Hi,
Starting to plan a trip for my parents first visit to Europe. They are 75, 78 yrs old and love to travel. So super independent etc.
During my first visit to Paris in 2004, I had stayed at Grand Hotel Leveque.
Wanted to know if that place is still good? Any other hotels to consider?
Rue Cler seems like a good area for my parents as there are bakeries, restaurants and of course the Eiffel Tower.
TIA
I have not stayed there but friends do. It was redone completely in the last year and from the photos on their website they took it back to the studs.
I have stayed at a number of places in the area. For my trip next spring I’m returning to Hotel Muguet for half the stay and Hotel Relais Bosquet for the other half. Muguet has really awesome sheets and towels, lol. Now, you may not think that is worthwhile criteria but many hotels have skimpy towels and not very luxurious sheets, haha. The Relais Bosquet has a really lovely breakfast buffet.
I know many on the forum pooh-pooh the area but it works well for me. I’m just a couple years younger than your parents but I love the area. I feel very comfortable as a solo woman at night and like to have plenty of restaurant choices nearby so I can have a glass or two of wine with dinner and still find my way home safely, lol!!
thats exactly what I am thinking!
A place where they can walk around, see some sights, have a good time at dinner and walk back to the hotel without having to take a cab etc.
Thanks for ur suggestions. will look them up!
Do your parents want to stay on the western part of central Paris and near the Eiffel Tower and Rue Cler? What are they likely to want to do? For example, I gave some older relatives a trip to Paris one year and I knew that they would spend some time every day at either the Louvre or the Musee d'Orsay so I put them up in the first arrondissement. There are bakeries and restaurants all over Paris so unless your parents want to be near the Eiffel Tower or Rue Cler, you are not limited to that area. That is not to say that I am opposed to staying in that area and have stayed there with my BFF and my sister who specifically wanted to be near the Eiffel Tower. In that area, I like the Hôtel de Londres Eiffel. There are just areas that are more central if that appeals to your parents. What are the "sights" in walking distance from Rue Cler that will interest your parents? It is quiet and very filled with older US tourists and that is not a bad thing, IMO.
@JHK - this past august we stayed at Hotel Brighton, which is right in the middle of first arrondissement and maybe a 7-10 min walk from the Louvre.
The hotel was very nice, but we found the area on Rue de Rivoli to be quite “cold” after dark. Also we didnt find any bistros like the one’s we experienced on Rue Cler.
Hence the inclination to pick a hotel in that area.
thanks for taking the time to reply!
Rue Cler is a great area. Another comparable area would be in the 6th, near rue Dauphine and rue Buci, or rue Jacob.
Like milgreen2, myself I prefer the 6th. I feel it is more central and has more to offer. But we’re all different :-)
I stayed at Hôtel Champ du Mars just off rue Cler twice when I first started going to Paris many years ago. It was my mother’s choice on those trips. While it is a nice enough area, personally I find it less central and a bit too quiet. If you’re simply looking for a hotel recommendation in that area, it’s charming and still well-reviewed.
My husband and I spent 6 nights at the Cler Hotel on Rue Cler and can’t say enough about how wonderful it was. We had a room on the top floor with a view of the Eiffel Tower and would go to sleep at night watching it through the window. The breakfast was wonderful and the service top notch. I was worried about staying on Rue Cler after reading some of the reviews on this forum but am happy to say that we loved every minute on Rue Cler. We of course did lots of wandering through the city and found the metro to be very close but we especially loved coming “home” to Rue Cler where we would sit at the sidewalk cafes watching the people. I truly felt that I was seeing a slice of Paris as a “temporary local”.
We took my mom to France once and the two hotels that we stayed at on that trip that we all loved were the Muguet (we had the top two rooms, with the views) and then in the 1st theHotel Britannique. Both were lovely hotels and mom still talks about them.
“.. 6th, near rue Dauphine and rue Buci, or rue Jacob”
That area seems really central. I would want to stay here over Rue Cler. I will be sure to look at it in more details.
ty!
I have also stayed at Hotel Britannique in the 1st and found it very charming and central. I would still choose the 6th, though :-) --between the river and Blvd St. Germain.
