Our apartment is located just off the lovely Rue du Commerce, a bustling shopping street which becomes Avenue de la Motte Piquet. La Motte Piquet is the famous avenue that leads to the Champs de Mars where you find the Eiffel Tower to the left and the beautiful les Invalides to the right; two of the most famous monuments in all of Paris. Both Rue du Commerce and Avenue de la Motte Piquet have a myriad of artist shops, excellent restaurants, beautiful buildings and even a couple of embassies.
Local green spaces known as “squares” or “places” are everywhere in Paris. The closest ones to the apartment are the “Place du Commerce” located just at the exit from the metro Commerce, the Square Violet (with an entrance next to the fire station on Rue des Entrepreneurs), the “Place Etienne Pernet” located behind the church Saint Jean-Baptiste de Grenelle at the base of Rue du Commerce, and lastly the beautiful art deco style Square Saint Lambert, near the Mairie of the 15th. Each of these spots can be a good resting point to relax and study the map for a moment while you plan your next adventure in the city.
If you don’t wish to spend a fortune for a taxi, or you’d rather not be stuck in a train or metro for the entire length to and from your Charles de Gaulle airport terminal, try the Air France bus that takes you direct from Charles de Gaulle airport to the Champs Elysees. From there, you can stroll down the Champs Elysee and take the bus 42 to the stop Charles Michels. Then walk down Rue des Entrepreneurs to our apartment.
If you prefer, take the Roissybus (also direct) from the airport to the metro stop Opera. Then take the line 8 metro to our closest metro stop – Commerce or take the bus 42 to the Charles Michel stop. Both options are very inexpensive, and would allow you to see some of the architecture of Paris without having to spend a lot to do so. It will allow you to get an initial sense of the city and the opportunity to relax and take it easy.
If you are up for it, walk up to the Eiffel Tower and then take a local bus around town to see the sites. It will cost you much less than taking “Le Open Tour”. A benefit is that you can stop when you see a shop you really want to go into and explore. Or spend the day just walking this beautiful city. Make sure to stop and re-hydrate often, treating yourself to a coffee, tea, or something stronger while sitting along the sidewalk sipping away in a local café. The Champs Elysee (shopping street), the Louvre (museum where they filmed the movie “Da Vinci Code”), the Latin Quarter (University district), all of these places are interesting and accessible by local bus using a regular bus/metro ticket. In fact, a recent transportation modification allows you to use your bus ticket and transfer to another bus so long as it is re-used within a 2 hour time period. Another option is to try the new Paris Velib program. This program allows you to rent a bike (free for the first 30 minutes) and ride it around Paris. See http://www.en.velib.paris.fr for more information as well as a map of all the locations where you can rent a Velib bicycle. With taxis, buses, trains, metros, bateau (boats), bicycles and the old standby of Paris on foot you’ll find it incredibly fast and easy to get just about anywhere.
For historical background and information on the neighborhood, follow the links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commerce_%28Paris_M%C3%A9tro%29 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toussaint-Guillaume_Picquet_de_la_Motte http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Tour_Eiffel
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Invalides
We hope you truly enjoy your stay in Paris, have a wonderful time!!!