Marie-Anne’s comfortable, peaceful flat in the 11th is situated where only a brief metro or bike trip rolls you easily to the center of Paris. But more importantly, it’s set in its own rich neighborhood, largely tourist-free and itself a lovely place to visit. There are plenty of well-staffed, -chef’d and -rated spots for inspired food and drink — often within a 2-to-10-minute walk from this easily accessed and very pleasant refuge of a flat.
Take easy walks down rues Charonne and Faidherbe — or minutes up Marie-Anne’s street to the Voltaire area (go left out the building door) — to a range of excellent cafes, shops, produce and other markets, traiteurs, trendy coffee brewers — and plenty of happening evening life on sidewalks nearby. (La Liberté off the end of Faidherbe being a tiny locals’ fave in the last category.) If you strolled 15 minutes or so all the way to the end of Charonne, you’re already very close to the bustling Bastille area.
Meanwhile the possibilities for some of the best scenic jaunts out in all Parisian directions are a breeze, thanks to all the metro lines converging nearby, including those to/from major train stations or RERs to the airports. One nearby gem not all are aware of is the romantic rowing lake out at the end of nearby metro line 8 (Port Dorée), which exits into Paris’s Parc Zoologique. That rowboat setting is part of the reason these two AirBnB-ers are engaged today and still coming to visit all these charmed locales as often as we can.
The flat is a great value, with a spacious 1-bedroom roominess, suitable livingroom/kitchen area. It’s all nicely daylit but fully shade-able when you need it; handy amenities, very comfortable shower, bed and bedroom. The latter is as always, set on the courtyard side for maximum quiet rest after a day roaming the stone city. We really enjoyed a fully satisfying stay.