We are very fond of Hotel Relais Bosquet in the Rue Cler neighborhood. We do love the quiet, the easy walking/local neighborhood feel. It is easy enough to get anywhere in Paris with the nearby Metro stop. We have stayed in the 18th near Batignolles, the 2nd near the Opera, and further out in the 15th near Felix Faure Metro, but the Relais Bosquet and environs have drawn us 4 times now.
Another vote for Hotel Relais Bosquet.
Hotel Champs du Mar has taken wonderful care of me my last few visits.
We stayed at the Relais Bosquet in March and loved it. Close to the metro and lots of restaurants. I thought there were a lot of locals in the area; picking up kids from school, walking dogs, shopping, etc. Lots of tourist as well and we liked the mix.
If wasn't for the Cinque Terre, Rue Cler would be the most underwhelming place I have ever been in Europe.
Pretty much every neighborhood in Paris has bakeries and restaurants. Is the Eiffel Tower the main thing they want to see in Paris? If that place is the Louvre, Notre Dame, Musee d'Orsay, l'Orangerie, Pere Lachaise cemetery, whatever, find a place within walking distance of that.
Another vote for Hotel du Champ de Mars. I can't say its the best, as its the only one I've stayed in. But its very nice, good value, and great location right across from my favourite Café du Marché.
I have only stayed at Londres Eiffel and thought it was great. 5 min walk to Eiffel Tower. Not on Rue Cler, but very near it. Great staff, cute rooms. Breakfast so so.
We have stayed just a block off the Rue Cler at Hotel Beaugency twice. It's a modest hotel with a great staff.
Not that far off is St Germain des Pres which is the area I always stay. Lots to see and do.
Well my vote is anyplace but Champ du Mars.. Rudest front desk ever! (and it was one of the owners... so no excuse)
I have stayed at the following
Grand Hotel Leveque - Nice but IMHO overpriced for what they offer
Hotel Beauregency - Good value not fancy but clean and well priced, good breakfast buffet
Hotel Cadran - Very modern vibe, incredibly friendly front desk, great location. Rooms on the small side (but it's Paris so...)
Hotel Relais - Little bigger room great room darkening blinds, nice breakfast but not outstanding. Fairly quite and professional.
I have stayed in other parts of Paris but I always come back here unless I get a free Marriott stay (and my preferred hotel there is closed for 2 years!)
Well, I love the staff at the Beaugency but the last 2 times I've stayed there (April 2022 and October 2021) I realized they need a top to bottom reno. Last spring the bottom of my bathroom door had some warping that looked like it was from water damage and in one room (which is my favorite because it has a slight Eiffel Tower view) there is something all over the ceiling. I don't know if someone sprayed a coke or red wine or something else dark and it splattered on the ceiling or what. At first as I lay there I thought it was gnats and got up to close the window but alas, they did not move and were in the same position in the AM, lol!! In April they had replaced the dreadful faux suede bedspreads with white duvets which I liked much better. They can wash them and I am pretty sure the suede spreads were never washed.
So...Beaugency is fine if you've stayed there before and know that it needs a reno. I'd not recommend it for first-timers although the staff is just wonderful and helpful. They do have a nice breakfast and the 2 breakfast ladies who have been there for years were still in attendance last spring. They, too, are nice in the extreme!
I've stayed at Champ du Mars, no problem with the desk but the breakfast room in the basement is so dark that that puts me off.
BTW, for those that haven't stayed at Leveque since their reno, the breakfast room has been moved to the basement there as well. As mentioned I have not stayed there so I don't know how bright it is.
We have stayed in several places in the Rue Cler area, and always go back to the Relais Bosquet. We just love it there. Clean, comfortable rooms, great staff, 1/2 black to the Rue Cler restaurants, easy walk to Tower, and just a wonderful place.
We have stayed several times in the Rue Cler area and recently ate at Le P’tit Troquet, a very good restaurant nearby at 28 Rue de l'Exposition, 75007 Paris. Information about it may be found at https://www.leptittroquet.fr/
It is only a few blocks near the upper end of Rue Cler.
My favorite market street in Paris. Rue Montorgueil. Fabulous restaurants and cafés & Interesting shops
https://francetoday.com/culture/shopping-boutiques/parisian-walkways-rue-montorgueil/
Can’t recommend a hotel as we’ve always stayed in apartments. Around Le Halls or in the 3rd or the 6th & 10th.
