The 20th arrondissement of Paris lies to the east of the centre and represents an old working-class area now in rapid transformation. The main drawing card here for tourists is the Père-Lachaise Cemetery, though, if you are interested in music and culture, this area is probably going to be top of your list .
The district is divided into four areas:
- Quartier de Belleville (North West)
- Quartier Saint-Fargeau (North East)
- Quartier du Père-Lachaise (West)
- Quartier de Charonne (South)
Famous places
Relatively far from the city centre, the district remains touristy thanks to its famous cemetery, the Cimetière du Père-Lachaise. Probably the most visited graveyard in any Western city, the vast cemetery features literally thousands of often elaborately-decorated graves separated by narrow lanes and avenues. The roll-call of famous burials includes: Chopin, Champollion, Sarah Bernhardt, Edith Piaf, Oscar Wilde, Delacroix, Bizet, Proust, Balzac, Colette, Molière and Jim Morrison of The Doors. Located a few streets from there, the Pavillon Carré de Baudouin offers facilities dedicated to art and culture: an auditorium, exhibition rooms, offices for associations and organizations, etc, as well as a very nice garden open to the public, one of the ten green spaces of the arrondissement.
You will also find three theatres, a cinema, and two « café-concerts », i where you can watch shows and concerts with food and drink served. La Bellevilloise is one of these café-concerts, and has a great reputation, offering numerous concerts in its café-restaurant all year round, including Sundays.
Restaurants and cafes
- Aux Becs Fins, 44 boulevard de Menilmontant. Good, serious food for those that are looking for a meal with substance. With dishes like stuffed cabbage and calf’s head, they guarantee that you will leave full to the brim, but satisfied.
- Le Melting Pot, 3 Rue de Lagny. A lovely restaurant and cocktail bar with a cosy decoration- think wooden tables and comfortable black poufs. The dishes show great creativity, and with so much variety you’ll find it hard to chose!
- Mama Shelter, 109, rue de Bagnolet. This unusual hotel with attached restaurant is very much original, modern and glamorous. It represents some of Philippe Stark’s best work to date. There’s something here for everyone, especially those with an acquired taste. And the moelleux au carambar cake has definitely made a name for itself! Other winning aspects include a fantastic wine list, delicious pizzas and Sunday brunch.
- Flèche d’Or, 102 bis rue de Bagnolet. An old train station which has been transformed into a hip, popular night club.
Property price per sqm in the 20th arrondissement of Paris
According to the website Notaires de France, the average price per square meter was €7,170 for the third quarter of 2011. It is currently the second least expensive district of Paris, after the 19th arrondissement.
Population
There were 195,083 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.