Paris Tips

Supermarkets

Supermarkets in Paris are modern and abundant in Paris, loaded with a mix of basic and gourmet products for you to explore. There are several major chains, including Monoprix, Franprix, Carrefour, G20 and Dia. Below is information about supermarkets located near the various apartments on the site. Many supermarkets now do not provide shopping bags, so you can either pay for one at the check-out, or bring your own from home. Don't forget: You'll need to bag your own groceries in the check-out line.

Near Caulaincourt: Right downstairs from the apartmentyou'll find a well-stocked Franprix open every day of the week! (Open Sunday until noonish.)

Near Constance: Just walk out the door to the right to rue Lepic and you'll see the G20 supermarket down the hill on your right and the neighborhood Huit à 8 just across the street on rue Lepic. And of course, rue Lepic itself offers fresh food galore. If you prefer Monoprix, keep walking down rue Lepic and you'll find it at Place Blanche.

Near Damrémont: The Franprix at the corner of Damrémont and Lamarck is your closest supermarket, which is just to the left outside the front door of the apartment building. To your right, you will find the small neighborhood Cocci Market, which is a bit more expensive, but open late and on days when Franprix is closed. There is also a new Carrefour Express that has opened on rue Damremont and is open everyday - including Sundays! - until around 10 p.m.

Near Douai Terrace: Around the corner on rue Vintimille, you'll find a small Franprix with all the basics. If you need a larger selection, just head to Place Blanche to the Monoprix. Remember, the food is located downstairs in this Monoprix. Of course, rue Lepic is just a 3-minute walk, so you can also shop at fresh, specialty stores as well.

Near Dunkerque: Just down rue Dunkerque (head left out the apartment door) you'll find the Franprix supermarket on the right, and a bit further down on the left you'll find the Dia supermarket. There is also a large Carrefour market on Boulevard de Clichy between metros Blanche and Anvers. 

Near Fontaine Classic and Fontaine Modern: Can't get much closer than the brand-new G20 supermarket, located between these two apartments on rue Fontaine. Or, head north to Place Blanche to the Monoprix. The Monoprix also offers good variety at Place Blanche (right near the metro Blanche.) Just remember the grocery store is downstairs, while clothing and household goods are upstairs. Monoprix is open until 10 p.m. and closed on Sunday.

Near Marcadet 1 & Marcadet 2: Head down the street to Franprix, about a two-minute walk away from the apartments on rue Marcadet. There is also a Monoprix around the corner on rue Vauvenargues and another Franprix at the corner of Lamarck and Damremont.

Near St. Lazare: Although Rue des Martyrs will offer you fresh food shopping options galore, the Carrefour supermarket is visible from the apartment living room window. The Carrefour is 3-stories: the ground floor on which you enter, one floor beneath and one floor above, and it does have an elevator in the back. There's also a Franprix open all day Sunday, just off rue des Martyrs on the right side as you start walking up the hill.

Near Steinkerque: The closest mini supermarkets aren't very large, but they are at least very close! If you walk out the door and to your left, on rue D'Orsel you have Dia to your left and Huit à 8 to your right. If you walk out the door and to your right and take a left at the base Sacre Coeur, there is a new Monop' (a mini-Monoprix) which has essentials and prepared food items. For more serious food shopping, visit the large Carrefour at 63 Boulevard de Rochechouart, about a 5-minute walk.

Specialty Supermarkets

Picard - What is Picard? It's a frozen food supermarket. Why would you want to eat frozen food on vacation? Because Picard is an unique culinary adventure and the choices are absolutely nothing like US frozen food! Their products are delicious and seasonal: tartes, appetizers, main courses, meats, desserts, sauces, herbs - you can even get escargot loaded up with garlic butter sauce in the shell; just heat it up. Some items, like their desserts, only need to be defrosted. Browse "Le Catalogue" and check out the selection: www.picard.fr. The closest location is just off rue Lepic, the shopping street that heads north from Place Blanche. Walk up rue Lepic and turn left on rue Cauchois: 1 rue Cauchois.

Naturalia - For those with special dietary needs or who seek a larger selection of organic food and health products, check out Naturalia. There is large Naturalia at 43 Boulevard de Clichy, just beyond the Monoproix at Place Blanche. There is another  smaller Naturalia at 41 rue Lepic in the 18th. http://www.naturalia.fr/

Bio c'bon - This is another option for those with special dietary needs or who seek a larger selection of organic food and health products. There is one just around the corner from the two rue Marcadet apartments at 226 rue Championnet, and another in the 9th arrondissement at 9 Place Pigalle. http://www.bio-c-bon.eu/

TIP: If Violin is out of your budget, try Cafe Constant just down the street at No. 139 - similarly great Christian Constant food but much more casual and less expensive. No reservations accepted.

