hotel location in Paris

Yes, this is a wonderful general location. I looked at a map and can't quite remember what was on the exact street - Paris experts, please weigh in. However, the neighborhood is lovely, and you are very close to the Louvre and Notre Dame as well as the left bank. This is a popular area, there will be plenty of tourists as well as locals. If you're looking for off-the-beaten-path, this isn't it. That's a very minor drawback if it's even a drawback at all. I would stay here in a second. You can easily walk to many of the main attractions and the metro is right there for ones that are further (Eiffel Tower and Montmartre, and obviously anything outside of the core of the city). Eiffel is maybe 1.5-2 miles away, I've walked it and it's a very nice walk that can be done.

For me it will always be the Latin Quarter (5eme) or St Germain (6eme), and has to be within 10-15 mins walk of Notre Dame.

This is our first trip for my husband and I to Paris so we want something close to the sights. When we were on our honeymoon in Rome, we stayed close to the Trevi Fountain and loved its proximity to so many sights, so we thought we should try to do the same for Paris. Thank you for the affirmation!

Hi Julie,
It's a great hotel and a great location for walking to most of the famous sights and just a few blocks from the Seine. At the end of the block to the right about 75 meters as you exit the hotel is Rue de Saint Peres. Go right on Saint Peres, past Hotel Rive Gauche, and at the end of that block at the intersection of Rue de l'Universite and Rue de Saint Peres is the Galette Cafe. Google it and check out their menu for authentic buckwheat galettes and other great food choices. We always stay on Ile de la Cite and are familiar with many of the cafes, bistros, and markets within walking distance of your hotel. You can get much more specific details about Paris at www.tripadvisor.com, Paris forum. You can get a remarkable view of your hotel's location and all of Paris by using GoogleEarth. Send a PM for more tips about Paris.

An important factor in hotel selection is how close is the nearest Metro station.

You don't have a metro right on your doorstep at Hôtel Verneuil Saint Germain Paris, but its such a good location you will really only need it for Sacre Coeur, Arc de Triomphe and Eiffel Tower.

Thank you all! I am currently waiting on responses from a few other hotels for more information, most are in the same vicinity.

Is it a good strategy to try for a hotel in close proximity to the Seine/RER for easy convenience of hopping on and off the RER line? So many of the sights we want to see are located in what seems to me fairly close proximity to these stops. Also, is it easy and comfortable to walk along the Seine, say between the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame? We do enjoy walking everywhere as much as possible when visiting a city, but sometimes you just get tired.

Is it a good strategy to try for a hotel in close proximity to the Seine/RER for easy convenience of hopping on and off the RER line? So many of the sights we want to see are located in what seems to me fairly close proximity to these stops. Also, is it easy and comfortable to walk along the Seine, say between the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame? We do enjoy walking everywhere as much as possible when visiting a city, but sometimes you just get tired.

The RER are suburban trains with few stops. Do you mean the metro? The right and left banks of Paris are not particularly well-connected by metro - you often (usually?) need to transfer from one line to another to get from a sight (or your hotel) on one side to a sight on the other side. Transferring usually means at least one flight of stairs and 2-6 minutes of walking . . . not so convenient. You can often walk from a sight on one side of the Seine to a sight on the other side in less time than it would take you by metro. Use google maps to estimate walking times. You can use the RATP site to plan trips by bus/metro. You may find that buses are a better way to get from the Left Bank to the Right Bank.

Find out what buses are near your hotel. If you're planning to go far afield, check which buses run from where you are likely to end up to the area near your hotel.

I think its better to be close to the Metro Line 1, its like the main artery of Paris, right along the main axis.

I believe I am referring to RER line C, which appears to me to run along the left bank and has stops close to the major sites. Am I not looking at the map right?

