Guide Tour of the 17th arrondissement of Paris, France

The 17th arrondissement of Paris is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France, this arrondissement is referred to as dix-septième. The 17th arrondissement used to be suburban and industrial area, but after gentrification, the main streets of the area are now filled with a variety of shops. This area has a high quality of life, but compared to the rest of Paris, it lacks well-known attractions.

The 17th arrondissement of Paris lies directly north of the Arc de Triomphe, a finest, wealthiest, and most eclectic of Paris. There are no major sights to see or museums to visit, just amazing Haussmannian architecture, countless restaurants, and that quintessential Parisian atmosphere you always imagined.

The 17th arrondissement is full of fascinating architecture, opulent buildings and discreet villas, from Austrian style to Belle Époque Art Nouveau. The 17th arrondissement brings together neighborhoods as charming as they are different, from Ternes to Batignolles via Les Épinettes, Martin-Luther-King or even Champerret. In perpetual evolution, this district is both popular and trendy, commercial and cultural, family and solidarity. A mix of genres that makes it unique.

Lunging to the avenue de Clichy along the towns of Neuilly and Clichy, the 17th arrondissement of Paris is actually divided into two. This very marked fissure is delimited in particular by the railway line from Gare Saint-Lazare. In the South, the Ternes-Maillot and Wagram-Monceau part, the “chic side”, in the North, the Legendre-Levis and Batignolles-Epinettes district.

The neighborhoods that make up the 17th arrondissement have different characteristics. The southwestern areas, commonly referred to as Wagram-Monceau-Ternes, feel like an extension of the Champs Élysées and 16th arrondissement, with high-end shopping galore and fancy apartments. The central area of Batignolles is quite different, with a grungy bohemian feel, lots of bars and bistros which are popular with bobos (short for bohemian-bourgeois aka “hipsters”) from the 17th and elsewhere, and plenty of green spaces. Finally, the Épinettes neighbourhood, at the eastern end, is more “rough around the edges” and has quite a lot in common with the neighbouring 18th arrondissement, but still offers a plethora of ethnic cuisines, cheap stores, and excellent bars.

History
The Épinettes district was located at the current location of the La Fourche sector. This district owed its name to a locality created in 1693 whose origin must have been a term of viticulture because the white spruce is a grape variety today called pineau blanc. This locality began to develop during the First Empire with the construction by the “Société des entrepreneurs Navarre et Rivoire” of small country houses with gardens, then large buildings intended for even more modest people.

In 1827, the district which was then part of the commune of Clichywas overcrowded. Its inhabitants then asked to secede in order to form a commune. This will be granted to them in 1830 by an edict of Charles X which creates a new commune called “Batignolles-Monceau”. It will finally be annexed in large part to the city of Paris and integrated into the district, while another portion of its territory will reintegrate the municipality of Clichy.

La Plaine Monceau comes from the name of a small village. Under the Ancien Régime, the current Plaine de Monceau was an important hunting ground. In 1791, the inhabitants, exasperated by the ravages of their crops caused by animals escaping from the game sheds, destroyed these sheds, symbols of the Ancien Régime. The agglomeration remained sparsely populated with 450 inhabitants at the Revolution.

The current district was built during the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, is characterized by large airy arteries and very wide streets (often wooded); it is one of the districts of Paris where the concentration of Haussmannian buildings is the most important. It is today one of the most expensive and most popular districts of Paris.

Municipal Districts
Situated on the right bank of the River Seine, this arrondissement is divided in 4 administrative districts: Ternes and Monceau in the southwestern part, two upper-class districts which are more Haussmannian in style; in the middle of the arrondissement, the Batignolles district, an area mostly occupied by young families or couples, with a marked gentrification process; in the northeastern part, the Épinettes district, a former industrial district gone residential, which is mainly middle class and also experiencing a gentrification process.

Batignolles district
On the northeast side is the Batignolles district, which is a mix of old France and bobos (the famous bourgeois-bohemians of Paris, so well described in Renaud’s song “Les Bobos”) ambiance. Nestled between the Legendre-Levis and Epinettes-Bessières districts, Batignolles district former industrial areas, are now mostly residential, the Batignolles district is undoubtedly one of the most emblematic villages of the capital.

Much appreciated for its tranquility and its trendy shops, it is particularly lively around the Place du Docteur Felix-L obligeois. This small pedestrian square, where a church stands, is surrounded by bistros, terraces and restaurants.

In terms of architecture, the district gives pride of place to Haussmann buildings. The district is dotted with street art works, the most monumental being undoubtedly the fresco by William Mackendree (corner of rue des Dames and rue Biot). Even its theBatignolles covered market, renowned for the quality of its products, is covered with it.

Further north, three other markets are also worth a visit, giving the capital a country feel. Historical, the Ternes covered market is the oldest covered market in Paris (1852). On the Courcelles-Wagram side, the Poncelet market, in the street of the same name, is reputed to be one of the most beautiful in the capital. Finally, at the Porte de Champerret, the very convivial Berthier market is a popular address for the inhabitants of the district.

Epinettes district
Epinettes district, formerly a worker district, it has kept pretty passages, courtyards, vegetated islands which give it the appearance of a small village. The highlight of the district: the Cité des Fleurs, an unusual address from which emerges a sweet scent of flowers. Created in 1847, this bucolic street is located just a few meters from the Brochant metro station. In addition to its admirable gardens, it displays magnificent 19th century facades.

Wagram-Ternes district
The Wagram-Ternes district is much more dynamic than the rest, being in fact the extension of the Champs-Élysées. The area around the avenue de Clichy, shared with the 8th, 9th and 18th arrondissement of Paris, is occupied by a lot of shops. This is the third biggest avenue of Paris in terms of sales.

