You cannot beat this location and the size of the apartment for a larger group. Also, it is on the first floor with a courtyard that is locked which made us feel very secure. Our kids would play ball in the courtyard. There is a butcher to your left and bakery to your right that are excellent. Le Voison is about 20 steps away and it is genuine French cuisine with outdoor seating. The Carrefour market is on the corner and has almost all you will need but the LIDL is to the left and on your right and only a few doors down and is very similar to ALDI. There is also a beautiful cemetery to the left of the property and past that an excellent children's park steps away. If you like Waterparks, Aquaboulevard is a 15 minute walk also to your left, a straight shot. It is the biggest and best Waterpark in Europe. When you step outside to your right you see the Eiffel tower. What a view! It is a 30 minute walk away. Once you learn the Metro, your travels in Paris will be unstoppable. We liked the 10 that you catch by walking right past the property and straight about 10 minutes to the Charles Michel intersection where there is a Jules Verne carousel straight out of a storybook, multiple delicious cafes...our favorite is on your right on the corner. You have a view if the Eiffel and they stay open until 2 am. Theres a McDonald's and if you walk past the McDonald's there's a huge shopping center with a Monoprix and everything you need. The best part about the house is that you will get a genuine French experience away from tourists. You will be eating and shopping with the locals. There is a market that happens almost every day and spans 4 blocks at least. They have fresh produce, fish, meats, breads, and souvenirs. It goes from 8 until noon. Set your alarm because with Charlotte's blackout curtains it is easy to sleep in. Across from Le Voison is a liquor and beer/wine cellar. He has a fantastic and rare selection and is very nice. However, there are many on the block. There is so much shopping and restaurants you literally could vacation and never leave your corner of Rue St. Charles. Plenty of pharmacies also. FYI if you need a doctor in Paris they do house visits and it is not expensive. Google the number. The washing machine is a dryer as well, which is rare to find in Paris. Wash is to the right, dry is to the left with 4 settings, cotton or soft. I recommend the 1 hour 45 minute dry session. Plenty of hot water and good water pressure in both bathrooms. The stove is small but usable, and one of the eye displays does not work. There is no AC but only 5 percent of homes in Paris have it. Use the fans she provides and open those huge windows. Take advantage of your private courtyard. The butcher next door has rotisserie chickens and potatoes every day that are delicious, and the bakery to the right has every French pastry you could want. Practice your French basics if you want because there is less English speakers. If you are walking towards the Eiffel tower in 2 blocks is the Gloriette Cafe. Turn right there and keep walking about 5 blocks. It takes you to the Bouchicat 8 line metro which will get you to most tourist attractions you are going to want to see. You can buy Metro tickets at each station so no need to get them sooner. 1.90 Euro. Theres a tobacco shop next to Carrefour market on the corner where you can buy a bus pass. However, the metro ticket you get is a combo that includes the bus. There is a bus stop right outside the door of the property. To us, the bus was a little harder to figure out and it does take longer than the Metro so we didn't use it as much. The 10 and 8 line are safe and only locals to the area use it for going to work or dinner so you won't need to be as worried for pick pockets. The 4 line is very busy as well as the 6 and I would keep your belongings close. The Eiffel tower, louvre, Versailles (which you can take the RER C and is a 10 minute walk to the property FYI), these are all areas I would be wary of Pickpockets. We had no issues but those areas are much more crowded with tourists. Our favorite parks are Jardin des plantes with a zoo, Jardin de Luxembourg that has toy sailboats the kids can sail, pony rides, and a marionette puppet theater daily. Its a 400 year old park. I recommend bringing a picnic and eating at any of those parks on a shady bench, or on the steps of the Panthenon or Sacre Couer, or along the River Seine. It is acceptable to have a bottle of wine with you and drink it in public so bring your own with cups and your favorite snacks and enjoy in a beautiful spot. You will be doing this with locals because tourists don't know this secret. Do not spend a lot of money on a boat tour of the River Siene. Theres a huge boat that picks up directly on the banks near the Eiffel tower and is about 10 Euro a piece. There are people around selling champagne, beer or wine for cash already chilled and the boat allows you to bring it on board. They have free audio guides also. You can sit up top but you have the bottom all to yourself with tables to enjoy your champagne or whatever you bring. People will wave to you from the banks and you will see people engaging in romance along the way.