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Jérémy Redler, mayor of the 16th arrondissement, tells us all about his village in all its diversity, amidst the fountains of the Trocadéro and the wide avenues of the Bois de Boulogne, the opposite of the "bourgeois enclave" clichés of this western Paris neighborhood. Without denying its 'postcard' appearance (he likes to call it"the most beautiful arrondissement in Paris"), the capital's youngest mayor guides us between Haussmann façades and prestigious museums, into the heart of a lively, accessible territory full of surprises.
A way to (re)discover this human district, a land of sports, festivities, culture and social ties, through its good addresses, upcoming projects and abundant cultural offerings. Take a stroll off the beaten track in this district, one of the most popular with tourists and a veritable showcase for the City of Light, in this interview.
My name is Jérémy Redler, I'm 43 years old, I'm mayor of the 16th arrondissement of Paris and I've also had the good fortune to have been elected to the Île-de-France region for 10 years, with responsibility for major international events. As such, I'm familiar with the Ile-de-France region, and in particular with my arrondissement, which I've been elected to represent for over 17 years. It's a quality that's quickly lost, but at the moment, I'm the youngest arrondissement mayor in Paris!
I'd have to remember when I ever had any free time! The last few months have been very busy: the year 2024 was marked by the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and the 16th arrondissement was the most concerned with three sites, the Parc des Princes, the Roland-Garros stadium and the Trocadéro - with the Parc des Champions.
My role as mayor was certainly to promote my district, but also to act as a spokesperson for the residents and protect their living environment by ensuring that the nuisance caused by these festivities was kept to a minimum. I've made my mandate one of proximity, and I'm an elected official who's present on the ground and close to the residents. In short, the mayor of the 16th arrondissement has little free time, as it's a borough rich in sporting and cultural activities!
The mayor's vœux with the Folies Gruss equestrian show was the event that stood out for me in 2025: almost 11,000 people attended, a record! To break new ground, we organized an event open to the general public, under the big top - I gave a very short speech, as people came to see the show. It was a moment of sharing, festivity and family. All the more so as the Gruss family is one of the pillars of our district, having been established here for many years and embodying, as does the 16th arrondissement, the values of a family working together, generation after generation.
Tourists and Parisians alike have plenty to do in the 16th arrondissement: free strolls along the Trocadero forecourt, gazing at the Eiffel Tower, or discovering all the museums, 11 of which form the Colline des Arts network. The 16th is the Paris arrondissement with the most museums!
We organize a wide range of events, including candlelit concerts at the town hall, the Salon du Livre, which attracts more than 80 writers each year, the Balzac Prize founded by my predecessor, literary encounters as part of the Mardis de la mémoire program, soloist performances at theOrangerie d'Auteuil, first-aid and self-defense training courses, and an Easter egg hunt...
And let's not forget our open-air film screenings, sometimes accompanied by a presentation by the film crew. We are fortunate to have a number of nationally and internationally renowned 16th arrondissement residents with whom we form partnerships to involve them in local life.
The 16th is the largest arrondissement in terms of surface area, stretching from Porte Maillot to Porte de Saint-Cloud to Etoile, with the Bois de Boulogne(two and a half times Central Park !). Although it's a great garden for the locals, it's mainly frequented by families from Paris and the Ile-de-France. A veritable green lung.
In a nutshell, it's the most beautiful arrondissement in Paris, and I mean that, but also the richest - not in the financial sense. Other arrondissements are obviously very beautiful, with an extraordinary architectural heritage, but the 16th arrondissement has the largest number of museums, embassies, international sports venues and even trees; it's a rich, varied and therefore very attractive district. With theArc de Triomphe, the Trocadéro, museums, Paris Saint-Germain, Roland-Garros and the Bois de Boulogne, I'm very lucky to be mayor of the 16th arrondissement, as I realize on a daily basis.
Hardly a week or weekend goes by without a variety of events, free and open to residents, organized by the Town Hall. Last week saw the Fête de la Famille, with an educational farm in the town hall, and the Scène Ephémère, plays in the Parc Sainte-Périne that attract young and old alike.
Throughout the year, we make sure that local residents can enjoy major events at our world-famous sports venues (Roland Garros, Parc des Princes, Jean Bouin, Longchamp and Auteuil racecourses) without only suffering the consequences. To this end, we organize events and private tours for local residents, and set up partnerships with museums.
Lately, we've been offering them tickets to discover the new attraction at the Jardin d'Acclimatation, and we've partnered with Lollapalooza to give them free tickets to attend the festival. I don't want these places to exist just for tourists. While they are obviously important, especially as the 16th arrondissement is probably the most touristic in Paris, cultural heritage must be open to all!
