many thanks for your quick and helpful responses! You have helped us decide! Now on to the apartment search :)
Trying to decide between two apartments in Paris- one in Montmartre and the other Le Marais. A significant difference in Euros but both apartments lovely.
Advice appreciated? Are there other arrondissements we should consider?
We are active seniors.
Many thanks!
Jean
My quick take, Montmartre can involve a LOT of steps depending on where you are and trying to go. Also, sightseeing between there and more central Paris is not super convenient. It will usually involve a couple of transfers on the Metro, and the train that serves Montmartre always seems really crowded. Also, while it seems better in the last couple years, parts of it can feel a little sketchy particularly at night. That said, I liked the neighborhood and staying there could be an interesting experience.
Conversely, I have usually stayed in Marais and find it lively, lived in, and good base for sightseeing. You can walk to a good portion of sights from there. It has plenty of shops, cafes, squares to enjoy.
We have often stayed in Montmartre and like it but for a first trip I'd be closer in in the Marais. And since April can be a cold showery month, being closer in is also better. You might get lovely weather, but odds are good it will be cold, rainy and nasty. (on the other hand we always stayed in May when we were still working and we had some trips in May that were in the 40sF and rainy and icky and then heard natives telling us that April had been sunny and warm -- Paris in spring is a roll of the dice and you might be lucky)
I can't speak to staying in Montmartre because I never have, but it's a wonderful area to explore and I really enjoyed walking around there, although I agree that it is a bit hilly so it pays to be in pretty good walking shape. I did stay in an apartment for a month in the Marais neighborhood and absolutely loved the area. It was so convenient to walk to so many sights - Louvre, Notre Dame, Latin Quarter, St. Germaine - and easy to get to other areas by metro like Eiffel Tower area, Montmartre, etc. Lots of great neighborhood shops, restaurants, bakeries everywhere; not that all neighborhoods in Paris don't also have all of these, of course. I was really glad I chose the location I did. I am a senior and was staying there alone and always felt safe walking to and from the metro stations and nearby sights anytime from early morning until after midnight.
Marais as a base for the convenience and horizontal terrain. Montmartre for a day in your itinerary.
Hi,
I think others said it, Montemartre is up and down. The Marias means 'swamp or marsh', so it is flat. The Marias is close to Notre Dame and other major tourist destinations. It is one of the only old parts of the city not remodeled by Hausemann.
wayne iNWI
Marais, Marais, Marais. Well worth the money for the central location, both for walking and for metro/buses, plus lots of services - laundomat, supermarkets, cafes, bars, farmers market, upscale boutiques next to 15th-16th century buildings.
Last trip I included a stay in Montmarte just to see how it was. I've stayed in Marais three of my four visits to Paris.
Bottom line for me was the Marais was ideal. Lively, plenty of places to eat and stores where you can get anything you need. I especially liked that the main sights are walking distance.
I wasn't nearly as happy with Montmarte. I felt isolated, getting anywhere was a chore. I also felt surrounded by an overwhelmingly tourist crowd in Montmarte, more so than in the Marais.
Note that both of these are big areas and the precise location matters. We find the Marais more tourist infested than Montmartre but again it depends on precisely where you are in each. Both are beautiful.
Most people think of the 5th or 6th arrondissements of Paris as their "dream".
Montmartre can be tough to get through - almost completely vertical, and not many good places to eat, for example, and hordes of tourists, except at night.
Le Marais is pretty much the same thing, but more horizontal, with much better Metro and bus options.
