Meet our property hunters in Paris 20th arrondissement

Perle Rare has finalised 28 flat purchases in this arrondissement since 2005. High-quality apartments in this neighbourhood go for €8 to €10,000/m² (excluding notary fees), while the official average price is €7,380/m².*

Belleville, Ménilmontant, Charonne… the villages which make up the 20^th arrondissement are synonymous with the working-class world conjured up by the songs of Aristide Bruant and Edith Piaf. With its diverse array of cultures and communities, the 20^th has a warm, friendly atmosphere which is attracting more and more hip, young professionals.

7 districts:
– Gambetta
– Télégraphe – Pelleport – Saint-Fargeau
– Saint-Blaise
– Père Lachaise – Réunion
– Belleville
– Plaine – Lagny
– Ménilmontant – Amandiers

A house in central Paris?

The 20^th has retained a down-to-earth atmosphere, and each street has its own unique character. In the streets around the Boulevard de Ménilmontant, bakeries, restaurants and delis fill the air with the aromas of the Middle East. This is the best spot in Paris to enjoy a Moroccan pastry and a traditional mint tea! Just a few streets over, Rue Belleville is home to a bustling Chinese community, with a lively atmosphere and authentic cuisine greatly appreciated by the locals. Moving further east, to the neighbourhood known as the “Paris countryside,” Rue Paul Strass, Rue Pierre Mouillard and Rue Irénée Blanc are lined with quaint little houses and flower-lined gardens, complete with outdoor staircases which provide prime sunbathing spots in the spring and summer. There is a real village feel here, with a community spirit you won’t find anywhere else in the centre of Paris!

Innovation and energy

The 20^th arrondissement does not boast the sort of monuments that attract millions of tourists, but it remains a popular destination for many visitors. It is home to Paris’s biggest cemetery, Père-Lachaise on Boulevard de Ménilmontant, the final resting place of everyone from Balzac, Proust, Chopin and Molière to Jim Morrison and even Allan Kardec, the inventor of spiritism… Far more important to those still living in the 20^th arrondissement are the dozens of little concert venues and theatres which are at the heart of the district’s buzzing cultural life. Rue Boyer is at the epicentre of this maelstrom, with concert venues La Maroquinerie and La Bellevilloise. The Théâtre de l’Est Parisien, recently renamed Le Tarmac (Avenue Gambetta) was the first Maison de la Culture launched by André Malraux in 1964. It is a perfect symbol of the 20^th arrondissement’s popular roots and cultural vibrancy. In terms of everyday cultural services, the 20^th boasts two public libraries as well as the Marguerite Duras multimedia library (Rue de Bagnolet).
With its patchwork of hidden surprises just waiting to be explored, the 20^th arrondissement is still the most authentic part of Paris. The 20^th has a genuinely friendly, neighbourly feel, with local residents proud to follow in the footsteps of Edith Piaf, Léon Blum, Serge Gainsbourg, Georges Perec and so many others. This charming way of life is attracting ever more young, high-earning professionals.

* Source: Chambre des Notaires – 4^th quarter of 2022. These are “net vendor” prices and not market prices (which are generally 4% higher)