Located in the 6th arrondissement of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, in the heart of historic Paris, it is often shortened. saint germain—It has long been at the center of French artistic, philosophical, musical and literary movements.
Located on the banks of the Seine, close to the beautiful Luxembourg Gardens and adjacent to the Luxembourg Palace, spacious and landscaped gardens, this district is home to stately 19th-century townhouses, famous literary cafés and bohemian gardens. It is characterized by history.
Delphine Gilbert-Avitan, Director of Propriétés Parisiennes Sotheby’s International Realty, said:
After World War II, the district attracted a diverse dissident crowd and was home to actors, singers and musicians, as well as many famous artists who came to study at the prestigious Ecole des Beaux Arts. became the home base. compact neighborhood. It was also a center of the existentialist movement, and its cafés and bars attracted many intellectuals and philosophers to mingle with jazz musicians, painters and writers such as James Baldwin and Oscar Wilde.
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boundary
Saint-Germain-de-Pres is one of four administrative districts in the 6th Arrondissement. Its official boundaries are the River Seine to the north, Rue Seine and Rue Mazarin to the east, Rue Four to the south and Rue Saint-Père to the west.
Price range
As the 6th arrondissement is one of the most expensive districts in Paris, it is also the least expensive, so prices are uniformly high in Saint-Germain-des-Prés.
“For luxury properties, prices start at €20,000 (US$21,720) per square meter and can go up to €30,000 or more per square meter. said Frederick Melville, District 6 Team Leader. Location is one of the most important factors he, with properties near the Luxembourg Gardens fetching particularly high prices.
“Of course, the price depends on many criteria: address, building condition, lift availability, number of floors, apartment condition, street view, monuments and gardens, building exposure, etc. Property and ceiling height,” he said. Gibert-Avitan said.
Top floor apartments with roof terraces are very rare.
Proprites Parisiennes Sotheby’s International Realty
housing stock
Saint-Germain-des-Prés is a compact and exclusive neighborhood, but with a cache added to certain addresses. “The most popular areas are around the Boulevard Saint-Germain, from the Café de Flore and Deux Magots to the Théâtre de Rodeon, and around the Luxembourg Gardens,” Marville said.
In particular, Gibert Abitan said properties on Rue Guinemer, Rue Jacob and Boulevard Saint-Germain overlooking the Luxembourg Gardens are the most coveted. “We also have a wonderful apartment on the Quai Voltaire overlooking the Seine,” she added.
Most of the buildings in Saint-Germain-des-Prés are the iconic Haussmannian Hotel Particulier, a grand townhouse built in classic Parisian style in the late 19th century. Most are divided into apartments, but sometimes whole townhouses with roof terraces and gardens are for sale.
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“At the top of the luxury market is the Hotel Particulier. Then there are the very unusual top floor apartments with roof terraces,” Merville said. “Almost everything is historic. There are very few modern homes in this neighbourhood.”
The apartments in the neighborhood range in size from 30 square meters to 300 square meters, said Zibbert Abitan. The Haussmannian building was constructed using a distinctive light gray “pierre de taille” (also known as ashlar or freestone). The district has many historic buildings built before 1800 and some modern buildings as well, she said. “Many artists lived in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, so several times a year we also publish artists’ workshops,” she said. “The property could be sold fully furnished and renovated by a famous architect.”
Outdoor spaces add value to neighborhood homes as much as views.
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unique reason
Saint-Germain-de-Prés has long been the center of Paris’ cultural scene, home to writers, artists, musicians and intellectuals.
“Saint-Germain is a district steeped in history, especially in relation to the 1960s and the jazz generation that settled there. It’s well-known in the middle of nowhere,” Merville said. After World War II, musicians especially flocked to this neighborhood, spending the day at Le Café Flore and Les Deux Magots and the evenings at the nearby Smoky Jazz Club, where greats like Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie and Thelonious Monk performed. spent.
Many of the district’s historic buildings still stand today, including Le Café de Flore, which now hosts the prestigious Prize for Literature, the Flore Prize, and famous French poets and philosophers such as Arthur Rimbaud and Paul Verlaine. There is Les Deux Magots, which is loved by people. , said Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir, Gibert Abitan.
The neighborhood is dotted with interesting historical sites, including the 18th-century Théâtre de Rodeon, the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, founded in the 6th century, and the Church of Saint-Sulpice, the second largest church in the city. , second only to Notre Dame de Paris.
The nearby Luxembourg Gardens are one of the 6th Arrondissement’s main attractions, and the area is great for winding walks. “Antique shops on Rue Verneuil, art on Rue Seine (Galerie Georges Philippe & Natalie Vallois) Visit her gallery, Rue Saint-Pere (L’Atelier 55), walk along the Seine and visit the Musée d’Orsay,” she said. .
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luxury amenities
The neighborhood has some of the best restaurants in town. Although small, it boasts his four Michelin-starred restaurants. His three-star Guy Savoy at the Hôtel de la Monnaie, Marsan of Hélène Daloz, L’Atelier of Joël Robuchon and Gaya of Pierre Gagnaire.
“There are many luxury boutiques such as Rolex, Louis Vuitton and Ralph Lauren in luxurious townhouses. There are also restaurants with nice terraces such as Moncler, Saint Laurent and Celine,” said Gibert Abitan. . Upscale left bank department store Bon Marché Rive Gauche is also great for shopping.
“There are very good private schools in the neighborhood, such as Notre-Dame de Sion, the Collège Stanislas de Paris, and the Institute of Politics,” Melville said. “There is also a medical school at the University of Paris.”
Saint-Germain-de-Prés has long been the center of Paris’ cultural scene, home to writers, artists, musicians and intellectuals.
Yannick van Hoetven / Unsplash
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who lives there
A prestigious Parisian district, Saint-Germain-des-Prés is popular not only with French buyers (mainly families who use its excellent schools), but also with international buyers looking for a Parisian piet-a-terre.
“About 70% of the population is French, the rest are foreigners, mostly Americans, with some Europeans, especially British, Italians, Swiss, Dutch and a few Spaniards. I do,” said Mr. Merville.
Gibert-Avitan said the district is also popular with Brazilian and Luxembourgian buyers and university students, thanks to its well-known law, medicine and art schools.
Prices for apartments start at 20,000 euros per square meter.
Proprites Parisiennes Sotheby’s International Realty
prominent resident
The elite district is associated with many celebrities, including many actors and politicians. French actress Catherine Deneuve is a long-time resident of historic Saint-Sulpice, while Gerard Depardieu is building one of the largest hotel patisserie in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, according to published reports. He is famous for owning it.
According to Gibert Abitan, famous former residents include fashion designer Sonia Rykiel, writer and playwright Marguerite Duras, actress and singer Juliette Greco, and philosopher and author Simone de Beauvoir. Including Jean Paul Sartre. The painter Eugène Delacroix also lived in the area. His former apartment and studio are now museums. Also foreign creators such as Richard his Wagner and Oscar Wilde were prominent residents.
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Outlook
The 6th Ward “is always a worthy investment because it holds its value,” Merville said. “Like the rest of the world, it is subject to economic conditions, so if mortgage rates go up prices will go down, but it is still a safe bet. … one of the most expensive neighborhoods in Paris So even if prices don’t rise dramatically, anyone who invests in real estate here can be sure of getting a return on their investment.”
Over the next year or two, “we expect demand in this exceptional region to remain strong, as will prices,” said Zibbert Abitan.
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