The Paris Residences of James Joyce

Hotel Le Belmont

The lease on their Passy apartment expired so the Joyce family decided to holiday in England. On 17 April 1932, James Joyce, Nora, and daughter Lucia went to the railway station in Paris with their luggage, but Nora had a severe crying episode which put a stop to their plans. They took a taxi to Hotel Le Belmont.

Hotel Le Belmont – Photographer: Martina Nicolls 2019

The Joyce family moved into the Hotel Le Belmont at 30 Rue de Bassano in the 8th arrondissement near the Avenue des Champs-Elysées.

Hotel Le Belmont still exists. It was renovated in 2013.

The area was familiar to them because it was near the Hotel Grand Powers and near La Résidence. It is halfway between the Arc de Triomphe and the River Seine. It is also close to one of their favourite restaurants, the Chez Francis at 7 Place de l’Alma.

James Joyce stayed here for one month from 17 April to 14 May 1932.

James Joyce Paris Residence: Number 13 out of 18.

Photographer: Martina Nicolls

Hotel La Résidence

James Joyce married Nora Barnacle in England on 4 July 1931, after living with her for twenty-seven years. His children, Giorgio and Lucia, attended the wedding. Joyce intended to move permanently to London, but a few months later, he decided to return to Paris. He arrived in Paris in September 1931.

Hotel de Sers (street view) – Photographer: Martina Nicolls 2019

James and Nora Joyce moved into the Hotel La Résidence at 41 Avenue Pierre 1er de Serbie in the 8th arrondissement.

Hotel La Résidence no longer exists. It is now the Hotel de Sers.

The hotel is halfway between the Arc de Triomphe and the River Seine.

James Joyce stayed here for two months in September and October 1931. They returned to the Hotel La Résidence from 31 January to 10 February 1935.

James Joyce Paris Residence: Number 11 out of 18.

Hotel de Sers – Photographer: Martina Nicolls 2019

Photographer: Martina Nicolls

Hotel Grand Powers

Before the Joyce family left to go to England, they spent almost two weeks in the Hotel Grand Powers in the 8th arrondissement at 52 Rue Francoise 1er in the 8th arrondissement. They intended to relocate to London permanently.

Hotel Grand Powers – Photographer: Martina Nicolls 2019

Hotel Grand Powers still exists. It is located at 52 Rue Francois 1er near the Avenue des Champs-Elysées in the Golden Triangle, a prestigious area of Paris.

The hotel is twenty minutes by foot south-west to the Eiffel Tower, but much closer to the Arc de Triomphe.

James Joyce stayed here for two weeks in April 1931.

James Joyce Paris Residence: Number 10 out of 18.

Photographer: Martina Nicolls

Hotel Bourgogne and Montana

Before James Joyce and his family could move into their new rental apartment, it needed renovations. So for a month, the Joyce family moved into a nearby hotel – the Hotel Bourgogne & Montana.

Hotel Bourgogne & Montana (street view) – Photographer: Martina Nicolls 2019

Hotel Bourgogne & Montana still exists. It is located at 3 Rue de Bourgogne in the 7th arrondissement. It is located at the historic Place du Palais-Bourbon and the site of the National Assembly that looks onto the River Seine.

The hotel is a fifteen minute walk from the first hotel that Joyce moved into on 8 July 1920 at 9 Rue de l’Université.

The hotel is close to the River Seine and the Museé d’Orsay, taking eight minute by foot. However, construction for the Museé d’Orsay commenced in 1981 and it was opened to the public in 1986. In Joyce’s time, the site was the Gare d’Orsay – the Orsay railway station.

Hotel Bourgogne & Montana is a five minute walk to Les Invalides, the military history museum and the tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte.

Across the river is the Place de la Concorde and the Tuileries Garden.

James Joyce stayed here from May to 12 June 1925.

James Joyce Paris Residence: Number 8 out of 18.

Place du Palais-Bourbon – Photographer: Martina Nicolls 2019

Photographer: Martina Nicolls

Hotel Victoria Palace

In August 1923, after a refreshing holiday at the seaside in England, James and Nora Joyce booked into the Hotel Victoria Palace at 6 Rue Blaise Desgoffe in the 6th arrondissement of Paris.

Hotel Victoria Palace – Photographer: Martina Nicolls 2019

Hotel Victoria Palace still exists. It is located on a side street off Rue de Rennes, a shopping street in the Montparnasse-Rennes quarter, close to the Boulevard du Montparnasse.

It is close to the Jardin du Luxembourg, and the restaurants on the Boulevard du Montparnasse where James Joyce frequented: Le Dome, La Rotonde, Le Select, and La Coupole. Further down the boulevard is the La Closerie des Lilacs restaurant. It is also close to the Dingo Bar at 10 Rue Delambre.

It is also close to Café les Deux Magots at 6 Place Saint-Germain-des-Prés and the Café de Flore at 172 Boulevard Saint-Germain.

For shopping, it is near the Le Bon Marché River Gauche at 24 Rue de Sevres.

The Joyce family stayed here for over a year from August 1923 to October 1924.

James Joyce Paris Residence: Number 6 out of 18.

Photographer: Martina Nicolls

Hotel Lenox

James Joyce arrived in Paris on 8 July 1920, with Nora Barnacle and their two children Giorgio (15 years old) and Lucia (13 years old). The poet Ezra Pound arranged for the Joyce family to stay in a small hotel at 9 Rue de l’Université in the 7th arrondissement.

Le Saint Hotel (west view of Rue de l’Universite) – Photographer: Martina Nicolls 2019

In 1982, James Joyce biographer Richard Eder wrote that it was called Hotel Lenox. In 2019, the building is the renovated Le Saint Hotel with its Kult Restaurant and Cocktail Bar—a neo-bistrot.

It is close to the Sylvia Beach’s first Shakespeare and Company bookstore at 8 Rue Dupuytrens (1919-1921), before she moved it 12 Rue de l’Odéon in July 1921.

It is also close to Café les Deux Magots at 6 Place Saint-Germain-des-Prés and the Café de Flore at 172 Boulevard Saint-Germain.

The Joyce family stayed here from 8-14 July 1920, and in October and November 1920. The Joyce family returned to the hotel for a year from 1 October 1921 to 31 October 1922 and again from 17-30 November 1932.

James Joyce Paris Residence: Number 1 out of 18.

Le Saint Hotel – Photographer: Martina Nicolls 2019

Photographer: Martina Nicolls