Paris Seine apartments in the 15th Arrondissement

Transportation to the Seine District

From Charles de Gaulle (CDG) airport station:

• Take the RER B train to Saint-Michel Notre Dame station – these trains depart every 10-20 minutes from early morning to around midnight and have an approximate journey time of 35 minutes.  Once you arrive at Saint-Michel Notre Dame station, you then take a ten minute RER C train journey to Champ de Mars – Tour Eiffel station.  From here you can then take a two minute walk to the Bir-Hakeim metro station, where metro line 9 will connect you to many of the metro stations found within the Seine district.Total travel time up to 1 hour 15 minutes.

From Orly airport station:

• Take the fast service train to Antony station – these trains depart every 4-7 minutes from just before 6am to 11pm and have an approximate journey time of just 6 minutes.  Next take the RER B train to Denfert-Rochereau Station (an approximate journey time of 12 minutes).  From here you can then take the metro line 6 to Bir-Hakeim metro station (an approximate 11 minute journey) which grants access to many of the Seine district’s metro stations via metro line 9. Total travel time up to 50 minutes.

From Gare Du Nord train station:

• Take the 5 minute RER B train journey to Saint-Michel Notre Dame station, then the 11 minute REC C train journey to Champ de Mars – Tour Eiffel station.  A two minute walk will lead you to the Bir-Hakeim metro station, where metro line 9 will take you to several of the Seine district’s other metro stations. Total travel time up to 40 minutes.

More information relating to routes and timetables can be found at www.ratp.fr

Seine District tips for food

Should you wish to prepare your own meals within one of our self-catering apartments, the area boasts a superb selection of nearby food stores, which are listed below.  If you prefer to dine out, our additional list of popular restaurants located within easy reach of our Seine apartments will help you to sample some fabulous dishes.

Seine District tips for drinks

• Starbucks, 66 Avenue de la Motte-Picquet – the well-known coffee shop at the heart of the action
• Le Général Beuret, 9 Place du Général Beuret – a café-bar with a relaxing ambiance
• Celtic Corner Pub, 21 Rue Lakanal – a friendly little Irish pub
• Le Comptoir Rugby Bar, 13 Rue de Vouillé – lively sports bar dedicated to rugby
• Comptoir Moderne, 26 Rue de la Croix Nivert – a trendy bistro with a fabulous cocktail menu

15^th Arrondissement – Seine District

The 15th arrondissement is located on what is locally known as the Rive Gauche or left bank of the River Seine. It shares the Montparnasse district with the adjoining 6th and 4th arrondissement and remains the city’s most populated area. Some parts of the district are very close to the Eiffel Tower although it actually resides in the 7th district. The arrondissement is made up of four area or quarters known as quartier Saint-Lambert, quartier Necker, quartier Grenelle and quartier Javel.

15th Arrondissement – Seine Highlights

The district is home to one of the oldest stations in Paris, Gare Montparnasse. This busy transport hub serves the south-west of France as well as Spain and Portugal. It is particularly famous for being the site of a dramatic accident in 1895. A locomotive engine and first coach careered through the station’s buffers, smashed through a wall and emerged out of a first floor window falling 33 ft on to the street below and landing on its nose. Today the station is fairly unrecognisable with its most recent 1960s makeover. The area around the station however has kept its authentic Parisian charm and you are sure to enjoy exploring the many delightful laid back cafes and boutiques here.

The district is also the home of Europe’s largest exhibition complex, the Paris Expo, located at Porte the Versaille. Originally built in 1923 it has been developed, demolished, updated and extended over the years to meet the needs of the visiting business exhibitions and events that total more than 200 every year. This extremely busy complex attracts over 6 million visitors every year.

The 15th arrondissement maybe within view of the Eiffel Tower but it also has a huge edifice of its own certainly worth mentioning known as the Montparnasse Tower or Tour Montparnasse. It is located atop the Gare Montparnasse train station and measures 689 ft. It is currently the thirteenth tallest building in Europe and functions as an office block. The top floors hold a restaurant and viewing terrace open to the public. A visit here is much quicker and less crowded than the Eifel Tower and the view stretches some 25 miles. Unfortunately soon after construction its monolithic appearance was criticised as being out of place in Paris’ landscape. The result was that the building of skyscrapers has now been banned in the city. Indeed the building was recently voted the second ugliest building in the world by online voters in 2008. In 1995 a French urban climber called Alain ‘Spiderman’ Robert famously ascended the tower using only his bare hands and feet and no safety harnesses. He somehow scaled the exterior’s glass and steel façade surprisingly quickly, faltering only once and nearly falling in the process.

For an evening’s entertainment be sure to visit one of the local playhouses Theatre de la Gaite and Theatre du Montparnasse which are both housed in beautiful ornate Parisian buildings.

For an unusual but fascinating afternoon excursion why not visit the beautiful Montparnasse Cemetery where Jean-Paul Sartre and Charles Baudelaire are buried amongst others. It’s larger and more popular sister Père Lachaise Cemetery is located in the 20th arrondissement and boasts more than one million residents. Hundreds of thousands of visitors come here annually to see the equally incredible architecture and see the final resting places of Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison Marcel Marceau, Edith Piaf and Frédéric Chopin. If you have a keen interest in the history of Paris then both cemeteries are certainly worth a look.

Instead of climbing towers to see the city from above why not head to the Heliport de Paris and enjoy a 30 minute flight over the city? You will have an amazing view of the city’s most prestigious monuments and of course it will be a most unforgettable experience.

Many more must see sights, attractions and landmarks can be found within the 15^th arrondissement of Paris, which make it the perfect area to explore whilst staying in one of our Seine apartments.

Seine District Must Sees

• Gare Montparnasse – one of the oldest stations in Paris and a sight certainly not to be missed
• Paris Expo Centre – hosting over 200 exhibitions and events throughout the year
• Montparnasse Tower – an enormous tower which boasts stunning views from its top floor restaurant
• Theatre de la Gaite – offering a memorable evening within an iconic building
• Montparnasse Cemetery – showcasing a superb collection of magnificent funerary art

All of these must see sights and attractions are just waiting to be explored and are all perfectly positioned within easy reach of several of our Seine apartments.