Far too often, Visitors to Paris hunker down in the Latin Quarter, the Marais, Montmartre or another heavily-trafficked Seine-side neighborhood. While we have nothing against the winding rues and bustling boulevards of Central Paris, there are nooks of the City of Light that deserve more attention. One such corner of the city, tucked away in the 12th arrondissement is Bercy. Close to the rest of Paris but with a decidedly different feel, New York Habitat has dozens of accommodations in and around the oft-overlooked Paris neighborhood.
The heart of the neighborhood and all of its attractions are tucked along the Seine river, in between the Pont de Bercy and Pont National bridges. On the right bank of the river is the National Library of France named appropriately after the president who commissioned its creation, Francois Mitterrand. A jewel of modern French architecture, the library is much more than a place to conduct research or catch up on your French, the structure is a bonafide tourist attraction. The library is composed of four L-shaped, 25-story buildings designed to resemble open books. In between the four towers is a serene sunken garden filled with academics, young students and architecture buffs.
Across the river on the right bank is the Paris Bercy Sports Center and the manicured gardens of Bercy Park. The Bercy Sports Center holds sporting events and is a popular venue for concerts year round. Bercy Park, one of Paris’ youngest green spaces, is far less crowded than the Luxembourg or Tuileries gardens but just as worthy of an afternoon stroll. At the southern end of the park is Bercy Village, a conglomeration of shops and restaurants along a cobblestoned pedestrian street designed to resemble a bucolic French village. Connecting the park and library of each bank is the newly opened Simone de Beauvoir pedestrian bridge. Sleek, modern and sensual, the bridge’s design has received rave reviews despite a supposed worrisome tremor when packed with pedestrians.
As in any Paris quarter, New York Habitat has accommodations big and small in and close to Bercy.
Situated between the Bastille and Bercy quarters is this charming studio vacation rental (PA-3964), located in the center of Bastille district, a romantic choice for vacationing couples. Also available in the 12th arrondissement is this sleek and roomy 2-bedroom apartment rental in Bastille, Marais – Les Halles(PA-1770). Steps from the Viaduc des Arts .
Though a visit to Bercy won’t result in picture perfect photo opportunities or typical Parisian cityscapes, the quarter is a small slice of Paris filled with a unique spirit of urban renewal.
Related areas and neighborhoods in Paris to discover:
A small point: Bercy is in the 12th arrondissement on the Right Bank and the new national library is in the 13th on the Left Bank. Your article has them on the wrong banks.
Thanks for that note, our mistake