Bastille vs Marais

hi shoshana
if you're still looking, you can check cross-pollinate.com or alcove&agapes.com (click lodging,type of accomodations, scroll down and click all available. B&B#285 with marie-francoise is worth a look at.)
if you find something, book now and sends a booking form and will email you back.
a forum member mentioned this site before awhile back and really enjoyed it. hope this helps
aloha

Place de la Bastille is extremely noisy 24hrs/day, so if you’re close by it could be a problem. I prefer the Marais, much more charming and much more quiet.
The eastern side of the Marais and the western side of the Bastille blend together, so depending on where the apt is, you’re kind of in both. If the apt is nice, i’d take it.

Thank you! Great information :)

I have stayed in the Bastille area (11th arrondissment) and highly recommend it. True, the area around the Place Bastille is noisy with traffic, but if you go out from there (east on rue St Antoine) it's a nice, un-touristy, hip neighborhood with lots of cafes. I stayed at an apartment on rue Chanzy near the famous Paul Bert bistro. Great area.

Thank you, that sounds lovely!

It totally depends on exactly where. We stayed once for a month in the Bastille area and didn't like it as much as many other districts we have stayed in including the Marais. Our street lacked charm and amenities -- lots of wholesalers of really ugly clothing. The Marais is very touristy and very picturesque. It is one of the reasons for the crackdown on rentals as this and some other areas are now almost all vacation rentals and residents are priced out of the market. So get some pictures of the street where your apt would be and see what it is like -- some areas of the 11th are charming and have good amenities and not particularly touristy.

BG describes the Bastille area as I know it. I go east for accommodations between Bastille and Gare de Lyon, an area that has little in the way of major tourist attractions but lots of local cafes, restaurants, and the Place d'Aligre daily market.

Just a quick note that "Bastille" as a description on a rental website can cover a pretty wide area, quite a distance from the Place de la Bastille. Check up the exact location on Google Maps/Streetview.

Thank you. Good tips everyone. It's hard to find the exact location because it is hidden until you book.

Shoshana, is there a way to ask the owner a question through the booking site? You might try asking for the nearest cross streets.

Thank you. Good idea!