La Locanda Di Pulcinella
Italian, great pizzas, casual and friendly, great for lunch
17 rue Damremont, 18th arrondissement
Tel: 01 42 23 09 48

Casa Palenque
Mexican, because sometimes you just need a good enchilada and a margarita
22 rue de l'Arrivee, 15th arrondissement
Tel: 01 43 38 12 27

Le Louchebem
Carnivores only, for serious meat lovers
31 rue Berger, 1st arrondissement
Tel: 01 42 33 12 99

Markets & Market Streets

Rue Lepic (18th) - Daily - Although this street was made famous by the movie "Amelie" and the café where the movie was shot (Café des 2 Moulins), it still offers plenty of good food and window shopping as you head up to rue des Abbesses. Several green grocers line the street as you head up the hill, along with a fromagerie, butchers, patisseries, two chocolate shops, a wine store, and a fish monger.

Rue des Martyrs (9th) - Daily - The New York Times calls it "a slice of village life," and rue des Martyrs certainly has all the Parisian atmosphere you could want along with tasty treats pulling you in every direction. You can find prepared food to-go as well: Italian, Greek, Corsican! Several cafes line the street in case you need a break.

Les Batignolles "BIO" Organic Market (17th) - Saturday Mornings - Along the median on Blvd. des Batignolles, just off Place de Clichy, you'll find stalls filled with delicious organic meats, cheeses, veggies, jams and honeys. Get there early to enjoy the atmosphere and find everything you'll need for a healthy meal.

Place d'Anvers Market (9th) - Friday Afternoons - A great traditional open-air market held on Friday afternoon around the park at Square d'Anvers, right by metro Anvers. Great ambiance and savory treats abound. Perfect for late-sleepers - it starts at 3:30!

Rue Ordoner Market (18th) - Wednesday & Saturday Mornings - A completely un-touristy, typically Parisian weekly neighborhood food market. Located on rue Ordoner between rue Montcalm and rue Championnet, guests staying at Marcadet 1 or Marcadet 2 should definitely wander through for fresh French food finds.

Barbès Rochechouart Market (18th) - Wednesday & Saturday Mornings - Just east of the Barbès Rochechouart metro stop on Boulevard de la Chapelle, you can adventure into the culinary heart of multi-cultural Paris and experience the intriguing smells and overwhelming variety of the cuisines of North Africa. Great produce prices - stock up! Be daring, discover new foods and spices, too. But be warned, the crowds are tremendous - watch your toes and feet for people rolling caddies filled with goodies in every direction! 

Wine

Many visitors come to Paris and to France to savor the amazing selection of wine available. For some travelers, wine can be an intimidating subject. The good news is you can purchase it at any supermarket, and this is a great way to start getting to know the types of wines available here in France without investing a lot of money. You'll probably come to agree with us that wine is actually a great bargain and doesn't have to be expensive to be enjoyable!

If you need help selecting wine, you can always stop by a neighborhood Nicolas wine shop. These stores are a chain and all the employees go through rigorous training and are normally more than happy to help you if you have questions. Normally, the store on rue Lepic has an employee who speaks some English. 

Another option is to go to a local independent wine store. These stores are smaller and offer excellent service - you can really feel their enthusiasm about wine! Here are two of our favorites:

Terroir & Nature (near Douai Terrace, Fontaine Modern & Fontaine Classic)
22 rue de Douai, 9th arrondissement

Les Grandes Caves (near Damremont, Marcadet 1 & 2)
63 rue Damremont, 18th arrondissement

But what if you want to learn about French wine IN ENGLISH? Have no fear! Local cooking school Cook'n With Class offers several wine classes taught by our friend, American wine expert Preston Mohr. There is an in-depth wine class, as well as a wine and cheese class. What's even better is these classes are offered to you at a 20% discount - just tell them Paula at Frenchy Rentals sent you.

And if it's champagne you love (like Paula!) then you might ask about their weekly champagne day tour led by Preston. The tour includes everything, from the visits to the champagne houses, to your train ticket and a multi-course lunch! Contact Preston at Cook'n With Class for more details: preston@cooknwithclass.com

Airport Transportation

Guests often ask the best way to get from the airport to the apartment. We give them one simple answer: a taxi.

Here are a few reasons to take a taxi directly to the apartment instead of public transportation:

• There is an official taxi line outside of each terminal, making it easy to get out of the airport as quickly as possible.
• Taking public transportation takes about twice as long as taking a taxi. Remember to consider the time it takes to get to the train station within the airport, purchasing your ticket, waiting for the train, and then making metro connections once you are actually in Paris. 
• Carrying anything more than hand luggage through the airport, turnstiles, up and down stairs is a huge pain and much more so when jet-lagged.
• A taxi will cost about 50-60 Euros from the airport to most of the Frenchy Rentals apartments, depending on the number of passengers in the taxi and the amount of traffic. Public transportation costs 10 Euros per person, so if you are traveling in a group, a taxi can be economical.  

