Hello,
Does anyone have much experience in the Ile de la Jatte / Neuilly-sur-Seine /16th arrondissement?
I've found an airbnb there but it is 15 minutes to the nearest Metro and at least 10-12 minutes to the nearest Monoprix/Carrefour. I'm not really sure about the neighborhood at all, it seems so far out. I have another 43 hours to cancel, as the host has a strict cancellation policy.
Hi!
I know the area fairly well, worked nearby for a while. Île de la Jatte was made famous by Impressionist painters, but nowadays it is nothing special, and really not convenient for sightseeing in Paris as you correctly guessed. Also, there are few shops and restaurants out there.
If you're looking at other places in the area, the "mainland" of Neuilly is already much better, especially if you are close to metro line 1 (but not on metro line 1, it runs below a super busy 8-lane avenue). As for the 16th, if you don't go too far south, it is actually quite central to many sights.
Except for the 16th/17th, I am not familiar with the area but looking at a Paris and area map, these are three different places. Where exactly is the airbnb? The 16th, a big arrondissement, in places is far out but very nice and liked by many for its quiet vibe.. Neuilly-sur Seine is a suburb immediately to the west of the 16th/17th outside the peripherique and Ille de la Grande Jatte is at the western end of that suburb so we're dealing with a big area here. What in particular brings you to consider such a location? Fifteen minutes to the nearest metro will cost you a lot of time.
What in particular brings you to consider such a location? Fifteen minutes to the nearest metro will cost you a lot of time.
I know!! Which is why I'm trying to get some idea of what it is like, and Google Maps is not that much help at all. I found a place with a room off the northern side of the southern arm of Seine as it bends around Ile de la Grande Jatte, to rent for one week. I'm trying to justify the choice by saying, "Well, the 15 minute walk give me some exercise..." But is the neighborhood interesting? I can't even tell how far it would be to get something to eat (restaurant, deli, etc.). And I don't have a car!
Hi!
I know the area fairly well, worked nearby for a while. Île de la Jatte was made famous by Impressionist painters, but nowadays it is nothing special, and really not convenient for sightseeing in Paris as you correctly guessed. Also, there are few shops and restaurants out there.
If you're looking at other places in the area, the "mainland" of Neuilly is already much better, especially if you are close to metro line 1
I've got a degree in art history and so the notion of seeing the places many Impressionist painters painted is well familiar to me, even though, it has drastically changed since then. (Art Institute, Seurat, La Grande Jatte, Asnieres, etc.). In fact, there appear to be a lot of modern concrete buildings (hotels??). I'm not even sure what the "le bord de la Seine" (ou berges...) are like, whether they would be worth walking along. There is a busy two-way street that runs along it.
The island itself, you'd think would be covered with trees and wooded, but that's more like wishful thinking on my part. It's probably nothing like the other islands further down, Ile de la Cite, Ile St. Louis...
But it would be nice to be outside of the major tourist areas in the inner, central arrondissements (Marais, Montmartre, Montparnasse, 5th, 6th & 7th, etc.), all of which I've spent time in. I still like walking through the Tuileries, but the Latin Quarter is a bit much for me (now).
The island itself, you'd think would be covered with trees and wooded, but that's more like wishful thinking on my part. It's probably nothing like the other islands further down, Ile de la Cite, Ile St. Louis...
OK, so you're looking at a single place on the island.
The island has two small parks at each tip, and there are narrow walkways at the water's edge, but else, it's entirely built up with modern residential and office developments. An old house has been turned into a nice Italian restaurant, there's also a riverside French restaurant - I've been to both several years ago, cannot remember the food, but the memory is positive.
I guess you get the vibe: it's a great place to live and whoever owns the airbnb is lucky, but as a tourist, I'm really not sure it's a good fit!
hey denny
what exactly are you looking for, a room or entire place? what is your budget in euros and dates to be there? doesn't make any sense to stay so far out and the time it takes to get to metro and stores. are you planning to see attractions within paris "central", stay closer, be happier and enjoy.
aloha
The island has two small parks at each tip, and there are narrow walkways at the water's edge, but else, it's entirely built up with modern residential and office developments.
That's what I was worried about: the neighborhood within 1/2 - 1 mile radius being non-descript, or worse. The place actually is actually small and not really furnished the way I'd prefer it to be (I'm not fond of what I'd call Ikea-type contemporary). But the host says it is quiet and it's on the water, you can hear birds, etc.
The problem with airbnb is that it is difficult often to get a good idea of the pros and cons of a place, as a guest I find it difficult to do that because you've met the host, stayed at a place s/he may call home, and, perhaps most importantly, they can leave a negative review of you if you do. I've read some unpleasant rebuttals by hosts of guests, taking aim at them and taking them to task for various things.
Upscale residential suburb. I found it very sterile and without cafes and bakeries etc but that is just walking around not spending time living there. The 3 metro ends at the bridge at the tip of Jatte. It won't be convenient for sightseeing in Paris.
if you use google street view for Blvd. Georges Seurat and work across the island from there, you'll get an idea.
Thanks very very much. I've been kind of my wits end trying to assess the situation.
Looks doable except for the fact that it is 15 minutes from Pont de Neuilly metro stop. Google maps very helpful. Actually it's on the other side of the Seine and not on the island.
If you're on the other side of the island this gets tricky. You'd have to cross the Seine to get to the Pont de Neuilly metro. You're in Courbevoie but might be close to one of the La Defense metro stops. Are you in communication with the owner? You might want to ask questions. Using the trip planner on this site might help some. I find its use cumbersome. I know there are buses from La Defense but I have no information on them.
You're familiar with Paris so you know that there are many less hectic areas in Paris away from Tourist Central that are easily reachable by bus and metro and are on the water.
Sorry, I must not have been clear. I'd be on the south(-west) side of the southern branch of the Seine as it wraps around the island. So I wouldn't have to go across the Seine or go over a bridge to get to the Pont de Neuilly Metro stop. But it's still 15 minutes. The host indicated that there were restaurants, shops, etc. in the immediate vicinity, and at least one guest also stated that within a short distance there were places to eat, which is important, because though there may be a small refrigerator, it is not at all clear that I could use the kitchen to microwave something. There are times when I definitely don't want to go out (that's a lot if you have to eat out 3 times a day, 7 days in a row), and just want to buy some good cheese, fruit, and a nice bottle of wine. Eating out can be a pain. I was in a hotel last month in Montparnasse that expressly said that eating was not permitted in the room!
The reason we have stayed in apartments for 35 years of travel including before the internet made it easy is to be able to eat off the economy and not in restaurants. I'd never book a place in an inconvenient spot that didn't have a kitchen -- at least a couple of burners, a microwave, a coffee pot and hopefully a toaster.
