Bastille (11th district or ‘arrondissement’) is the area bordering

the Marais ( the 4th) and the 12th district in central Paris,  and some say,

it is where the real Paris begins. If you are looking for a great location to base yourself in Paris , you can’t go past Bastille. Close enough to the

main tourist areas of the Marais and across the river  from the

Latin Quarter, and yet not inundated with hoards of tourists.  The area abounds with cafes, restaurants, wonderful bread and cake shops

and the famous Bastille Market. The Metro stop is on

 the main north-south  line 1, taking you to the Champs Elysees,

the Arc de Triumphe and also the Louvre.

The woods at Vincennes and La Defense are at either end of Line 1.

In the cosy inner courtyards of the Cour du Bel Air in Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Antoine (No. 56) a gallery of contemporary photography rubs shoulders with an old-established tapestry works.

It is  a lively area that offers a bit of everything. The sweeping tree lined Boulevard Richard Lenoir, with the Bastille market (see right) and children’s parks, joins Place de la Bastille  to  Place de  la République.

  Bastille and Rue du Faubourg St Antoine are a favourite for trendy cafés, restaurants and nightlife and also have a range of boutiques and galleries. The Oberkampf district to the north is another popular area for nightlife.

The population is predominantly a friendly 30 something becoming more family oriented in the east. There is a real community

spirit in most areas of the 11th and it is interspersed with

pleasant little squares and parks.

Take the scenic walk from Bastille Square across the Seine and through Ile St. Louis onto  Notre Dame. A beautiful walk which takes around 20 mins from Bastille Square.

A wander along Rue du Faubourg St. Antoine will take you towards Place d'Aligre,

the bustling market in Place d'Aligre, with its 19th century market hall, now protected as a

national monument, is very typical of the varied and colourful life of this quarter.

WONDERFUL BASTILLE      A GREAT PLACE TO STAY IN PARIS

Bastille has had quite a chequered past and was reborn with the opening of the Opéra Bastille on the

bicentennial of the Revolution, to emerge as a trendy area of cafes, bars, restaurants, boutiques and galleries, frequented by a mixture of young Parisians, expats and tourists.

Bastille Square  

Bastille Market  

In Rue de Lappe, once occupied by coal-merchants' establishments and bals-musette, are galleries of

abstract art, chic cafes and antique dealers. The Balajo, frequented in the 30s by such stars as Arletty

and Edith Piaf, is still a fashionable nightspot.  

Cross Place de la Bastille and you enter the Marais , walking down Rue St Antoine,

taking Rue de Birague to the  right and emerge in beautiful place des Vosges.

At the end of Rue de la Roquette is  Pere Lachaise Cemetery,  a map at the entrance

will guide you to the specific graves of Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison, Edith Piaf,

Honore de Balzac and Sarah Bernhardt to name just a

few of the celebrities buried there.

Place des Vosges