Paris: a Belleville neighborhood guide

Paris is a city best consumed at a leisurely, hedonistic pace, in the dreamy tradition of the Parisian flanêur lifestyle, and there are few better places in the French capital to indulge in people-watching, aimlessly strolling, pure pleasure eating, and cafe and wine bar-crawling than Belleville.

A bit of background

Belleville was a separate municipality until 1860, when it was annexed as the City of Paris expanded, and for that reason parts of the neighborhood retain something of a village-like charm, with cobbled streets and atypical architecture that escaped Baron Haussman’s grand urban transformation.

These days, defining the borders of Belleville is the subject of debate, particularly as Belleville Metro sits at the crossroads of four different arrondissements (or “districts” of Paris) – the 10th, 11th, 19th and 20th – and potentially stretches from near Canal Saint-Martin in the west to Buttes-Chaumont Park to the north and even towards Pere Lachaise Cemetery in the south. But if that all sounds a bit technical, I just want to emphasize how wide-ranging the place is, full of micro-neighborhoods.

That being said, the beating heart of Belleville is one of the few areas in Paris that is truly working class and ethnically diverse. It houses one of the two Chinatowns in Paris, with significant Chinese and Vietnamese populations, as well as large numbers of Tunisians, Algerians, Kurds, and other immigrant communities. This, paired with a growing number of restaurants serving up exquisite modern European food, make it, in my opinion, the best (and best value) place to eat in Paris.

With historically lower rents, Belleville has long been a hub for artists and musicians, including the iconic French singer Edith Piaf in the early 20th century right up to celebrated filmmaker Maïwenn today. But Belleville has changed drastically in the past years. There are now hipster coffee shops and smash burger joints welcoming hordes of TikTokers and Emily in Paris fans. Even so, you may spot sex workers in the area, or men selling counterfeit cigarettes around the metro.

Despite these tensions, Belleville largely remains a place of character and soul. It doesn’t have any major tourist sites – and for much the better. It’s a place where the local newsagent will take the time to gossip with you, where a bar owner might spontaneously pull out a wheel of cheese to share with a glass of red, and where the everyday people still seem to own the streets. It’s my home.

Getting there and around

While Belleville, in the northeast, isn’t exactly along the edge of Seine, inner Paris is a relatively small and well-connected area in terms of transport, which means that traversing the city won’t take long wherever you are coming from.

Belleville Metro is connected to the lines 2 and 11, so you can arrive by the RER, an express transit line, from Charles de Gaulle Airport with just one change, or, thanks to the newly-extended line 14, arrive from Orly Airport without even leaving the metro. For those coming by Eurostar, it should only take about 15 minutes from Gare du Nord train station to Belleville metro.

Once you’re there, walking or biking is the best way to get around. The latter has become far easier and safer in Paris with some 550 kilometers (340 miles) of cycling routes to the city in the past decade (taking the total to 1400 km). However, beware: Belleville does have some steep hills, which are best tackled by foot. But in any case that means you can fully embrace the Parisian lifestyle, stopping at the endless cafes and bars as you desire.

Where to stay

Belleville is not blessed with a huge selection of hotels. But that’s part of the charm, with it remaining one of the more local neighborhoods, even if gentrification has brought some not always positive changes in the past few years. There are plenty of Airbnbs available, but you should be mindful of the negative social impacts that using such websites can have, such as raising the cost of housing and hollowing out the character and vibrancy of neighborhoods. Paris city hall, for its part, has been cracking down recently on short-term lets in response to this.

Save: The People Belleville, 59 Bd de Belleville

This is the best hostel in the area, and one of the better ones in Paris. Although the large reception lounge/cafe can seem a bit dingey, The People Belleville is clean, affordable and as soon as you step out the door you’re in the bustling middle of everything.

Spend: Le Bellevue, 94 Rue De Ménilmontant

A little further off the grid, Le Bellevue provides comfortable apartment rooms up on the hill of Ménilmontant. From up there, you have some of my favorite views of Paris, even if they don’t tend to be among the usual gamut of Instagram snaps.

Spend More: Babel Belleville, 3 Rue Lemon

Babel is the best boutique hotel in Belleville, with compact but beautifully-designed rooms and a lovely restaurant inspired by the old Silk Road cultures. The location is excellent, too, just a few steps away from the metro.

Where to get coffee

This depends on what you’re in the mood for. For a classic Parisian experience, there are numerous bistros and bars along the Rue de Belleville – which begins at the metro station and continues up the hill – where you can sip on passable coffee and gaze on at the crowds from a terrace seat. Aux Folies is a reliable, historic option, and they have a great thé à la menthe (mint tea). La Belle Vie, while less charming, does have prime views from its first floor balcony.

If you’re more interested in quality coffee, then look no further than Candle Kids, a cozy new arrival to the neighborhood run by two brothers from the French Alps, or Plural, a Colombian cafe that offers cafes populaires to drink at the counter for just €1, as well as finer quality product from the Latin American coffee pioneer for more.

Where to eat

In Paris, the day has to begin with pastries. Le Petit Grain does my favorite croissants and pain au chocolat in Belleville: cartoonishly large, airy and beautifully constructed, but they do tend to sell out so try to arrive early. Pâtisserie Ginko, a Franco-Japanese-Moroccan bakery located up the hill, also offers top-notch, elegant pastries. For something more substantial, try brunch at Floréal Belleville, a comfy spot that often holds cultural events in its annex, Moncoeur, whose large terrace has views of the Eiffel Tower, or if you’re feeling musical, go for a jazz brunch at La Bellevilloise.

