We have plans to be in Paris early November 2007 and have decided to rent an apartment for a week. Found lots of great apartments all over Paris but can%26#39;t seem to pull the trigger on booking one as I am so uncertain about the neighborhoods...
This is our first trip to Paris - so we want to get a more %26#39;authentic%26#39; feel of the city but still want easy access to your typical tourist sites. I%26#39;ve looked into apartments in St. Germain des Pres, Le Marais, Canal St Martin, Montmartre, near the Louvre, near Sacre Coeur etc. basically all over the place...
Can%26#39;t decide if we would have a better overall experience staying outside of the typical tourist areas. Ideally, I%26#39;d like to stay somewhere that has a lot of restaurants and markets nearby that has a lot of charm. Since we%26#39;re staying the week - I want to be able to relax a bit and not HAVE to travel distances to get a decent meal or pick up some groceries if we don%26#39;t have to.
Any advice, recommendations or opinions of the various neighborhoods in Paris would be extremely useful in helping me finalize our trip!
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we have rented in the 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 18th and 20th
for a first visit I would choose the Marais (4th) or Latin Quarter (5th) -- these are both areas with lots of restaurants, bakeries, shops, markets etc and are central to major sites -- personally I don%26#39;t care for the 6th or 7th but others like them and they are in the inner ring -- I find them pretentious, overpriced, and lacking in the charming little bakeries etc that make Paris such a pleasure -- but maybe I just had bad luck on specific apartment location -- I like being close to Notre Dame at night because I like to stroll around it lit up after dark -- just stunningly beautiful - it lies between the Latin Quarter and the Marais
absolutely don%26#39;t choose Montmartre (18th) for a first trip in November especially -- it is very distant from the center and you will spend a lot of time commuting -- it is a great area -- just not for the first trip
same on Canal St. Martin -- we have walked it several times -- I am not sure it would be a choice, but in any event it is not central enough for a first trip IMHO
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Have stayed in the 7th at an apt through ParisPerfect and it was great. We found lots of little shops that the locals use (bakeries, butchers, cheese shops) plus little markets for the essentials. Our apt had a view of the Eiffel Tower and was perfect in every way. We did love the area and thought it was very much a residential area.
Have stayed also in the Les Halles area. Liked it at the time, but have since discovered that it is too bustling and night-club-ish for us. We stayed there on our first trip, so did not know much about the neighborhoods.
Do just enjoy whatever area you stay in. Near Notre Dame or the Seine is lovely just for the walking at night effect.
Have a great trip!
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We just stayed in an apartment located in the 14th on an authentic little pedestrian market street about a month ago. Near the Montparnasse Cemetary. You will definitely get a non touristy feel to it and if you%26#39;re close to a metro, have a short commute to any sites in the center of the city. The metro is so good, so proximity to the big sites shouldn%26#39;t weigh in all that much to your decision.
I think it%26#39;s important to point out though, that the more authentic feel you get in your neighborhood, the more hostile, rude, and condecending the people are to Americans. If it%26#39;s your first time there and you%26#39;re used to typical Georgia hospitality you may be in for a unpleasant surprise. We spoke French and tried to blend in, but still got some pretty harsh treatment at markets, shops, and restaurants. For example, we went to a book store, and greeted the shopkeeper as you%26#39;re supposed to do. I was carrying on a conversation with her until I got stuck on not knowing the particular word for %26quot;cookbook%26quot;. It was like I had confirmed my origin and insulted her, and she pretended I wasn%26#39;t there. Stuff like that. My wife had limited french, but I had her order her meals a few times...so the waiter assumed neither of us spoke it as he was talking trash about us to the bartender while he was standing right behind us. Gotta just take it with a grain of salt, but if you%26#39;re worried about that stuff then I%26#39;d recommend staying near/between the Louvre or Arc de Triomphe
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I can%26#39;t agree with Lou. In my dozen visits I%26#39;ve stayed in various areas and had polite and warm welcome regardless of the arrondissement. Of course, you%26#39;ll find some unpleasantness wherever you go but no place in Paris, or throughout France for that matter, has a premium on rudeness.
