One of Montmartre’s lesser-known market streets, and the adorable little apartment where you can experience it like a local
One of the most asked questions by people who are planning a trip to Paris is “which arrondissement should I stay in?” Getting it right can make or break your time in the iconic city. Some are better for first timers, while others are better for people who return regularly and stay for extended periods. If you fall into the latter category, then this post is for you.
If you’re looking for a neighborhood in Paris, where you can stay for a couple of weeks, or a month, or two, where there’s not a lot of tourists, but there’s still a lot of magic, well then, let me tell you about Rue Duhesme in the 18th arrondissement.
I’ve stayed in Montmartre many times and had never even heard of this lively little market street. It’s kind of tucked over to the side, a few blocks away from the Jules Joffrin metro station. This street, and the area immediately surrounding it, are full of vendors and specialty shops.
Rue Duhesme is a long street, but the little stretch between Rue Du Poteau and Rue Ordener is a pedestrian only market street. Here you will find many different merchants including a poissonerie, boucherie, boulangerie and an oyster bar. There is also a Lebanese vendor, called Traiteur Libonais, that sells an assortment of freshly made items including falafels, labneh (a delicious Mediterranean yogurt spread), hummus and much more. The falafels make a great late-night snack. Heat them up and then dip them in the labneh. For the hummus all you need is a spoon! They make new batches daily so you can’t get anything fresher than this. Their hummus is some of the best I’ve ever had.
The street that runs horizontally at the end of the pedestrian part of Rue Duhesme, is Rue Ordener. This is the street that the Jules Joffrin metro station is on. This street has several different chocolate shops (I think there’s actually three!), a cheese shop, a florist and one of my favorite restaurants called L’Olivier. And before I go any further, I must tell you a little about L’Olivier! If you stay in this area, you have to, absolutely have to, eat here. First, the people who work here are amazing. They are kind and accommodating. You will be treated like a special guest every time, something you don’t always find in the more touristy areas of Paris. The restaurant offers menu items like, Saint Jacques scallops, roasted salmon, chicken and steak dishes, beef tartare, and many homemade pastas like gnocchi and ravioli. It’s immediately evident that their wines are meticulously curated, everything we ordered by the glass was stunning. When I was here, they had a delicious Bourgogne blanc from Côte Chalonnaise for 6€, as well as some nice reds like a Saint Emilion for 6€, and a Brouilly. Their bottle selection is small but impressive and includes: Côtes du Rhône, Crozes Hermitage, a Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuit plus a few others, for whites, there is Sancerre, Touraine, and a Chablis. They are open every day and even do breakfast starting at 10AM.
Keep walking in that direction and there are several cafés and wine bars. A café I love is Café Pimpin. They make amazing lattes and are open for breakfast during the week from 8:30AM-11:00AM, and brunch on the weekends, from 11:00AM-4:00PM. They have things on the menu like, avocado toast, smoked salmon, boiled eggs, homemade granola and yogurt as well as croissants and pastries.
A little further up the hill is Fichon, a highly rated seafood bistro with an extensive wine list. They are open for lunch and dinner, closed Sundays and Mondays. Up and to the left on Rue Ramey is Le 1745. Also very highly rated, this wine bar specializes in customized meat and cheese boards. They have an extensive list of cheeses and charcuterie to choose from. You can even add your choice of yummy things like confit onions, eggplant caviar and black cherry jam to the boards. Their wine list is off the charts! All I can say about this place is: If you like wine and cheese, you have to go!
I have to also mention the restaurant called Nord Sud that sits right across from the Jules Joffrin metro. This is a very nice restaurant with friendly waiters, diners are mainly locals. They have really good omelettes!
Amidst all the great food places in the area, you are also in close proximity to Sacré Coeur. The famous basilica is only a ten-minute walk from Rue Duhesme. If you continue past the Jules Joffrin metro station, you will start to catch glimpses of it off into the not too far distance. Also close by are The I love You wall and the famous Place du Tertre, where dozens of artists set up their easels to paint and draw, both are just a ten minute walk away.
Another thing that I love about this area is the easy access to two metro stations. If you head down Rue Ordener you will run right into the Jules Joffrin metro. The station has a beautiful church, Notre-Dame de Clignancourt, right outside of its entrance, along with a merry-go-round for kids. Metro line 12 stops at this station and goes to Montparnasse. You can jump off at Saint-Lazare, Madeleine or Concord to catch other lines like the 3, 13, 14, and 8 to get to just about anywhere in Paris. You can also walk to Simplon which is just as close and is served by metro line four. Line four will take you to Gare du Nord and Gare de l’Est and stops in the Marais (Réamur-Sebastopol, Étienne-Marcel, Les Halles). It then continues across the river into the 5th and 6th arrondissements to Saint-Michel and Saint-Germain.
One of the things that I absolutely adore about Paris is the number of public parks and green spaces that you can find all over the city. Less than five minutes from the Jules Joffrin metro station is a little city park called Square Maurice-Kriegel-Valrimont. Surrounded by beautiful Haussmann style buildings, its abundance of green benches make it the perfect place to sit and read a book or just take in the surroundings.
My favorite place to stay in this neighborhood is a charming little Airbnb apartment on Rue Duhesme. It’s a small studio perfect for one person or a couple. This apartment has everything you need including a stove, oven and coffee maker. As a woman traveling alone, I felt very safe here. The building has a gate that lets you in to a little front garden area. Then there is a security door that lets you into the building. After you go through the security door you walk through a little courtyard to where the apartment is. There is one more security door to that building and then the apartment is right there on the ground floor. There are many friendly professionals and students who live in this building and I always felt so happy to come back here after a day of exploring. Pricing is around $180 per night. Click here to book.
There are a few hotels on Rue Ordener and the prices are much less than you’d find closer in to the major tourist sights. One of my favorite hotels in Paris is on this street, Hotel Prince Albert Montmartre. A true hidden gem right in the middle of this great neighborhood! Their rooms are small like most Paris hotels, but they are clean and comfortable with everything you need. Room #202 even has a little balcony overlooking the street below. They have a lovely sitting area for breakfast and when the weather permits you can even sit outside in a cute little courtyard. The hotel has an elevator, air conditioning and 24-hour reception. Rates here fluctuate quite a bit depending on seasonality. They can range from $100 to $160 November through April and then jump to $260 to $300 May through October.
If you have stayed in this neighborhood before or have decided to stay here based on this blog post I would love to hear from you! You can leave me a message below in the comments.
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4 Responses
My wife and I found a small apartment on Rue Duhesme for two weeks. It was our first long term stop in Psris. It was wonderful, the people so friendly and all made us Aussies very welcome. Having stayed in Hotels on other visits, none can compare to this hidden gem.