Very elegant, avenue de Breteuil is also very beautiful. And so French! This seventy-meter wide street is also a small park, where the well-mannered young people in the neighbourhood enjoy a picnic or play ball. It exudes quiet tranquillity, a serene calm, like the refined buildings, all superbly maintained, which give the area real status.
It seems to be nestled at the foot of protective divinities: on one side the dome of the Invalides, sewn with gold; on the other side, the Eiffel Tower, springing out from the roofs. The most obvious Paris is mingled with the more soothing life of wide pavements where it is good to walk on summer days.
Montherlant was born on avenue de Villard; Pierre de Coubertin, who "re-invented" the Olympic Games, lived in rue Oudinot. Lastly, Antoine de St Exupéry, the father of the Little Prince, lived on magnificent Place Vauban, the embodiment of French perfection, in an apartment that looks like a prow of a ship that landed on the capital. Here it may be the heart of Paris, but it is close to the stars...
Local life:
The area would appear to be very quiet, unless it is explored a little further. The beautiful contrast between the ultra-modern UNESCO building, side by side with the intimidating and superb Ecole Militaire. Just like the Saint Francis Xavier church, which is little visited although it contains some treasures, such as the admirable Cène signed by Tintoretto. And then there are the discreet passages and private streets - just look out for their entrances and go and explore. For example, the surprising village streets nestling inside 23 rue Oudinot and 50 rue Vanneau. Finally, rue de Sèvres is just a stone's throw away, full of shops, restaurants, and the famous Quatrehomme specialist cheese shop, where everyone in Paris comes to stock up.
Don’t miss:
Don’t miss the opportunity to explore the private garden of the St Jean de Dieu clinic, 2 rue Roussele. Invisible from the street it is a miraculously preserved, authentic convent garden.
