Exploring the outer arrondisements...your favorites and recommendations
 

OK, it's not that we have not set foot in some of the higher numbered arrondissements in Paris...we have. An afternoon in Passy to see Musee Marmottan, sure we've visited Montmarte, we even made it to St Denis once, so we have ventured outside of arrondisements 1-9.

On our upcoming trip to Paris, we want to make a point of spending time outside of the city center.

For all of you Paris residents and experts, what arrondisement 10-20 would you recommend for a exploration? What are your favorite sites, experiences, etc...in your favorite arrondisement? Where would we be most likely to run into Kerouac? :-)

Have you been to the Albert Kahn Musee et Jardins ( Line 10 to Boulogne-Pont de St. Cloud)? Beautiful!! Here's a litle bit more (with photos) after we visited some other sights on this day.

<B>http://travelswithmaitaitom.com/chapter-six-journees-du-patrimoine/</B>

((H))

I like the 14th and 15th but if you wanted to run into kerouac, you might try the 18th.

The parks of the 19th arrondissement -- Parc de la Villette and Buttes Chaumont -- are a must. There is also the Square du Chapeau Rouge (actually one of the largest parks in Paris in spite of the name), which is good if you want a park with fewer people.

And of course the Parc de Bercy in the 12th arrondissement is one of the best in the southern arrondissements.

Naturally, I have a special soft spot for my "abandoned garden of desolation" hidden in the depths of the Bois de Vincennes: http://tinyurl.com/zzf29al

If you're feeling totally adventurous, you can hunt for bits and pieces of the abandoned <i>petite ceinture</i> rail line which completely circles the city: http://tinyurl.com/hr4eq8t

Have you been up here, yet?
http://www.unjourdeplusaparis.com/en...ans-la-mouzaia

This particular website has lots of interesting off-the-beaten-path walks, complete with maps.

You might run into kerouac anywhere - he really gets around.

Here are outlined walks through some of my favorite parts of the 20th and 19th. I wrote it up a couple of years ago so a few of the links may be out of date and a few restos may not be there anymore but for sure there are new restos that have taken their place:


Here's a walk for the lower 20th arrondissement. Start with a visit to the art deco Eglise Saint-Jean Bosco on rue Alexandre Dumas. Head down rue Planchat and go left onto rue des Vignoles and note the old timey cobbled lanes off it (on your right). Across from them note the cool looking modern loft style buildings and then realize this is a recent social housing project designed by a famous architect. Some good restaurants here such as Café de l'Amitié, 20ème Art, La Petite Fabrique, O-Di-Vin-Resto, A la Vierge de la Réunion. Les Mondes Bohèmes has a beautiful terrace and ambiance but the food is just average. Go there for the terrace. I really like the couple that owns this place though. They'll explain the background of the resto and the neighborhood if you ask. Next door check out the little lane with the anarchist headquarters and the flamenco dance studio.

Head to Place de la Réunion and continue down rue Vitruve to rue Saint-Blaise. Along the way see the salamander on the wall at the corner of rue Courat (look at the oddball "artists" home across the street) then at 50 rue Vitruve lived the French singer Barbara. On rue Saint-Blaise itself is the old village of Charonne with 18th century buildings and a village feeling. Lots of cafés and restos here, such as Café Noir. Be sure to see the beautiful secret park/garden on rue Vitruve just east of the intersection with rue Saint-Blaise (on your left at around 57 rue Vitruve). It would make a nice place to have a picnic. See the old church (if renovation is complete yet) and the art nouveau boulangerie across from it. Go down rue de Bagnolet and there's a great bistro/wine bar (Le Papillon) at the corner of rue des Balkans. Across is the Jardin Debrousse, the remains of the châteaux grounds of the Duchess of Orléans. One building remains, the Pavillon de l'Ermitage. You can go in and see the rococo murals on the walls.

http://www.pavillondelermitage.com/P...e/accueil.html

Across from Jardin Debrousse walk up rue Pelleport. The many brick mid-rise buildings you see here are nice examples of public housing that was built in the 1920's and 1930's. Notice how nice public housing used to be prior to WWII as opposed to the ugly concrete stuff that came later in the 20th century. After a couple of blocks you'll arrive at rue Belgrand right at the Place Edith Piaf where you'll see the ugly statue in homage to her. The bar here (Bar Edith Piaf) looks like it hasn't had a decor update since the 1950's and the walls are covered in old black and white photos (no idea if she ever sang here). The regulars seem to be just as old as she would be, and just as rough around the edges. To the right of the bar walk up rue E.P. Casel to see the neighborhood known as La Campagne à Paris (rue Jules-Siegfried, rue Irénée-Blanc, rue Paul-Strauss) and the beautiful homes and small gardens. Hard to believe these were built for workers as part of a social housing project.

photos: https://www.google.com/search?q=la+c...w=1272&bih=629

Great old timey café nearby at Place Octave Chanute. Judging by the photos on the walls there must have been a lot of old time French celebrities that came here.