RER are the double decker commuter trains to the suburbs, while the metro system uses more compact 'trains' in the central area of Paris only. Metro lines have more regular stops and a much more frequent service, usually every few minutes. A bit like comparing the Subway and Amtrak commuter services in New York.
Click on 'Plan de Metro' at the bottom of this page http://www.ratp.fr/en/ratp/c_23590/plans-metro/ for pdf of current map. RER lines are shown thicker than Metro lines, and its probably only RER Line C (and Line B to CDG) that are useful for visitors.

Your hotel is closer to the Orsay Museum (10 minute walk) than to the RER station there. You'll walk only a couple minutes longer (in a different direction) to the Pyramid entrance to the Louvre. The hotel is a good central location, but it's about a 10 minute walk to any metro station, including the RER.

I think I gave you good advice in my previous post. You simply need to plan a route for the sights that are farther away and buses may be as good an option, or even better.

The RER C is once again undergoing work so depending on where you are going it may or may not be usable without work arounds.

I love being near the Seine and Notre Dame. One of life's great pleasures is walking at night along the Seine and around Notre Dame with it illuminated. You can walk easily along the Seine to the Arc du Triomphe -- cross over the Seine at Pont Alexandre which is the gorgeous bridge in Midnight in Paris -- do it after dark at the top of the hour for a lovely photo op for next year's holiday card -- you with the Eiffel Tower twinkling in the background. A passerby can get the shot for you. Use fill flash.

I talked with my husband for final confirmation on Hotel Verneuil and he has x'd it off our options. He's a big guy, football-player type build, and is afraid the room at Hotel Verneuil will be too claustrophobic at 151 SF. We'd ideally prefer to stay around the 200-230 euro mark, so going up in room size doesn't really work with our budget.

We are now considering other options that have a larger room while in our price range.

1. Hotel Sainte Beuve -- lots of great reviews and is located closely to several metro stops and a RER line. $216 euros.
2. Hotel Atmospheres -- not sure about the location (Latin Quarter I think), breakfast included. Does have a small fridge in the room where we could save food. $212 euros.
3. Hotel Cadran -- not sure about the location (7th), breakfast included. $230 euros.
4. Hotel Danube Saint Germain -- located very close to where Verneuil was located. $225 euros.

I see that Hotel Sainte Beuve has a franprix and monoprix within a 10-15 minute walk or so. I was thinking perhaps we could get supplies for our own breakfasts in lieu of taking breakfast at the hotel? Perhaps even picnic in the Luxembourg gardens?

I should add that we both think it could be nice to sit and people-watch close to the Eiffel tower at night, so that's why we are considering the hotel in the 7th. We typically get an early start on our days and so we may only have one or two nights out late on the town.

We don't want to spend a small fortune on dining out, we'd probably try to limit our "sit-down" meals to one a day...so I like the idea of being able to grab something at a market for some of our meals.

DH and I really need to sit down and weigh these options to see which we prefer...in the end I suppose we can't go wrong, we'll be in Paris!

"it could be nice to sit and people-watch close to the Eiffel tower at night"
You will find that this really just doesn't happen. The 7th (near the Eiffel Tower) is an affluent neighbouhood, also housing government ministries and foreign embassies. Add to that the broad expanse of the Champ de Mars, Ecole Militaire plus Invalides, and you won't find perhaps what you are imagining. The Marais, St Germain and Latin Quarter remain far better options for people watching.
Of your new choices listed I would go with Atmospheres. Nice location on Rue des Ecoles and #94 on Tripadvisor. Sainte Beuve is a little removed from the 'action', and Danube St Germain is not rated as high on TA.

Thank you all for the fantastic advice...you have been such a help! We have decided on Hotel Atmospheres. We should still be within a very nice walking distance to the Notre Dame area, which sounds absolutely lovely at night. Our metro stops look to be conveniently located as well, and hopefully we'll be walking to a majority of sights. I'm also excited to explore Rue Mouffetard which I see is close to the hotel. Now we just need to work out the details of our itinerary!

Fantastique !! Bon choix.