The 17th arrondissement of Paris isn’t considered a particularly touristy area, and that’s a shame, because advanced Francophiles and curious travelers can find quite a few hidden gems and stories there. In my opinion, the most interesting part of this arrondissement is a neighborhood called Plaine Monceau, which lies just north of Parc Monceau (my favorite park in Paris). This neighborhood was home to two groups of people who made the history of Paris so colorful and interesting. On one side were artists, and on the other, mistresses. Not just any mistresses, but the highest class of them: courtesans. These were impressive women who used not only their skills in the bedroom but also their ability to hold a conversation and run literary salons to reach the very top of 19th-century French society.
Unlike other walking tours in Paris, this one doesn’t cover a large geographic area, but as you’ll see, it holds plenty of stories and beauty within it. So let’s get started.
Instead of a map: under the heading of each stop you’ll find its address, and every address is a link. Click it, and the place will open right away in Google Maps.
The Rotunda of Parc Monceau
The starting point of this tour is the Monceau metro exit (line 2), from which we’ll walk a few meters to the rotunda at the north entrance of Parc Monceau. This beautiful rotunda is a relic from the 18th century, from the days when King Louis XVI (r. 1774-1792) decided to surround Paris with a wall to make it easier for his men to collect tolls. The wall had about 20 gates where people could pass through, and next to each gate stood a round building (a rotunda) where customs officials sat, checking the goods entering the city and collecting the tax. These rotundas were designed by the famous architect Claude-Nicolas Ledoux (1736-1806), and today only three of them remain in Paris (Parc Monceau, Place de Stalingrad in the 19th arrondissement, and Place de la Nation in the 12th arrondissement).
The upper floor of the rotunda was once home to none other than Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans (1743-1793). From here, the duke could look out over Parc Monceau, which belonged to him and was much larger than it is today. This was also where the duke could bring his many mistresses (one of whom was his father’s second wife). Did the duke somehow foresee that this neighborhood would become home to the mistresses of French high society a century later? Let’s set out and find out!
Rue Fortuny
Let’s leave through the gate of Parc Monceau and walk to rue Pruny, where quite a few wealthy men housed their anonymous mistresses. We’ll find the more famous mistresses on rue Fortuny, which we’ll reach by turning right off rue Pruny. There we’ll find several houses where people who made it into history, one way or another, once lived.
Number 2: The House of Edmond Rostand
This house was home to the French poet and playwright Edmond Rostand, and it’s where he wrote his famous play Cyrano de Bergerac. And speaking of Cyrano de Bergerac, you simply have to see the wonderful film “Edmond”, which tells the story of how this hit play came to be. Here’s its trailer:
Number 13: The House of Marcel Pagnol
This house, with its beautiful ceramic facade, was home to Marcel Pagnol (1895-1974). Pagnol came to Paris during the 1920s and worked there as an English teacher. But it was here that he decided to change careers and become a writer, playwright and filmmaker. Among all the films based on his books and plays, the best known to international audiences are Jean de Florette and its sequel Manon des Sources, starring Daniel Auteuil, Gérard Depardieu and Jean-Paul Belmondo.
Numbers 27 and 29: Two Rival Courtesans
27 rue Fortuny, and 29 rue Fortuny
Here lived two rival courtesans who couldn’t stand each other. At number 27 lived Carolina Otero (1868-1965), known as La Belle Otero. At the height of her success as a dancer at the Folies Bergère, she became the mistress of several world leaders, including Wilhelm II, Emperor of Germany, and Edward VII, King of England. At number 29 lived Geneviève Lantelme (1883-1911), who, in her short life, managed to become a famous actress and the mistress of press magnate Charles Edwardes. The romantic triangle between him, his wife, and Geneviève Lantelme inspired the romantic triangle in Marcel Proust’s series of novels In Search of Lost Time (Proust’s triangle consisted of Robert de Saint-Loup, Gilberte Swann and Rachel).
For more juicy and dramatic details about Geneviève Lantelme, and how Edwardes, who was then married to the cultural icon Misia, became obsessively infatuated with her and ultimately caused her death, you can read the article by Dr. Orna Liberman: Misia, Queen of Paris: Madame Edwardes Gets a Divorce.
Somewhat ironically, the two courtesans who couldn’t stand each other chose the same architect (Adolphe Viel) to build their houses, and he decided, whether by mistake or as a cruel joke, to give them almost identical facades.
Musée Jean-Jacques Henner
Continue along rue Fortuny until it meets avenue de Villiers, where you’ll find a museum dedicated to the painter Jean-Jacques Henner, who died in 1905. In truth, Henner himself never lived here; his children bought the house only in 1920 to house their father’s collection. And it was, in fact, a good choice, since Henner’s works blend beautifully with this lovely house. So if you visit the museum, you’ll get a double treat: you’ll enjoy the painter’s works and also the Napoleon III style interior design found there.
