Good hotel on Monmartre?

Montmartre is not far from Gare du Nord where the Eurostar ends its journey, so,if that is where you do in the end get a hotel, a taxi would not be expensive. Otherwise, until you know where you will be staying, it is not possible to tell you how to get there.

We were originally going to stay at the Moulin Plaza Hotel. However, after reading some reviews about staying on Monmoartre, I cancelled my reservations there. Is Marais a better and safer neighborhood?

Montmartre is not an unsafe neighborhood. I am typing this from a Montmartre apartment right now. We have stayed here before and in the past week have wandered on foot all over the area including the ethnic areas to the east of Sacre Coeur. It is not at all central but it is a charming truly lovely part of Paris. The area right around Pigalle is not all that, but you get a block away and it is lovely again.

The Marais is a very tourist boutique ridden part of Paris; it is also safe and more central than Montmartre and probably a better area for a first visit because it is central and walkable to much of tourist Paris. It is also a beautiful area but we like to avoid very touristy areas. Some parts of Montmartre are much less touristy while remaining charming -- the same is slightly less true of the Marais although it is less touristy at the fringes. And when I say 'touristy' I am referring not only to the concentration of tourists but also the tacky shops and souvenir stands and overpriced cafes that clutter up these areas.

If you pack light and can manage your luggage on the stairs then taking the metro to wherever your hotel is the most time and cost effective. Be sure you are pickpocket proof.

I've been to Paris almost 20 years ago and have great memories of the Monmartre area. However, it was 20 years ago :) This time I am bringing my 67 - year old mom and my husband. Neither one of them ever been to Paris. One of the reasons I was looking for Marais was for the closest metro and for things to be more central. If we were to stay on Monmartre, what hotels would you recommend?
Thanks in advance.

Monmartre is not cental, nor does it have easy access metro stops. You'll need to change metro lines anywhere you go. You should get a map of Paris and stick to the lower number districts, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, if you want to central.

If you want to be central, with easy access to metros, I would suggest staying as close to the Seine as possible in either the 4th (Marais), 5th (Latin Quarter) or the 6th (St. Germain).

For my first trip to Paris I too was looking for a central part and for me it seemed to be the area around Saint-Michel fountain, the Latin Quarter/St. Germain. At the Saint-Michel Metro stop you can catch the M4 which runs North & South, the RER-C which runs along the Seine & out to Versailles as well as the RER-B, running North & South and to/from CDG. As well as bus stops nearby. For me this area was within walking distances to many of the sites (Notre Dame, Sainte-Chapelle, the Louvre, & more).
Enjoy your trip.

Thanks, everyone. I really appreciate all of your inputs. Brushtim we are neighbors! :) thanks for such detailed info, everyone!!!

I agree with Bets and Dawn.. I would choose the 4th (which includes Ile St Louis - my favorite neighborhood of all - it's the little island next to Ile de la Cité, where Notre Dame is), the 5th or the 6th, as close to the river as possible. I'm not a fan of Montmartre, and as others said, it's about as far away from central as you can get.

So, have you found your hotel in the Montmartre area?

Brushtim, no we are not going to stay on Monmartre. We are staying at Turenne Le Marais.