Montparnasse - Yea or Nay?

I've never stayed there, but have gone over for restaurants. The area seems ok, somewhat workaday, and of course you will be familiar with the maze and very long walks of the Métro stations and the various parts of the train station.

While many of the Métro corridors and stairwells in Paris have a certain bouquet I was particularly taken by the even more fragrant aromas at Montparnasse.

I'd be interested to know if I was particularly lucky (un) or if others have noticed too...

We stay near there 75% of the time. Which side, the 14th, 15th, 5th? Part leads right to the St. Sulpice area, Le Bon Marché, and more. Another to the Boulevard de Montparnasse and the famous brasseries. Another goes to the Gaité neighborhood with its restaurants and nightlife, and finally to the residential areas. Where exactly? It's a big area full of different things. As for the metro, you learn where to enter and exit depending on which line you want, just like at Châtelet, Étoile or République.

I believe that Bets means the 6th arrondissement which is just north of Montparnasse, not the 5th.

You are in a great area with easy connections to anywhere. I should not worry about the location.

I like to stay in Montparnasse. It has a great street market, a neighborhood feel, and many transportation connections. Check out this guide to the area. I've always felt safe in the area.

Definite yay. Love the Alésia/Pernety area.

On our canceled RS tour last year, the arrival hotel was in the Montparnasse area of Paris, so it must be a good area or RS would not put his guests there.

I stayed in an Airbnb right on the border between the 6th and 14th in 2019. The area had a lot of cafes and restaurants within easy walking distance and the Luxembourg Gardens were a short walk away. There were not many "tourist" sights nearby (although the Montparnasse Cemetery was pleasant surprise) but I found jumping on the metro not to be too much of a hassle. I did a Google Streetview walk in the area I was staying and this alleviated some of my concerns.

Well Tammy, that hotel, if it's the same one Pam was in on one of her tours, was on a street with a few sex shops and shows. But there are also some good restaurants, French and ethnic. It's not rue Cler but it has its charm. The hotel was modern and part of a chain; it looked very nice to me, but I see how some women traveling alone could dislike the street.

Lol Bets! We had an Airbnb apartment in Prague that I knew had a police station on the street. What we discovered was that there were also a couple of places offering “adult entertainment” there as well.

Thanks to everyone who has weighed in.

I stayed at the Hotel de la Paix Montparnasse (now the Hotel Leopold, I think) several years ago. It was right on Blvd. Raspail in the 6th. “Workaday” is a good description from a post above. I could walk to the Gare Montparnasse, and that was my primary reason for selecting it that trip (was heading south on the TGV), and it’s convenient to restaurants, cafes, the market, and Luxembourg Gardens. Now that I’ve spent time in other areas, it would not be my first choice, but I thought it was perfectly okay.

We spent a couple of weeks cat sitting in a friend's apartment near the Edgar Quinet metro so east of Montparnasse Rail station. We loved the area. It is less touristy than much of Paris but very convenient for transport and we could easily walk to the river and the features of the 6th and 5th from there. We often would take the train into the center and then walk back through the Luxembourg Gardens which are so beautiful. We also like to hang out and read by the Medici Fountain in the gardens.

Blvd Montparnasse has the famous brasserie like Le Dome and Rotonde and Rue Montparnasse which runs off the little square near Edgar Quinet has several excellent Creperie including the well known Jocelyn. Great places for an inexpensive but excellent meal. There are many cafes and restaurants and for apartment living, many bakeries, butcher shops and of course the huge grocery store in the large Monoprix across from the rail station. There is a huge weekly market a couple of times a week on Edgar Quinet -- one of the better street markets. The Vanves weekly fleamarket is also my favorite market of that type in Paris; it is smaller and more manageable than St. Ouen, but IMHO more likely to lead to interesting finds. The Montparnasse Cemetery is very interesting.

There are many metro stops in the area and several converge at the Montparnasse rail station so it is very easy to quickly get anywhere you want to go in Paris.

