This is not to say the 13th is a commuter borough-far from it. Night-life abounds around the Place d’Italie, with its cinema complexes and shopping mall, and Chinatown takes up most of the eastern section offering hundreds of specialty shops, restaurants, and even a Chinese supermarket. The small bars and restaurants of the Butte-aux-Cailles offer a quaint, village-like appeal.

The 13th is home to the famous Manufacture des Gobelins tapestry factory, and the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts et Metiers (National Vocational Training School), as well as the new National Library, the "BNF" or Bibliothèque Nationale de France, also called Bibliothèque François Mitterrand. A bit out of the way for those visiting the heart of Paris, but easy to reach via stops on Métro lines, and at least as many bus lines.