As a Georgian who speaks fairly fluent French I feel quite pleased with the reception I have received--just as friendly as in Savannah by my book.
Last time I rented in the Marais and liked the neighborhood very much.
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Part of the 4th is Ile St Louis -- that%26#39;s always my very top choice for an apartment location. It%26#39;s near everything (that%26#39;s the island right behind Notre Dame), but it%26#39;s got a small %26quot;neighborhood%26quot; feel and in the evenings it%26#39;s quiet because few people except residents and those who are walking to the bistros on the island. It%26#39;s got lots of useful resources for those who are renting (convenience stores, produce store, boulangeries and patisseries, at least two cheese shops, a Nicolas wine store, many boutiques with nice and reasonably priced items, nice - not tacky - souvenir stores, etc., etc., as well as a post office and an ATM right at the main crossroads). There is a Metro stop right at the other end of one of the bridges at the center of the island.
Check out www.guestapartment.com (specializes in Ile St Louis flats, although they have some in the Marais and elsewhere as well). They are great to deal with, and their office is on Ile St Louis, so very handy if there are problems of any type.
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I can%26#39;t agree with Loui1 either. We have traveled to Paris and throughout France a number of times and have had only limited incidences of rudeness, no more than you would get anywhere as you travel and deal with people.
And we do not speak very much French, but tried to at least do things the %26quot;French way%26quot;...greeting shop-keepers, speaking as much French as we could, being polite. I do not think the neighborhood makes a difference in the way you are treated.
Cmid5, find a neighborhood that is central to all you want to do, and find a reputable apartment there, and enjoy it!
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Forgot to address the issue of attitude from Parisians -- I have never had any problem with that, at all (with the exception of a detaxe person once, but bureaucrats are the same the world over!). Don%26#39;t be put off, and don%26#39;t feel that you have to stay in a particular area in order to have a good experience. Making the effort to speak in French (instead of assuming they will speak English) will pay off in many ways (not the least of which is that in almost all cases if the person actually speaks some English, they will switch when they realize you have exhausted your supply of French!). Just pick an area near things you want to see/do, and the rest will fall into place.
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%26gt;%26gt;I think it%26#39;s important to point out though, that the more authentic feel you get in your neighborhood, the more hostile, rude, and condecending the people are to Americans. %26lt;%26lt;
I really don%26#39;t think that shopkeepers on Rue Daguerre have any particular dislike of Americans. I%26#39;m inclined to think that they couldn%26#39;t care less about your nationality - they are simply in the canon of %26quot;hospitality%26quot; and customer service on this side of the pond.
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I%26#39;ve always thought that, if anything, the people are *politer* and more welcoming the further you go from TouristCentral (tm).
I%26#39;ve stayed in the 4th, 6th, 9th, St Germain-en-Laye, and Versailles, and this year we%26#39;re going to Montmartre (18th). Someplace on the north end of the 9th near rue des Martyrs might suit you very well. It%26#39;s not heavily touristed, it has a nice neighborly feel, and yet it%26#39;s not far from anything.
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Thanks for all your advice and information. I must say, I%26#39;m a bit more drawn to the 9th right now althought I have a couple of options for apartments on Iles St. Louis which also seems like a cool idea.
As for the attitude, I%26#39;m not terribly concerned about that. I do speak passable French and having lived in New York City for many years I know a thing or two about attitude and rudeness as to not be intimated nor or take it personally! While we%26#39;re on this topic, have any of you ever read %26quot;Sixty Million Frenchmen Can%26#39;t Be Wrong: Why We Love France but Not the French%26quot; by Jean-Benoit Nadeau and Julie Barlow? It%26#39;s a really interesting look at why the French are the way they are...
In any case, I seem to be focusing on the area between Place de Clichy, Liege %26amp; Trinite Metro stops. Any more into into this area would be much appreciated! Thanks again!
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