By lunch, buckle up because you’re spoilt for choice. For modern, seasonal European set lunch menus at extremely reasonable prices, test out Paloma, a hip spot helmed by two young women, l’Orillon, whose exquisite dishes are as beautiful as its traditional mosaic floor, or Le Jourdain, which reliably serves food that looks alluring and tastes delicious. Cheap and cheerful options include Saigon Sandwich, a family-run Vietnamese business selling the best banh mi in Belleville, Best Tofu, probably the finest out of a number of Chinese cantines with fluffy bao buns and more, Le Taïs, a buzzing Algerian restaurant with tasty couscous and tagines, and Le Bar Fleuri, a very popular throwback bistrot with a banging poulet-frites (roast chicken and fries) at an unbeatable price.

For dinner, there is a feast of options. The Anthony Bourdain-approved Le Baratin offers classic French fare in a charming, non-pretentious setting, the hyped OOBATZ has some featherweight sourdough pizza, Quedubon has pricey but brilliantly-executed plates of food, and Ama Siam does updated takes on traditional Southeast Asian cuisine. For something lighter on the wallet, join the queue for spicy handmade Chinese noodles at Mian Guan or grab a mlaoui, a stuffed, flakey Tunisian flatbread sandwich from takeaway Dinapoli, which is open until the early hours.

What to do

To see Belleville at its most boisterous, start the day at one of its many street markets. On Tuesdays and Sundays, Belleville Market stretches from the metro for hundreds of meters along the street, with all kinds of fresh produce like juicy Medjool dates, salty Greek black olives, and sweet Normand pears at rock bottom prices. It won’t take long to walk to other markets if you come on a different day, such as Villette Market, a smaller affair nearby, or Place des Fêtes, a more bourgeois farmer’s market vibe set around a park – there’s almost one every day of the week, even if Belleville’s is the most fun.

If the weather’s good, then you should head to Belleville Park, which requires a fairly steep hike, but affords stunning views of the city from the viewpoint at its summit. It’s easy to find a hidden corner all to yourself in the greenery here because of its curious, vertical layout. Its better-known partner, Buttes-Chaumont Park, which is also in the wider Belleville area, is one of the most beautiful in the city, replete with its own waterfall, charming belvedere and rowdy guinguette bar, Rosa Bonheur.

Beyond that, Belleville is an excellent place to soak in alternative culture. Rue Denoyez is full of street art, and there are a number of murals in the area around Culture Rapide, a bar known for its poetry slam nights. Some of my favorite bookstores in Belleville, Le Genre Urbain and Le Monte-en-l’air, often hold talks with authors. Meanwhile, if you want to catch a concert, within about 100 meters there is La Bellevilloise, La Maroquinerie, and Studio de l’Ermitage, together showcasing interesting musical acts from around the world. While, sadly, Belleville is somewhat lacking in cinema options, Ciné Balade offers fascinating walking tours in French and English explaining the cinematic history of the neighborhood, once home to the largest film studio in the world.

Where to shop

If you plan on stocking up on some wine, head to La Cave de Belleville, an affordable stalwart of the area that also offers tasting sessions, or to Hélios, an all natural-wine store that happens to be set along one of my favorite squares in Paris. To complete the cliché, grab some cheese at Crème, which has an excellent selection, or Francois Priet Fromager, full of old school charm.

For special occasions – it is Paris after all – I’m a fan of Chocolaterie Gérard Cosme, where you can customize your own box of artisanal chocolates. A few other gems of the area are Epicerie Le Caire, a bazaar-like treasure trove of everything from Aleppo soap to Mediterranean sponges, and Lotus, a hole-in-the-wall selling high-quality Chinese tea. And while Belleville isn’t a place for high-end fashion, Largo is a menswear store with affordable, quality workwear and the nearby Nouvelle Vague will fulfil your vintage needs.

My favorite thing to do in Belleville

If it wasn’t clear already, I am a fully-fledged flâneur. I spend a few hours every day walking around the place and I’m never bored. Belleville is somewhere to follow your nose, without making too many plans in advance. Hop between cafes and wine bars, take time to gaze at street art or at the curious characters hanging around, read a book in the park, or chat to the locals. Ditch the itinerary.

After dark

Beyond the riches of bar terraces available, you might want to grab a cocktail over at a rooftop bar such as Le Perchoir, which has stunning views of the iconic Basilique du Sacré-Cœur usually with a DJ spinning records, or the massive, newly-owned space atop La Bellevilloise that has panoramic views of the city (but note that in winter, it’s only open for large group reservations).

Need to know

Double-check the opening hours for almost everywhere you go. For example, some bakeries are closed on Sundays, Mondays or Tuesdays, and many restaurants will close their lunch service by 2pm sharp – so don’t get caught out. Meanwhile, as across France, July and August are a minefield; expect a lot of summer vacation-related closures.

When to visit

An excellent time to explore around in Belleville is during the “open doors” festivals run a few times a year by the Belleville Artists' Studios Association (AAB). It’s a unique chance to peek inside the hundreds of artists' studios in the neighborhood, many of which are in beautiful, unusual and historic buildings, as well as to speak with artists surrounded by their work.