Paris is known for elegance, beauty, rich history, and culture. This unique combination attracts people from all over the world to make the French capital home.
Unfortunately, Paris is also known for huge tourist crowds, noise, smells, mess, and rudeness. Many people happily live with this, and enjoy the hustle and bustle. But others choose to live in the suburbs, where these downsides are less present.
Neuilly-sur-Seine combines the quiet and calm of the suburbs with the convenience and rich opportunities you get in the city center. Life here has the luxury of the Champs-Élysées and Rue St Honoré, the stately grandeur of the 7th and 16th arrondissements, and the peaceful green spaces of Boulogne-Billancourt.
This article explores the key attractions of living in Neuilly-sur-Seine, and helps you identify whether this neighborhood is right for you.
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About Neuilly-sur-Seine
Neuilly-sur-Seine is one of the wealthiest and most expensive places to live in all of France. Despite being a suburb and slightly further from the heart of the city, average property prices here are higher than about half of Paris’ arrondissements.
It’s also in the top five communes in France for median per capita income. In other words, many people here are rich.
The high prices and incomes are likely because Neuilly-sur-Seine is the best of both worlds: it’s as quiet, clean, and spacious as the other western suburbs, but also easy to get to and closer to the central city than most.
Bordered by the 8th, 16th and 17th Arrondissements, Neuilly-Sur-Seine sits a short distance from the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe, Musée Marmottan, and more beloved attractions. It’s just across the Seine from La Défense, Paris’ major business district and headquarters for many businesses.
The suburb is also home to the American Hospital of Paris, the choice for many international expats as a maternity and pediatric hospital.
Former President Nicolas Sarkozy was mayor for nearly 20 years, and famous residents have included Édith Piaf, Karl Lagerfeld, Quincy Jones, and Wassily Kandinsky. This should give you an even better idea of just how chic the area is.
Why live in Neuilly-sur-Seine?
Neuilly-sur-Seine is an attractive place to live thanks to low crime rates, clean and quiet streets, and suitability for families. These factors are often hard to find in such close proximity to the central city.
And despite being relatively close to major attractions, you’ll find very few tourists visiting the suburb. If you’re looking for the beauty of Paris and its associated lifestyle—without the crowds of English-speakers—this could be the perfect spot for you.
Neuilly-sur-Seine may suit you if you prioritize:
- Life outside the city center, but with a quick commute to major attractions.
- High quality of life, at a high price tag.
- The style, elegance, and fashion that only (parts of) Paris can provide.
- Great schools, hospitals, and other amenities for families.
- You work in La Défense or the 16th, 17th, or 8th arrondissements of Paris.
Of course, all this comes at a price. As mentioned, it’s possibly the most expensive place in greater Paris to buy or rent, other than the most chic arrondissements. But if you can happily afford the high rents and purchase prices, and are at home among boutique shops and fine dining, Neuilly-sur-Seine is a wonderful choice.
What to do in and near Neuilly-sur-Seine
Neuilly-sur-Seine provides a wide range of things to do—another reason why this suburb is so desirable. It’s rare to find this combination of green spaces, history, and urban life in any major city, and certainly this close to Paris.
Many Parisians visit for an afternoon. But if you live in Neuilly-sur-Seine, you have all of this on your doorstep.
1. Walk in the Bois de Boulogne
One of the largest wooded parks in Paris, the Bois de Boulogne was previously used as a hunting ground for French Kings. Stretching over 850 hectares, the space includes the Jardin d’Acclimatation, the Louis Vuitton Foundation, the Parc de Bagatelle, the Pré-Catelan and the Jardin des Serres d’Auteuil.
Visitors can stroll its many walking paths, or rent a bike and explore 15 km of cycling routes. The Bois de Boulogne offers countless recreational facilities for people of all ages, including children’s play areas, picnic spots, and bicycle hire.
You can also rent a row boat and cruise around the Lac Inférieur, catch a race at the Longchamp and Auteuil racecourses, visit the Musée en Herbe, or watch a show at the Théâtre de Verdu
The woods are open and freely available to the public 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
2. Cruise the Seine
As the name suggests, Neuilly-sur-Seine sits on the banks of the famous river. Which means you can easily walk the banks and watch the water flow, far from the crowds near the Louvre and Musée d’Orsay.
There are also plenty of river cruise options. These include day tours to explore the whole city by boat, and dinner cruises for a nice meal under the evening stars.
