Auteuil
Paris 16^e

Surrounded by the Seine and the Bois de Boulogne

On the edges of Paris, the “Village d’Auteuil” was once a small town in its own right that was only incorporated into the city of Paris in 1859.

Lined by fields backing onto Paris, it was the destination of choice for Parisians in search of rural calm yet without straying too far from the capital.

Bourgeois families and most of all artists made it their HQ, many owning second homes in the area such as French poet and critic Boileau (whom the ‘Hameau Boileau’ is named after), and Molière, who turned the town into an epicentre of art and literature and received eminent visitors like Lully, La Fontaine and La Bruyère.

A century later, Madame Helvétius’s literary salon was attended by the greatest minds of the time, including Diderot, d'Alembert, Condillac, Malesherbes, Turgot, earning itself the name “Cercle d’Auteuil” and definitively etching literature into the area’s DNA.

It was not until the 19th century and its upheaval to Paris’ urban planning that the village became one of the capital’s districts.

A new district, a symbol of modernity and opulence, slightly removed from Paris’ highly charged life, it drew affluent families and Parisian celebrities like Victor Hugo and the Lumière brothers.

This combination of Parisian elegance, artistic character and village-paced life can still be felt here today. Quiet and green, its flower-lined streets, its private villas and its architecture, harmoniously blending the Art Nouveau and Haussmann styles, make it a prized locale for families and those in search of discretion.

Architecture

The comfortable private mansions, the charming villas, the small provincial-style houses and the private streets have been left unscathed by the capital’s successive urban renovations, lending an almost rural feel to the district interspersed with spectacular buildings in the Art Nouveau style seen throughout the area.

This outskirt of Paris provided a rare space for experimentation within the city’s meticulous urban plan, offering a unique canvas for Art Nouveau architects including Hector Guimard himself, a figurehead of the style who built the first Art Nouveau apartment building in Paris, the Castel Béranger.

The district is thus home to iconic Art Nouveau gems, epitomised on Rue Boileau: no. 62, with its atypical architecture, is the embassy of Vietnam, while the Hôtel Danois at no. 40 harmoniously combines Art Nouveau and oriental architecture and is now the seat of the Algerian embassy. Not forgetting Villa Molitor, the genre’s apotheosis.

Photo devanture terrasse animée brasserie le village d'auteuil paris

Photo sortie de metro auteuil passage piéton et brasserie parisienne

A chic village atmosphere filled with good restaurants and a largely family population.

Not to be missed

Notre-Dame d'Auteuil church is unlike any other in the capital, a French Republic-meets-clergy construction.

The current building replaced a chapel built in 1319 which no longer offered adequate space to accommodate the new parishioners who flocked here when the village merged into Paris.

The new, larger place of worship was a source of tension between the anti-clerical town council and the church which, tired of conflict, ultimately accepted the addition of a shield bearing the coat of arms of the City of Paris surrounded by stars on the side of the church.

A republican symbol on the walls of a religious establishment - an unlikely combination!

The botanical garden of the ‘Jardin des Serres d'Auteuil’, open to the public, provides a complete change of scenery in both summer and winter alike. It spans 17 acres of vast flower bed in French style, topped off with a magnificent collection of rare plants and trees and an impressive aviary that children will love.

The tropical greenhouse with its palm trees, exotic birds and Japanese carp, meanwhile, transports visitors a world away from Paris.

And in summer, why not extend the outing to Villa Molitor to admire Paris’ most stunning swimming pool.

Photo boutiques rue d'auteuil paris 16 arrondissement

Façade immeuble avec stores rouges auteuil paris 16

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Dessin à la plume du castel Beranger dans le quartier auteuil à paris signé Guillaume Reynard

Neighborhood Life

Life between Rue Boileau and Rue d’Auteuil is an amiable bubble.

For fresh food, head to Point du Jour market and its stalls set up along Avenue de Versailles three times a week, uncover vintage American clothing at Le Vif, sample the mouth-watering cheese from La Fontaine and the natural wines from Vins 2 Cœur, before resting your legs at Trinquet Village or, on Sundays, enjoying a family meal at Brasserie d’Auteuil, a taste of the Hamptons on the terrace of Holiday Café or a cocktail with a twist from the famous Cravan.

The perfect balance of good living and specialist addresses, amidst villas and gated communities.

With its elegant architecture, its private residences creating a feel of the countryside, its good schools and many green spaces, it’s no surprise that the district is particularly coveted by families.

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