Oh well here I am again looking back at my previous posts and darn it cannot find anything on the districts/neighborhoods of my beloved Versailles!!! An oversight indeed! I wrote on the other cities but not on the one I lived! Well time to remedy that in my blog, for the memories of old! Versailles is it!!!
Well what else. I need to bring you up to speed on this historical ,Royal and magical town of France. Of course, my beloved Versailles. Usually, cities are divided into districts and then neighborhoods and they give you a feeling of an idea of where you are going. And you need to come to Versailles!
The districts/neighborhoods of Versailles are Bernard de Jussieu-Petits Bois-Picardie , Chantiers, Clagny-Glatigny, Montreuil, Notre-Dame , Porchefontaine, Saint-Louis, Satory, and Instance du château(the castle).
Let me give you the views on most from my views on living there in no particular order.
Notre-Dame (my district!): the most chic district, in the hyper-center, around the Place du Marché, the shopping streets and Notre-Dame Church, which extends roughly from the Lycée Hoche to the Château. At the avenue de l’Europe stop, before the Prefecture, all buses pass. Just a stone’s throw away, the essential Monoprix where toddlers and their mothers dress. The icing on the cake is located between Versailles Rive-Droite station and Boulevard de la Reine, it is the famous “Quartier des Prés”, highly prized for its strategic location.
Saint-Louis is a former military-traditional district with its ex-swarms of children in velvet breeches and worn yellow oilskins, Saint-Louis has changed well ,and attracts today many young families with a more contemporary look. In this 18Cdistrict, the oldest of Versailles, several emblematic streets like the rue Royale and its shops , which crosses the historic Carrés Saint-Louis, the pedestrianized rue de Satory, ideal for a lunch in the sun. far from the Potager du Roi and the delightful Parc Balbi, finally the rue du Vieux Versailles, which has become a mecca for children’s activities with all kinds of workshops, each more delicious than the next.
The Satory district in priori trusted by the families of gendarmes and soldiers, this somewhat out-of-the-way district now hosts an industrial center of excellence.
The Chantiers district undergoing major changes, this district where very little was happening is undergoing titanic works around the train station. It is reborn in the form of a modern district, inspired by Art Deco, where transport, housing, offices and shops coexist.
The Porchefontaine district is a former popular suburb of Versailles, today it is the area where young families with small children live and dream of a home. The nearby forest and its sports facilities ,including a beautiful, little-known equestrian club and tennis courts that are more accessible then Jardy are its assets. On the Rive-Gauche-Château RER C train line therefore serving the south of Paris.
The Montreuil district is a small village in the heart of Versailles, dominated by the Saint-Symphorien Church and its curious republican architecture. The rue de Montreuil conceals shops, each more charming than the next.
The Jussieu-Petits Bois-Picardie district is a quiet HLM (low income housing) district with large parks, ideally equipped for children, a stone’s throw from Montreuil train station.
The Clagny-Glatigny district is the most residential and green because right on the edge of the forests of Fausses-Reposes in Versailles and on the edge of the Haras de Jardy and Sans-Souci, in Le Chesnay-Rocquencourt. With buses A, H and G, close to the center and the Rive-Droite train station.
From a more touristic version
The Notre-Dame district (of course my old neighborhood) is the oldest district of Versailles. It was built by king Louis XIV to beautify the surroundings of the castle. King Louis XIV undertook to create this district north of the Castle, on virgin land, in order to beautify the surroundings. The inhabitants gradually settled in from 1671, building according to precise rules along streets surprisingly straight and wide for the time. The district still revolves around the original institutions: visit the Notre-Dame Church, which was the king’s parish. There is also the Montansier theater, opened in 1777, and the Place Hoche, originally Place Dauphine, the first octagonal square in France. A few steps away, installed in a charming 18C mansion, the Lambinet museum will immerse you in the atmosphere of a period mansion, unless you prefer to discover the collections on the history of the city of Versailles and the French revolution etc.
The Saint Louis district is made up of two historically distinct parts: Old Versailles and the Saint-Louis district itself. The Old Versailles, which corresponds to the location of the medieval village acquired by king Louis XIII, is the historic heart of the city. Stroll through the heart of this district: you will discover a large number of remarkable and particularly well-preserved monuments such as the Récollets convent, the Grand Commun built under king Louis XIV to house the court kitchens, the former Hôtel des Affaires Etrangères and the Mariners built under king Louis XV. The most emblematic site of Old Versailles is the Salle du Jeu de Paume, which was the scene of a major episode of the French revolution. You will admire the Saint-Louis Cathedral , a superb church which preserves a very fine collection of period paintings as well as the King’s garden or Potager du Roi, designed to supply the castle’s plethora of population. Moved on to the Carrés Saint-Louis, this collection of small houses built under king Louis XV to serve as shelter for a new market. There is a very friendly atmosphere there!
The Antiquaires or Antiquarians district a place steeped in history, near the castle, the Notre-Dame market and the Lambinet museum, is a privileged walk for all amateurs and professionals of antiquity. In the center of Versailles, 50 antique dealers welcome you. Whether you are a lover of beautiful objects, jewelry or silverware, antique or art deco furniture, old, modern or contemporary paintings; or collector of weapons, old books, engravings, earthenware and porcelain, old toys or archaeological remains; or simply occasional bargain hunter, here you will find something to satisfy your curiosity and meet your desires from the most reasonable to the craziest !
