Hi, I am planning on going to Paris for a weekend at the end of March. It will be just me and two other girls and we are all in our early 20s, is there certain areas we should avoid, safety wise? Also how much would be reccommended to budget for 3 nights of accom either airBnB or hostel from thursday through to Sunday. :)
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA ☔️
6788 posts
This forum is for REVIEWS of things in France (for people to post their impressions of various places, businesses, etc. that they experienced on their trip). It's not really the right place to post questions (and get answers). You will get a much better response if you post your question over in the general France forum.
Start here: on the main Travel Forum page; under "Destination Q&A", on the Select Country menu, click "France".
Posted by
OP
62 posts
Oh silly me, thank you!
Posted by
Atlanta
4827 posts
Don't rule out staying in the absolute center of Paris on Ile St. Louis because you think the rates will be too high. At the end of March rates may be quite reasonable.
We stayed at Hotel des Deux-Iles and really enjoyed the location. It's quiet with friendly and helpful front desk personnel. Very well located -- cross the river and you will be in the Marais -- cross it the other way and you'll be in The Latin Quarter. Walk to the end of the island, cross the bridge, and you'll be close to Notre Dame -- such as it is now as some of the immediate area is closed off. The Metro is near enough that getting anywhere is not a problem.
We email them and request rate and booking information and get a reply within 24 hours. We opt out of the hotel breakfast as it seems, to us, expensive for what was offered. If you do stay on the island we know where you can get a great little breakfast for a good price.
If they can't accommodate you, a few doors away is their sister hotel named Hotel de Lutece. We would stay there based simply on our experience at Hotel des Deux-Iles.
There is another hotel on the island named Hôtel Saint-Louis en l´Isle but we've not stayed there.
Spend a few minutes googling hotels on the island and that should give you an idea if staying on there is a possibility, or if you should rule it out.
Posted by
the Middle Coast
292 posts
For a weekend trip where you're probably checking out the highlights, I'd say safety shouldn't be a big concern. Just be aware of your surroundings and belongings, particularly at tourist sites. People approaching you at the major hotspots (with clipboards, rings, bracelets, whatever) are usually trying to work some kind of scam, and you of course want to take the same kinds of precautions with bags and phones that you would in any big city.
Hostels in Paris are often in the $40-60 per bed range for anything a bit more "boutique." The MIJE locations in the Marais are excellent central locations, fine places to stay, but tend to be more school group than girls trip. For more of a "hip" neighborhood and atmosphere, you might try Les Piaules or Generator.
I've also stayed a couple of times in the Vintage near Gare du Nord and found it to be fine - you could probably book a private room with two bunks and pay about $100/person for the weekend.