12th Arrondissement - Nation: Paris

When Haussmann created New Paris in the 1860s, this represented not only an architectural undertaking but also a major civil engineering project: gaslights were installed in every street, vast underground networks of sewage and freshwater systems were created, public squares were built.

And, of course, this involved a major social engineering project, too: because all the inhabitants of the newly gentrified quarters, practically the entire working class population of Paris, had to be rehoused – and moved to the capital's eastern edge, mainly into what is today the 12th arrondissement.

This is why the 12th looks the way it does: utilitarian, grey, perhaps even a little grim. But because the Bastille area is so near, some of the party atmosphere spills over from the 11th, and most of the area between Bastille and the Gare de Lyon can be quite lively, specifically the Quai de la Rapée and the Bassin de l'Arsenal.

Parisians mainly know the 12th for the Montgallet area – because that's where they go to have their electronic hardware fixed or upgraded. This is also where you should go if you have a problem with your phone or your notebook during your holiday – one part of Paris you'll be glad to avoid!