If you have an afternoon, start with the Trocadéro and its magnificent view, before continuing through the neighborhoods that have remained villages of the 16th arrondissement (Auteuil, Passy, Dauphine and Chaillot). Also worth a visit are the Maison de la Radio and the Maison de Balzac. On Sundays, head for the Bois de Boulogne with your family, to enjoy the lakefront, jogging, picnicking or cycling with the kids. You can also spend some time in the magnificent LVMH Foundation and discover the current exhibition. From the Fondation, you can head off to the Jardin d'Acclimatation, where your kids can have some fun!
The Maison de Balzac and rue Mallet-Stevens, two exceptional architectural and heritage sites. The town hall also organizes tours, notably around the figures of Le Corbusier and Hervé Guimard - in fact, a museum is about to open in the Hôtel Mezzara!
Nightclubs and restaurants: L'Aventure, which has just reopened, l'Arc, le Duplex, le Yoyo, Monsieur Bleu, Bambini! Some hotels are very upmarket, but know how to break codes, like the Shangri-La, the Brach and the Peninsula, with fantastic views and festive evenings open to the public. They've really blended in with the borough's decor, and have made incredible efforts to preserve the local character.
Girafe for its view and terrace, and then there are the neighborhood bistros that I'm very fond of: le Petit Rétro, les Deux Stations, les Marches, La Rotonde, Le Flandrin, Aux Trois Obus (an institution for fans). It's a common misconception that gastronomy in the 16th arrondissement is expensive, but there are some very good and totally affordable places, as well as high-quality street food (Homer, Schwartz, Chlew).
As I was saying, the role of a mayor is to be the spokesperson for local residents and preserve their quality of life. I'm trying to reduce night-time nuisance so that they can live in a district that's both lively and quiet.
The Olympic and Paralympic Games! Every day, the Parc des Champions welcomed the previous day's winners, and I had the chance to meet the athletes, including Teddy Riner. I loved the beauty of the Olympic sites, discovering magnificent places from another angle. I attended the first event, a few days before the opening ceremony: a soccer match at the Parc des Princes, which gave an idea of what was at stake in terms of security. It was a real highlight to go there like that!
Our incredible artisans (including Maison Balleron) scattered throughout the borough. There are so many of them that we've created a Salon de l'Artisanat! In reality, the 16th is a victim of clichés: yes, it's a festive arrondissement, no, it's not an 'old people's' arrondissement! There's a lot going on in the area in terms of culture, sports and family life, and the arrondissement deserves to be known for this and not as a "rich" arrondissement!
It's home to some very high-profile people (big bosses, well-known companies), but there's also social housing. It's a very caring arrondissement, with associations doing incredible work: Les Apprentis d'Auteuil, Corot Entraide d'Auteuil, OMS16 (Office du Mouvement Sportif). When something happens in the world, dozens of residents come to the town hall to donate clothes, school supplies and medicines. We defend the causes that seem right to us, and the residents are very sensitive to this.
As a borough with a strong cultural orientation, we wanted to innovate by organizing exhibitions on the town hall gates. People are sometimes afraid to cross the threshold, so it doesn't force them to come in, but it's a way of bringing culture directly to them.
I'm a sports fan - particularly of soccer and tennis - as chance would have it. I've also taken a liking to rugby with the Stade Français, attending their matches and actively supporting them. I regularly go to Paris Saint-Germain matches, especially the big ones, to make sure that the nuisance for local residents is as low as possible. With Paris FC arriving in September, we'll have twice as many things to deal with. I'll be the only mayor in France to have two Ligue 1 clubs within a few meters of each other.
We work a lot with neighboring arrondissements and communes: I have privileged links with the mayor of the 8th arrondissement and the mayor of the 17th arrondissement (with whom we share the Arc de Triomphe), with the 15th arrondissement ( we share the Seine), and with the neighboring communes of Boulogne, Neuilly and Levallois, which has a policy similar to ours, geared towards families.
Today, theAvenue de la Grande Armée, which we share with the 17th arrondissement, is a freeway. We're going to turn it into a village, with the help of the Comité Grande Armée we've created. For the first time, there will be Christmas illuminations on this major thoroughfare, which we hope will be calmed and turned towards its residents, so that they can be proud of it.
The Pass Culture is very important, because we want the residents of the 16th arrondissement to be able to enjoy free or reduced-price tickets to museums, PSG matches and the cinema all year round. In fact, I'm fighting to preserve the Majestic Passy independent cinema and do everything I can to ensure that it remains a cinema.
We also have the recently renovated Musée du Vin , the Mansart Foundation with the Bagatelle estate and the Villa Windsor, which is currently being renovated.
Come and experience a "Live my life with the mayor" day!