How to take a taxi from the airport:

• After collecting your bags as passing through customs, follow the signs to the official taxi line just outside the arrival terminal.
• Do not accept rides from anyone soliciting you as you walk to the taxi line.
• Get in the offiical taxi line - there will be an airport employee at the front of the line to make sure travelers find the proper sized vehicle for their travel group and amount of luggage. The airport employee can also call a taxi from another part of the airport if a van or larger vehicle is needed.
• The amount you pay will be shown on the meter. The only additional charges added to the meter will be: 1 Euro per bag in the trunk (not always charged); 3 Euros for every passenger beyond the third passenger.  
   

It can make sense to take public transportation from the airport in these cases:

• If you are alone and on a budget.
• If you are not jet-lagged and have very light luggage.
• If you are familiar with the public transportation system and/or have taken this route into Paris before.

If you need a taxi to take you from the apartment to the airport on your way back:

• Call G7 Taxi's English reservation line the day before your departure and make a reservation. The phone number is: 01 41 27 66 99. Dial this number as printed from Paris to arrange for your taxi. They will give you a confirmation number. The reservation may cost 5 Euros if you need the taxi during the peak rush-hour period.
• This information is also in the Welcome Book in your Frenchy Rentals apartment. 
   

Public Transportation:  Using the Metro

The metro is a super speedy way to get around Paris. You'll learn how to use it quickly - it's a snap!

Closest Metro Lines: All of the Frenchy Rentals apartments within a short walk of metro stations on the No. 2 line (blue), the No. 12 line (green) and/or the No. 13 (light blue) metro lines. For example, the Constance apartment is near the Blanche metro stop (Line 2) and the Abbesses metro stop (Line 12). Once you know where you are headed, it's easy to pick the station that puts you on the most direct path to your destination.

You can view an overview of the entire metro system map here: www.ratp.fr
You can view maps of each line here:
Metro Line 2
Metro Line 12
Metro Line 13

Metro & Bus Tickets
You can buy a single ticket, an unlimited tourist pass (Paris Visite) or a carnet of 10 tickets. You can also attempt to buy the Navigo Decouverte - which is a weekly pass that runs only from Monday to Sunday. (It is less expensive than the Paris Visite pass, so they are sometimes reluctant to sell it to tourists.) Paris Visite passes are valid for 1, 3 and 5 day periods and include unlimited bus and metro use within Paris. The Navigo Decouverte pass offers unlimited bus and metro use for a weekly period (or a month as well), but it is valid only Monday through Sunday. This pass also is rechargable, so they charge you 5 Euros for the card itself, plus the weekly fee to charge it up. All tickets/passes work on the bus and metro.

Using the Metro
If you have a ticket, you will place it in the machine to get into the metro tunnels, and it will pop out the top of the machine. Reclaim your ticket, and even if it is a one-time use ticket, do not throw it away until after you have exited the metro at your destination. If it is a multi-use ticket (Paris Visite) then you need to keep it because it can be reused. If you have a Navigo pass, you'll swipe it over the purple swirl symbol as you pass through the turnstyle and it will make a "ding" sound once it's validated. The metro system is divided into lines, and you chose the direction in which you want to head by going in the direction of the last stop on the line.

Example of a Metro Ride
If you pick up the metro near the apartment at the stop St. George (12 line) and want to head north toward Montmartre to the metro stop Abbesses, you would take the 12 metro line two stops, in the direction of Porte de la Chapelle, which is the last stop on the line in the direction you are headed. If you wanted to go in the other direction, you would follow the signs that say Mairie d'Issy, which is the opposite end of the line toward the south of the city.

To Change Metro Lines
You will make a "correspondence" or connection to the line you need. For example, perhaps you want to go to the Napoleon's Tomb at Invalides. So, from the St. George stop you would take the 12 metro line toward Mairie d'Issy. Then get off the train at the stop St. Lazare, and make your "correspondence," taking the 13 metro line toward Chatillon-Montrouge, and exit the metro at the stop Invalides.

Public Transportation:   Using the Bus

Using the Bus: A lot of people are intimidated by the city buses and would rather  take the metro even if the trip would be quicker and easier - and certainly more scenic - by bus. The same ticket/pass you use for the metro is also used on the  bus. Just stick the ticket in the machine as soon as you get on, take your ticket back and ride. If you have a Navigo pass, you'll swipe it over the purple swirl symbol as you get on the bus and it will make a "ding" sound once it's validated. Press any of the red buttons on the poles inside the bus to alert the driver that you want to get off at the next stop.

