Willi's Wine Bar

          This is our absolutely favorite place.  Part of the reason is Willi’s poster art – many of which we have framed in our apartment.  The staff has always been nice to us too.  Cost of a meal, including a bottle of wine, for 2 is roughly 90 euros at lunchtime and maybe 110 euros for dinner.

          But stop there for a glass of wine in the afternoon.  Sit at the bar and the staff will help you select a white or red wine.  You might want to spring for a plate of cheese to pass the time.

          To get to Willi’s:  find the Palais Royale-Musee du Louvre Metro station opposite the Le Comeide Francaise on Rue Saint-Honore (one block north of Rue Rivoli); it is a very art deco sign which reads “Metro.”  Find the narrow passage way between Le Comedie Francaise and an outdoor café.  The passageway will lead you to some black-and-white modern art, then to a lovely tree-lined garden with a reflecting pool in the middle.  Walk through the park and exit at the opposite end.  You will exit onto a small street; continue walking in the same direction and you’ll see another small street that goes up a small hill.  In the distance you’ll see a sign for Le Grand Colbert – the restaurant featured in the movie Something’s Gotta Give with Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson.  But don’t go that far.  The cross street is Rue des Petits Champs.  Turn left and the blue door is #13 Rue des Petits Champs, that’s Willi’s Wine Bar.

          Sit at the bar.  Ask the staff to suggest a wine.  Maybe get some cheese.  Relax a bit. 

An Abundance of Choices of Places to Eat

           Not far from the Louvre is a great little square with an abundance of mealtime choices.  Place due Marche Saint-Honore has a bunch of really nice restaurants to choose from. 

          If you’ve been to the Louvre, you’ve taken the #1 train from George VI station.  Place de la Concorde is a stop before you get to the Louvre.  The next stop is Tuileries; then Palais Royale-Musee du Lourve. 

          Opposite the Tuileries Metro Station is a street the ends on Rue Rivioli – Rue du 29 Juillet.  Follow Rue du 29 Juillet one long block, cross Rue Saint-Honore (which is a great street to walk down; lots of interesting shops).  At the corner of Rue du 29 Juillet is a restaurant – Le Coupe d’ Or (the gold cup) which is okay and Baby Tuileries (fight to urge to buy baby clothes there).  Continue walking toward the glass building at the end of the street.  This is Place due March Saint-Honore.  Walk counter clockwise around the square:

·         Le Pain Quoliden has great open face sandwiches.

·         Charly Bun’s is a hamburger place – remember to eat with knife & fork

·         Rozowsiki’s is another hamburger place.

·         Cuisine et Confidences has great salads.

Nice Walk to a French Neighborhood -- Rue Cler

         Rue Cler is a special place for Jeanne and me.  We usually have a late lunch/early dinner on our first day at Rue Cler.  It is maybe a 15 minute walk from our apartment.

        From our apartment (facing out), turn left and walk down to Avenue Marceau.  Walk down the hill toward the Seine.  (At the bottom of the hill, note the location of the Alma-Marceau Metro station.)  As you cross the street to walk across the bridge (Pont Alma), note the gold flame.  This is a Word War I monument, but it has become a place to leave flowers and notes in memory of Princess Diana.  Her limo crashed at this location – see the traffic underpass below the street.

        Cross Pont Alma keeping to the right-hand side.  (Note the beautiful view of the Eiffel Tower.)  After crossing the bridge, cross the street and then make an immediate left to cross the street again; then a right on Ave Bosquet.  You’ll walk 3 long blocks along Ave Bosquet and reach Ave Sainte-Dominic – there’s a café on the corner and a drug store across the street.  Take a left on Ave Sainte-Dominic; one block later you are at the base of Rue Cler.  Turn right and walk along the street.  A block later you’ll see lots of shops, markets and restaurants.  Further along, note Café Central – one of our favorite places.  Good wine.  Good food.  Spaghetti if that’s your taste.  Jeanne has always enjoyed the fish.  They have Eggs Benedict which is the best Eggs Benedict I’ve ever tasted!  Be sure to order Pom Frites (don’t call them French fries) on the side.

