palette

The apartment we rented two years back was right near rue Daguerre (14th Ar), a true neighborhood market street; we never saw or heard anyone other than ourselves who seemed to be "tourists." At that time, there were a bread and a pastry bakery, cheese, wine, pharmacy, crepe restaurant, butcher, etc. It was wonderful to walk through each morning and evening on the way to the metro.

maitaitom

Responding to some of the posts.

I like the Rue Cler early in the morning as a place to drink coffee and read the paper. I also like watching the fresh produce arriving and the people opening their shops. When my wife (who sleeps in a bit) gets down about 8 or so, we leave.

Bootman: I don't think people spend the entire day at the Rue Cler. That would be boring. Maybe they like the area for the same reason, I do; for an early coffee or a late afternoon crepe.

As for the seventh being boring, well if good restaurants and shops are boring, so be it. If I so desire, I can take the metro to all the "Hot Spots" each night and then return to my hotel and get a decent night's rest, instead of staying in an overly loud neightborhood. It doesn't take long from my metro stop to virtually anywhere I want to go in Paris, whether it's a nightclub, a great restaurant or the opera.

There are plenty of other good market areas in Paris, of course, but to rip the Rue Cler just because some feel it is "too touristy" doesn't make much sense to me. There are a number of wonderful places to stay in Paris (many very "touristy&quot, the Rue Cler is just one of them; nothing more, nothing less.

dumas1870

RE: Ursula - Marche on Rue Aligre near the Viaduc des Arts.


Thanks for the suggestion. I did a little research and decided to include it on the next trip.

Christina

I don't really like rue Cler that well itself, although the area is convenient enough to stay in. I don't find rue Cler that attractive nor with as good stores and places to eat as other places. I prefer the rue de l'Assomption in the 16th to rue Cler, actually, and much prefer rue Mouffetard. I think rue Cler is much more touristy than rue Mouffetard myself. The market on Quinet is on Saturdays for one day, but it's not exactly the same type of thing --- rue Cler, Assomption, Mouffetard and Buci etc are permanent market streets. The market on bd Edgar Quinet is a roving market so more limited in some ways. There is one at Place Monge on Sundays (and Wed and Friday) that is very good, also.

There are roving markets all over Paris several days a week, but I don't think of them as anything I'd plan around as most of the stuff is fresh produce. It kind of depends why you want to go to these markets as to what might be best, I think. If you are shopping for food to cook, most of them will do. If you want more shops, places to eat, and even clothing, etc, Assomption is a good one.

Kay

The Big Deal about rue Cler for me is that its a nice area to come back to at the end of the day. I don't think its touristy at all. I spent the month of May in an apartment on rue Cler and saw more locals doing their daily shopping there, than tourists. To me, its like a little village with a bit of everything. Obviously a visitor to Paris is not going to spend every day there but to me it felt like "home" ; always nice to return to it after a day of visiting other parts of Paris. I wouldn't stay anywhere else. Kay

Rich

I lived in a flat one street over from rue Cler ( rue Amilie ) for a few years in the late 70's, long before Rick Steves & Co. "discovered" it. It was a nice, comfortable area to live, and very afforadable for a couple with little money to spend on extras.

Years later, when I saw the Rick Steves segment that "revealed" it, I assumed it would be ruined. A few years ago, we stopped by the area to see if we could find the old flat (now a Hotel) and walked around the corner to Cler. . to my suprise, it had not changed as much as I feared it would. A few more shops, vs kiosks, maybe a few more non-residents, but for the most part, much like I remembered it in the 70's.

Sometimes it is nice when things don't change so much!

Rich

jacksonjr

The Rue Cler is a very small part of the Rue Cler neighborhood. The appeal of the area to me is its residential feel.My first stay in the 7th was right on Rue Cler. It was magical as a first time visiter to be right in the middle of the market action. On subsequent visits we stayed in the Rue Cler area and have enjoyed it immensely.The restaurants and shops in the surrounding neighborhoods are well worth exploring.I have stayed in other areas of Paris and found markets comparable to Rue Cler. I still return to the 7th. It must be my nesting instincts that keep me coming back. I just consider Rue Cler my neighborhood market. The guide book sent me there originally, but the warm friendly environment in the 7th keeps me coming back.


sequent

capo

Rue Cler is special not because it's the only market street in Paris (because it's not), or the most centrally-located street market in Paris, or the most colorful street market in Paris.

However it is special in the sense that it's one of the relatively few market streets in Paris. And, for those people who like to stay close to famous Parisian landmarks, I believe it's the street market which is closest to the Eiffel Tower.

DougP

We stayed in Paris last June near the Marche Aligre and I went there each morning to pick up breakfast for my family. It's a little market, with second hand clothes stalls and fresh produce. There is also a small cafe where the vendors congregate. It's cheaper and more utilitarian than other more famous cafes. This is not an upscale facility, but it was fun.

DeborahAnn

Great comments to read about the markets, I was in Paris two weeks ago and wandered down Mouffetard looking for the market, I had visited it two years earlier and thought it was a gem and this time I wanted to experience it with my husband, I NEVER FOUND IT!!! where did I go wrong, I expected to see some activity by 8:30 am but there wasn't a vendor in sight on this Friday morning, I thought it began at 8am Tuesday through Sunday Was I there too early? Next time I will look for a different market I guess. Deborah