vanne

I am looking at an apartment that is located midway between Invalides and the Eiffel Tower on Rue St. Dominique, near the intersection with Avenue Bosquet. Can anyone give me an idea of what the immediate neighborhood is like? We've stayed in the Marais and St. Germain, but this would be a new area for us. Thanks.

TDudette

Hi vanne, I think it would be a wonderful place. Somewhat of a busy street if I recall but most places of any quality have good windows that block street noise.

Husband and I stayed in a hotel on Rue du Cherche-Midi we walked via Rue Raspail to that area. Rodin Museum convenient.

What's the apartment's name, please? It's possible someone has stayed there and give better info than I. Also, have you read any reviews of it on Trip Advisor?

Sarastro

This is primarily a residential area with beautiful Haussmann style architecture. The 7th is the richest arrondissement in Paris and this areas reflects its affluent residents. This part of the 7th is very different from the Marais or St Germain, it´s much quieter yet still centrally located with quick access via bus or métro to the rest of Paris.

It will be a change from where you have stayed in the past but a change you should appreciate.

Christina

It is kind of a busy street, both St Dominique and ave Bosquet, but there are lots of shops and places to eat around there. I've waited forever for the bus along that street, unfortunately, it didn't keep to schedule but maybe that was temporary (bus 69 which goes over to the Musee d'Orsay and then over to the Louvre and place de la Bastille). St Dominique is kind of narrow to be used as a major artery, but it is which is why it can get bad traffic. In any case, it will be convenient.

kerouac

Nice area. Deadly boring in my opinion. However, rue Saint Dominique is one of the only streets with a semblance of life in the area. Even half a block away, the area will sink back into soporific dullness. (Try Google Street View and check it out.)

StuDudley

We've stayed in that area for 6 weeks on 3 different trips. Obviously, we love it. We'll be staying there again next year for 2 weeks.

In the late 70s & early 80s, we stayed several times in the St Germain des Pres area, and liked that also. Then in the late 80s & early 90s we spent time in the Marais, and back to the St Germain. Then in the 2000s we stayed for 5 weeks (3 trips) in an apt in the 15th and enjoyed that area because there were not the tourists you find in other areas - and it is quite residential. Then we went back to the Marais & stayed a week. Didn't like it as much now that we are older - too much noise, congestion, and pedestrian traffic.

Then the 6 weeks in the 7th on the corner of R St Dominique & ave de la Bourdelais. If you check the Michelin Red Guide, you find that there is probably a higher density of recommended "reasonably priced" restaurants in this region, than in most other areas of Paris.

Excellent bus transportation. Here are the buses we took to major destinations.
Bus Routes near the apt.
28N 42N 63N 69 72N 80N 82 87N 92N RER-C Batabus

Bon Marche 87N
Ile St Louis 87N, 63N
Jacquemart Andre 28, 80N
Louvre 69, 72N
Luxembourg 82
St Germain de Pres 63N, 69, 87N
Pl Madeleine 42N
Opera 42N
Arch de Triomphe 92N
Marais 69, 87N
Montmartre 80, or 80 to 30, 54
Castel Beranger area RER C
Belleville 63 (Odeon or St Michel) 28, 82 (Montparnasse), 69 (St Paul) to 96 OR 69 to 26
Train Bleu 87N, 63N,

I kinda did a mini trip report when others hassled me to do one. There are pictures of the immediate area if you page down & look for the link - except for the pics with the Eiffel Tower far away & Pont Alexander, and the Quays across from the Louvre.
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-was-paris.cfm

Whether an area is "boring" or not depends on what you are looking for. If you want an area that's "alive" 20 hours a day - stay in the Marais. If you want to be surrounded by other tourists - stay in the St Germain des Pres are. OTOH, if you want a little peace & quiet after 10PM, good restaurants, lots of non-touristy shops - then the 7th is fine.

Stu Dudley

StCirq

I stayed in that area for about 25 years. These days I prefer a bit more diversity and bustle, but the 7th is quite lovely.

vanne

Thanks for all the replies; sounds like the area is about what I thought. We don't mind boring as we tend to be on the go all day and aren't really nightlife people -- after a full day we're ready just to relax and read; if we go out at night it's relatively early evening. But we liked the Marais and the St. Germain apartments we had too. We just need to decide if we want to try a new neighborhood.

