The Sentier is a well-known neighbourhood located in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris. The Sentier has been the Mecca of Parisian textiles for years and there are still noawadays many clothing workshops and shops. However, the neighbourhood is now shifting into becoming the “French Silicon Valley” because of the many Internet start-ups, entrepreneurs, investors, incubators and accelerators who settled there. As a matter of fact, it is now nicknamed the “Silicon Sentier”.
This massive influx of new actors is due to its proximity to La Bourse, which has always attracted a lot of business workkers, and the relatively affordable rents in the authentic Eiffel buildings. The Sentier also counts head offices, like the Price-Minister one, as well as co-working spaces. All these factors make it an important player in the entrepreneurial dynamic of Paris. As an example, Numa, first start-up accelerator and the House of Bitcoin, electronic money decided to settle in the Sentier.
The Sentier is also known to be the most mixed neighbourhood in Paris where you can meet people from various nationalities and different social classes. It is a charming little neighbourhood, which can almost makes you feel like you are strolling the streets of a village, which includes some unusual places such as the smallest street in Paris, the rue Degrés. Indeed, located next to the Porte Saint Denis, the rue Degres is entirely made of only a staircase of 14 steps. The Sentier also houses the oldest street, rue Saint-Denis, which was also the first street in Paris to be paved, as well as the longest covered walkway in Paris: the passage du Caire. Another famous spot is the passage Ponceau, covered private road with many confection workshops.
Finally, the Sentier overlooks a typical Parisian pedestrian street: rue Montorgueil, visited by many tourists every year and home of many cafes, restaurants and grocers, which make you experience the real Parisian lifestyle. Most of CasaO’s rooms overlook the beautiful rue Montorgueil, making you feel like a local.
A small anecdote: The famous French trilogy La Vérité si je mens ! by Thomas Gilou was shot in the streets of the Sentier.