Covering the Ile Saint Louis, the Jewish Quarter, most of the Marais and the largest part of the Ile de la Cite, this arrondissement contains the Sainte Chapelle, the law courts, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Hôtel Dieu hospital, the Hôtel de Ville (Paris Town Hall), and the Beaubourg Center.

Parts of this district date back to the original Parisii settlements of 52 BC, while the most visible examples of its antiquity are the remnants of the Palace of Clovis (5th century) and the 12 century Jewish quarter.

Formerly mostly docklands and homes for artists and other marginals, the 4th has become very gentrified and expensive-although largely unchanged since the 14th century. At 1.6 square kilometers, its 30,000 residents have more elbow-room than their counterparts in the 2nd. It is a favorite portal for tourists on the Right Bank to gain access to the islands and the Latin Quarter on the other side of the Seine.