In my first trip to Europe, I spent 7 days in London and two days in Paris on Rue Cler. I loved it so much that in the next year, I spent 7 days in Paris and two days in London. I love Rue Cler -- it seems so quintessential French to me. As I sat outside Cafe du Marche one day, a meat delivery truck pulled up and a man carrying what looked like a steer's hindquarter walked past to deliver to the butcher shop. You don't see such sights anywhere else. And yes, I checked into a hotel on Rue Cler at Rick Steves' recommendation and was not disappointed.

Of course you see sights like that elsewhere, all you have to do is be around a good butcher or meat-packing district, or covered market.

yes, but those other places don't seem to have the ambiance that Rue Cler has.

OK, travelnut, indeed the main shops on rue Cler do close on Sundays. the Franprix stays open until about 2PM. BUT on a weekday, they don't close at noon. Indeed, that may be when you go buy the meat for your sandwich.
And we saw the same "delivery" to the meat market while having breakfast at the Cafe. Also at the Cafe were a bunch of young mothers with their children in strollers, pulled up for a cafe at one of the outdoor tables.

Does Steves actually <i>recommend</i> Rue Cler anywhere? I have his France DVD, in which he explores it as a representative Paris market street - but he doesn't say anybody should go there.

I think some posters' politics are slopping over into their travel sense.

Having stayed near Rue Cler, I did enjoy it - at 7:30/8:00 in the morning. The shops are getting ready for the day, few if any tourists are out, it smells good from the produce, and kids are running around on their way to school. I regularly left the apartment for breakfast and really enjoyed by walk down this otherwise crowded street.

These rue Cler debates crack me up, especially from a thread started 5 years ago.

Its hard to keep a good discussion down.

&quot;As I sat outside Cafe du Marche one day, a meat delivery truck pulled up and a man carrying what looked like a steer's hindquarter walked past to deliver to the butcher shop.&quot;
MKE - that scene was staged for a RS Travel Show. You'll see it next fall when they do the next PBS phone drive.

Don't be mean... we saw a butcher truck over by Pere Lachaise with all the 'boeuf' hanging up inside. RS nowhere in sight.

Rue Cler update

we saw a butcher truck over by Pere Lachaise with all the 'boeuf' hanging up inside.

Are you sure it was Boeuf?