Rue Cardinet: The House of “Nana” and the House of Debussy
After leaving the Henner museum, walk to the nearby rue Cardinet, close your eyes, and try to picture the house of Nana. Of course, the house never actually stood here, since Nana is a fictional character created by Émile Zola, the heroine of the novel of the same name he wrote in 1880. Nana, the novel’s heroine, is a top courtesan who manages to ruin all her lovers one by one, until she dies, apparently of a sexually transmitted disease, just as the Franco-Prussian War breaks out with France. The exact address of her house appears in the novel, described as “a Renaissance palace with every modern comfort.” Who inspired this novel, and where did her house actually stand? We’ll find out shortly…
In the meantime, music lovers among you are welcome to head to number 58, where the famous musician Claude Debussy lived, and where he also wrote the opera Pelléas et Mélisande, which caused quite a scandal when it premiered in 1902.
Place du Général-Catroux
This charming square is one of my favorites in Paris (even though it’s fairly unknown to the general public), and today you’ll understand why I love it so much. So let’s see what you can find in the square itself and in the surrounding area.
The Statues of Alexandre Dumas, Father and Son
On either side of the square you’ll find statues of Alexandre Dumas, father and son. There was actually also a statue honoring Dumas’s grandfather, a general in Napoleon’s army, but it was melted down by the Germans during World War II. Unsurprisingly, the statue of Dumas père is the more impressive of the two, and behind it you can see a statue of D’Artagnan from The Three Musketeers. There’s no doubt this isn’t just a beautiful statue, it’s also a pilgrimage site for fans of this wonderful author.
The Statue of the Actress Sarah Bernhardt
Facing the garden with the statues of Dumas père and fils is another small garden, home to the statue of the famous actress Sarah Bernhardt, who lived just a few short streets from here. Sarah Bernhardt is considered the greatest actress of the second half of the 19th century and the early 20th century, and she collaborated with the greatest playwrights of her time, including Edmond Rostand, whose house we visited earlier.
The Economy Museum of the Banque de France
There’s no doubt that the most eye-catching building here is the neo-Renaissance mansion on the eastern side of the square (next to the statue of Sarah Bernhardt). This grand house once belonged to Baron Gaillard, who was the banker of the Count of Chambord and one of the senior bankers at the Banque de France. The house was built, along with quite a few other neo-Renaissance buildings, by the architect Jules Février between 1878 and 1882, and unlike many houses in the area, it managed to survive. The reason is that the Banque de France decided to honor the baron’s memory, as he had been one of its senior directors, and bought the house from the baron’s family, saving it from demolition.
For decades, the building was closed following a terrorist attack, and in recent years it was decided to reopen it to the general public. There was a proposal to turn the building into a museum dedicated to Alexandre Dumas, but the Banque de France objected, and instead opened what is, in my opinion, a rather dull Economy Museum here. Still, it’s worth stepping inside, if only to try to catch a glimpse of the fireplace, which is a replica of the grand fireplace from the Doge’s Palace in Venice.
The House of Valtesse de la Bigne
Head to 98 boulevard Malesherbes and look at the building there. This is where the building once stood, built in 1878 in honor of Valtesse de la Bigne (1848-1910), one of the greatest courtesans of the 19th century. She began her career as an actress in Paris theaters and went through a string of lovers, each richer than the last. Her literary salon included some of the greatest artists and creators of the time, among them Alexandre Dumas fils, who once asked to enter her bedroom and was told: “I’m sorry, dear, but that’s too expensive for you.”
The only bohemian who managed to enter her bedroom without paying was Émile Zola, who used Valtesse as the model for the character of Nana, which is why the description of Nana’s house on rue Cardinet is based on the description of Valtesse’s own house. Sadly, the original house was demolished, and a less beautiful building was built in its place. But if you’d like to see Valtesse de la Bigne’s magnificent bed, you can do so at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs at the Louvre.
Musée des Arts Décoratifs website
Rue de Lévis: It Only Sounds Jewish
Backtrack a little and turn right onto rue Georges Berger, then onto rue Legendre. From there you’ll reach rue de Lévis, which, despite its name, has nothing to do with Jews (it’s named after a noble family of the same name). The street itself isn’t especially interesting architecturally, and the reason I’ve brought you here is actually culinary.
This is one of the most important food streets in Paris, alongside rue Montorgueil, and you’ll find no shortage of restaurants and food shops here. If you’d like to learn more about this street, feel free to check out the article Rue de Lévis: A Journey Through Paris’s Most Delicious Street You’ve Never Heard Of.
So if this tour has made you hungry, there’s no better place to end it than right here.
Want to Stay in the 17th Arrondissement?
As you’ve seen on this walking tour, the 17th arrondissement has plenty of authentic Parisian charm. Since the area is less touristy than central Paris, you can find apartments and hotels here at relatively lower prices than in more touristy neighborhoods. So if you’re looking for a place to stay here during your trip to Paris, you can find recommended options at these two links:
- Recommended hotels in the 17th arrondissement
- Recommended vacation rentals in the 17th arrondissement
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