Charming Old World hotels in Paris, preferably near Notre Dame

When I read "old world" get a picture in my mind's eye of rickety staircases and shared bathrooms. I think the closest you will get is recreated olde worlde, because most hotels - even the iconic ones - have been rebuilt.

Sunset, take a look at the RS Paris book. Rick often suggests smaller hotels that I’d consider “charming”. They are listed by neighborhood so you might find something in your target area near Notre Dame. I like to stay in the 7th arrondissement, within walking distance of the Eiffel Tower and Napoleon’s Tomb. Everyone has their own favorite neighborhood.

This place has 'old' right in its name, and like Simon says, its been rebuilt plenty of times to be a little more comfortable,
but I can tell you from personal experience that you either have to be patient using the 1-person elevator, or put in the effort to climb the narrow steep staircase.

https://www.vieuxmarais.com/en/page/photos.4.html

I can highly recommend this hotel:
https://www.hotelresidencedesartsparis.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAq5meBhCyARIsAJrtdr7BcW98OeKcWpT7Oz_IlETynLB-xAQUMLBuYxC7hrxOcYbBXn5ghZUaAlC8EALw_wcB

It’s half a block from the Seine, just across from Notre Dame. Several metro and RER lines nearby. There is a restaurant downstairs. Tons of shops and restaurants in the area. We stayed in an “apartment” which is a double room and a jr. Suite. The double room is in your price range. Decent size room (by Paris standards) with mini fridge (very rare). Lots of charm. We’d stay there again in a heartbeat.

Traffic is horrible in Paris, so expect bus travel to take longer than a metro ride.

Take a look at Hotel des Grandes Ecoles. It's not that close to Notre Dame, but it's in easy distance of the Pantheon, as well as various bus and metro lines. Very quiet, lovely garden, good breakfast, very helpful staff.

This hotel has been recommended on this Forum for years, but I always thought it was too expensive. But this past year, I don't know if everyone else was higher, or the Grandes Ecoles was lower, but it fell into the "acceptable" range for us.

I've always liked staying at Hôtel Saint-Louis-en-l'Isle. First time I set foot on this little island I was in love - no idea why :-)
But it is now several years ago that I've been at this Hotel so no idea if it is still that charming.

Hotel Familia in the Latin Quarter is definitely "old world" - but that can be synonymous with tiny and even tinier bathrooms with limited services.

I am generally a Left Bank kinda gal and have been renting apartments more than hotels however, I did once stay at The Hotel Britannique on the Right Bank. It is close to ND and a central location. And has charm to burn :-)

https://hotel-britannique.fr/fr/page/photos-hotel-britannique.15674.html

We did the HOHO bus on one of our first trips to Paris. It does the job well and serves to give a good over-view. I’m not sure how great it is these days in terms of how long you have to wait between buses if you get off to view a site. My concern would be how well can your travel partners climb and how long are they able to stand and wait? The steps on these buses are usually steep and narrow and the bus doesn’t wait for people to be seated before it moves. Sitting downstairs is an option, but not a very fun one. The RS guidebook shows the public bus route and that might serve you just as well. You can check out the RATP website to see if that would work for you.

The Hotel des Deux-Iles is as centrally located as can be on Ile St. Louis. Not sure what their rates are now, so just check it out. There are also a couple of other hotels on the same street, and one of them is a sister hotel. Cross the river and you will be in the Marais -- cross it the other way and you'll be in The Latin Quarter. Walk to the end of the island, cross the bridge, and you'll be at the back of Notre Dame -- such as it is now as some of the immediate area is closed off. The Metro is near enough that getting anywhere is not a problem. There are also several restaurants on the island. If you decided to stay there, we can steer you to a great little place for breakfast as all hotel breakfasts seem to be over priced for what one gets.

if it's really important to be near ND, harder to be much closer than Ile St. Louis. There are several hotels there, I believe most of them are owned by the same company. And no car traffic to speak of.

We liked the Hotel des Grandes Ecoles, which Jane recommended, but several of the others upthread have good reputations. There are lots of choices. Use booking.com to research options, it has useful filters by location, price, and other variables. That will help you narrow things down, but make any actual booking with the hotel itself so you don't need to deal with a third party if there's a problem later.

I wouldn't use the HOHO bus (any company) unless all you want is a several-hours-long ride around a sightseeing loop with narration. Might be a good introduction to the city but it's not a good means of transportation if you'll be getting on and off. You'll spend a lot of time waiting for the next bus, or maybe the one after that if the next one is full. Riding the loop might not be a good idea on your arrival day when you'll be jetlagged and it may be too easy to fall asleep if you're off your feet for awhile. The Metro, local buses, and your feet are easy to use depending on where you're going.

Traveling with friends with mobility issues, I would look for a charming hotel (with an elevator) in one of the flatter areas of Paris ( close to the river) on a well-connected bus route or hub.

Since you’re considering using HOHO bus for transportation, have you looked into using the city buses? I had a temporary mobility issue several years ago and discovering the city buses in Paris saved my trip - very accessible, user-friendly, efficient and well-connected.

As one example, the number 69 bus https://www.ratp.fr/en/plans-lignes/busratp/69 travels past many sites/attractions you may have on your list, has a consistent, frequent schedule and is considerably less expensive than a HOHO. It doesn’t go everywhere, but does connect to other bus and metro routes and will get you to the Bastille, the Louvre, Musee D’Orsay, Les Invalides and the Champs de Mars/Eiffel Tower among others. I used the official RATP app to find real time schedules. You could also use Citymapper or google maps.

A hotel just off the rue de Rivoli in le Marais could work nicely. Many on this forum will have copious recommendations for hotels in that area. I’ve stayed at the Hotel Jeanne d’Arc le Marais and thought it ticked the charm box, is a block or two from a 69 stop and has an elevator.

The St Germain des Pres area is also charming, flat and has good bus routes.

There have been numerous discussions on this board about traveling to Paris with mobility issues. Type “Paris + mobility” into the search bar to find more advice.

Wow! Thank you for such great suggestions. Donna, I appreciate your idea to look at the RS Paris book—I usually choose the country books but chose the Paris guidebook this time.
Avirosemail, the choice between a tiny elevator and trekking up a narrow staircase helped me cross this one off my list.
Jane and Dick, we are leaning toward the Hotel des Grandes Ecoles—so much to love there!
Thanks for all the feedback about the HOHO bus. Sounds like it may not be the best choice for us.
I appreciate you all taking the time to get back to me.

Hotel Esmeralda, https://www.hotel-esmeralda.fr/en/, across the street from Notre Dame. Across the Square Rene Viviani, which has the oldest tree in Paris.

Enjoy your trip.

It feels like it’s been forever since I first asked for guidance but I wanted to let you all know that we booked Hôtel des Grandes Ecoles! The garden courtyard, charming rooms with wallpaper, a/c, view, and availability of two twin beds in a room made this the one. I know some people can sleep two to a double but my tall husband cannot so that was more of a determining factor. I am giddy with excitement, and so appreciate your trusted feedback 💛