Centrally located neighborhoods and hotels in Paris for 70+ solo female traveler

https://hotelparismuguet.com/

Over decades have stayed there more than one once. 7th arrondissement.

Small elevator. Easy stroll to metro station; Ecole Militaire. Invalides where Napoleon is buried is a 10 minute amble. Should check off all your boxes.

For my last couple visits to Paris, I've stayed at Hotel du Jeu de Paume on the Ile Saint Louis. The staff is wonderful, my room has always been quiet and comfortable. Read the room descriptions carefully as it is a very old building (with an interesting history). They list room sizes. Some rooms have shower over the tub, some a separate shower. Breakfast can be added.

Your a few minutes walk to Notre Dame and within 15-20 minutes walk of Sainte-Chapelle and Vedettes du Pont Neuf. Cross the Seine to the Left bank and catch the bus to Musee d'Orsay and Musee Rodin. Cross to the Right bank and catch the bus to l'Orangerie or walk maybe 15 minutes minute walk to the Picasso.

There are several cafes and restaurants on the island and your just a short walk to the right or left banks.

I can recommend Bonsoir Madame. https://www.bonsoirmadame.paris/en/

I have stayed there as a solo traveller and with my spouse. I/we love the location in the 6th; quiet but very close to great restaurants, the Jardin du Luxembourg etc.

Hi there,
Solo female your age here.
I’m just back from France and for my six nights in Paris I stayed here:

https://hotelabbatial.com/fr/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=fiche

It’s on booking.com, but I booked direct with the hotel.
Elevator to the very top, good breakfast each day, wonderfully friendly and helpful staff.
I asked for a room with a balcony and a walk in shower (bad knees: tubs are lethal for me!), which I got.
Very top floor in what would have originally been a “chambre des bonnes” or servants room.
It was small but not claustrophobic at all and had a small fridge, kettle, teabags,etc.
The whole place looks newly renovated and was spotless everywhere.
My tiny balcony looked out toward the street and the Pantheon and had one chair on it to sit on.
There are bigger rooms with balconies one floor below.
Notre Dame is very near, I could hear her bells….maybe a ten minute walk to the river.
Plenty of restaurants, cafes, boulangeries, grocery stores and an open market nearby on certain days.
I would absolutely stay there again!

I’ve stayed at Hotel Muguet within the month. I love it BUT if you are not planning to use the Metro I don’t think this is a good option.

FWIW, I’m mid 70’s, solo, female. This is my preferred neighborhood but I use the Metro daily.

Hi, I stayed at the 30-room Hotel de Londres Eiffel several years ago on an RS tour. I very much enjoyed it, and it’s walkable to plenty of restaurants. The hotel has a small lift and is near the Seine. Yes, it’s in the 7th but a few streets over from Rue Cler.

In October my wife and I stayed in Paris for 4 nights after a Rhone cruise.

We stayed at the Hotel Des Saints Peres in St Germain: https://www.esprit-de-france.com/en/hotels/hotel-des-saints-peres
It is a vey easy walk to restaurants and shopping. Probably 20 minutes to Notre Dame. Might be at the upper end of you budget.

Happy travels.

I recently stayed in St Germain at Hotel Le Regent. The location was excellent. Just a few blocks from a Metro Station, many restaurants and bakeries nearby, Short walk to either Notre Dame, San Chapelle, and the departure point for Seine river cruise trips. We walked to Musee D'Orsay along the river in about 15 min. https://hotelleregent.com/

Rooms were small (paris style). There was air conditioning and an elevator. Neighborhood is quite lively at night, but inside your room you hear nothing.

Breakfast is available, but honestly, walk around the corner and choose from 3 bakeries......

Thank you for all the replies. I've started researching your recommendations and others on my list. I realize that places like Hotel Muguet, Bonsoir Madame, Relais Bosquet look wonderful but they are further than I want to be from my planned activities. I do not plan to use the Metro or visit any of the monuments on this trip. So far my favorites are Signature Saint Germain (which appears to straddle the 6th and 7th) and Hotel Left Bank in the 6th. The former is above budget but maybe I can stretch, and the latter looks a bit old fashioned (but I'm visiting not living there).

