We are celebrating our 30th anniversay in Paris! This is our first trip to Paris and we have booked an apartment at 86 Malesherbes for 8 nights in late May. Has anyone stayed at the apartment house or in the Parc Monseau area? We are hoping that the neighborhood is safe for after dark walks and metro.
Thanks,
Maude from Chicago
Apologies - the correct spelling of the location is Parc Monceau.
Thanks,
Maude from Chicago
Hi, Maude. That is a great neighborhood to live in (as I do). It's a bit quiet and off the tourist track, but there are convenient metros and buses easily at hand. The park is wonderful of course, and there is an excellent food shopping street, the rue de Lévis, nearby.
If by chance you have read The Hare with Amber Eyes, you will be happy to know that the Ephrussi house is a short walk from your apartment, at 81 rue de Monceau. And of course the Musée Nissim de Camondo is also in the neighborhood. Camondo was a major collector of art, whose collection is now mostly at the Orsay museum. And the history of the Camondo family is interesting and tragic. You must visit the house.
http://www.lesartsdecoratifs.fr/en/museums/musee-nissim-de-camondo/
http://www.amazon.com/The-Hare-Amber-Eyes-Inheritance/dp/0312569378
We have stayed on Blvd Malesherbes twice for two months each time. We loved the area. Not only do you have the lovely Parc Monceau at hand but also the exquisite Square Batignoles. There are many bakeries, groceries, restaurants and butchers in the area and it is quite untouristy. I don't think there is a single significant tourist site in the whole of the 17th. The Music school of the Sorbonne is right at the Malesherbes metro stop and there are occasional student recitals there. It is a nice residential area; we certainly felt safe at all hours but then I feel safe pretty much everywhere in Paris. There are pickpockets but there is almost no violent crime in Paris and of course pickpockets for the most part work in crowded central districts. It is a little more deserted on the streets at night then the center.
