Thinking about renting an apt in Paris in the Marais area and many are listed in the Rue Charlot district right at Rue de Bretagne. Is anyone familiar with this area? As big cities go, is it a safe area to walk around in at night? It is described as having lots of art galleries, upscale restaurants and cafes, is this the case? Or is it more residential than commercial? Thanks for any information you can provide.

As others will recommedn

To actually see the street:

http://www.pagesjaunes.fr/

For localite, use 'Paris 3'
For adresse I used '50 Charlot'

On the page you get, select "Photo"
From there, use the arrow keys to walk up/down the street. Very neat

Mike

Here you go..
http://www.parismarais.com/rue-charlot.htm

Travelnut - my thanks as well for posting that wondrful Marais.com website!

HI Yestravel,

I rented an apartment on rue de Bretagne, near the park, a couple months ago and loved the location--lots of restaurants, cafes, cheese shops, bakeries, butchers--everything a good neighborhood needs. I never felt unsafe walking around in the evening, although I avoided the dark side streets unless I was with my friend. This is definitely a residential area.

Have fun!

Patti

My wife, her parents, and I stayed in the area in May 2003, specificially on rue Charlot S of rue de Bretange. The area was okay, perhaps somewhat more "real" Parisian than the more touristed sections. There's many cafes and food shops in the area. We took the Metro most places (roughly 5 min walk). We liked the area, but tended to spend more time away, e.g., for dinner and sightseeing.

Paul

Thanks to all of you. hmmm 1 person really liked the area and the other just ok. Anyway, very helpful!

We just got back last weekend from staying in a apt on Rue Charlot for two weeks. When we were first looking for apts I had my heart on the 6th and my desired apt fell through. We ended up with this one because my DH liked the looks of it on the VBRO site. Well, this was my first time in Paris and his first real stay, and after exploring the 5th/6th and comparing it to our area in the 3rd we felt extremely lucky we ended up where we did. The area has a much more intimate, neighborhood feel for us. For a short stay the 6th might have worked fine, but for a longer stay it was so nice to retreat "home" away from the crowds around St. Germain. I guess it's something about the tiny, windy streets of the Marais compared to the longer blocks of the 6th--especially once you get farther a few blocks south of the Seine. Rue Bretagne, just around the corner from us, has a great fromagerie, a seafood shop, a couple of great butchers, two small supermarches, two or three pharmacies, and the Enfant Rouges covered market.

We were also still only 15-20 walking distance from the Louvre, Notre Dame, Les Halles, etc. The area is bustling but didn't feel as incredibly crowded to us.

The only disadvantage to the area was that there was more dog poop on the sidewalks than in St. Germain! ;-)

Yestravel, whether you'll like the area depends on what you're going to be doing on the trip. If it's your first visit to Paris and you'll be more interested in visiting sites than wandering the neighborhood this might be less than convenient. There's a metro at Filles du Calvaire but transportation options may not be right out your door.

If you're more interested in a trip where you absorb the atmosphere, it's a good choice. This is a walking area and lots of fun. It's up and coming among young people and others interested in design and art. Lots of cafes, hip shops and art galleries. It also has a fair number of buildings that haven't yet been renovated and feels very much a neighborhood. I've never been concerned about being out at night, even as a woman alone.

PegS-really appreciate all your first hand information.

PegS,

Hi there, wondering what the VRBO apartment you stayed in? We have an aprtment reserved on rue charolt for May and wondering if it is the same VRBO 49273?

Thanks for any info.

Eileen

Sheila-looks like we posted at the same time and I missed your post until now. This is not our first trip to Paris. We really want to spend a lot of our week just exploring the Marais and surrounding areas. This is not to say we won't venture beyond the Marais, but we enjoy walking so not having transportation out our door should not be a problem. Thanks for your comments.

Ecat, yes that's the apartment!!! Let me know if you want more details and I can email you with the address you have listed.

Yippie PegS,

Thank you. I would love info, If you click on my name you'll see I have been fishing around here for a month looking for any personal reviews.

I have already booked this for the last week in May. I knew I wanted this area and really liked the sound of this apt for our needs.

Thank you again I will await your e-mail.

My best, Eileen