Is Rue Cler worth visiting if you aren't staying there?
 

I'm not staying in Rue Cler, but in Montparnasse. Is it worth visiting Rue Cler anyway?

I would recommend a visit, it's not too far out of the way (near the Tower and Napolean's Tomb) and it is quite an interesting experience. I guess that reu Cler was kind of what I had imagined Paris would be like. I am sure that there are other areas in the city that are just as nice, but I like rue Cler...and the crepe's are really good.

If you are in Montparnasse, I think you would find the market on rue Daguerre (between rue Boulard and Av. du Gen. Leclerc, just as interesting. In my opinion, it is more a real neighborhood market than rue Cler, very few tourists. There's a nice selection of bakery, seafood, meat and wine shops, with some restaurants. We enjoyed the creperie. If, however, you are seeing the Eiffel Tower, you might as well go a few blocks more and walk rue Cler, but I would certainly not make it a one-stop site.

Hello, I would say it is worth visiting, however I love rue Daguerre.
I think is it a great street market and hardly any tourist. I love to sit outside at one of the cafes when people are getting off work and doing their shopping. It is in Montparnasse very near Denfert Rochereau metro.

Happy travels.
gg

I was amused in that NYT article about Rick Steves stating that the French call it Rue Rick Steves based on his recommendations and subsequent visits by multitudes of Americans to the street. It is worth a visit.

I have explored rue Cler, rue Montorguiel, rue Daguerre, rue Mouffetard and rue de Levis. Rue Cler is not the most interesting of them.
I still have rue Poncelet to do, and I'm sure there are several others.

Be sure you know what hours any market street is operating; if you hit it at the wrong time of day you will wonder what the heck anybody sees in it.

p.s., since you are staying in Montparnasse, don't forget to visit the Edgar Quinet market (small but colorful) on Wednesday, and the art show same place on Sundays.

Travelnut, where are rue Montorguiel and rue de Levis, and what are they like? I don't remember reading about them.

It sounds like it will be straightforward to visit Rue Cler on the way to the Eiffel Tower, so I will give it a try. I'll definitely visit Rue Daguerre and Rue Mouffetard also. (I have a week, so maybe one per day!).

We have a great lunch at a corner cafe with outdoor tables on Rue Cler on our walk back from the Eiffel Tower to the Latin Quarter. I wouldn't go WAY out of my way, but if you're in the neighborhood it's a nice street to stroll.

Rue Montorguiel (1st) runs roughly N/S between Metros 'les Halles' and 'Sentier'. Find Eglise St Eustache and it runs a bit over to the right on the map.

Rue de Levis runs from Metro Villiers (17th), between avenue de Villiers and rue Legendre. Rue Poncelet (also 17th) runs off avenue des Ternes by Metro Ternes.

All of these streets are just colorful, fun areas with nothing "important" to see. Just enjoy observing Parisians go about their shopping, look at the beautiful produce and cheeses, have a coffee or wine somewhere, pop into a store or two. They only take as much time as you want to give, just an hour along the way to somewhere else will be enjoyable. You can probably find some pictures by searching the images function on Google (enter the street names).

I wouldn't go out of my way at all to go there, but if you are in the area, why not stop by just so you know what everybody talks about. I finally did after many years. I have never been back because I don't like it very much and find about any other market street preferable and more convenient to where I usually am. There are many other market streets to explore, one or more in about every arrondisement. If you like that kind of thing a lot, I think you could drop by on your way to the Eiffel Tower.


I stay in Montparnasse a lot and the weekly street market on Quinet is fairly large as I recall -- 2-3 blocks (it is both Wednesday and Saturday mornings until about 2 pm). It is fairly typical of those roving markets with produce, cheese, etc. In contrast to others, I didn't find their Sunday arts market of much interest.

I enjoyed my stay on Rue Cler. It was my introduction to Europe during my first visit in 1995. I stayed at the Hotel Leveque and would stay there again. As the other posters have noted there are several great neighborhoods in Paris. Rue Cler is worth a visit. Whether you have to go a little out of the way to visit or if it is included in your plans remember you're in Paris -and that's pretty good!

If this is your first visit to Paris, you'll undoubtedly be visiting the Eiffel Tower, which is boule's throw (OK, so you'd have to have a <i>very</i> strong arm) from Rue Cler, so you could visit it while you're in the vicinity.

It's a nice pedestrian-only market street.

It's worth a visit to purchase cookies and then walk over to Eiffel Tower to enjoy them. I love visiting this street and just taking in all the produce and food available.
have fun.

When did Rick Steves first describe rue Cler as the best street in Paris?

Joe, at this website, &quot;Rue Cler: The Art of Parisian Living&quot;...

http://www.ricksteves.com/news/0208/ruecler.htm

...he writes, &quot;If you wish to learn the fine art of living Parisian-style, Rue Cler provides an excellent classroom. And if you wish to assemble the ultimate French picnic, there's no better place.&quot;

I don't recall him ever describing Rue Cler as the &quot;best street in Paris&quot; per se. What he does say, or imply, above is that it's the &quot;best street in Paris&quot; if you wish to assemble the ultimate French picnic. Now, since Rue Cler is the market street in a very upscale arrondissement of Paris, there's probably some validity to that.

I put a picnic together in Rue Cler and took it over to sit near the Eiffel Tower and watch as night fell and the lights came on and lit up the Tower. Nearly 10 years later, that image still is with me.

I love Paris but more France,in all it's different areas and I would never say don't go here or there because evey place you go will be yours, how people react to you and so on. I've been to places where posters say they were rude and had opposite experiences. Go where you are curious about. Satisfy that hunger, and you can always leave if is not satisfying.

I did not find rue Cler as interesting in the daytime as the streets that branch off from it, particularly at night.

A great neighborhood in which to just wander from one illuminated store front window to the next along darkened, narrow streets; or for quick glances into softly lit residential apartment building lobbies, marbeled or papered, each with its own briefly glimpsed character.

There's the Eiffel Tower preening itself in flashing lights; the restaurant terraces animated with indecipherable (for me!) conversation among curiously, or perfectly, matched couples. There's a window crammed with woolen military uniforms from wars in hot places, relics of soldiers schooled in stoicism, alongside feathered fans and sequined gowns draped across helmets that end in a point.

It is especially satisfying (and perfectly safe) to discover all this alone, looking and looking until you're filled to the brim.

Then, having walked long past midnight, you arrive at your hotel. You're home. And there's still tomorrow.

Well said, cigalechanta!

And, Croque_Madame, sheer lyricism!

WillTravel: wherever you go, YOU make the place your own. YOU make it your own special experience.

If you are trying to visit a market street in Paris, make sure it's on a day when the market is there that day! What a cornucopia of sights and smells and tastes!

Enjoy!