Stu -- thanks for all your info. Your trip report -- and others I've read lately -- makes me want to spend Christmas in Paris sometime in the next year or so.

jpie

You will be right down the street from one of my favorite restaurants-Cafe Constant. www.maisonconstant.com/cafe-constant/

I would agree with kerouac that the area itself is a little quiet for me but the street itself is one of the nicest in the area.

chutney

Vanne,
It's very residential feeling and the Eiffel Tower will be so close. We enjoyed walking past it or seeing it from a distance as we were walking to and from our apartment. I really like the little shopping streets near Rue Cler,,which wouldn't be far from this location.
The only negative is the lack of a metro close by. You will have to walk about 10 minutes. Buses are nearby, but we found them a bit tricky on the return. One time, I left my husband at a bus stop. I told him I'd meet in in a half hour or so. 2 hours later he showed up at the apartment! I'm still not clear on what happened. He never saw our stop and ended up 5 miles away!

powhatangal

I've rented apts in this area three times and liked it. The Ecole Militaire metro stop was not terribly convenient but I started using buses 87, 69, 42 and others and found them easy to use.

In recent years I've stayed in the 5th and 6th (apts and hotels) and this May I'm renting an apartment in the 3rd.

The area you are considering is nice and as others have said, there are lots of good restaurants!

genio67

We stayed in that area last summer. We usually stay in the Marais and we regretted we didn't stay there again. I thought the area was boring and too quiet. It's pretty and very safe it seemed but too dull for us. We found ourselves back over at the Marais eating in the restaurants, bringing the kids to the playground in Place Vosges and just soaking up that wonderful Marais atmosphere!

nannibray

I am interested in this thread as we too are staying in the 7th in May on Rue de l'Universite /Rue Malar and was also wondering about the need to use transportation options daily. Looks like the main tourist places are a bit too far to walk. Should we buy the weekly metro pass?
Will arrive and depart on a Tuesday. Would the pass be more economical for us?
I also noticed that the metro would be a bit of a walk but could we use the RER C near Pont de Alma and then tramsfer to other metro lines?
Thanks

powhatangal

Nannibray: you could buy the navigo decouverte when you arrive and it would be good through Sunday. You could then just use single metro tickets for your last full day (Monday).

StuDudley

nannibray. Take the buses. We avoid the Metro - except for long hauls. You can see a lot move above ground than you can underground. We often connect bus routes in a zig-zag or circular route through Paris just to get a glimpse of the various neighborhoods. If something looks interesting - we hop off the bus for a closer look.

Stu Dudley

gracejoan3

I stay in this very preferred (for me) area of Paris regularly. Here now for 2 months!

Stu sums it up pretty good.

Regarding metro/buses. Forget the metro unless absolutely necessary..take the bus. From this location you can go anyplace with simple access to buses (across the street for me for 42, 69, 87.

Great restaurants..the 3 Constants as starters and many, many more.

Boring area..no way! A most desireable area and well liked by Parisians. Hard for them to find a place to live in the 7th for both price and availability. For that reason the nearby 15th has gained popularity.

There are areas for all and personal reasons why liked.

Enjoy,

a bientot...
Joan

Scootoir

Agree with Stu and Joan, we love this neighborhood. We were looking for relaxation on our last trip and bought a pass to the Batobus. The stop near the Eiffel Tower was an easy walk from our apartment and the route reached nearly everywhere we wanted to go.

We liked being in an area with fewer tourists (well, except at the Eiffel Tower), shops and restaurants that catered to locals and great food shops to supply our kitchen.

rosemaryoz

I love this area too - staying there again this September. There are plenty of really well-regarded restaurants within 10 mins walk from that apartment eg Bistro Belhara, Chez Les Anges, Chez l'Ami Jean, Les Cocottes etc etc...not to mention the food street, rue Cler. At night time, it tends to be a much quieter neighborhood, and very pleasant & totally safe for strolling home from dinner.

manouche

It's a different world from what you're used to, but that might not be a bad thing. Instead of rue Cler, check out the little side streets nearby for interesting cheese shops and much better dining options. Rue de Grenelle is also interesting. I agree that the buses can be convenient, but not so much at night. If you will be planning to take Metro/bus a lot, you might want to reconsider the neighborhood.

VictoriaRose

Honestly, I think you will find it more quiet and bit off the beaten track from your earlier stays, which you may like, but you may not. I wouldn't recommend being this far west for any first-timer in Paris, but since you have been before, it might be nice to use this as a base? You will have to walk further every day to get around, which again, may be rather pleasant. Although the address says the 7th it will feel more like the 15th, do people agree with that? It is nice for each visit to bring new some sights and sounds and this surely will. On the other hand, it is nice to be around the "old faithfuls" too, so that may be something to consider. Still- you are going to Paris and you are lucky!!!!