Here's a second walk:


Adjacent to the Parc des Buttes-Chaumont (which is worth a visit) I highly recommend visiting the residential neighborhood known as La Mouzaïa. You can read about it and see photos here:



Leaving that neighborhood take rue de la Villette to rue de Belleville. Some interesting little side streets as you approach rue de Belleville. Take a left on rue de Belleville and there is a great boulangerie and some other food stores. You'll notice them. Go down rue de Belleville towards Paris and take a left on rue Piat and shortly you'll arrive at the Maison de l'Air with a great view of the Paris skyline at the top of the Parc de Bellville. Explore the park if you'd like. Great little bar/café with a nice terrace and views across the street that you'll notice (I've forgotten the name).

From here head down rue des Envierges and take a right on rue des Cascades (charming old timey streets) to rue de Ménilmontant. At rue de Ménilmontant take a left going uphill and on your left is a slice of residential 19th century Paris in the Cité de l'Ermitage so take a peek in here. If you want you can go around the corner and see another such place in the Cité Leroy. Next, go down rue du Retrait and take a right on rue Laurence Savart, another quaint old timey street. Then take a right on rue Boyer and you'll pass by La Bellevilloise. Stop here for a drink or just take a peek inside:

http://www.labellevilloise.com/notre-histoire/

http://www.labellevilloise.com/le-ca...-aux-oliviers/

This brings you back to rue de Ménilmontant and you can head down the hill to Paris. As you go downhill you'll notice the church on your right and there is a nice plaza in front of the church with some cafés and such to get a drink or bite to eat.

To learn more about the 20th arrondissement you can go to its official website:

http://www.mairie20.paris.fr/mairie2....jsp?page_id=7

As you approach métro Ménilmontant you can take a left on rue Victor Latalle and there are some hip bistros and cafés on this street and the beginning portion of rue des Panoyaux. La Boulangerie is a nice place to eat and a couple good bars/cafés that I go to sometimes are La Cale Sèche (nice terrace out back), Le Saint-Sauveur and Lou Pascalou (nice front terrace). From here you might enjoy a walk down rue Oberkampf back to central Paris and then take it from there.

In the 14th head south on the vibrant and interesting rue Raymond Losserand and you'll see lots of little interesting side streets running off of it, most specifically check out rue des Thermopyles, one of those little cobbled alleys with vine covered houses and gardens that time forgot.

http://pietondeparis.canalblog.com/a.../32087982.html

From there continue on rue du Moulin Vert over to rue d'Alesia and then south on Avenue René Coty with your destination as Square de Montsouris, another beautiful cobbled street with stately rows houses all covered in vines and gardens. Then south to rue du Parc de Montsouris and then visit the park itself. I'd outline the rest of this journey I did on my bike but apparently the rest of the walk (or bike ride) I was going to outline has already been covered in the link below, although I covered more streets than they did:

http://www.unjourdeplusaparis.com/en...-de-montsouris

In the Place de l’Abbée Georges Hénocque is a great patissier / boulanger called Eric et Marie Noëlle. Excellent and fairly cheap:

At the end of this walk continue to the Butte aux Cailles.

These are just so good, ParisMystique!

I have done parts of all of them and all of the 14th, but I didn't know what I was seeing!

Between you and kerouac, I am already needing another visit!

My husband and I are going to Paris in November. This question is perfect for our next visit.

I'll be in Paris in November, too, so I'm taking notes.
Thanks FMT, Kerouac and others!

We booked a last min apartment with vacationinparis and ended up in the 14th. I don't think I would stay anywhere else now. Just very laid back.

Wow, what great suggestions. I am hoping that we will have good weather but usually get at least some rain when we visit over Christmas.

>>Have you been to the Albert Kahn Musee et Jardins ( Line 10 to Boulogne-Pont de St. Cloud)? Beautiful!! >>

The Albert Kahn Musee et Jardins is currently closing a part of its garden and Japanese house for repairing, so maybe it's not a good moment to visit.

https://soundlandscapes.wordpress.co...de-belleville/

Great spot for a picnic with views beyond.. Pyrenees Metro, end of rue Plat.

You're welcome to all those that thanked me. :)

I was just at the Albert Kahn gardens on Sunday and it was definitely worth a visit despite the construction.

Here's a link to my photos: http://tinyurl.com/gp5chhy

It was also fun taking the bus 52 back into Paris, which included a ride around the Arc du Triomphe and through Concord.

A walk through the 16th: From the Muette metro station (which you may have already been through when going to the Marmottan) go southwest along avenue Mozart to Auteuil and, especially if you're a tennis fan, due west through the Jardin des Poëtes to the Roland Garros tennis center. There is, of course, a tennis museum there. Return to the Michel Ange Auteuil (or Porte d'Auteuil) metro stop. Interesting fact: In the 1780s, our second president, John Adams, lived in Auteuil (then an outlying rural village) at 43-47 rue d'Auteuil. His grown son, John Quincy Adams, our sixth president, lived there too with his father and mother, Abigail Adams. The elder Adams was working as a member of an American commission with two other famous Americans, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, our third president.

I also love to get lost in the 17th in the Batignolles area.

"You're welcome to all those that thanked me. :)"

FMT...You sent me a similar tour in 2014. Unfortunatly I went down for the count on week 2 so never was able to accomplish it. Thanks for sending...hopefully this September without bronchitis!

((H))

Denisea, thanks for starting this interesting thread which has received so many great ideas. It's good to touch base with you, and glad you're planning to visit Paris over Christmas. We're spending a few days in September en route to Burgundy, Provence, etc. It's difficult to wait too long before a return visit to the city we all seem to count as a fave.