History first

Belleville was actually a wine-growing town outside of the Paris city limits. Incorporated into the city during a geographic growth spurt in 1860, its working class population rebelled actively against the government, especially during the Paris Commune of 1871.

View from the Parc de Belleville

The generally liberal neighborhood welcomed a slew of immigrants during the last century, notably Armenians, German Jews, Algerians, and Tunisian Jews. A heavy concentration of Chinese and Vietnamese immigrants gives the entire area a “Chinatown” vibe, although the multicultural influences remain present in stores, religious establishments, and restaurants.

A cheap place to live for many students and immigrants, Belleville also offers the budget-conscious traveler plenty of ways to enjoy an afternoon in Paris. Head up rue de Belleville from the Belleville metro station, serviced by lines 2 and 11, and let the exploration begin!

Cheap eats

Local eateries in Belleville reflect the various ethnicities of its inhabitants, but the Asian cuisine is one of the biggest draws. Just below the metro station Belleville, on rue Louis Bonnet, several Vietnamese/Chinese restaurants (because one ethnicity is just too limited) offer classic dishes like pho and bo bun for well under €10. Tin Tin (17 Louis Bonnet, 75011) is a personal favorite.

Heading up the rue de Belleville, there are countless Asian places to choose from:

Restaurant Gui Xing (47 rue de Belleville, 75019) offers homemade dumplings, called raviolis. A filling plate of 15 pieces costs just €6 and you can watch them be made by the grandmother in the kitchen.

Chez Yu (40 rue de Belleville, 75020) offers €3 sandwiches packed with meat and vegetables if you want to eat on the go.

Rouleau de Printemps (42 rue de Tourtille, 75020) serves up filling dishes for around €5-7 off the main drag.

The Little Sparrow

One of the most iconic cafés in the neighborhood, Café aux Folies (8 rue de Belleville, 75020), is a happening place on weekends, especially in warmer months when the terrace fills up. France’s most famous singer, Edith Piaf, known as the “Little Sparrow,” once performed here early in her career.

A local celebrity in Belleville, Piaf was allegedly born under a lamppost at 72 rue de Belleville in 1915. Her legend lives on through her music (and in Marion Cotillard’s 2007 Oscar-winning performance in La Vie en Rose) but, sadly, the lamppost is gone.

A Bit of Culture

Soak up a little culture by exploring the bohemian vibe of Belleville. The rue Dénoyez is a legalized haven for graffiti artists with ever-changing murals and installations. The small street is home to several galleries and tucked away cafés as well.

Just up the street is the Cabaret Populaire (103 rue Julien Lacroix, 75020, Web site), a creperie, bar and slam-poetry venue. English speakers are welcome to perform or just kick back and listen with relatively cheap drinks in a friendly environment. Performances range from dance and poetry to acoustic blues and stand-up.

Shopping and Markets

Every Tuesday and Friday the boulevard de Belleville, starting at the Belleville Metro station, becomes a huge outdoor market. Influenced heavily by its Asian and North African residents, the market offers an enormous selection of food from all over the world, but the prices are what attract most market-goers. Incredibly inexpensive fresh produce and fish packs in the crowds, but the pushing and shoving doesn’t seem to bother the locals very much.

Heading up rue de Belleville, the street is lined with stores and bazaars selling everything from cookware and Asian decorations to art supplies and American-style Halloween costumes. If you need something, you’ll probably be able to get it at one of these stores for the best price in town.

At the end of the adventures, if you aren’t too tired from walking up and down the steep rue de Belleville, head to the Parc de Belleville, a tiny patch of green. Take a seat and soak up the city’s rooftop views. It’s a great way to round off the afternoon.

Looking for more neighborhoods? Read our post on best neighborhoods by activity.

The post Paris: The shops, sights and cheap eats of Belleville appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

A stroll for free

After doing a bit of research, we mapped out a fun, Seine-side stroll from St. Germain des Prés (where we were staying at the lovely 2-star gem “Villa des Princes“) to the foot of the Eiffel Tower. The whole journey took about an hour as we wandered along the river, stopping at bridges, watching the tour boats, and posing for photos.

A pancake dinner

By the time we arrived, we had worked up an appetite. Sure, we were feasting on the sight of Paris by night, but that didn’t quite cut it. We got in line for fresh crepes from a street vendor and salivated as he poured the batter, flipped the pancakes, and added our ingredients: Nutella and banana for Mere, and ham and emmental for Pete. Two crepes set us back about €7 and we shared a Coke (€1.50).

A free light show

We timed our walk so that we’d get to the tower just as the hourly ten-minute light show sparked up the sky. Light shows start at the top of the hour, after sunset. They occur every hour until 1 am or 2 am depending on time of year.

After ingesting crepes and stars, Seine and Eiffel, we hopped on the Metro. For €1.50, we scooted from Invalides to the Latin Quarter.

Slow sipping at the cabaret

We were ready for some good company, old fashioned standards, and the wacky feel of live cabaret, so we ventured to “Aux Trois Mailletz,” our favorite cabaret at 56, Rue Galande in the Latin Quarter. Downstairs, the fancier vaudeville show costs €25 a ticket, but upstairs in the more casual piano bar, you need only buy a drink to sip it all in. (We also found that if you tip the singer and pianist, they’ll fulfill multiple song requests.)

Cheapos could sip a Coke for €5, which isn’t cheap. Beer costs €9, while cocktails run about €11-13. Obviously, you’re paying for the tunes, but you can sip your drink as slowly as you like. We think it’s worth the inflated drink price just to take in the music, the sight of dogs in the audience, and that weird glamour of cabaret performers running about in full makeup. Bravo!

The post Paris: Cheapo Night Out! appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.