The luxury of so much space and light in Paris is worth every one of the four flights to this top-floor flat. Don’t miss the neo-gothic portal as you turn the key in the 1950s lock. The generous luminous hill-top place has sky to the front, sky to the back: early birds can watch the sun rise in the east, birds of all sorts will glory in the evening light-and-cloud show in the west. Inside, you know it’s Ann’s home: all is white, antique meets modern, oak floors gleam, eclectic pictures spark interest. Spread yourselves in the big front bedroom – there’s masses of cupboard space – or the more intimate back room, kick off your shoes (the friend below who showed you in will bless you for this) and waltz round the living room. The newly-modernised kitchen has a contrasting rustic table and a window onto the sitting room so the cook can join the conversation (no microwave, no telly). The bathroom has an excellent bath/shower and there’s a second, separate loo. Explore the cafés of lively Gambetta, visit celebrities in the Père Lachaise cemetery, hop on a bus or a metro – it’s 15 minutes to the centre. A civilised place.
After many visits to central Paris, this year we stayed in Gambetta and loved the experience of a real working home in a real Parisian neighbourhood. Good local transport will take you anywhere you want in Paris. But don't neglect the pleasures closer at hand: the magical Pere Lachaise cemetery, great food shops around Place Gambetta and an excellent street market twice a week. The apartment is spacious, light-filled and functional, with an easy modernist feel. Ann is an excellent host, unobtrusive but very helpful about what counts. We stayed for 10 days and could happily have stayed for 20.