If a first-time visitor has only a weekend (Friday evening to late Sunday afternoon) in what part of Paris would you stay in order to maximize the time?
Posted by
Franklin, TN, USA
920 posts
Book Hotel Lutece on the Ile St Louis in the heart of Paris and be a short walk away from everything. You are minutes away from Notre Dame....walk over to the left bank, find a wonderful bistro and enjoy a cup of coffee.....walk the Marais neighborhood, eat a falafel at L’ As du Falafel and enjoy the storefronts there. I love Paris!
Posted by
Central Connecticut, USA
1103 posts
We enjoyed the following hotel:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france-reviews/hotel-des-grandes-ecoles-paris-2b604cf6-f7a8-4b38-91fb-d1caefc3c6ae
Posted by
Chicago
8561 posts
If your weekend is in early spring, late fall or winter then the Hotel des Grande Ecoles is wonderful; it has no AC and we spent a couple of nights of misery there one June. Our room measured 100F in the afternoon and it didn't cool down enough to be comfortable at night as there was no cross draft to cool it down. If in summer absolutely get a hotel with AC. Our favorite for short stays is Henri IV Rive Gauche on the left bank near Notre Dame; it is well located for both walking to about 60% of the sights you come to see in Paris and to public transport for the rest. There are lots of hotels at various price levels; I would get one in the 4th, 5th or 6th arrondissement on a first trip. The Ile St. Louis would certainly be central.