Nice Walk to an English Pub/Eiffel Tower and Back

         One of the biggest challenges to newbie’s visiting Paris is finding a place to eat where you don’t have to stress out about the menu.  A nice 10 minute walk from our apartment will take you to Frog XVI at 110 Avenue Kleber.  It’s an English pub with traditional English pub food. 

        From our apartment (facing out), make a right and walk down to where avenue Pierre 1er de Serbie intersects with a big traffic circle with a statute of George Washington on a horse.  This is Place de Iena; note the location of the Metro station for future reference. 

        Walk around the traffic circle counter-clockwise.  The second street is Rue de Longchamp.  Walk up the hill until you reach Avenue Kleber.  (Far to the right you might be able to see the Arc de Triumph.)  Cross Avenue Kleber to the far side; turn left and proceed to No. 110.  Enjoy the pub.

        You can retrace your steps back to our apartment, or, if you are feeling ambitious, continue walking down Ave Kleber (away from Rue de Longchamp) and you will arrive at The Torcadero.  From there you can (1) proceed to the Eiffel Tower or (2) locate Ave President Wilson and walk (left) back to the George Washington statute and Ave Pierre 1er de Serbie or (3) take the Metro from the Toracdero station to the Iena station (by the George Washington statute).

        Have fun!

Notre Neighborhood

        Our neighborhood in the 16^th is really nice.  Most important things first:

Rue de Chaillot.  From the front door, turn left.

1.   G-20.  The G-20 is our supermarket.  Take another left at the end of the block on toRue Georges Bizet.  At the next corner is Rue de Chaillot.  Turn right at there is the G-20.  Household supplies like bottled water, garbage bags, and paper products are in the back left side of the store.  By the way, you bag your own groceries at the G-20.

2.   Laverie.  The Laundromat is down a few doors and across the street from the G-20 on Rue de Chaillot.  The trick to using the Laverie is to take laundry detergent with you (you’ll find it in the bathroom or under the kitchen sink); there are two laundry bags and a 2-wheel cart that I usually use to transport stuff back-and-forth.  There is a large white control panel on the wall near the front door. 

a.   Put your clothes into the washing machine;

b.   Use the knob on the machine to indicate whites and temperature;

c.   go to the control panel and punch in the number of the machine;

d.   the machine will prompt you for 4 euros to wash (it might be 6 but I think it is 4);

e.   enter coins or you can insert paper money;

f.    return to the machine and push the small silver start button

g.   when the washer is done, put close into one of the 4 dryers;

h.   enter the dryer number into the control panel

i.    put in one euro

j.    if the clothes are not dry when the machine stops, enter the machine number again and put in another euro.

The proprietor of the shoe repair shop adjacent to the Laverie will help you if you have any troubles.  He doesn’t speak English, but he has to help out French people, too.

3.   Neighborhood Bakery #1.  Don’t know the name of the bakery, but while your stuff washes, go to the bakery you passed on the way to the Laverie and get a croissant and a coffee.

4.   Tabac Marceau.  At the very end of Rue de Cahillot is a café which is very good.  Great omelets.  [Don’t buy cigars there, their humidor isn’t that great.]  This is a good place to start the day with a late breakfast or early lunch.

Pierre 1er de Serbie.  From the front door turn left:

5.   Prego.  This is a pizza place.  Cute little place.  Nobody speaks English, but it is no problem to look at the menu and figure out what you want.

6.   Bar.  A new bar/restaurant opened next to our building.  The wine is on the expensive side (per glass), but it is good for a night cap at the end of the evening.  We haven’t eaten there, but plan to next time.

7.   Tse-Yang.  The Chinese restaurant next to our building is supposed to be the best Chinese restaurant in Paris.  We’ve never been there.  I can only guess it is expensive.

Pierre 1er de Serbie.  From the front door turn right:

8.   Café.  The café at the end of the block is nice.  Reasonably priced.  They have English language menus if you want.  Good for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

9.   Bakery #2.  A hard right at the Café (on Rue Freycinet) is another bakery.  Nice baker.  We have a point and nod relationship.

10.       Valentin.  We like this place.  It is further down the street next to Le Post (the post office).  It is open for coffee and couissants (while they last) in the morning.  The lunch menu is really good.  The menu is not in English and no one speaks English, but the menu has burgers, pasta and salads.  They are open for wine in the evening, but close early and no dinner.  We like this place!

