d_claude_bear

We are looking at renting an apartment for a month on r Truffaut in the Batignolles area but, never having spent time in that area, are curious about what it is like. How useful are the nearby metro lines for getting around? What is the character of the neighborhood? Will we find cafes, boulangeries, restaurants, etc. nearby? Does anything recommend for or against locating there? We have previously rented in the Marais, on r Buffon just east of the Jardin des Plantes, and near Place d'Italie; We also stayed long ago in an hotel just south of Place de Clichy and do not recall ythat area fondly. We are avid walkers and are comfortable using the Metro/bus/RER system. We would prefer to experience a different "home" area in Paris, but also want to be close (in travel time) to Bastille, St. Germain, Gares, etc. areas. Any advice would be most welcome.

Suzanne2

We like the Parc Monceau which is in the area. We spent some time walking there this past March and found the area to be very charming.

StCirq

I think it would be lovely. Batignolles was an independent village outside Paris until 1860 or so. It's an upscale area and of course will have plenty of commercial enterprises of all kinds. The Square des Batignolles is lovely. It's a good choice.

tod

Just having spent only 3 days and 2 nights in the Batignolles area ( 17th arr) we were pleasantly surprised and loved the busy atmosphere of Parisians going about their day to day living.
We stayed at the famous ( or maybe infamous?!) Hotel Eldorado in rue des Dames. They also have an extremely busy restaurant which has indoor and courtyard seating.
We are definitely ready to experience this lively neighborhood on our next visit!

d_claude_bear

Suzanne2--We have visited Parc Monceau every time we were in Paris and have been to the nearby musees. I once took the Metro there (from the Jardin des Plantes area) just to sit in the parc and read a book for a few hours while my wife was off shopping.

StCirq--Do you have any favorite restaurants, cafes, food shops, etc. in that area?

tod--Spending some our time among "Parisians going about their day to day living" is exactly what we want to do. we will look into that restaurant. I think the last time we had a meal in/near Place de Clichy we reluctantly ate at a local chain-type Italian place. Having an apartment "home" in that area will let us explore the nearby restaurants in less haste.

StCirq

I haven't had too many meals in that neck of the woods, but I enjoyed brunch at Les Puces des Batignolles and had a nice dinner at Agapé a few years ago. The whole rue de Levis area is full of cafés and bistros, as I recall, as well as shops and food stores.

shellio

If you plan to do a lot of Metro travel, the location may be somewhat inconvenient. You will be near Place de Clichy (lines 13 and 2) or La Fourche (line 13 only) stations. Getting to the St-Germain des Pres area is a bit awkward from there, as is getting to Bastille. Each of these would require 2 transfers or a long detour (i.e. line 13 to Duroc or Montparnasse-Bienvenue). On the other hand, if you walked to Villiers you could reach each of those destinations with only one transfer and would have a direct ride to St-Lazare. Gares du Nord and de l'Est require only one transfer from Place de Clichy. You can also take a bus to St-Lazare and transfer there to many other bus lines.

I spent a month not long ago on rue de Levis near Blvd des Batignolles in the 17th and frankly found it rather dull. We spent way too much time going elsewhere every day. On the other hand, our friends spend 4 months a year in the same apartment and wouldn't stay anywhere else. Definitely depends on personal preferences.

d_claude_bear

St. Cirq--Thank you for the restaurant info.

Shellio--My wife and I both noticed that the two Metro lines are not the best for getting to the main tourist places (Line 13 heading South seems the more useful one) but we tend to walk a lot and, on our fifth visit, plan to continue exploring the more out-of-the-way places, so we even if we had easy access to Line 2 and RER C we would often be using them to get to other Metro lines anyhow.

We are seriously considering this apartment:

http://www.rentalapartmentparis.com/...0Apartment.htm

It is on r. Truffaut near r. de la Condamine. Is anyone familiar with that apartment or that location?

AnselmAdorne

d_claude_bear, there are at least two Fodorites who have stayed at that apartment: Nikki and Lucky Luc. I'll see if I can pull up their trip reports.

Anselm

AnselmAdorne

Found Nikki's:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...rip-report.cfm

AnselmAdorne

And LuckyLuc's:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...rip-report.cfm

If you do a search for "Truffaut" you'll also find other queries and responses.

AA

AnselmAdorne

Oooooops! Shouldn't have had the second glass of wine with dinner; LuckyLuc's is here:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...aris-day-1.cfm

roamer

We stayed in the Truffaut property once - since then it has been booked when we needed it. It is lovely - the owners are antique dealers; it is beautifully and comfortably furnished. I love to cook, and the kitchen is perfectly equipped. We have stayed in Paris many times. The first several times, we stayed on Ile St. Louis; then we discovered Batignolles and now would not stay anywhere else! We have never found getting around on the Metro at all inconvenient. Batignolles has a real neighborhood feeling, and everything you need is right there - covered market, boulangeries, boucherie, chocolatier, and the lovely Park Batignolles. We will be back in October - can't wait!

d_claude_bear

AnselmAdorne--Thank you for pointing to those two trip reports. I have skimmed them both--carefully reading about the apartment and neighborhood, skimming (for the present) the info about lectures, concerts, etc. I will return to them as time permits.

roamer--Thank you for the encouraging words. We have already e-mailed the owner that we will firm up a reservation for next May as soon as he returns to the US (next week) and we can firm up our exact arrival date.

d_claude_bear

Hello All--We have decided to rent the Batignolles apartment, so that is settled, but we would still welcome any observations/advice any of you can offer about the neighborhood and its restaurants, stores, parks, churches (and church concerts), etc.

cindyjo

Thanks for your help,

Have decided to comsider Extremadura as the frontrunner thinking we will have better weather in November. Saving French and Spanish Basque areas for better time of year.

Looking at 2 rentals for a base for day trips. Both look charmimg.

http://www.walkingextremadura.com/wa...e_to_stay.html

Owners Direct S16844.

Any thoughts on better base for a week or 10 days?

cindyjo

Oops, wrong page!