Paris for 30th Wedding Anniversary

We spent a week in Paris in Sept. a few years ago for our 25th wedding anniversary and rented an apartment, rather than getting a hotel, so we could live "like locals" for the week. Though a week was too short, it was the most magical trip we've ever taken. The apt. we chose was owned & managed by a husband and wife who called their company Paris Perfect. They had a relatively small number of apartments back then (2005) but I see they've grown to a huge rental agency now. Hopefully their customer service is still as top notch now as it used to be when they were smaller. Our apartment, the Pomerol, is still available. It is located at the intersections of Rue Cler and Rue de Grenelle in the 7th Arrondissiment. I loved staying in the 7th Arr., where we were 4 blocks from the Eiffel Tower, 3 blocks from the Seine River, 3 blocks from a metro station. The Pomerol was an absolutely charming little apartment, very well appointed, with a view of the Eiffel Tower from the bedroom and dining room windows. Each morning, we could go down to Rue Cler, an open market street, and buy what we needed for the day. There are shops and vendors for fruit, vegetables, bread, wine, cheese, meat, fish, pasteries, chocolate, flowers, etc. On our first full day in Paris, we toured the city by bike, with Fat Tire Bike Tours, to get oriented, and we had such a fabulous time on that tour, with such a fun guide, that later in the week we took a second tour, the nighttime tour (7 p.m. to midnight), with the same company. Biking around the City of Lights on a balmy September night was the most fun thing I've ever done in my life! Towards the end of the evening, we parked our bikes, boarded a barge with several bottles of wine, & took a cruise down the Seine. During our week, we had two side trips outside of Paris. One was a small group tour of three of the Loire Valley castles (Chambord, Cheverny and Chenonceau). The driver picked us up right at our apartment in the a.m. and delivered us back at the end of the day. Three other people were in the group with us. Another was a small group guided tour of the Normandy D-Day beaches and American cemetery. For that one, we took a train up to Bayeux, a 2.5 hour trip, and met up with the guide at a pre-arranged spot not too far from the train station. The tour company was Victory Tours. Our guide, Roel Klinkhamer, was wonderful. Four other people were in that group, and we toured the area in a mini van that could get into places the large tour buses cannot. The whole day was a very moving experience. Other things we did during our week in Paris: rode to the top of the Eiffel Tower, visited Notre Dame and climbed the tower, toured the Hotel des Invalides (Napoleon's tomb), visited Sacre Coure and the Monmarte area, visited Ile de la Cite to see the Conciergerie (where Marie Antoinette was imprisoned) and Saint Chapelle with its stunning stained glass windows. We had a wine tasting evening by a charming young Frenchman named Olivier who was newly in business, calling his company O-Chateau. We and the other two couples were in the living room of his flat. This business is really thriving now and of course, I'm certain that he no longer offers the tastings in his private living quarters! We visited Versailles Palace, which is outside of Paris but so close, by train, that I don't even consider it to be a side trip. We spent a few hours in the Louvre and a few hours in the Musee d'Orsay. We walked around the Latin Quarter, up and down the Champs de Elysee and we loved it when we stumbled upon such beautiful areas as Place Des Vosges, a perfectly symetrical park with a fountain in each corner surrounded by arcaded buildings that once housed many famous people, including Descartes, Pascal and Victor Hugo. It was an active, packed week, but we still managed to experience a lot of "cafe culture," taking a break from sightseeing by relaxing in a sidewalk cafe, resting our feet & people watching.

For a first-time visit, you should stay in a hotel, where you'd benefit from having a front desk staff to help you with whatever you need. If you can state your budget, it would be easier to recommend hotels for you.
At this time, the Mayor is cracking down on vacation apartments, which have been declared illegal.

The Latin Quarter or the Marais would be good areas to search for hotels, since they are the most centrally-located and transportation is easy. These are also the areas most people think of when they imagine what Paris is like. September is a very busy month, so you should start looking right now.

In the Marais - Postal Codes 75004 and 75003:
Hotel Saint-Louis-en-l'isle
Hotel Des Deux-Iles
Hotel Lutece
Hotel Caron de Beaumarchais

In the Latin Quarter - Postal Code 75006:
Hotel Residence Henri IV
Hotel Parc Saint Severin
Hotel des Marronniers
Hotel Le Regent

The major sights are spread out, though a few are clustered together, and all are easily accessible by Metro.
Paris is a small city, and you can walk from the Arc de Triomphe to Bastille in about 2 hours.
If you download a map, or check a guidebook, you can easily plan your day, no matter where you'll be staying.

Just spent 15 days in France and were celebrating our 42cnd wedding anniversary. We had been to Paris before and stayed in the Rue Cler area and loved its proximity to the Eiffel Tower, Rue Cler bakeries and shops and the Metro. This time we stayed at the Hotel Lutece on the Ile St. Louis where we would be in a totally different neighborhood. We decided on this second trip to get our exercise and avoid the Metro and walk. We loved the new central location this time and exploring the Marais neighborhood that we missed last trip. We had done most of the sites last trip so we enjoyed sitting on the sidewalk cafes and Notre Dame gardens this trip and watching the world go by.
Not having to stress over the Metro this trip was really nice....and getting our exercise to walk off the croissants, Mont Blancs and butter helped!

Especially for a first trip, I recommend the 4th, 5th and 6th arrondisments. The closer to the river the better. You can't get more central than that and you will be able to walk to many locations from there. While the metro is convenient, who wants to spend all their time underground to get to places? My first trip I stayed in the 7th. While the area is lovely and near the Eiffel Tower, it is not as central as the areas I've recommended.

I can also recommend to you the Paris Greeter program. You will be matched with a volunteer who will give you a private tour of a subject or place that is of interest to you. There is no cost unless you choose to donate to the program. The first time I used this program we were given a tour of the Marais by a man who grew up there. He was able to answer my questions and really tweaked what he was showing us to our interests. The second time I used the program we were given a tour of the Place de Concorde and the surrounding area by someone who works there. I will be making my 5th trip to Paris in November and I will try to do another Paris Greeter tour.

Enjoy your trip to my favorite city!

We are staying near Luxembourg.. and are renting through VacationsInParis (VIP).. here's a link. We did as others suggested, look at a map and decide where most things are that you want to see, - use something like google maps and you can zoom in on street views of the places you're considering. We chose an area where we could possibly walk many places but also easily hop on some transportation.. Also think about what's important to you in the place (AC, WiFi, etc..) I found this service to be very helpful. They are a US based company. http://www.vacationinparis.com/listing/266/latin-quartier-hemingway-one-bedroom

Add to the list of Marais lodging worth your consideration the Hotel du Vieux Marais
http://www.vieuxmarais.com/en/
which is really well located, not least because the street has less through-traffic than most others.
Rooms can be a little cramped by middle American standards, but you can request one of their bigger ones ahead if preferred.