Accomodation for 1 night in Paris as off to Nice

You will want to be near the Gare de Lyon. There are many hotels, many familiar chains as well as some independents, in that area, and between there and Bastille.

You will be hard pressed to find a place for dinner at 10 pm or so when you get to this area of Paris. It would be wise to do a little research on that first or even see if your hotel can arrange something. Most kitchens will be closed by this time.

Au Pied de Cochon by Les Halles is open 24-7.

Assuming you are arriving at Charles de Gaulle airport, you can get a train from the airport station to Nice. That would avoid getting into central Paris. With an 8pm arrival you will be lucky to get out of the airport by 9pm, it would be easier to stay at the airport, as you wouldn't see any of Paris if you are leaving in the morning.
For example:

Aeroport Paris-Charles de Gaulle TGV dep 08:27 TGV 9810, Lyon Part Dieu arr 10:30
Lyon Part Dieu dep 11:06 TGV 6821, Nice Ville arr 15:37

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I did the same thing as you in 2014. I stayed at Hotel de Venise. It was a few blocks walk from Gare de Lyon. I arrived earlier than you so I took the train from the airport into Paris and walked to the hotel and then walked to the station in the morning for the train to Nice. Coming in that late I would take a taxi from the airport to whatever hotel you end up at. I'm sure there are other hotels closer to the Gare de Lyon but I was very happy with my choice, it gets good reviews on TA and booking.com and price was reasonable. It's clean and nice and while it's close to the station I did not find the neighborhood at all unsafe or unsavory.

Thanks so much for all the suggestions. I hadn't thought of staying at the airport as I didn't realise it was an option. Will definately look into that as we have no reson to go into Paris.
Ros56

There is a Sheraton right in the airport. You could walk to it from the plane, and then walk to the train station, also in the airport in the morning to take your train to Nice.

I am thinking of booking the Ibis as it is cheaper and we will only be there for less than 12 hrs. Is that walking distance to the station do you know or is there a shuttle bus we can use.

Do you mean the Ibis in Nice or the Nice airport, or the one at CDG?

Oh sorry I meant the Ibis at Paris Airport where we will stay on our first night before we catch the train from the airport to Nice

Look at the Ibis CDG website. They show they have shuttle bus service. You can also take the CDGVAL shuttle train that has a stop right by the hotel. It goes from Terminal 2 next to the TGV station.

I stayed at an Ibis hotel within walking distance of Gare de Lyon. They're a clean and quiet hotel that caters mostly to business people, not expensive, more modern than charming. It's not my normal neighborhood but I had a train to catch to Lyon afterward so it made sense. Your train to Nice will also go out of Gare de Lyon, it would probably be a good choice for you.

Arriving in the evening, you should aim for the Ibis At the airport, called Ibis Roissypole. This one is next to Terminal 3 and requires only the internal airpot shuttle train. The other Ibis hotels are near the airport and reqiuire a shuttle bus after the shuttle train. The bus may be less frequent as evening wears on.

Take the CDGVAL to terminal 3. Ibis Hotel is very close to there. Just follow signs. There is also a CitizenM hotel near terminal 3.

I, too, suggest taking the train the day you land in Paris. You'll have time to rest in the train on the way to Nice and perhaps be able to enjoy a nice evening out and then wake up the next day ready to see where you're wanting to be.

BUT if you're dead set on staying the night, I suggest the iBis Styles at the airport as breakfasts are included and generally they decor is a little more gay than the standard Ibis.

"I, too, suggest taking the train the day you land in Paris. "

The OP gets in to CDG at 8:00 pm, is there an overnight train from CDG to Nice?

Thank you that is certainly another thing to consider. We haven't used the train system before so I didn't realise they had overnight service to Nice. I will check it out with the travel agent and see if our 20.00 arrival will connect woith a train to Nice. thanks everyone for your fantastic advice.

There are no overnight trains to Nice from Paris.

As per your original question and desire to be near the train station at which the train departs for Nice -- which is the Gare de Lyon -- I would take the Bus Direct to the Gare de Lyon (it's the route for the Gare de Montparnasse, the first and only other stop is the Gare de Lyon -- it's called "Ligne 4" at this link. (A "billet simple" is a one-way ticket, which is all you need - I don't know why they still use French terms on the English-language pages!!) It's a nice comfortable coach where you can snooze and not have to worry about your belongings.

https://www.lebusdirect.com/en/

When you get off the bus at the Gare de Lyon, if you turn to the left as you get off the bus, you will see the Ibis hotel there a couple of hundred feet away. https://www.accorhotels.com/gb/hotel-3211-ibis-paris-gare-de-lyon-diderot-12th/index.shtml

And behind you as you turn around (after the bus drives off!), the big l'Européen brasserie, which will be going until late (they are open until 1 am).

http://www.l-europeen.com/en/

That way everything you need is within steps of each other, and you don't have to think too much -- as you can be tired at the end of a long travel day!! And need your strength again for the morning to take the train down to nice.

There's no need to have a travel agent buy your tickets; you can search yourself at www.trainline.eu and even purchase your tickets there (easier to use than the SNCF website, and more likely to accept an American credit card without giving you a hassle).

Also, it's easier/less hassle to do the trip into the city in the evening like you would do if you go upon arrival rather than going early in the morning. I think your original idea of staying near the train station for the evening is best. (of course you can also do it the other way and stay out at the airport, but I personally would rather spend the evening in Paris, even if I stay in one circumscribed location, rather than out at the airport.)