I got some really helpful advice here when I started my Paris hotel search. Thank you! Unfortunately prices in June are ruling out some of your suggested hotels. I have found a couple of potential hotels with excellent reviews on both Booking.com and TripAdvisor (I have cross referenced reviews for about 25 hotels). The ones in my price range (already higher than I hoped — close to $400/night refundable rates) in the 5th and 6th arrondissements have much better reviews than those in the Marais, which had been my preferred district. (1st arrondissement is definitely out of my price range). I want to be close enough to walk to many of the big sights. I’d also love cafes and decent restaurants nearby…and not a totally wild atmosphere. Should I keep looking? Pay more to be in the Marais area? Or would the 5th or 6th tick most of my boxes? Would love to hear your experiences staying in these areas. Thanks again!
Posted by
la la land...
1306 posts
Have you ever stayed in the Marais? It is crowded, with narrow sidewalks, kind of loud, and I don't find it to be all that well situated for walking to "the big sights" whatever you mean by that. There is a fetish on this forum for staying in the Marais that escapes me...
Look to the Left Bank, and expand your search beyond the 5th and 6th to include the 7th, 14th, and 15th...with decent Metro coverage, you don't need to be in short walking distance to the big sights like the Louvre, the Orsay, Notre Dame...
I have been visiting Paris for over 40 years, and counting more than 15 trips there, I only stayed on the Right Bank twice - that was on my first trip when I knew nothing, and on a trip about 10 years ago with a friend who was insistent on the "Marais adjacent" Right Bank and I relented, but that is it...
Posted by
Chicagoland
1040 posts
Are you looking for a room for one or two people?
I agree with Jojo Rabbit, the Marais can be very crowded and loud. I would not pay over my budget to be in the Marais.
If you find a suitable hotel in any of the arrondissements mentioned above in your budget, book it. There are plenty of cafes and restaurants and patisseries. For some sights you will want to use the bus or Metro. Take a look at Google Maps and see how easy it is to travel from the hotel to the Eiffel Tower or Place du Trocadero. Is there a convenient metro or bus line near your future hotel? (Be sure to select a date & time in the future for accurate public transportation options).
Posted by
San Francisco and Paris
36 posts
I would pay more to be in the 5th or 6th rather than the Marais. It's so crowded and over-touristed. So are parts of the 5th & 6th for that matter. Which hotels are your top contenders?
Posted by
OP
Ithaca, NY, USA
854 posts
Cora, two of the ones I’m considering are Hotel Monge and Hotel Signature St Germaine des Pres. Friends have stayed at Hotel Signature recently.
Posted by
OP
Ithaca, NY, USA
854 posts
Jean, there are two of us. We would like a room with twin beds or a queen bed at the smallest. A double bed is just too small for us to sleep comfortably.
Posted by
la la land...
1306 posts
Ruth: for location I would pick the Signature hotel to the Monge...but keep looking, broaden your search on the Left Bank...
Posted by
Chicagoland
1040 posts
Ruth, both hotels are in good locations with good transportation options.
Hotel Monge is about 15-20 minute walk to Notre Dame or Luxembourg Gardens and 10 minutes to Blvd. Saint Germain and the best croissant in Paris at La Maison d'Isabelle.
Hotel Signature has several good bus lines just steps away, 5-10 minutes walk to le Bon Marche, La Grande Epicerie and Marche Raspail in Ina Garten's neighborhood.