Thursday, March 29, 2012

La Villa Paris and the 13th arrondissement

I am planning my first trip to Paris in April 2009 and will be staying at La Villa Paris in the 13th arrondissement.





Any suggestions about what to do/where to eat locally; how to get around the city from that area; what the area is generally like, etc etc??





Also, I would like to take a couple of day trips (Versailles, Giverny) and would like some advice on companies that offer those tours.





Thanks!




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The area of the lower 13eme, at the southern edge of Paris where La VILLA PARIS B%26amp;B--33 rue de la Fontaine a Mulard (nr: Place de Rungis) 75013, Metro: Maison Blanche-- http://www.la-villa-paris.com/index_en.html --is located is known as BUTTE aux CAILLES---it%26#39;s a quirky, overwhelming residential area...and a sort of working-class %26#39;..village..%26#39; unto itself, within Paris. If you%26#39;re lucky, you may still be able to find old Communist Party graffitti on some walls and the occasional Red flag waving. %26quot;..Butte..%26#39; refers to the slight hill that makes up this general area. It%26#39;s most definitely not a %26#39;tourist-centric%26#39; area of the city. Do a basic internet Search (using Google, Yahoo, etc) for any number of descriptive pieces on %26#39;..BUTTE aux CAILLES, Paris..%26#39;.





A bit to the west, across into the lower-14eme, along and around rue d%26#39;Alesia, there is a sort of %26#39;concentration%26#39; of depots-ventes (consignment shops) and Stock (manufacturer%26#39;s or store overage and discontinued items), there%26#39;s also the Le Marché aux Puces de la Porte de Vanves (flea market) on Saturdays and Sundays.





For getting around, your best bet will be the #7 Metro ligne from MAISOM BLANCHE.





For a day trip to Chateau de Versailles, take the RER %26#39;C-5%26#39; ligne train, from any of the %26#39;C%26#39; ligne stations along the Left Bank, to the end-of-the-ligne at VERSAILLES-Rive Gauche. For a day-trip out to Giverny, take an early morning SNCF/TER train from GARE SAINT LAZARRE to VERNON station, then regional shuttle bus from VERMON up to the gates of Monet%26#39;s Home and Gardens at Giverny.





For a LOT of VERY specific and VERY detailed directions, suggestions and information on either of these easy D-I-Y day-trips from Paris, use then as an %26#39;exercise%26#39; to learn how to use the %26#39;..SEARCH IN..%26#39; feature of the TA site (located below the Green line in the main PARIS FORUM topics page. Use %26quot;..How to get to Versailles..%26quot;, How to get to Giverny..%26#39; %26#39;..Daytrips from Paris..%26#39; as sample search criteria.




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Oooh- your hotel is near one of my favorite green spaces, Parc Montsouris. You%26#39;ve got to visit this park...and don%26#39;t miss the waterfall! This area is mostly quiet, although traffic will be rather heavy around the périphérique (ring road). No trouble finding local eats in this area - tourists are barely an afterthought!





Visit ViaMichelin for advice:



viamichelin.com/viamichelin/…Tourisme





1) Click the restaurant tab.



2) Enter the hotel%26#39;s address. %26quot;33, rue de la Fontaine a Mulard%26quot; | Postcode: 75013



3) Click Search.







In regards to seeing the town from here, I would take the tram from Poterne or Stade Charlety to Cité Universitaire (Direction: Pont du Garigliano). At that stop, the tram line connects with RER line B. You can take RER B into the city (go towards Denfert-Rocherau). For central Paris, take the RER B until St-Michel-Notre-Dame.





Visiting Versailles is also easy. Since Versailles is easily accessible by public transportation, I would recommend going on your own instead of with a tour, although you can request a tour of the palace itself.





chateauversailles.fr/en/…





Take the tram to its last stop, Pont du Garigliano. Transfer for RER C towards %26quot;Versailles-Rive Gauche.%26quot; Take it to the last stop. The palace is within walking distance. Be wary of trains that serve similarly named stops. Only board trains going to Versailles-Rive Gauche.





As for Giverny, the following thread may prove to be useful:





tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g187147-i14-k13873…





Also, poke around the Giverny Forum:



tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g187185-i2680-Give…





Hope that helps.




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Merci beaucoup KDKSail and france-maniac...your replies are very helpful!




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