Hello!
We (4 of us) will have 4 days in Paris in early August arriving by train and departing CDG airport. We are interested in seeing the Louvre and Notre Dame Cathedral. We will be using public transport.
Any recommendations for good neighborhoods to seek accommodation would be appreciated.
Thank you!
If you are a first time visitor or just want to be centrally located in Paris then anywhere that is within a 5-10 minute walk either on the north or south side of the Seine River starting from around Île-Saint-Louis in the east to around Place de la Concorde in the west would suit you. This is prime territory in central Paris and you'll never be more than a block or two from métro stations, cafés, stores, restos etc. and just about anywhere within this zone will give you that “Paris feeling” (quaint, charming, old world, etc., pick your superlative). The most popular areas (and that's not a bad thing) within this zone would be the Marais, the Latin Quarter and Saint-Germain neighborhoods and since these are vaguely defined neighborhoods that you won't find labeled on a map I'll try to point out some rough boundaries that would be considered the prime tourist locations in these neighborhoods.
The heart of the Marais that interests most tourists would be bordered by rue de Rivoli and rue Saint-Antoine on the south, rue du Renard on the west, rue Rambuteau and rue des Francs Bourgeois on the north and Blvd. Beaumarchais and Blvd. Henry IV on the east. The entire Marais extends beyond these borders but my parameters have defined the heart of this neighborhood, though certainly you could justifiably argue these parameters.
The heart of the Latin Quarter and Saint-Germain neighborhoods (adjacent neighborhoods) could be defined by the Seine river on the north, rue des Fossés Saint-Bernard on the east, rue des Ecoles and Blvd. Saint Germain on the south and rue des Saints-Pères on the west. Again, I've only defined the heart of these neighborhoods and there are certainly lovely and conveniently located places south of Blvd. Saint-Germain that lie within these neighborhoods, such as around Luxembourg Gardens or near the Panthéon, for example.
Get a good map of Paris of the scale of about 1:15,000 to orient yourself and a good map of this scale will show all the major sites, attractions, monuments, museums, parks and gardens as well as the location of métro and RER stops. A handy map booklet that fits easily in a purse or backpack is called Paris Pratique Par Arrondissement, L'Indispensable. It can be bought on-line or easily found in Paris in touristy souvenir stores, news/magazine kiosks you'll see on the street, bookstores, large supermarkets, department stores (like FNAC) and sometimes the tabac stores (usually in touristy areas) among other places.
Get familiar with how to plan your public transport journeys and find all other info public transport related at www.ratp.fr. An excellent website that explains Paris public transport and how to use it is www.parisbytrain.com.
Here is info about the various tickets, passes and fares:
https://www.ratp.fr/en/titres-et-tarifs
The passes that are most useful to tourists would be the weekly zone 1-5 Navigo Découverte Pass and the Navigo Jour and Navigo Easy.
Here is a page that shows the métro system and those RER lines that are within Paris proper:
Here is a map of the bus network in Paris:
Here is a map that shows the entire Paris region rail transport network, including all métro and RER lines as well as the TER suburban train lines that extend further outside of Paris (beyond zone 5) than the RER/métro network. You'll note that it also shows the zones (color coded) and you'll need to understand the concept of zones when it comes to traveling beyond Paris and how that relates to various types of tickets and passes:
https://www.ratp.fr/plan-transilien
The home page of ratp.fr has a route planner to help you plan your public transport journeys. On the same website you'll find links that show the entire RER network and other suburban train lines as well as bus maps etc. You'll also find info about tickets, passes and fares. If you need further help understanding how to use public transport in Paris and explanations about the various types of tickets, passes and fares refer to www.parisbytrain.com.
Now that you've got some neighborhood boundaries to work with use booking.com or hotels.com or some other hotel booking platform and enter your criteria to search these neighborhoods for hotels and once you've narrowed it down to a few choices go direct to the hotel's own website to check further details and be sure to book direct on the hotel's own website and not through a third party booking platform.
Just a note to remind that Notre Dame is still closed for construction since the April 2019 fire. You can see it from a raised viewing platform, but can't enter.
It is slated to re-open to visitors in December 2024.
My go-to neighbored is the left-bank Latin Quarter, and the Hotel Familia, or their sister hotel next door, the Minerve.
Thank you for the replies! Is there a "quiet" area(s) of the 5th (Latin Quarter)? Want to be close to the action, but not stay in too loud of a spot. Thank you!
We really liked the Latin Quarter--river and Notre Dame in one direction, Jardin de Luxembourg in the other, and around the corner from Shakespeare and Co. Found it to be a very central location for all our walking around the city.
My afore-mentioned hotels are just a couple blocks in from the Seine, so crossing the river to get the action on the other side is close and easy. The rooms are quest and restful - no loud bars or discotheques nearby like some places.