The Ternes district includes the famous avenue des Ternes, a busy shopping avenue where the Fnac des Ternes store is located (in the premises of the former Étoile United Stores). The Ternes district is also dotted with many Haussmann-style apartments; it is located about ten minutes (on foot) from the Arc de Triomphe and the Avenue des Champs-Élysées.

The southwestern part of the arrondissement is very dense in offices, mostly for services. Several big companies have their headquarters there. The head office of Dailymotion is located in the Immeuble Horizons 17. Gaz de France had its head office in the 17th arrondissement.

Main Attractions
The cultural offer of the 17th arrondissement is particularly diversified. The many cinemas, museums, cultural centers and performance halls reflect the soul of a multifaceted borough.

The town hall of the 17th arrondissement is on Rue des Batignolles. It is the only town hall of Paris to be located in a modern building. The original building was torn down in 1971 to make room for the current edifice. The 17th arrondissement also hosts the Palais des Congrès of Paris, which is a large exhibition center with an associated high-rise hotel, the Hyatt Regency Paris Étoile, the largest in the city.

A very large part of the “Plaine Monceau” (district above Monceau Park) was built between 1860 and 1869 during the Haussmann works. Ideal for walkers who can observe some of the most beautiful buildings of this period, especially around the triangle Avenue de Wagram / Boulevard Malesherbes / Avenue de Villiers.

The Robert Lynen cinematheque, the oldest in France (1926) has set itself the objective of making cinema an educational medium, a recreational spectacle, and an object of culture. The Cinéma des Cinéastes, classified as “Art and Essay”, is recognized as an emblematic place of culture and debate. Near Place de l’Etoile, the Club de l’Etoile is also an institution. A former Italian-style theatre, it is renowned for organizing private screenings, film clubs, film concerts and previews.

La Plaine Monceau is also home to sumptuous net-renaissance Hotels Particuliers. The most beautiful examples are the Hotel Gaillard, Place du General Catroux, or Guerlain’s former Hotel Particulier, 19, rue Legendre. Finally, the rue Fortuny is not to be missed.

Poncelet Market located only a few steps from the Place des Ternes, the Poncelet market is one of the prettiest markets in Paris. Quiet expensive, but the quality of the products and its friendly atmosphere makes it one of the most best in the capital.

A few meters from the outer boulevards, the European Center of Judaism is a large religious (synagogue), cultural (exhibition spaces) and institutional (Consistory offices) complex. An invitation to (re)discover the history, celebrations and culture of the French Jewish community.

The Jean-Jacques Henner national museum brings together a large part of the works of the artist, winner of the prestigious Grand Prix de Rome for painting in 1858. A stone’s throw from the museum, the three statues of the Dumas, place du général Catroux highlight in honor of three generations of this illustrious family: Alexandre Dumas, Alexandre Dumas fils and General Dumas.

Cite des fleurs paris, hidden between the Avenue de Clichy and Avenue de Saint-Ouen, the Cité des Fleurs is one of the most beautiful hidden streets in Paris. A pedestrian way forbidden to traffic and isolated from the hustle and bustle of the city which is an jewel of the 17th arrondissement.

The Maison de l’Europe in Paris, a genuine European public space for debate, and Citéco, the Economy Museum, offer Parisians the possibility of enjoying new cultural and civic experiences.

Quartier Ternes, the café-théâtre Le Grenier has been offering dinner shows where laughter and humor have been kings for 4 decades! Finally, the Palais des Congrès in Paris and the Ateliers Berthier, the second hall of the Odéon-Théâtre de l’Europe, are among the most prestigious theaters in the capital.

Natural area
Martin-Luther King Park is the highlight. With a surface area of ​​10 hectares, this wild paradise imagined by landscape designer Jacqueline Osty is designed around three themes: water, sport and the seasons. The park has also given birth to two shared gardens committed to ecology.

Square des Batignolles is the second largest green space in the arrondissement, after Martin-Luther-King Park. Its falsely wild nature, its cave, its waterfall, its river and its miniature lake give it a very bucolic look. The square has some of the tallest trees in Paris: 4 plane trees exceed 30 meters in height.

Quartier Pereire – Malesherbes, below boulevard Pereire (access facing 34 boulevard Pereire or facing 116 rue de Saussure), an iron staircase leads to the Promenade de la Petite Ceinture, instead of the historic railway line of the same name.

Another essential walk in the district: the Pereire promenade. Less known to Parisians, it takes place over a little over a kilometer, between Porte Maillot and Place du Maréchal Juin. Good to know: the portion of the promenade between rue Lebon and rue Bayen is dedicated to rollerblading.

Clichy-Batignolles new eco-city
Above the Batignolles, this eco-district built on a former railway wasteland, whose work should be completed around 2020, is a new city that combines sustainable development and contemporary urbanism. Green buildings, photovoltaic roofs, and solar electricity around a 10-hectare park (Martin Luther King Park), that provides an insight into what may be the city of tomorrow.

Built on a former railway wasteland, the Clichy-Batignolles eco-district is a vast, highly innovative sustainable development project. The main development underway is that of Clichy-Batignolles on the former SNCF land located north of the Batignolles district and west of the Épinettes district. It covers 54 hectares in the northeast of the 17th arrondissement of Paris, delimited by the ring road, the avenue de Clichy, the rue Cardinet and the beam of the railway tracks of the Saint-Lazare station. It includes in particular the relocation of the Paris courthouse, the construction of more than 3,400 housing units, over 140,000 m2 of business premises, the establishment of 30,000 m2 of shops and services as well as the development of the Martin-Luther-King park.