Montorgueil area in Paris??
 

This will be our first time in Paris...staying for one month. We are young-at -heart middle agers who don't mind lively and fun areas. I'm looking at an apartment to rent in the Montorgueil area in the 2nd arrondissement. It's on Bd de Sepastopol, looks like below the Reaumur-Sebastopol Metro and above Rue de Turbigo. Description says it's a two minute walk to Rue of Etienne Marcel/ Place des Victoires. How far is this from the Montorgueil Market? Also, how far from the seedy Rue St Denis? What is this area like? Your thoughts will be much appreciated!

Most Parisians and/or tourists would kill to have an apartment at Montorgueil, which is why the apartment you're looking at is being touted as Montorgueil when boulevard de Sébastopol is several blocks away. Nevetheless, it is fine, but yes, you will cross rue Saint Denis to get to Montorgueil or Place des Victoires. Not really a problem unless your problem with seediness is that it tempts you. I pass through there almost every day with a blind eye.

Bd de Sebastopol has some good luggage shops on it (and shoe stores, as I recall, and handbags) down at the end off rue de Rivoli and then walking north. It's a major street, find out about the situation re noise. It's funny how many apt places claim their apt is in the Montorgueil neighborhood when it isn't but this is closer than some that make that claim.

Don't you have a map of Paris? You might want to get one if you are definitely going, would help planning. Even the Streetwise Paris one covers that area.

there is a nice jewelry shop I like near there, the shop is Les Nereides http://www.lesnereides.com/

It is probably a 2 minute walk to rue Etienne Marcel as you just go south on bd Sebastopol a block or two to reach it, but place des Victoires is about 6 blocks west of that, so no, you can't get there in 2 minutes.

sorry, I think I was thinking of Satellite as the jewelry store I like near there, it was in the Passage du Grands Cerfs http://www.passagedugrandcerf.com/

I do like Nereides a lot, of course, but I've visited them in St Germain.

I think that is a really good area... I stayed on rue Rambuteau (awesome area too!) and from there I could walk to the Montorgueil market... I walked a couple times on Rue St-Denis during the day, I just went about my business and everything was fine...

It sounds like the same location as the apartment we rented - ViP#176 on Blvd de Sebastopol and exactly 88 steps, I counted them, from the Reaumur-Sebastopol station. We found the area to be excellent and being near Montorgueil was a main reason we rented there. From the apartment on Blvd de Sebastopol to Rue Montorgueil was a pleasant four very short blocks and under 500 steps, I counted those too. I would walk to Stohrer's each morning at 7:30 AM when Rue Montrogueil was coming to life to bring back our morning breakfast and a treat for later on that afternoon. Rue St. Denis has a reputation for being seedy, but we did not see anything like that where we were there so maybe it is a better part of the street.

I went to google maps and took a "walk" around the area. Thank you for the responses. Helps a lot!

I wonder what part of rue St Denis wouldn't have anything seedy, even if you didn't see sex shops and hookers, the street itself is just kind of seedy. I haven't been on it that much and the sex shops are hard to miss (I'm talking places selling sex videos, etc). Maybe you didn't know what all those women standing outside shops in short skirts and high heels were.

It didn't scare me, lots of regular people are on that street and other kinds of stores. I thought it was supposed to get worse, not better at the north end, but not sure I went pastrue Reaumur much.

Here's a video by a French guy explaining the history of that trade in the area, but it shows the street pretty well, actually http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxDkux7KAwM

<<<Maybe you didn't know what all those women standing outside shops in short skirts and high heels were.>>>

Thank you for your faith in my innocence - it was just the chuckle I needed to start my day. To be fair, I did not walk on Rue St. Denis, just crossed it on my way to Rue Montorgueil. From that perspective there may have been a tape shop in sight but I wouldn't call that seedy. I never, in a week's time, saw neither obvious whores nor pimps hanging around, for that matter I did not see any one hanging around. The street as I crossed and looked up and down for traffic did not stand out in any way. Keep in mind that although I would usually visit Rue Montorgueil in the early morning and often later on in the day sometimes for dinner, I had no need to go in that direction after dark.

So with that said....in this particular area, where is it safe to go at night?

We were there for a week, were out and about at night and never came close to feeling unsafe. We are walkers, and walked most everywhere. I would not hesitate to stay where you described and may choose to stay there again on our next trip. You do not mention the exact apartment you are looking at. Know that Blvd de Sebastopol is a busy one with bus traffic so make sure that the apartment has double paned glass or is far enough above the Blvd so that traffic noise does not become a problem. The apartment we rented met both criteria. There is also a Monoprix there which is a convenience.

In other words, based on your initial post, it seems like it's near where Bd de Sébastopol intersects with rue Greneta (which would take you right to Rue Montorgueil). As a woman I see nothing seedy or unsafe about that location. My only reservation about Bd de Sébastopol is it's a big, busy, noisy boulevard.

Noise does not bother us...to be honest I'm looking for the opposite of where I live(the most I hear at night are the 600 lb pigs out in my fields). That's part of the experience. The building is right next to the sushi place and Monoprix. Thanks for the input!

Is it the apartment I mentioned? It sounds like the same building, which was a very good one.

No, I am going through Paris Attitude. #3181...We need a two bedroom which was more difficult to find for the needs we have. I thought finding an apt was going to be easy. I would find the perfect one and then look at the bedrooms only to find princess castle twin beds and cribs. They do have a good selection and a very easy site to maneuver around on.

luvmyfarm:

DW, and two sons stayed in Montorgueil for a week in 2006 and found the area to be very fun, lively and safe. We were on Rue de la Jussienne, about 5 blocks west of you, 1.5 blocks from rue Montorgueil. Our first evening we walked around the area and had dinner at a small cafe off Reamur. Later that night we unknowingly walked right down one of the *red light* streets. We actually have a photo of our youngest (he was 22 at the time) in front of a club with the name "Pussy 187", that's the exact name on the red neon sign. Never felt unsafe.

I'm considering an apartment on rue Greneta between rue Montorgeuil and rue Dussoubs...on the streetview the street is pretty graffitied and doesn't look great...I'll be alone at night for half of my stay, and want to know if it's safe over there. I'm having a tough time finding an apartment this year.

oops, that's Montorgueil..stupid fingers.Anyway, does anyone know the street?

I know that Parler Paris has one near Montorgueil. It was featured on House Hunters International. It has 2 bedrooms and is very nice.

If you think that rue Greneta is not safe, there is probably no street in Paris where it would be safe for you to stay.