Why Batignolles?
Located in the city’s north-westerly 17th arrondissement, this is an enclave where tempting alleys link avenues lined with plane trees; where scruffy ateliers, tantalising épiceries, pavement cafes and chatter-filled bistros – including one of Paris’s most-lauded recent openings – congregate in clusters. Where men still play pétanque. And where tourists are practically nil.
That despite Batignolles being dreamily located. Cross its eastern perimeter, the frenetic Boulevard de Clichy, and one immediately starts climbing up to Montmartre and the Sacré Coeur. Just a little south-east are the Moulin Rouge and exotic Pigalle, with its sulphurous bars and increasingly chic shopping. Five Metro stations around Batignolles’ flanks lend perfect convenience.
But nor is this an idyll trapped in time. A mooted Olympic Village venue when Paris bid for 2012’s Games, the sprawling train yards above Rue Cardinet will slowly transform into the Parc Martin Luther King, plus a new “urban neighbourhood”, over the coming years.
A comfortable bed
Upscale homestay specialist Onefinestay (www.onefinestay.com/paris; 0044 207 167 2524) has 11 options across the neighbourhood.
The best, on Rue des Dames, is a former warehouse turned minimalist three-floor, two-bedroom paradise, all bamboo trees, huge windows and luminescent sofas. From £276 (Dh1,535) a night, minimum three nights.
Hotel options are limited: the Art Hotel Batignolles (www.arthotelbatignolles.com; 0033 158 60 3260) has 29 spruce rooms – doubles from €84 (Dh350) – but a sometimes-noisy location on Rue Legendre, while the two-star Hôtel des Batignolles (www.batignolles.com; 0033 143 87 7040) occupies an art deco building and serves breakfast on a leafy patio. Doubles from €75 (Dh313).
Find your feet
Batignolles is divided by a wide chasm, inside which train lines feed the Gare St-Lazare.
While hardly the wrong side of the tracks, the quarter’s western half is less attractive despite quaint cobbled lanes such as Passage Geffroy-Didelot, above whose bijou galleries flutter small flags from seemingly random countries.
Over in the more handsome east, life revolves around the Ste Marie des Batignolles church (www.ste-marie-batignolles.com; 0033 146 27 5767) – fronted like a Greek temple – and its snoozy plaza. Just behind is the large, English garden-style Square des Batignolles, home to small bridges, a pond, playgrounds and pétanque pitches. One block to the south, Rue Legendre busies after dark come the weekend. Make sure to trot along beautiful Cour St-Pierre, too: the leafy street's former horse stables have become art studios.
Meet the locals
Don’t mistake the Marché Bio des Batignolles (equipement.paris.fr/marche-biologique-des-batignolles-4514; 0033 145 11 7111) – held every Saturday from 9am to 3pm – for one of those frenzied flea markets commonly encountered in Paris (or for the similarly named Marché des Batignolles on Rue Lemercier). In keeping with its neighbourhood home, the “Bio” is actually a calm open-air affair in which cheeses, jams, pâtés and more are sold direct from organic producers. It’s easy to see why locals come in droves.
Book a table
Since opening in November, Gare au Gorille (0033 142 94 2402; average mains €13 [Dh54]; three lunch courses €25 [Dh104]) has earned rave reviews from key Parisian food critics for its creative European fare.
Named after a Georges Brassens song, this is a new arrival obediently adhering to modern "bistronomy" standards: spartan interiors, super service and a daily-changing menu of sharing plates. Just as on-trend but less discovered is Les Poulettes Batignolles (www.lespoulettes-batignolles.fr; 0033 142 93 1011; average mains €16 [Dh67]), a Catalan-edged bistro whose seafood is recommended.
Shopper’s paradise
Head for the eastern segment of Rue Legendre, where concept stores like Blou (www.blou-paris.fr; 0033 629 59 9803) and Superflu (www.superflustore.fr; 0033 183 97 1971) sell fashion, jewellery and colourful homeware.
Also try Les Petits Soins (www.facebook.com/LesPetitsSoins; 0033 142 26 3827) for beauty products and, on parallel Rue des Moines, Acide (www.acidemacaron.com; 0033 983 87 0509) for macaroons and IreneIrene (www.ireneirene.com; 0033 177 16 3639) for vintage furniture. Westward, Rue des Levis blends basics-selling market stalls with acclaimed chocolatiers and an array of boulangeries.
What to avoid
While it will be handsome one day, Parc Martin Luther King is mostly a building site at present.
Beyond is utilitarian outer Paris, liable to burst any bourgeois balloon. Don’t let it.
Don’t miss
The hip new office of the ad agency DDB (www.ddb.fr; 0033 153 32 6000) uniquely includes a bar open to the public.
It apes typical Parisian bistros via a zinc counter, floor tiles and even a peanut dispenser.
Go there
Etihad Airways (www.etihad.com, co-sharing with Air France) has twice-daily flights from Abu Dhabi to Paris. Return flights cost from Dh3,715, including taxes.
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