3. Visit the Château de Neuilly
The Château de Neuilly was the favored residence of King Louis-Philippe I during the July Monarchy. The enormous grounds were destroyed in the 1848 French Revolution, but you can find the last remaining wing at 52 Boulevard d’Argenson, which was incorporated into a convent.
Today you can visit this reminder of royal grandeur and excesses in the heart of a modern suburb.
4. Explore the Jardin d’Acclimatation
Sitting within the northern part of the Bois de Boulogne is the Jardin d’Acclimatation, a 19-hectare children’s amusement park that was originally opened by Napoleon III as a zoo in 1860.
Since then, it’s grown to include 40 attractions—including four roller coasters—that make it a fun-filled day for a family outing. From thrill-seeking rides to fairground food and games, there’s truly something for everyone.
The park includes a mini-golf course, archery range, pony ride, train ride, house of mirrors, shooting galleries, science and art museums, 18 hectares of walkways and over 400 animals. If you’re lucky, you’ll even meet the albino peacock which walks freely throughout the park.
5. Discover the Louis Vuitton Foundation
Sitting right next to the Jardin d’Acclimatation, the Louis Vuitton Foundation is a stunning building designed by Frank Gehry, the same architect behind the Guggenheim in Bilbao. A gallery for temporary and visiting exhibitions, the building itself is an extraordinary work of art in its own right.
Funded by the Louis Vuitton luxury goods conglomerate, the museum took seven years to build and was opened in 2014. A must-see for any lover of art or modern architecture, the space is home to many rotating art and culture exhibitions. Its collection includes work by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Jeff Koons and Gilbert & George.
If you’re planning a visit, aim to get there early as security checks and ticket lines can get lengthy at peak hours.
6. Work and play in La Défense
La Défense is Europe’s largest purpose-built business district, with nearly 500,000 jobs done here each day. If you’re moving to Paris to work in banking, finance, insurance, consulting, engineering—or really any job best done from a skyscraper—there’s a real probability you’ll spend your days here.
But it’s also an interesting area to visit, with plenty of entertainment. Here you’ll find Westfield the 4 Temps, the largest shopping center in Europe. With 250 shops across over 140,000 m², the 4 Temps is a popular stop for tourists and Parisians alike. It includes a food court, a UGC cinema, the largest Zara in Europe, and its own mobile app.
Another key attraction is La Défense Arena. It holds top-tier rugby games, has seen concerts by Taylor Swift and Bruce Springsteen, and was turned into an aquatic center for swimming during the Paris Olympics.
7. Folie Saint James
The Folie Saint James mansion and park is located on Rue de Longchamp, just one street away from the river Seine. A surviving relic of the excesses of the Ancien Régime (royalty), the mansion and grounds were commissioned by Claude Baudard de Saint James in the late-1770s.
According to lore, Saint James’ only instruction to his architect was “do as you please as long as it’s expensive!” The mansion is a fine example of Palladian architecture, while the park features both a Doric and man-made grotto.
The mansion and its park have recently undergone a two-year restoration project, bringing them back to their 18th-century glory.
Similar neighborhoods to Neuilly-sur-Seine
If you like what you’ve read, but can’t find the ideal place to buy or rent in Neuilly-sur-Seine, here are a few other neighborhoods to investigate:
- 7th arrondissement: the most exclusive and prestigious of the city’s arrondissements, the 7th includes the Eiffel Tower and Musée d’Orsay, as well as high-end department stores and elite bistros.
- 16th arrondissement: perhaps the quietest and most stately arrondissement, and also adjacent to the Bois de Boulogne.
- Levallois-Perret: another affluent western suburb, but not quite as chic or expensive as Neuilly-sur-Seine.
- Boulogne-Billancourt: also adjacent to the Bois de Boulogne, with a more active “downtown” business district and plenty to do.
Live the good life in Neuilly-sur-Seine
As we’ve seen, Neuilly-sur-Seine is among the most desirable suburbs to live in Paris—possibly all of Europe. It’s ornate, classical, and clean, but still full of activity and life.
Its high prices and high-end lifestyle may not suit everyone. But for families, or those who want the space and charm of the suburbs while still in close proximity to the city center, it’s hard to beat.
If that sounds appealing, take a look at apartments to rent in the Hauts-de-Seine department, which includes Neuilly-sur-Seine. The sweet, chic Parisian life awaits.
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