11.       Waknine.  Expensive.  This place does not seem to appreciate non-French customers.  We never plan to go back.

From CDG to Our Apartment

        Congratulations!  You’ve arrived in Paris – well the outskirts of Paris.  Your plane landed at Aeroport de Charles de Gaulle and you are only 31 km, about 30 minutes away from the heart of the city.

Important point:  Before deplaning, find out which terminal you will need to return to for your return flight home.  Signage throughout France is not good.  Signs will give you directions to Terminal 1, Terminal 2, etc., but you need to know which terminal your airline will fly from.  For instance, American arrives and departs from Terminal 2A.  Not even Paris cab drivers know where airlines are assigned and there are no signs on the highway leading to the airport identifying airlines by terminal. 

Airport to Paris by cab:  Collect your bags and head for the exit (“Sortie”).  Look for the signs for Taxis and find the queue.  Get in line.  The cab driver will assist you with the luggage.  Unless your French is as good as Jeanne’s, be sure to have your destination written on a card to hand the driver.  If you are  headed to our apartment, the address is 25, avenue Pierre 1er de Serbie, Paris, 75016.

In normal conditions, a cab ride is about 50 euros and takes about 40 minutes.  During rush hour, the cab ride can last an hour or more and cost 90 euros.  We’ve started taking the RER B train.

Airport to Paris by RER train:  There is a really good website at

http://parisbytrain.com/charles-de-gaulle-airport-cdg-to-paris-by-train/ which takes you through the process of getting from CDG to the city with pictures and everything.  Follow the signs to the RER.  The ticket machines sell tickets for either the SNFC or the RER – you will want the RER.  The RER machines are fairly easy to follow – select English and follow the instructions.  Each ticket will need a ticket (“billet”) for travel in Paris and Ille de France.  The machines accept paper euros and do not take American “credit cards” but they should accept bank debit cards with smart chips and pin numbers.  (It may be a good idea to have 10 euros (per person) in coins to purchase tickets – just in case.)

With tickets in hand – don’t throw them away, you’ll need them again.  Proceed to the train.  The conductor may ask to see the tickets and you will need to use them again! 

If you are headed to our apartment, you will take the RER B train to Chatelet-Les Halles.  When you arrive at the Chatlete-Les Halles train station, look for the Metro signs.  The Metro lines are designed by numbers – 1 through 14 – encased in a colored circle.  You are looking for the #1 line which is usually depicted in a yellow circle.

At some point in time, you will exit the Chatelet-Les Halles RER Station and enter the Chatelet Metro Station.  You need to run you billet (ticket) through the turnstile device.  (Remember, I said to keep it hany.)

As you walk through the Chatelet Metro Station, find #1 line in the direction of La Defense.  (The east end of the #1 line is Chateau de Vincennes; the western most station is La Defense.  When taking the Metro you need to know which direction you want to go.)

Exit the #1 Line at George V station.  When you get to street level you will be on the Champs Elysees; find the Louis Vuitton store.  The store abuts avenue George V. 

Walk down Avenue George V – stay on the same side of the street as Louis Vuitton.  When you pass the George V Hotel (4 Seasons), turn right.  This is avenue Pierre 1er de Serbie. The next street you should cross is Avenue Marceau (a wide street).  Walk another short block and cross Rue George Bizet.  Only ½ block to go.  Our apartment is No. 25; it has a sliding glass door at the entry.

Introduction to Notre Paris 16

This blog is intended for family and friends.  Think of it as our guide to our favorite city.  As the name suggests, this is about "our Paris" focusing outward from our apartment in the 16th.

Our first trip to Paris was in May 2001.  We hoped to explore everything about the city into seven days.  Nearly 12 years and 27 trips later we are still exploring Paris and do not ever expect to tire of it.

We hope you will enjoy the information herein.  Don't expect too much from this blog.  We cannot due justice to the magnificant, awe inspiring, quirkly place. 

If you are reading this, it is probably because you are planning a trip of your own.  Hope this blog contributes to a wonderful and exciting trip.  Mostly, we hope you discover votre Paris and love it as much as we do.

Jeanne & Mike Marget, January 2013