Introducing Batignolles

Batignolles’s peaceful, relaxed vibe makes perfect sense when you look around the neighbourhood parks, organic food shops and leisurely paced café culture in this charming corner of the 17th arrondissement.

The young families who have moved in might get ribbed for epitomising the Parisian bobo, but there’s an endearing unpretentiousness characterising the locals. At the heart of the neighbourhood lies the small church Sainte Marie des Batignolles overlooking a courtyard of cafes and shops, and the 19th-century park, Square des Batignolles, where families decamp to spend evenings and weekends reading and playing with their children.

Eating out in Batignolles is more about finding what works and sticking to it, than the celebrity chef devotees elsewhere in the city. The scene runs the gamut from relaxed vegan snack-bar My Kitch’n and delectable pastries made in-house at salon de thé Acide to the ever-popular Bistro des Dames, where a hip, retro-inspired décor belies well-made French classics, served in a charming garden.

Drinking hole and cozy bistro Les Puces des Batignolles is decorated in Parisian flea market finds and has a loyal following for Sunday brunch who linger late over wine and the cheese selection.

Independent boutiques line up along Rue des Batignolles, Rue des Moines and Rue Legendre, such as concept shop Blou and cult vintage furniture shop Irène Irène, Aleth Vignon’s interior design studio and 29 Février’s selection of hip French designers.

But the best thing to do in Batignolles is simply to get lost amid its many small corners - the Cité des Fleurs is a glimpse of Paris of old with its elegant townhouses and cobblestones lanes, and at Cour St-Pierre, lush gardens beckon in between horse stables transformed into artist studios.