Your Pied-à-Terre by the Arc de Triomphe for $210,000

Your chic Paris home in this neighborhood costs just $210,000.

Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2008
Paris, France

Read more about France in International Living Postcards—your daily escape

Dear International Living Reader,

In which Paris district can you find a studio for less than €170,000 ($217,000) by the Arc de Triomphe? Or a two-bedroom apartment for less than €240,000 ($306,000) with classic fittings? Or a home in a former convent?

The answer is in the 17th arrondissement—where the square foot is less than the Paris average, but has risen 10% over the past year.

The 17th is in the northwest corner of Paris and should be on your list of must-sees. It’s as authentic and Parisian as they come and well worth the detour. To find it on a map, locate the Place de l’Etoile and the Arc de Triomphe, and it’s the area straight to the north, on the edge of the 18th district—of Montmartre and Sacré Coeur fame—to the east. In between you’ll find the hidden green of Monceau park, and the hip former workers’ quarters of Epinettes and Batignolles.

Of all Paris, the 17th is the most classic in style. It’s where Baron Haussmann, Napoleon III’s urban planner, left his mark most when he rebuilt the city in the 19th century. The district is full of his trademark wide avenues and tall stone-clad buildings. The best choice of these bourgeois apartment buildings is in the south and west of the arrondissement.

But the mood is livelier now and less stuffy, thanks to a number of recent local projects, including a brand new park. Young professionals and families come here looking for a calm, safe area that’s affordable, and you can see the change in the growing number of new cafés and restaurants that are springing up around Batignolles. The average price per square foot here is €611 ($780)—it’s €683 ($871) by the Etoile.

International Living spotted this district as one to keep an eye on two years ago. Since then, as we predicted, prices have risen and look likely to carry on doing so. Recently I found a studio right by the Arc de Triomphe—and an easy stroll to the Champs Elysees—for €165,000 ($210,000). And a studio near the Marché Levis, a busy food market by the Parc Monceau, is going for €135,000 ($172,000)—with a rental value of €600 ($765) a month.

I found a 310-square-foot, one-bedroom apartment for €165,000 ($210,000) in a classic building, as well as a place in a pristine former convent, dated 1890, with concierge…for only €190,000 ($243,000)—just a short cab ride from the temptations of the Moulin Rouge.

A 500-square-foot, two-bedroom apartment to fix up is also for sale—with fireplaces, moldings, and parquet for €240,000 ($307,000). Once it’s fixed up, it’ll fetch more than €300,000 ($383,000). Scruffy places like this are getting harder to find each year.

Leigh Fergus
Europe Editor, International Living

P.S. To find out more about this hidden district, and many other areas of Paris that are due to boom in the coming years; watch out for my new report: Affordable Property in Paris—The Secrets Revealed. I have just finished putting the finishing touches to this exclusive report, so stay tuned to our France coverage later this week to find out how you can get your copy of this very special report, FREE.

Read related IL Postcards:

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- Nine Free Things to Do in Paris

- Did You Know a Paris Apartment Could Be This Cheap?