2nd arrondissement (Bourse)

The 2nd arrondissement, officially Bourse after the former stock exchange (Palais Brongniart), is the smallest in Paris by area, at about 1 km². It lies between the Grands Boulevards to the north and the 1st arrondissement to the south, and is divided into four quartiers: Gaillon, Vivienne, Mail and Bonne-Nouvelle.

It had 19,847 residents in the 2023 legal population (Insee), about 20,000 people per km². The 2nd has the youngest adult profile in Paris: in the 2023 census, 34% of residents were aged 25 to 39, the highest share of any arrondissement (Paris: 26%).

The 2nd is part of the Paris Centre sector, whose shared town hall is the Mairie de Paris Centre at 2 rue Eugène Spuller (3rd).

• Vivienne and Gaillon (west): the historic Richelieu site of the Bibliothèque nationale de France, on rue de Richelieu, and the glass-roofed covered passages of the 19th century, such as Galerie Vivienne. Offices, banks and theatres line the streets towards Opéra.
• Bourse and Sentier (centre): the Palais Brongniart sits in a district of offices. The Sentier, historically the centre of the garment trade, is a grid of narrow streets with workshops, wholesale shops, offices and flats.
• Montorgueil (south): rue Montorgueil and its side streets form a largely pedestrian area of food shops, cafés and restaurants that continues into the 1st.
• Bonne-Nouvelle (east): the Grands Boulevards, with cinemas, theatres and restaurants, form the northern edge towards the 10th.

The 2nd has the character of a busy working district during the day and a dense residential neighbourhood in the evening.

• Métro: line 3 crosses the arrondissement (Quatre-Septembre, Bourse, Sentier, Réaumur–Sébastopol). Line 4 stops at Étienne Marcel and Réaumur–Sébastopol. Along the Grands Boulevards, lines 8 and 9 serve Richelieu–Drouot, Grands Boulevards, Bonne Nouvelle and Strasbourg–Saint-Denis, on or near the border with the 9th and 10th. Opéra (lines 3, 7, 8) and Pyramides (7, 14) are on the western edge.
• RER: there is no RER station inside the 2nd, but Châtelet–Les Halles (RER A, B, D) in the 1st and Auber (RER A) near Opéra are within walking distance.

The 2nd is inside the Paris Centre limited traffic zone (since 5 November 2024): through traffic by motor vehicle is banned, with exceptions, while residents may drive to and from their address. Distances are short, and walking or cycling is often quicker than public transport.

Housing is almost entirely flats in older buildings: in the 2023 census, 67% of main residences were in buildings completed before 1919, and 62% had only one or two rooms (Paris: 54%).

Of the 17,400 dwellings counted, 18% were second homes or occasional-use flats and 14% were vacant. Among main residences, 59% were rented, including 17% let furnished. Social housing made up only 4% of main residences, one of the lowest shares in Paris (Paris: 18%).

Expect small flats, often on upper floors without a lift in older buildings; ask about the floor and lift before a viewing. Rent control applies, so check the reference rent for the address with the City of Paris tool. OLAP publishes estimated market rents by quartier for early 2026.

Children under 15 made up 11.1% of residents in 2023 (Paris: 12.8%). Green space is the main constraint: the city-run green spaces are small squares such as Square Louvois and the garden of the Richelieu library. Families usually rely on the Tuileries and the Palais-Royal garden in the 1st, a short walk away.

Crèche requests and school enrolment for the 2nd are handled by the Mairie de Paris Centre. Public schools are allocated by home address.