mike_b12

I am checking out a hotel in the Montparnasse district. what arridis. is this?
Is this a good location. I do not mind walking?
Thanks

Travelnut

"Montparnasse" straddles the 6th, 14th, and 15th... better be more specific with the address...

PatrickLondon

You can get a plan of the area and photos of the street at www.pagesjaunes.fr

travelhorizons

If you can find a hotel closer to the Seine (1st arrondissement or the Latin Quater), you'll be able to walk to many of the places you'll want to visit.

mike_b12

Thanks, the adress is 8 rue d'Odessa

WillTravel

You're very close to 4 metro lines and numerous buses. This area is near Gare Montparnasse and Tour Montparnasse and isn't a quaint, cobbled section of Paris, so you might miss that aspect. It's also a bit of a walk (probably about 1.5 miles) to the Seine River.

You can check out distances at mappy.com . Use the Pedestrian option. Enter your hotel address as the starting point, and enter the addresses of various attractions as the end points.

Use ratp.fr to figure out transit routes from that address.

kerouac

Rue d'Odessa is quite nice, even if its main feature is the Gaumont Parnasse 12 screen multiplex and the Montparnos 5 screen multiplex. At least you will be able to see a movie if you want to (25 other screens within 300 meters -- it is a major movie district). And of course that means that it is also a great restaurant and café area. Walking to the Seine is a snap, but at least you are not in the heart of Tourist Central. If the hotel appeals to you, go for it!

mike_b12

It sounds like a nice area, Last trip I stayed in the Marais and that of course was great. I might be able to use points for the hotel on Rue Odessa.

Christina

That's the 14th arrondisement -- doesn't the hotel state the postal code or arr. on their website?

I like that area and often stay there. I like a couple of the cafes at the corner near the Quinet metro stop, it's near a lot of good stores for anything you want, and then lots of cafes and restaurants, as well as superb transportation. There is also a good cyber cafe on that street, Cyber Cube -- another one a little more towards Montparnasse tower is a bit cheaper, but doesn't have English keyboards. There is a roving market on bd Quinet on Saturday mornings.

mike_b12

I just checked the postal code, thanks for the tip!

crefloors

I stayed in that general area last November and loved the area. I was on Blvd. Raspail. We walked to the river several times. I found the metro to be very convenient, there were four stops within a very short distance of the hotel so any place we wanted to go was easy to get to. Lots of restaurants, grocery stores, the market. I liked the neighborhood feel of the area. My hotel address was the 14th.

jaylo972

i used this site and saved a bit. notice how in the upper right corner you can search by landmark. this may help you decide.

http://www.travelnow.com/index.jsp?p...31&fc=list

mike_b12

Thanks for everyones help. The more I research this area the more I like it.
Any other input on cafes, music, caberet and restaurants {not to high priced} will be appreciated.

mike_b12

TTT

mike_b12

Any other ideas of cafes or music clubs or any other special things in this area?
Thanks

Christina

I don't think you have to worry too much about finding them, that is a popular area for people to go out at night, so walking around the surrounding blocks, you'll just see them and can decide for yourself. What kind of music club do you mean? There are some discos around there (L'Enfer on rue du Depart at the Tower, unless it's closed). I think that spot is a little dicy perhaps (sort of remember some arrests there, or some problems, anyway). Well, maybe it's just your thing, I found they are obviously still open www.enfer.fr

There is a branch of a wellknown jazz club, Le Petit Journal in Montparnasse. You can just find clubs by looking in Pariscope or something, thought. There's another good one down near Pernety where they even have blues (rare in Paris) ... it's called Utopia, I think.

There are cafes every foot around there, it's one of the most wellknown cafe spots in Paris, now and historically. Just pick the one that suits your style. There are many on bd Montparnasse -- as I said, I like one or two right at the corner of bd Quinet and Odessa.

It's always fun, if you want to spend the money, to go up to the roof of the Montparnasse tower for the view of Paris.

Christina

I found Utopia's website:

http://www.utopia-cafeconcert.fr/

mike_b12

Christina,
Thanks so much for your insight. As long as it is not disco or techno mucic I might am interested.

gard

Hi

Paris is a big city and you will have to do a bit of walking to get to all attractions. Just make sure that you are pretty close to a metro station so that you can back "home" after you have been walking a whole day and are starting to get tired Here is my Paris trip report with pictures, maps and links from last year: http://gardkarlsen.com/Paris_France.htm . Maybe you can find some useful information there. Get in touch if you have any questions or comments.

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

Christina

are you trying to say you won't be going to l'Enfer?? probably just as well.

Utopia and Le Petit Journal are probably your best bets. There is a Cuban bar/restaurant right near there on rue Vavin which also has Latin/salsa music on the weekends, if you like that. http://www.cubanacafe.com/

The brasserie La Coupole does have dancing in the basement and is a popular nightspot, but I think that's mainly disco now, if they still have anything. They used to have salsa sometimes, also, but those trends change.

There is another place near Pernety and Utopia, l'Entrepot, which is a possibility -- a combination art film house, expositions, cafe, readings, and they have some live music there, also -- world, chanson, alternative, etc.
http://www.lentrepot.fr/