A Home away from Home in Auteuil

Vendredi, le 13 juin.

Thanks to AirBNB, I'm spending my first week in France not in a cheap hotel or sketchy hostel, but in a beautiful apartment in the 16th arrondissement. (Note: Paris, like many other French cities, is divided into 20 numbered "arrondissements" that divide the city in a spiral pattern. The Parisian neighborhoods that you hear so much about -- like Montmartre or Le Marais -- are often smaller, but usually follow the divisions of the arrondissements.)

The apartment is located on Rue de Rémusat, a tree-lined residential street across from the Pont Mirabeau, which crosses the Seine in the southwest corner of Paris. (A more precise location is marked on my Summer Research map, which you can find here.) I snapped these photos of the walk "home" the other day! The picture on the left is a block down the street. The picture on the right is the view, looking up from the entrance to the building.

The inside is just as beautiful as you would imagine: an old-fashioned Haussmann style building with parquet floors, crown molding, and big windows that open onto the street and an enclosed courtyard. My room has a bed, nightstand, and a place to keep my clothes ... all I could need for a short stay!

The family with whom I am staying has quite the real estate business: in addition to their two grown daughters, they constantly have between one and three guests staying in their fourth floor apartment! At the moment, however, I am the only guest. (I think. To be honest, I'm not really sure ... I keep to myself!) I have access to a kitchen and lovely bathroom and although the WiFi (pronounced "weefee" here) access is not great, I can't complain about the value.

My favorite part of the whole thing is the stairwell that leads from the entrance up to the apartment. The wrought iron banister couldn't be fancier and it feels like I've had a special red carpet rolled out just for me!

The apartment, which is in la seizième, is more specifically located in the neighborhood of Auteuil. Along with the surrounding neighborhoods of Neuilly and Passy, Auteuil is among the richest areas of Paris. As a result, it's highly residential: the metro station is packed with serious commuters, not excited tourists. It might not be a popular tourist destination, but it is a great place to stay: quiet, safe, and within reasonable distance of Paris' most important sights. Just the other night, I was able to walk to the Jardins de Trocadero to eat my dinner across from the Eiffel Tower! (See photos from that outing here.)

Scroll down for some more photos of this lovely Parisian neighborhood.

 

Are you coming to Paris and looking for a reasonably priced logement in this posh neighborhood? Click here to learn more about staying in my room or here to find another AirBNB rental in Auteuil.