The Right Bank on the north side of the River Seine (as you cruise downstream) is historically the more affluent side of Paris.

The king built his grand palaces (such as the Palais du Louvre) here , and noble French families their hôtels particuliers (private, family mansions).

But the Right Bank's Place de la Concorde—formerly the Place du Guillotine—is where King Louis XVI and many others lost their heads during the French Revolution.

People don't lose their heads on the Right Bank anymore, unless you consider it losing your head to pay the prices charged in the toney shops along the rue du Faubourg St-Honoré.

The head of France still lives on the Right Bank, however. The huge Élysée palace is the official residence of the president of the French Republic.

Some districts of the Right Bank are still upper class and expensive. Others, such as Le Marais, are more like the Latin Quarter on the Left Bank with their trendy young people, artsy boutiques and galleries, and a lively gay scene.

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