Closest Bus Stops: The closest bus stops will depend which apartment you have rented, but generally you will have several bus lines running near your apartment. The 74, 68, 30, 67, 95 and 80 are all within a short walk. Additionally, the stop for the Montmartrobus shuttle bus is located right next to the 67 bus stop.

You can click on the bus number below to see the full bus route:

74 - Getting to sites in the ancient center of the city, including Notre Dame cathedral and the trendy Marais, couldn’t be any easier on the 74. Pick it up near the Moulin Rouge and take it to the very end to the steps of Hôtel de Ville and BHV department store. Just ride until the end of the line!

68 -  The 68 takes a southern route past the Opera Garnier and department stores Galleries Lafayette and Le Printemps. After passing by the Louvre, the bus will cross the river and on past the Musée d’Orsay. The 68 then cuts through the chic St.-Germain-des-Pres area.

67 - This scenic line heads south past the Louvre and Hotel de Ville into the center of the city and then cuts right through the ancient and picturesque Île de la Cité before continuing on into the 5th arrondissement.

Montmartrobus - This very small city bus is the only one that navigates the tiny streets of Montmartre. A very short route, but helpful to those who need help with steep streets but still want to explore Montmartre.

30 - This bus runs west past Parc Monceau before stopping at the edge of the Arc de Triomphe, continuing on to Trocadero and the Eiffel Tower at the end of the line! By taking the 30 bus in the opposite direction, major train connections are a breeze because the 30 bus takes you to Gare de l’Est and Gare du Nord.

95 - This fantastic bus runs every day of the week until after midnight, and takes you past the Opera Garnier, Galleries Lafayette, Louvre and on through St. Germain de Pres and the Montparnasse neighborhood. As an added bonus, the end of the 95 line at Porte de Vanves is a great flea market on the weekend.

80 - Headed to the Eiffel Tower? The 80 bus line crosses the river Seine at Pont De L’Alma and stops within a short walk to one of the world’s most popular attractions. Just a bit farther south of the sparkling Eiffel Tower, the 80 line runs next to the impressive Ecole Militaire. The 80 line, much like the 95, runs every day until a little after midnight.

For More Information

If you would like more information about the RATP public transportation system, routes, intineraries, maps, tickets, passes and prices, you can visit their site: www.ratp.fr - for English, click on the British flag in the upper right hand corner or click on this link: http://www.ratp.fr/en/ratp/c_5000/accueil/

The RATP provides much more content and information on the French site than on the English one, which is designed exclusively for tourists.  If you can't find what you need on the English version, go to the French home page instead.

The RATP also has free smartphone applications for iPhone, iPad, and Android devices.

Flea Markets

Our favorite flea market in Paris is the Puce de Vanves at Porte de Vanves for the best vibe and best bargains! Take Metro Line 13 or the 95 Bus to Porte de Vanves, and you are sure to find items you can afford and actually bring home in your suitcase! You'll find a good bit of junk here, in the best sense of the word. Kitchen stuff, old pictures, trinkets, small ceramic items, jewelry, records, wallets, clothing, stuff and things. Every weekend, try to arrive by 10 a.m. or so. Located at Avenues Georges Lafenestre and Marc Sangnier

If you want to visit the largest, most famous flea market in Paris, just take the Metro Line 4 to Porte de Clignancourt, and after a short walk you're there at the legendary Marche aux Puces de Saint-Ouen! It's huge and impressive. 

If you're interested in a personal flea market tours, contact our friend Gwen Evans, owner of Paris Found, who organizes small group tours of the flea markets of Paris. For more than a decade, Gwen has been scouring Paris for bargains and shopping secrets, and she is sure to help you find some new treasures to take home! 

Movie Theaters

For film lovers, you'll find a multi-screen movie theater called Pathé at Place de Clichy in the 18th offering the latest films, including some of the recent English-language releases from the US. They  typically offer an original version (look for the letters “VO”)  if you want to watch the film in English or a dubbed version in French (“VF”). Check out what's showing here:  www.pathe.com - chose “Paris 18 - Pathé Wepler”

If you're looking for a more intimate, art house movie experience, try Studio 28 on 10 rue Thozolé in the 18th - all their films are in the original version. Less expensive than the big theaters, and they even have a bar! 

Jogging

If you want to incorporate your workout into your vacation, joggers will be in heaven at the sprawling, beautiful Parc Monceau in the 8th arrondissement  - the perfect place for a walk or run. The light runner will find that the 1-kilometer track that circles the park is great for staying in shape while on the road. Parc Monceau also a wonderful  place to relax with family and friends! Benches line the park in all directions and green space in the middle and along the sides making the park a perfect place for a picnic. There is a also large kids play area, a snack bar, and pony rides in the summer season. The park is located in the 8th arrondissement on the 2 Metro line at Metro stop: Monceau.