If anyone has additional recommendations, probably not in the 7th and not a distance from the Seine, I'd love to see them. Also, no one mentioned anything in the Marais. Do you have any favorites there? I enjoyed the neighborhood years ago, had good food and took a tour with a Paris Greeter that was outstanding.

Thanks again for al the help.

Hôtel Caron de Beaumarchais is in the Marais, small, boutique, quaint and exceptionally located. We didn't have the breakfast, but it looked fantastic, reasonably priced and can be delivered to your room for free. The staff was marvelous. We had their largest room which faces the street and has a balcony. We returned later after having stayed in an apartment for a week but had a much smaller room that time. It was still a very nice experience. I'm unsure if it is in the price range that you mentioned.

Another vote for Hotel le Regent. It's been our go-to for any number of Paris visits. Note there are a couple of steps up from the lobby to get the elevator.

Hi, DSG, I stayed at the Hotel Left Bank in April of this year and liked it a lot. I usually travel solo, so I always get hotels that make me feel comfortable. I did have my two grandchildren with me on this trip, and of course was concerned for their safety as well, since they are both under 18. So I felt very safe in this neighborhood and in the building. And yes, it's a bit old-fashioned but very clean and comfortable. Here is my review from my trip report:

Hotel Left Bank is in a very old building in St. Germain, which is a really lovely area in the 6th Arrondissement. The streets were lined with trees and flowers, and people were sitting in cafes, walking around and riding bikes. It was a very colorful scene. The hotel was very nice with a vintage vibe to it. Once we checked in, we took the lift to the 3rd floor to check out our room. It was large, very clean, with two single beds placed side by side, and another single in a more secluded area of the room. This was nice as it gave my grandson a bit of privacy. And it had A/C. The weather was as nice in Paris as it had been in London, but it did get a bit warm in the room, so it was great having that A/C option. The bathroom was also quite large.

The breakfast was an additional cost, but when I booked the hotel, they were offering it for €5 pp, so we got breakfast both mornings, and it was quite good. There were not only breads and pastries, but creamy scrambled eggs, crisp sausage links, fruit, cereal, yogurt, and tomatoes and cucumbers.

The location was outstanding. I think I really got lucky with both hotels when it came to location. I loved this area, and it was so convenient to sights, cafes, boulangeries, pastry shops and much more. I would definitely stay here again.

FYI, I took some photos of the room for my personal blog, if you'd like to look at it. Keep in mind this was a room for 1 adult and 2 kids, but it will give you an idea of what the hotel rooms look like. https://mostlytraveled.wordpress.com/2025/04/10/day-eleven-onward-to-paris/

We've stayed at Hotel Abbatial and would highly recommend it, especially given how much you enjoyed staying in the Marais. The hotel is perfectly located between the Marais and the Latin Quarter. From the hotel you'll be in the Marais in less than 10 minutes and the walk itself is lovely.

Hotel Le Regent i mentioned earlier continues to fit your requirements is on the border of Latin Quarter and St. Germain.

Another vote for Hotel du Jeu de Paume ... I always like to stay on Île Saint-Louis. It's a great central location convenient to public transportation.

If you're serious about a pied seulement then why not stay near Place des Vosges again, like here:

https://www.turennemarais.com/localisation/

and use the money you save to get yourself something nice!

Good dinners galore from that point.

Hi! I was a solo traveler in Paris and stayed at the Left Bank Saint Germain in the Latin Quartet. Wonderful staff, comfortable bed, delicious breakfast and great location for walking. I used the metro which was 5 minutes away. There is also bus stops nearby. It was 400.00 euro a night, breakfast 5 euro in September. I felt safe and the staff were helpful. Rooms are comfortable and there is a nice sitting area on the first floor.

