Where you might live in Paris
When accepting an au pair position, you may want to consider where in Paris you'll be living. Many people come to Paris wanting to experience the city, so living in the suburbs may become problematic. Google map your town to find just how far you are from the city. Even the suburbs are well connected with Paris via train, however these trains generally do not run late into the night (last train is usually midnight) and travel time can be between 30-60 minutes. If you frequently go out on the town, it would be advantageous to live close to or within the city. On the other hand, if you prefer quiet nights at home, the suburbs will not pose a problem. Most suburbs have their own neighborhood bars, cafe's, cinemas, and all the other workings of the big city.
The 20 arrondissements
The 20 arrondissements
- 1st – center of Paris, Louvre, heavily touristed, expensive
- 2nd – good for drinks and shopping, centrally located, many pedestrian-only streets near M° Etienne Marcel
- 3rd – A good market called Marché des Enfants Rouges, Musée d'Arts et Metiers, cute (yet expensive) boutiques
- 4th, Marais - Hôtel de Ville, Place des Vosges, lively gay area, tons of bars, café's, restaurants, great for a falafel
- 5th – Pantheon, Latin Quarter, M° Place Monge, excellent for a night out; cheap food, drinks, even a bowling alley
- 6th – Luxembourg Gardens, Musée Cluny, Saint-Germain-des-Près, Odéon, Saint Michel; cinemas, bookstores, Rue de Rennes is great for shopping
- 7th – Eiffel Tower, Invalides, residential and quiet, many embassies are here
- 8th – Champs Elysées, Concorde, Parc Monceau, very expensive shopping/drinks/coffee, many nightclubs
- 9th - Opèra, Madeleine, lots of well-priced chain stores, a lot of pubs
- 10th – Strasbourg, Saint-Denis, Canal St Martin
- 11th - République, Oberkampf, cheap, fun, young nights out, busy
- 12th – residential, moderately priced
- 13th – residential, modern, up and coming, China town, moderately priced
- 14th – young, residential, moderately priced, lots of shops, bars and restaurants
- 15th – Residential, calm, quiet, safe, moderately expensive
- 16th, Eiffel Tower – wealthy, calm, quiet, residential
- 17th - young, residential, up and coming, cheap, sketchy around Place de Clichy
- 18th, Montmartre - young, trendy, beautiful, lively on Sundays, amazing views
- 19th – young, cosmopolitan, student area, nice bars and streets to walk
- 20th – cosmopolitan, young, residential, cheap shopping
SUBURBS
Our knowledge of the surrounding suburbs is limited. Please help us by sending a brief description of the suburb you live in via the Contact us page.
Garches: A wealthy neighborhood; very calm and chic. There is a book store, library, a couple of café’s and churches. There is a club next to the plaza offering yoga, pilates and ballet classes, tennis courts and a pool. There is an amazing boulangerie in the plaza called Des Granges with a spectacular traditions! A forest is nearby the train station and is great for jogging. The SNCF runs from Garches approximately every 25 minutes and is about 30 minutes to Saint-Lazare.
Reuil-Malmaison: An upscale neighborhood with everything you'll need outside of the city including many hair-dressers and opticians. There’s also a pool, cinema, library, a park for kids, banks and an ice rink in December. The 144 and 258 run often to La Défense, the 244 runs directly to Paris and terminates at Porte Maillot (although this will be about a 45 minute bus ride). The RER A runs every 10 minutes and reaches Etoile in 15 minutes and La Défense in 10.
Suresnes: A nice, safe neighborhood on the other side of Bois de Boulogne. In the centre, there are many boutiques and resto's, however the nightlife is consolidated into one Irish pub. There is a great market on Saturday mornings. Mont Valerien is a nice place to go for a jog or walk with amazing views of Paris in front of the American Cemetery. Suresnes is very well connected by buses 244 (10 minutes to Porte Maillot) and 241 (15 minutes to Porte d'Auteuil) with a bus, tram and SNCF that go to La Défense.
Versailles: This is a very expensive area, due to the château. Very chic and calm with many bars, bistros and café's in the centre. Many au pairs live in Versailles. By RER C, you can reach the Notre Dame in 35 minutes.
Viry-Châtillon: A quiet, family-oriented town although there seems to be a lot of construction and renovation on houses in the neighborhoods. It’s not too commercial except near the highway where there is a cinema, department stores, and a night club. Near the lakes, there is a club for tennis and sports, and an area for shot-put. From the train station, it will take about 35 minutes to reach Châtelet on the RER D.
Vitry-sur-Seine: Some areas are nicer than others. It’s possible to have a nice house and property here, but this suburb is also associated with some crime, so be careful. There is a library with a decent selection of English-language books, a pool, cinema, and bars/café’s. Mètro line 7 runs to Vitry. From the terminus, it will take 30 minutes to get to Châtelet.
Our knowledge of the surrounding suburbs is limited. Please help us by sending a brief description of the suburb you live in via the Contact us page.
Garches: A wealthy neighborhood; very calm and chic. There is a book store, library, a couple of café’s and churches. There is a club next to the plaza offering yoga, pilates and ballet classes, tennis courts and a pool. There is an amazing boulangerie in the plaza called Des Granges with a spectacular traditions! A forest is nearby the train station and is great for jogging. The SNCF runs from Garches approximately every 25 minutes and is about 30 minutes to Saint-Lazare.
Reuil-Malmaison: An upscale neighborhood with everything you'll need outside of the city including many hair-dressers and opticians. There’s also a pool, cinema, library, a park for kids, banks and an ice rink in December. The 144 and 258 run often to La Défense, the 244 runs directly to Paris and terminates at Porte Maillot (although this will be about a 45 minute bus ride). The RER A runs every 10 minutes and reaches Etoile in 15 minutes and La Défense in 10.
Suresnes: A nice, safe neighborhood on the other side of Bois de Boulogne. In the centre, there are many boutiques and resto's, however the nightlife is consolidated into one Irish pub. There is a great market on Saturday mornings. Mont Valerien is a nice place to go for a jog or walk with amazing views of Paris in front of the American Cemetery. Suresnes is very well connected by buses 244 (10 minutes to Porte Maillot) and 241 (15 minutes to Porte d'Auteuil) with a bus, tram and SNCF that go to La Défense.
Versailles: This is a very expensive area, due to the château. Very chic and calm with many bars, bistros and café's in the centre. Many au pairs live in Versailles. By RER C, you can reach the Notre Dame in 35 minutes.
Viry-Châtillon: A quiet, family-oriented town although there seems to be a lot of construction and renovation on houses in the neighborhoods. It’s not too commercial except near the highway where there is a cinema, department stores, and a night club. Near the lakes, there is a club for tennis and sports, and an area for shot-put. From the train station, it will take about 35 minutes to reach Châtelet on the RER D.
Vitry-sur-Seine: Some areas are nicer than others. It’s possible to have a nice house and property here, but this suburb is also associated with some crime, so be careful. There is a library with a decent selection of English-language books, a pool, cinema, and bars/café’s. Mètro line 7 runs to Vitry. From the terminus, it will take 30 minutes to get to Châtelet.