I think it is one of the best areas for someone who doesn't want to be in the heart of tourist hell but wants to be very convenient to everything.

NOte that Montparnasse is a huge area and landlords often gild the lily with their location descriptors so you need to know the actual location or close to it to judge where you will be.

“I think it is one of the best areas for someone who doesn't want to be in the heart of tourist hell but wants to be very convenient to everything”

Yes, though I’m not exactly looking to escape the heart of “tourist hell” I’m not so concerned about being in the middle of everything. As long as public transportation and the area is good I’m fine with it. I think I’ll reach out to the Airbnb host and ask if she will provide me with the address.

Thanks everyone.

The address is 10 rue du docteur Roux 75015 Paris. I would love to hear from anyone who can advise me about that location. Thanks.

This area is very residential and completely different from the other side of Montparntasse around Gaité or Edgar Quinet. The highlight of this area is the Restaurant Pilgrim, which is fabulous, if not one of the best restaurants in the 15th.

Otherwise, there is not a lot of nearby commerce. It will be very quiet.

Tocard said it all. Quiet residential. Do a street view and you'll see what he means.

It is a quiet area but it is an easy walk to the commercial areas around Edgar Quinet -- maybe a kilometer or so. and it is about half a mile to the amazing modern church: notre dame de arc d'alliance which was built by the Bishop of Paris -- a Jew who converted to Catholicism but always considered himself a Jew -- it embraces Mary as the arc that brought Jesus into the world and David dancing before the Arc of the Covenant. There are snapshots here among other off the beaten track churches in Paris: https://janettravels.wordpress.com/2013/12/17/interesting-paris-churches-off-the-beaten-track/

It is also pretty close to the Vanves weekend market.

The location is ultimately fine and close enough to the metro to be convenient, however, it is not particularly "exciting". There are few shops and restaurants nearby (although you will find all essentials), and the architecture is a bit of a haphazard mix of styles - definitely not postcard Paris.
Next April is in a while, I am sure you can find somewhere a little bit more central and "happening". In that same general area, the 14th arrondissement side of Montparnasse (near Pernety, rue de la Gaité, or rue Daguerre) would already be a significant improvement in my opinion!

Thanks everyone. I’m not familiar with that area at all. I don’t mind residential, as long as it’s a decent area and safe. Some charm is a nice bonus. We aren’t interested in the typical tourist blockbuster sites, but we do want to have good access to public transportation. The apartment itself looks great, but I’ll keep looking. Actually, I could book it and cancel if I find something better. I’ll think about that. I have already made a reservation at a nice hotel on Île Saint-Louis, but we really do prefer apartments. I found an apartment there that I was ready to book, then noticed that smoking is allowed. That’s a no go for me.

Thanks to all for your advice. I wanted to give an update - I discovered that apartments that meet my criteria (location, registered, easy to cancel, washer, wifi and in my price range) were few and far between. I found a place in the 7th that looks great, is close to the river, RER C, metro and walkable to places available for a similar price to the apartment in Montparnasse, so I just booked it. While I don’t advise new visitors to Paris to stay in that area, we have stayed near there twice and are familiar with the neighborhood. This will be my 7th trip to Paris. One of my favorite restaurants, Cafe Constant, is around the corner. We plan to explore areas new to us, and Montparnasse is on the list. I’ll continue to look for new options and see if anything interesting pops up. Thanks again.

That's a great call, that part of the 7th is far more charming and has better restaurants, shops, etc. than the part of the 15th you were considering. Trade-off is worse transportation, but given that it is more central, it is also more walkable to some key attractions and can be offset by the odd taxi/uber.

Thanks Balso. We have stayed very close to this apartment and managed to get around by walking, metro & RER. Maybe we can even take advantage of buses on this trip. I was disappointed to cancel the hotel we booked, but the apartment saves $200 and is more practical for us. A bonus is the view of the upper portion of the Eiffel Tower.