Although not as touristy as other areas, Paris 11th arrondissement played a major role in the history of Paris and France. This area saw plenty of action during the Revolution and the workers revolts during the 19th century. The arrondissement used to be mainly inhabited by the working class, but it has now become a trendy district, due to the recent concentration of bars and nightclubs and great social diversity.
The district is divided into four areas:
- Quartier de la Folie-Méricourt (extreme North)
- Quartier Saint-Ambroise (North)
- Quartier de la Roquette (South)
- Quartier Sainte-Marguerite (extreme South)
Famous places
In addition to the great amount of bars, restaurants and nightclubs, the eleventh arrondissement has numerous places to explore and visit. There are parks and squares a plenty such as square Jules-Verne, square Saint-Ambroise or thesquare de la Roquette. The beautiful jardin de la cité Prost is also well worth a visit, as well as two walkways, the Allée Verte and the promenade Richard-Lenoir, on the canal Saint Martin, housing the Marché Richard-Lenoir. If you’re looking for vestiges of the French Revolution, there are three important sites you can’t leave the capital without seeing: the place de la Nation, the place de la République, and the Place de la Bastille. The latter is particularly famous, as it is where the Bastille prison stood until the Storming of the Bastille. Don’t expect to see the prison; there is not a trace of it left.
For those interested in architecture, several religious buildings are also worth a look:
- The Église Saint-Ambroise, with its eclectic style
- Église Notre-Dame-du-Perpétuel-Secours, in neogothic style
- Église Saint-Joseph, also neogothic
- Continuing with the architecture and culture theme, the Opéra de la Bastille (Bastille Opera), is definitely worth a visit. It is a contemporary, architecturally striking opera house located in the Place de la Bastille at the junction of the 11th and 12th arrondissement. It is the principal performance space of the Opéra National de Paris. The opera house has 2,723 seats and features a modern aesthetic with clean lines, steel and glass.
The district only offers three cinemas (Le Bastille, Majestic Bastille, and MK2 Bastille), however there are several theatres: À la Folie Théâtre, Aktéon and - L’Auguste Théâtre to name but a few. In addition, the 11th district has numerous cafés with live music and music halls, the ideal solution if you are not a fan of drama and opera. A few of the most popular ones are:
- Le Bataclan, a real Institution for the French, where many famous comedians, singers and bands have played.
- Le Cirque d’hiver, a prominent venue for circuses, exhibitions of dressage, music concerts, and other events, including exhibitions of Turkish wrestling and even fashion shows.
- Le Nouveau Casino
- Le Café de la Danse
- La Scène Bastille
- Le Zèbre de Belleville
- Espace Christan Dente
- Le Réservoir
- Le Pop in
The 11th arrondissement is very busy in the evenings. Head to place de la Bastille, rue Oberkampf or rue de Lappe if you truly want to discover what Parisian nightlife is all about.
Cafés & Restaurants
- Gemi’s, 9, rue Crussol. This restaurant only serves cheese and wine in a trendy setting. The menu is very comprehensive, and the staff will help you discover two of France’s most important specialities.
- Clown Bar, 114 rue Amelot. The food served in this absolutely beautiful room is classic French. The decor itself is reminiscent of the circus, which makes sense since it is just two doors north of the building which has traditionally housed circuses passing through during the winter.
- Le bar à Soupes. A large selection of different soups (including some vegetarian options), a few new ones each day, served with your choice of an equally wide selection of breads and cheeses.
- Grenier, 152 rue Oberkampf. An excellent but tiny dive bar with live bands upstairs in the hall some nights, but usually downstairs in the front window. This is a great place to hear Django Reinhartd-style jazz guitar playing (Jazz Manouche).
Property price per sqm in the 11th arrondissement
According to the website Notaires de France, the average price per square meter was €8,370 for the third quarter of 2011. It is currently the fourteenth most expensive district of Paris, after the 17th arrondissement.
Population
There were 152 672 inhabitants in the district in 2008.
Useful information
Tourism office in Paris:
www.francetourism.com
Maps of Paris:
www.ign.fr
www.viamichelin.com
Travel from the UK
By air: Easyjet flies from Belfast, Liverpool Newcastle and London Luton to Paris.
Ryanair flies from Shannon, Dublin and Glasgow to Paris.
By rail: Eurostar go from London to Paris in just 2h35.
By car: You can travel by car to Paris by taking the ferries which go from Dover to Calais and then you can take the Motorway to Paris.
You can also cross the channel with the Eurostar and stop at Calais. Then you will travel on the motorway directly to Paris.
Our team of sale advisers at Sextant Properties will be happy to help you to find a property in Paris. We have a large network of partners in Paris. All of them are registered French real estate agents and speak both French and English. Whatever kind of property you are looking for: farmhouse, longere, barn, gite, B&B, country house, mill, castle or chateau, we will do our best to find a property in Paris matching your requirements.