paskee

My family of 4 just booked an apartment on rue colonel combes (7th district) in Paris. Any ideas on great little bistros/cafes/shops to hit while in this area for one week? Of course, we will make sure to make Rue Cler a regular stop, but anything else?

AnthonyGA

Well, WWRS (What Would Rick Say)?

Travelnut

If you enter "7th" and "cler" in the forum search, you'll get quite a few earlier threads on the topic.

paskee

WWRS? I don't know - I'm Canadian. I think we have only limited exposure to RS.

mamc

There is much to see and do in the 7th. Search on this forum, using "7th" and you will get lots of ideas. We like the Musee D'Orsay, the Rodin, the Invalides and many good restaurants. We like Le Fontaine de Mars, L'Affriole, Clos des Gourmets and others. After many visits to Paris, we finally checked out the Rue Cler last year and found it prosaic at best.

Gretchen

Rue Cler is fine for what it is--a Parisian market street. The original poster needs to know that it is not a particular restaurant destination however. Do NOT eat at the Cafe Marche.

plambers

we really like the 7th. it is residential, wealthy and safe. we love looking in the beautiful apts. we stayed in a hotel the first 2 times and are renting an apt there too this time around. don't limit your meals to the 7th though. it is very easy getting around and walking in paris is the best way to sightsee.
our favorite dinners are the ones farthest away and then we walk home! we love chez eux and allard, both in the 7th. le troquet is in the 15th but is walkable from the 7th. la ardoise is a good sunday choice.
the rue cler is a market st and is fun to visit the shops and get stuff for a picnic one day. beyond that you most likely won't eat there.

AnthonyGA

The 7th is a sleepy part of Paris with a high proportion of retirees, but it's quiet and nice.

Remember that no matter where you are in Paris, it's generally easy to get anywhere else, so it doesn't really matter very much where your hotel is.

kerouac

I think I would speak for the majority of Parisians in saying that the 7th arrondissement (along with the 16th) is about the last place we would want to spend any time. However, I do understand that traditional upmarket tourists disagree, as Paris is visited more for its image than its reality (hence all of the warnings about 'avoid this' and 'avoid that' -- things that don't look the way they wanted Paris to look).

AnthonyGA

The criteria of residents are different from those of tourists. That being said, there is nothing special about the 7th (or 16th) that recommends them to tourists, but there's nothing about them that gives tourists a reason to avoid these districts, either. The fact that the Eiffel Tower is in the Seventh isn't really that important, since you can get anywhere in Paris from anywhere else in Paris very quickly, thanks to its excellent public transportation.

Intrepid1

"there is nothing special about the 7th (or 16th) that recommends them to tourists..."

Then why are they all going there?

Gretchen

Well, gee guys. What a put down. If you don't stay in the 6th you aren't seeing the "real" Paris. Give me a break. Paris is a wonderful city. You can see it from any arrondisement--and enjoy it.We usually stay in the 7th for a lot of reasons--VERY convenient Metro and bus service, charm, nice hotel, good restaurants. We don't stay there all day. Last trip we stayed in the 11th. It was also interesting, well served by Metro and bus and very different.
Image and reality? Indeed.

BTilke

Gretchen and all other Paris visitors, there is absolutely *no* need whatsoever to justify arrondissement choices to a pair of sneering expats infected with apparently incurable cases of reverse snobbery.

amwosu

I haven't stayed in the 7th but I am tempted by the location merely by the fact that it is close to many of the sights that tourists enjoy.

When I was younger I traveled and sneered a bit at all the tourists visiting "touristy" spots. I spent most of my time attemting to see the "real" London, Cambridge, Paris, blah, blah, blah... That mostly means I went to bars and pubs and raucous concerts and met locals my age to party with but never saw ANY of the sites popular with visitors.

Now that I'm a grown up I try to mix it up a little and I'm not ashamed to admit I like the touristy spots.

jules4je7

Paskee -- we've stayed in the 7th during our two visits to Paris. It's a lovely neighborhood, just a few blocks from the Eiffel Tower, and a nice centrally located place that will allow you to start each day in the heart of the city.

We enjoyed La Varangue, "Philippe's Place" at 27 rue Augereau, just a block in from rue de la Bourdonnais and Rue Granelle.

Here's the review I wrote. It's casual, friendly, very affordable, and you can eat earlier than most Paris restaurants.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2

Also, Rue Cler is a wonderful place to walk along and do some shopping. There is an awesome chocolate shop on the north end of the street, a wonderful bakery, and some decent restaurants, although I would steer clear of the Cafe du Marche. It is the most unremarkable food that will give you a tummy ache that I've ever run into.

Have a great trip!

Jules

oakglen

There are a least a dozen well respected and reasonably priced restaurants within two or three blocks of your apartment. Most have been reported on here. For a complete list go to lesrestos.com and click on the L.T.M. metro. And disregard all the negative stuff about the 7th; you are staying in a beautifull part of Paris.

AnthonyGA

Most of the people who head specifically for the 7th are doing so because Rick Steves told them to. After all, that's where the magic kingdom of the rue Cler awaits.

And the 7th isn't particularly close to any major sight except the Eiffel Tower. Not that you have to be close to anything, anyway, since the Métro will take you anywhere in a few minutes.

StCirq

Oh give it a rest, Anthony. Some of us have been staying in the 7th since long before Rick Steves even set foot in France.

Laidback

I have stayed all over Paris for about 2 months a year since 1994 and agree with the idea to not get too hung up on a certain neighborhood as the transportation is great and you can walk to most of the central arrondissements from the others. That said I have sort of gravitated to the 7th for a few personal reasons; there are more restaurants rated Bib Gourmand(good rapport of price/quality) in Michelin than in the preceding 6 combined; there are some of my favorite "re-visits" among the wealth of Paris museums, such as the Musee d' Orsay and the Rodin, not to mention the several contained within the Invalides complex, and we rent an apt. which allows us to stock up at one of the best quality street markets in Paris which is on Thurs. and Sat. mornings on Ave. Saxe. Lastly, it is quiet at night for sleeping after spending days in the fun/frenzy of the Latin Quarter, Marais, etc.

Travelnut

"..And the 7th isn't particularly close to any major sight except the Eiffel Tower..."
However did we manage to go from Invalides to Musee Rodin to d'Orsay to Blvd St Germain at a stretch then..?
Also would like to mention that we finally stayed in the 7th, <i>after</i> having stayed in the 12th, 15th two times, and 17th two times...

I will agree that the 7th is generally quiet in the evenings, with only pockets of night activity, ie. corner cafes around Ecole Militaire... but not a bad thing if sleeping with open windows is something you like or need to do..