We liked Hotel des Grande Ecoles in the Fifth. For my review, see https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france-reviews/paris-hotel-des-grandes-ecoles

DSG, have you made any decision? If you have, can you let us know? 😊

Thanks to everyone who weighed in with their favorites. There are open rooms at all of the hotels I checked, so I am not feeling pressured as I work through the list. I have narrowed down my options by trying to keep my choices north of Blvd Saint Germain if staying in the 6th, and south of Place des Vosges if staying in the Marais. I have increased my budget to 350 euros. I originally did my booking.com search requiring hotels to be rated 9.0 or higher, but that knocked out almost every hotel mentioned in the RS forums. And not all hotels are on the site. This is where I am now: In the 6th - Hotel Academie Saint Germain (actually in the 7th); Hotel Left Bank Saint Germain; Hotel de Fleurie Saint Germain des Pres. In the Marais - Hotel 9Confidentiel; maybe Hotel de Josephine Bonaparte. I haven't looked at hotels on Ile St Louis yet. And just to complicate things there is the Paris Art Hotel Quartier Latin by Malone in the 5th.

It could well come down to which hotel has the most forgiving cancellation policy, which has a real shower, or which has a decor style that appeals. Please offer your opinions if you think I am off track, am neglecting a well located favorite, or you have inside knowledge that would steer me away from one of these places. Thanks to all for your help

the two you just mentioned in Marais both looked very good when we were looking around but didn't have enough rooms for our group which needed three rooms. we chose hotel monge,on Rue Monge in the 5th. that doesn't tick your boxes but is lovely. fabulous showers with twinkly LED lights set in the wall tiles, very friendly staff, very nice Occitane toiletries and comfy living room lounge area, like someone's prosperous grandparents. it's in front of Arenes de Lutece, the lift and some rooms look out onto it--your very own Roman arena, up the hill from Jardin des plantes, and not a long walk to the water or Notre Dame or many bus and several metro stations, but not right there by the river. across street from always full crowded tiny restaurant Hugo.... and if you read the book the Art Spy, around the corner from where Rose Valland lived on Rue Navarre....near about 6 high quality bakeries, and a quick walk to many fine restaurants or though you don't want monuments, the Pantheon, and the lovely church next door with great stained glass at eye level.
across town we stayed in the 11th, Hotel le Mareiul, also doesn't tick your boxes, but very close to lots of bakeries (Utopie) and restaurants. Other times we have enjoyed Marais Bastille on Richard Lenoir, near Bastille, very close to another top bakery--Deux Anges-and very convenient for bus lines now that Olympics disruptions ended--we didn't ever try their breakfast but it looks ok, it's much less expensive, a very nice friendly 3 star, the others I mentioned are all 4s. (bastille market twice a week, also the Monge market is quite nice, at least twice a week.)
The reason I answered though was to say that the first two you had mentioned --9 confidential and the JoBo really appealed but were not available. We had a fabulous chat with manager at 9 Confidential--they really seem welcoming and caring--one of our friends has a disability, which is why we went around and checked out the living rooms and welcoming staff at each of the hotels.
good luck, you can almost not go wrong, though some places will be more rewarding than others.
be sure to visit Valrhona hq in Tain L'Hermitage if that is an option on your river cruise, that is, if you like chocolate.

if at all interested in St Germain area, Hotel de l"abbeye is also lovely, and their indulgent breakfast is available till noon. Diptyque toiletries, too! extremely safe and quiet vibe. former convent I think....
easy walk to some fine restaurants,and the Luembourg gardens--i have walked from there to Rodin museum or you could easily take a bus much of the way....

Hôtel Dame des Arts would be my choice.

For a long time it was the under-the-radar location, beloved and hard to book jewel of the IHG Holiday Inn locations in Paris, but it left IHG several years ago and has been completely refurbished. It is now part of a small hotel group and what it should always have been, boutique hotel in a massively convenient location (with an elevator) and acceptable-sized rooms. (But not low budget)

https://maps.app.goo.gl/B8wkoaDSJrtWse7i7

I love both the MarAis and Paris Greeter. I have stayed at Hotel Bretonnerie on four occasions. Do ask for a room with no steps to the bathroom.

Just a follow-up from the OP. I booked at Hotel Left Bank Saint Germain. Its location pulled it ahead of the other contenders. It gives me the easiest walking access to most of my planned destinations, and allows me the opportunity to duck back into the hotel if I need to rest. So I am moving on (for now) to tours and restaurants. I'll be posting additional questions and hope to hear from some of you and other helpful travelers. Thanks to all who gave me their favorites. I am taking notes for hoped for future visits to Paris.