Just another caution to NOT EAT AT THE CAFË DU MARCHË - ok? It's disgusting.

I've stayed at the Hotel de Varenne, and really liked it. One of the nicest features is the garden in front of the hotel, where breakfast is served in fair weather. The 7th arrondissement of Paris, and particularly the broad area around that hotel, where some government ministries are located, as well as the National Assembly at the end of the hotel street, the rue de Bourgogne, is one of the safest places in the world.

Okay, I need to know....what is wrong with the Cafe du Marche? I looked it up and it seemed to have good reviews but yet overwhelmingly posters on this thread disagree. Please clarify with some specifics.

And by the way, I love the 7th, have stayed there in the past and will be returning again this year. I could care less if Rick Steves loves/hates it but I do enjoy seeing the places I am planning to go on his videos. It's kind of like seeing yourself or your friends on TV, you go...oooh, oooh, I've been there!!!

AnthonyGA seems to have directed the following to me, since I described my husband and myself as adventurous AND staying near Rue Cler (which AnthonyGA evidently feels are mutually exclusive): "Generally speaking, the adventurous do not flock to the rue Cler. Those who are adventurous are more likely to draw a line through any destination that is popular; thus, they might enjoy what they find or they might not, but it will at least be different from the beaten path, and thus adventuresome."

To respond: First, you are prone to make sweeping generalizations based on a word, a phrase, a sentence, a question from someone you have never met. Second, we did not "flock to Rue Cler." We researched apartments, found an affordable, attractive one rented by people who received glowing comments in this and other forums; it happens to be near Rue Cler, which we had never heard of. Third, as for the notion that the adventurous "draw a line through any destination that is popular" -- well, call me crazy, but I'm glad I saw the Sistine Chapel. We had many impromptu adventures off the beaten path (yes, really, honestly) on the same trip. So yes, we are staying near Rue Cler; I don't believe I said we planned to spend an entire week NOWHERE BUT Rue Cler.

Why on earth does everything have to be so black and white? (That's a rhetoical question. I feel a little silly trying to justify myself to a complete stranger, and I'm officially getting out of this street fight right now!)

Really, this "I hate the 7th and everything associated with Rick Steves" business is getting really old, along with the idiotic baseless generalizations about what type of people stay in the 7th, or 6th, or 15th or wherever. Self-important snobbery is all it is, and it has no place on a friendly discussion forum.

? about tourist spots in France?

WWAGS

He's the local RS guide in disguise.

Since there is so much promotion of RS' preferences for the rue Cler, I think it important to provide balance. There is more to Paris than what Rick Steves describes, and the best of Paris isn't necessarily what Rick claims it to be. He limits himself to a few spots in the city and ignores the rest. When I see statements like "of course, we will make sure to see the rue Cler," as if this were the highlight of the city, I worry.

We have always stayed in the 6th, but next trip we plan to stay in the 7th, as there is so much in or near the 7th that we want to see, and there are several restaurants we'd like to try. I've been reading the many posts by people who won't stay anywhere else but the 7th, and I'm reassured that we'll be happy staying there :-)

Sandy

Gretchen & StCirq,
I have to agree with not eating in the Cafe Marche. We wondered why it's consistently recommended. I had a salad for lunch, and it was nothing special. It was definitely not our best cafe experience, and we've never been back!

Sandy

italy06,
I love the Grand Epicerie in Bon Marche! Another plus for the 7th, though it's easy to walk there from the 6th too :-) We stayed very near there, at Hotel de Saint Germain, located at 50, rue de Four, a couple of years ago and loved the locateion. We bought tea, chocolate, and Maille mustard all at the Grand Epicerie.

Sandy

Walk back into the bowels of the Café du Marché sometime and check out the kitchen - then run as fast as you can before you catch something hideous and deadly.

StCirq,
I didn't look at the kitchen, but I did go in the toilette. Truly filthy, so the fact that the kitchen is so bad doesn't surprise me at all.

Sandy

In the 7th are lots of good restaurants.
L'Affiole,
Le Bar au sel,
au bon accuil,
le fontaine de mars,
violin d'ingres fables de fontaine, café constant, l'ami jean
gaya
and the excellent bakers gerald mulet and poujauran
le lutin gourmand for candy,
marie-anne castin one of the best fromageries.

Cigalechanta,

Any of these located near (say 10 minutes walking distance) the intersection of Blvd. St-Germain and Rue de Lille?

cigalechanta,
Thanks for the restaurant recommendations! I have a couple of those on my list, but most are new to me.

Sandy

Our favorite restaurant in the 7th is the Bistro de Breteuil. If you have warm weather, ask to be seated on the terrace.

The prix-fixe menu offers 3 courses (with quite a few choices within each course), a bottle of wine for 2, an apéritif, and after-dinner coffee. The price when we dined there in September 2004 was 32 Euros, a terrific bargain.

I have to agree with not eating in the Cafe Marche.

The first time I tried it because it was close, I was hungery and it was on Rick Steves list. It was the most unremarkable food I've ever eaten ANYWHERE.

The 2nd time we ate there, I figured the food was bland enough, but my Mom, Aunt and MIL all had the same thing and they all had Montezuma's Revenge the next day.

Skip it.

Jules

Wouldn't it be Napoleon's Revenge? I thought you could only get Montezuma's in Mexico. ;)

And bye the bye Anthony, we have been to Paris many times--before Rick Steves was even on the horizon. Some people like places in spite of RS. But it does make an easy target of someone if they like what Rick does, doesn't it.

cigalechanta,

I too would be interested in restaurants near that location, as we have taken an apartment on Rue Las Cases, which is near there in the Northern end of the 7th.

I have finally found out how to locate restaurants on the Pages Jaune, though it is not intuitive. You need to enter a street address then, when the map comes up, enter the word "resto" in the box below the address. That gives you a map with restaurants marked, and a link to some of them which have ads in the yellow pages.

I know that is not very clear, but I am still struggling with the site. The message is that it IS possible.

:-)