If you pay a visit to France, you can't miss out on a trip to Paris. Since the capital is three times smaller than London, it is much easier to find your way around, and the transport system is very cheap and efficient. Here are a few tips to plan your stay in the area most suited to your tastes and budget.

In Paris, your postcode says a lot about your way of life! The city is divided by the River Seine. Historically, Rive Gauche (Left Bank) used to be populated by intellectuals and those in search of a bohemian life. By contrast, Rive Droite (Right Bank) is infused with a more aristocratic atmosphere, as you will witness on the Champs Elysées, and in the windows of the jewellers of Place Vendôme.

The centre

Paris is divided into 20 arrondissements (districts) that run in a circular path starting at the centre and winding outwards like a snail shell. The oldest arrondissements (1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th) surround the two islands of the Seine: Île de la Cité and Île Saint Louis. The islands provide some of the most sought after and expensive residential areas of Paris.

Tourists flock to the central arrondissements as they are amongst the most bustling areas of Paris. Here you will find lively neighbourhoods with a mixture of historical buildings (Hôtel de Ville, Place des Vosges) and vast shopping areas (Les Halles, rue de Rivoli).

The impressive Musée du Louvre and Palais Royal are located in the 1st arrondissement. The 4th arrondissement, also known as Le Marais, is a trendy district full of shops and bars, art galleries and museums such as the Centre Georges Pompidou. The 2rd arrondissement, called Bourse (stock exchange), is partly a financial district, but also home to the lively Montorgueil area, where you will find plenty of local commerce, restaurants and bars.

Rive Gauche

On Rive Gauche, the 5th arrondissement hosts the famous Quartier Latin (Latin Quarter), which took its name from the Sorbonne University, as medieval students used to speak Latin. It is a lively area where students mix with families, tourists and businessmen in some of the numerous disk stores, bookshops and cinemas. You will find there hundreds of restaurants – there is even one street specialising in Japanese restaurants, rue Monsieur le Prince. The south of the 5th arrondissement is a more residential area. where you will find lovely pedestrian streets and the popular botanical garden Jardin des Plantes.

The 6th arrondissement has always been regarded as an intellectual centre with many writers, artists and creative people living in Saint-Germain-des-Prés. This area is lined up with elegant interior design shops, boutiques and cafés. It is also home to the Jardin du Luxembourg, where Parisians flock on a fine weather day. The 6th arrondissement also borders Montparnasse (14th arrondissement) and its busy shopping street Rue de Rennes where you will find very affordable high street brands.

The Eiffel Tower is located in the elegant 7th arrondissement where many French and foreign government offices have made their residence. It is actually a very quiet area, with large desert avenues, and home to the austere Ecole Militaire and the Invalides. The transport links are not as good there as in the centre and there are fewer shops and restaurants (most of them being very expensive!).

The south of the Left Bank is more residential and offers fewer tourist attractions: 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th. The 15th arrondissement borders the 7th, and is one of the largest neighbourhoods. Some parts of it have nice busy commerce like Rue du Commerce, and lots of parks for family entertainment (Parc André Citröen). All the southern districts are very safe and offer affordable accommodation for tight budgets.

Rive Droite

Rive Droite (Right Bank) is home to one of the most luxurious districts, the Champs Elysées in the 8th arrondissement. Even if the shops and houses are only affordable to the happy few, the area is really worth a visit.

The residential 16th touches both the 7th and 8th arrondissements. Like the 7th, the area is fairly quiet, and is home to many rich families.

To the north of the 8th, the 17th is divided between a trendy area in the south which has lots of commerce and open spaces and the more popular Clichy district (closer to the 18th). The 9th arrondissement is also a strange mixture of chic places like the Opéra Garnier and the Grands Boulevards, and the red light district in the north.

In the north and north east, the 18th, 19th and 20th arrondissements have a more subversive and sometimes bad reputation. The contrasting 18th hosts the red light district Pigalle and its peep shows, the big flea markets of Clignancourt, and the romantic Montmartre. The 19th and 20th are inhabited by people on lower incomes, but these areas have been greatly improved over the past years. La Villette, in the 19th, is an enormous high tech complex with several museums, parks and cinemas. In the residential 20th arrondissement, the large park Butte Chaumont, and the cemetery Père Lachaise attract many families and tourists.

The 10th, 11th and 12th arrondissements are more central, up and coming areas. The 10th is a pleasant and cosmopolitan place which centres around the Canal Saint Martin and its restaurants and cafés. Its neighbour, the lively 11th arrondissement (Bastille), is a favourite destination for young people, for the bustling nightlife it offers. The 12th arrondissement is mainly residential and is one of the principle routes into central Paris. The Bercy district, offering cafés and boutiques in a recent conversion of the wine warehouses, is popular with the local community.

If you decide to stay in the suburb (banlieue), choose one with easy access to Paris by public transport. La Défense, the new business district of the capital, is one of the closest and most easily reachable by train or tube. The towns to the west and south of Paris are most desirable (Neuilly, Boulogne, Saint Cloud, Versailles).