The
area of most interest to the visitor is the western end of Arrondissement
7. Of course the Eiffel Tower itself takes the star turn but there
is a very attractive area of around one square kilometre that offers
much more than just the Eiffel Tower. The boundaries of this area
are the Eiffel Tower at the north western point, the Ecole Militaire
at the south west point, the Hotel de Invalides including the Musee
de l'Armee and Napoleon's tomb at the eastern point and Invalides
rail station at the north east point. The River Seine provides the
northern border.
The immediate area of the base of the Eiffel Tower is exclusively
tourist, there is nothing here apart from the attraction and associated
'services' for the visitors. There is a river pier, again the preserve
of tourists that among others is the western point of the river
bus.
South of the tower is a long strip of green, the Champ de Mars. The
further you go away from the Eiffel Tower down the Champ de Mars the
character changes from major tourist venue to suburban park.
On a pleasant afternoon locals will be out with their children, there
is a pleasant playground at the southern end and a closed off stretch
off tarmac where children will often take their first tentative roller
skating lesson.
To the east of the Champ de Mars is an urban area with a nice mix
of local businesses with an eye open to service the visitor. There
is quite a cluster of medium grade hotels here and typical cafes for
the visitor to enjoy as well as practical supermarkets and fruit stalls
to stock up for a picnic.
This area is sandwiched between the Champ de Mars to the west and
a similar strip of green the Esplanade de Invalides to the east. The
Hotel des Invalides
is an impressive array of buildings that also house various attractions
including the Musee de l'Armee. This is located at the southern end
of the Esplanade de Invalides.
West of the Champ de Mars, signs of tourism fast disappear and authentic
local Parisian neighbourhoods fast take over. If you want to get away
from the mainstream tourist hotels and be somewhere with an authentic
Parisian feel this is an excellent place to start looking, particularly
either side of the Boulevard Grenelle along which Metro line 6 runs.
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