Hello
We are going to visit Paris in mid of March and looking to stay in 11 arrondissement, flat via Airbnb.
It is on Rue Saint Maur and Rue de l'Orillion intersection with closest metro station being Concourt.
Any feedback on the area. I did google view and wasn't impressed. On other hand I was explained that this street is allowed for street artist and that it is not too bad.
Any advice is appreciated.
Thank you
From the Trip Savy website:
“The 11th arrondissement of Paris is an edgy, ethnically diverse area of the city that houses sights such as the Place de la Bastille and its majestic modern opera house. It's also a huge draw for students and fans of nightlife, offering a disproportionate number of the city's hippest bars and clubs.”
Hopefully some of our Parisian colleagues will chime in with their local insight as well.
Not knowing what would impress you, and wondering what "not too bad" means, I am interested in your chosing that area. I live just up the hill at the parc Belleville. Your Airbnb is in an excellent location. Metro 11 at Goncourt to the center, short walk to the canal Saint-Martin, spitting distance from the gorgeous Hopital St-Louis that was constructed as a plague hospital about the time the Place de Vosges was built. It's a trendy area with lots of restaurants and night life. Of course this all depends on what you're looking for. This is East Paris where stuff is happening. If you're looking for "charm" this isn't it nor is it Woody Allen's Paris.
I too am wondering what you mean by "not too bad." Rue Saint Maur has a number of bars on it but that is more concentrated further south from where you would be. I find it to be a lively street with good access to bars and restaurants in a very hip, urban area and a bit removed from the tourist trail and what my husband calls the "perfect, pretty Paris of many dreams." Really though our only concern about staying on that street would be street noise from bar patrons if you were further south. Would it be my first choice for my first trip to Paris? Probably not because I would want to be more central, especially if my stay was a pretty short one. But, you do not say if this is your first trip or how long you plan to stay or what you plan to do during your trip so all things being equal, I say why not stay over near Goncourt metro station.
and you will know that the listing must have the mandatory 13 digit registration number displayed or it is not legal and could be closed at any time
Thank you everybody for comments/opinions.
We are coming for first time with two kids ages 10 and 8. I chose this flat because of proximity to train stations, pictures and description of the flat and positive reviews. I received exact address only after booking.
With "not to bad" I mean that after asking host if this is safe area because of graffiti (where we live graffiti is unusual in more desirable areas), mattress being sold on street ? I was given answer that "it is just one street is very arty and gallery's and happening. It is the only street that the tagger artist are aloud to tagged the walls and it is very famous. Not the same thing...don't worry"
I know that is not very touristy area, but I guess I am not sure what to expect from different city.
We want to enjoy city, leave the place and go eat breakfast in local bakery, go to local market, take metro to the center and feel safe to come back at anytime.
Thank you
I really like that neighborhood. It's quite residential but with plenty of great cafes and canals. It's off the tourist track and is more the "real' Paris. I wouldn't hesitate to take an Airbnb there. Just make sure it's a legal rental! I wouldn't worry about the graffiti...it means something very different in Europe than it does in the US. It has nothing to do with gangs like it usually does here - it has nothing to do with safety. As for the mattress...Paris is a big city and you often see things left out on the street since everyone lives in apartments without cars and sometimes they don't take the time to dispose of things properly!
Thank you Anita. Any advise how to determine that rental is real? I originally booked another place that had registration number, but communication with host was strange. I cancelled and then I realized that same rental is being hosted by 3 different hosts with different reviews, all positive; all available dates were matching in all three listings. This rental doesn't have registration number but host seems very nice, great communicator and sounds real.
In Paris, we are allowed to put on the street for collection by the arrondissement garbage collectors, big items such as bath tubs, toilets, cabinets, furniture, mattresses etc., as long as we get a number from the maire's office and post it on the item/s to be collected. Depending on the arrondissement and the collection agency three items a week is pretty standard.
jolanta,
You can look for a registration number beginning with 75 in the listing, which will indicate that the rental is registered or claiming to be registered and thus a legal rental. If by "rental is real" you mean, that you worried that you will show up but the address will be a fake or something like that, I would encourage you to pay and make all communications through the AIrbnb or VRBO portal or whatever site you use to find the apartment. Every time I hear of people who got scammed with the apartment not existing or some such thing they went outside of the portal that they used to find the apartment to finalize the rental.
People have different risk thresholds. I would not rent an unregistered apartment for any group larger than two people because I would not want the hassle of finding accommodations at the last minute in Paris if my rental was shut down. Finding a room for two in Paris is not that difficult if one is flexible about area or budget. Finding two rooms in the same hotel or a quad is not always easy.
Where did you see a mattress being sold on the street?
If you do choose this apartment, be sure to check out Fromagerie Goncourt http://parisbymouth.com/fromagerie-goncourt/ on rue Abel Rabaud. It should be pretty close to the place. And do not worry about the graffiti. That was one of the toughest things for me to get used to because here in the US, graffiti pretty much means a problem.
Thank you all!! I greatly appreciate. Different country, different culture. I guess I wasn't ready for google map view. After explaining it sounds all good. We previously had bad experience then we booked less then desirable place in Ocean City. Bad place ruined all experience in that city, and I don't want it to happen in Paris. We are all so exited to visit this beautiful city.
If the previous property you looked at had the registration number then you know what it looks like on the web. No registration number means the property is illegal and can be shut down with no warning. If this new property has no registration number then you know which side of the law the owner plays on, and can decide for yourself how much you want to encourage that and how much you are OK with dealing with possible consequences.
