store in 8th arrondissement, Avenue Montaigne or Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, both in the Champs-Élysées Avenue shopping district. As of 2019, the 8th arrondissement had a population of 35,655.
Economy
Today, the 8th arrondissement is not only home to some of the most prestigious and even emblematic places, but it is also the economic engine of the capital by concentrating more than 180,000 jobs coming mainly from financial, service and tourism activities. It is also a strategic crossroad for public transport with the Saint-Lazare station, a real hub for all the municipalities in the west of the Ile-de-France region.
Although the district represents more than 11% of Parisian jobs, it only accommodates 1.8% of its inhabitants. With 9,974 inhabitants/km2 in 2005, it is the least densely populated district of the capital after the 1st district (9,699 inhabitants/km2 in 2005).
The reputation of the 8th arrondissement as a mecca of luxury and the bourgeoisie:
- 5 of the 11 recognized Parisian palaces are located in the district: Le Bristol, Crillon, George V and Plaza Athénée, La Réserve Paris.
- 5 of the 10 Parisian restaurants which have 3 stars in the Michelin guide in 2018 are located in the district: Alain Ducasse, Yannick Alléno, Ledoyen, Christian Le Squer, Le Cinq, Éric Frechon, Épicure and Pierre Gagnaire.
- Luxury and haute couture boutiques stretch along streets such as rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré, avenue Montaigne, or the Champs-Élysées.
- There was 3.2% of social housing in the 8th arrondissement in 2016. This figure can be compared with the 6.22% in Neuilly-sur-Seine which was the subject of controversy.
The 8th arrondissement is one of the high places of power in Paris. In addition to the political power represented by the seat of the Presidency of the French Republic at the Élysée Palace and the Ministry of the Interior at the Hôtel de Beauvau, it is also a place of economic power since it concentrates several seats of CAC 40 companies (Bouygues, Vivendi, LVMH, Hermès, L’Oréal and Sanofi).
It also hosts seven embassies of G20 countries: United States, Canada, Brazil, United Kingdom, China, Japan and Saudi Arabia. It also concentrates the think tanks, clubs and very closed circles of the economic elite: Institut Montaigne, Club des Cent, Travelers Club, Jockey Club, Automobile Club de France and circle of the Interallied Union.
Main sights
Arc de Triomphe (partial)
Equestrian statue of Lafayette
Monument to the Russian Expeditionary Force
Saint-Alexandre-Nevsky Cathedral
Main bridges
Main streets and squares
Avenue Marceau (partial)
Place de la Concorde (partial)
Rue Saint-Honoré (partial)
Transport
The 8th arrondissement is one of the best served by public transport. The district includes the second largest station in Europe (Paris-Saint-Lazare), the Paris metro station serving this station (Saint-Lazare) is also the second busiest in the network. With 16 bus lines, the Saint-Lazare hub is the most important in Paris. Furthermore, the district is crossed by the busiest metro line ((M) (1)) and the most used RER line ((RER) (A)), which happens to be the busiest railway line in Europe.
Finally, the 8th arrondissement has:
9 metro lines;
2 RER lines;
2 Transilien lines;
28 bus lines;
14 lines of Noctilien.
However, the district does not have any tram lines.
Details of stations and stations
(M) (1) (Charles de Gaulle – Étoile, George V, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Champs-Élysées – Clemenceau and Concorde).
(M) (2) (Charles de Gaulle – Étoile, Ternes, Courcelles, Monceau, Villiers, Rome and Place de Clichy).
(M) (3) (Villiers, Europe and Saint-Lazare).
(M) (6) (Charles de Gaulle – Étoile).
(M) (8) (Concorde and Madeleine).
(M) (9) (Alma – Marceau, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Saint-Philippe du Roule, Miromesnil and Saint-Augustin).
(M) (12) (Saint-Lazare, Madeleine and Concorde).
(M) (13) (Place de Clichy, Liège, Saint-Lazare, Miromesnil and Champs-Élysées – Clemenceau).
(M) (14) (Saint-Lazare and Madeleine).
(RER) (A) (Auber and Charles de Gaulle – Étoile)
(RER) (E) (Haussmann – Saint-Lazare)
Transilien Line J of the Transilien (Paris-Saint-Lazare)
Transilien Line L of the Transilien (Paris-Saint-Lazare)
Main facts
- Area 3.88 km2 (1.50 sq mi)
- Population (January 2020) 35,631
- Density 9,183/km2 (23,780/sq mi)
- INSEE code 75108
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