The Montbauron and Montreuil districts are located further upstream from the Avenue de Paris leading to the Château. The neighborhood of Montbauron is dominated by the Butte Montbauron and bounded by the avenues of Paris, Saint-Cloud and Europe, this district has everything of a small village which deploys its cobbled streets around a central square, Place Charost. It is in the middle of the city, on a height, that the four reservoirs of Montbauron were built in 1686 to collect water from the surrounding ponds. Of these four reservoirs, only two remain and only one is still assigned to supply the fountains of the castle.
The neighborhood of Montreuil has a village feel and was not attached to Versailles until 1787. It has therefore developed a little away and retains the charm of a village, gathered around the Saint-Symphorien Church, an early example of neoclassical architecture. It is in this district that, under king Louis XIV, the Italian musicians assigned to the chapel of the castle settled. Visit their home, which now houses the Union Compagnonnique museum. Its proximity to the Château also meant that Montreuil was chosen by some great ladies of the court in the 18C for the installation of beautiful mansions, such as the domaine of Madame Elisabeth, sister of Louis XVI, whose park you will appreciate!
From a more touristic point of view they are group into Notre Dame, Saint Louis, Antiquaires, and Montbauron-Montreuil. As above translated from Versailles tourist office: https://www.versailles-tourisme.com/visiter-et-explorer-versailles/versailles-une-ville-a-decouvrir/visite-des-quartiers-historiques-de-versailles
From living there the neighborhood councils or conseils de quartiers of the city of Versailles: https://www.versailles.fr/mairie/les-conseils-de-quartiers/
From the Maisons du quartier or neighborhood home of the city of Versailles: https://www.versailles.fr/maisonsdequartier/
And why not this is another city but just crossing the street and you are in Versailles, my boys high school was here so will tell you a bit on its districts too ok. Le Chesnay used to be called the town now is call Le Chesnay-Rocquencourt. A very nice place too even if not in the tourist trail.
The Plateau St Antoine district: A stone’s throw from the Rive Droite train station and adjoining Saint-Jean-Hulst stand up, majestic and opulent, the millstones of the Plateau, which make the peepers of any self-respecting local housewife shine; nonetheless, they are far from affordable for all budgets and sell out in the blink of an eye in a market that remains very confidential.
The Bas-Plateau district: if you have not managed to reach the coveted peaks of the Plateau St Antoine, you can nevertheless find what you are looking for in the northernmost district of Chesnay, in other words the Bas Plateau with pretty houses, sometimes terraced, often dating from the 1930s, nestled at the foot of Saint Antoine, offer a family setting and proximity to Blanche and Saint Jean.
The Parc Aubert district is built around the pretty Aubert park, this predominantly residential area is close to Parly 2 mall and access to the A13 autoroute de Normandie; on the other hand, it will appear off-center to those looking for the proximity of Versailles train stations.
The Parly 2 district is to all those looking for the cachet of the old, go your way! For everyone else, this huge condominium, which dates from the 1970s and is one of the largest in Europe, has real assets: functional apartments, greenery, a nearby shopping center, as well as easy access to the Domaine de Versailles.
The Old city/town hall district stretches from rue de Versailles to the brand new library: it has quite diverse habitats, ranging from residences on rue Caruel Saint Martin and rue de Versailles, animated by its small market on Wednesdays and Saturdays, in very quiet social housing and very close to the library, through the workers’ houses on rue de la Celle ;some in red brick are reminiscent of their English counterparts: do not think about you there however, everything is spruced up, raised, refurbished by families looking for houses and gardens in the immediate vicinity of Versailles and its stations.
The city of Le Chesnay-Rocquencourt on the heritage and history in French: http://www.lechesnay-rocquencourt.fr/D%c3%a9couvrir/256/
And as I am at it, why not the other nice town we like ,next to Versailles. To the East of Versailles, the small town of Viroflay cultivates its discretion, nestled between two forests of Meudon and Fausses-Reposes on either side of the D910, which connects the castle to the Pont de Sèvres in Paris. Among the best served in the Ile-de-France region, the town has three train stations such as lines L and N to Saint-Lazare and Montparnasse, RER C (rive gauche château), tramway T6, bus 171(to château) and so on. With excellent public and private schools, dynamic sports and cultural associations and a covered market, this charming little family village is mainly made up of houses built at the start of the 20C, many of which are millstone. The shops are divided into three points: near the market by avenue du Général Leclerc, and around the train stations of Viroflay Rive Gauche and Chaville-Vélizy. When you’ve tasted it, you don’t want to leave!
The city of Viroflay on its heritage and history in French: https://www.ville-viroflay.fr/decouvrir-viroflay/histoire-et-patrimoine.html
And now I feel better, you have a full picture of my old home, and glorious places. Hope you can come and see it again or first time, you will be back. It is a must my beloved Versailles.Hope you enjoy the post.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 
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