Paris Hotels

It is on Republic Square, which is a major Metro hub with 10 lines spreading out, so you get anywhere in Paris quickly. It has a younger vibe with lots of clubs catering to the head-banger crowd in the area. The Bataclan Theatre, where so many were massacred recently, is several blocks to the south. Republic Square was the site of the spontaneous memorials to those killed and wounded in the attacks.
Two blocks north is where the Canal St Martin emerges from the tunnel and makes for some very scenic walks alongside, or the park situated above the tunnel.

I like to be closer to the river, where you can walk to more places. Either the fourth arrondisement or the fifth (Latin quarter). The sixth (Saint Germaine) has some very nice hotels.

You might check out Hotel Henri IV Rive Gauche on Rue St. Jacques. It overlooks St. Severn church in the 5th arrondissiment and is about a block from Notre Dame. Very comfortable.

TJ,
We enjoyed our recent stay at Hotel Diana, in the Latin Quarter, near La Sorbonne University & the Cluny Museum.
The hotel is clean, with comfortable beds, elevator, friendly staff & great price for it's location.
There is a Metro stop ( Cluny/La Sorbonne) & bus stops nearby as well.
Check their website for more information:http://hotel-diana-paris.com/en/

I'll recommend the Lenox Montparnasse. It's in the 14th, but only 100-200 yards or so from the 6th; 7-minute walk to Luxembourg Gardens, great for transit, restaurants and a lovely hotel with very helpful staff. And I'd imagine much less expensive than the Crowne Plaza. Convenient too if you want to take RER back to airport.

Another vote for something more central and Henri Iv Rive Gauche is also our favorite. But where you are is okay -- and well connected -- but being able to stroll along the Seine at night and around Notre Dame is special.

If this is your first trip to Paris, this neighborhood will not resemble the Paris you've probably been imagining. Nothing wrong with it, but it is busy, and won't be as interesting for a first-time visitor.

Look instead in the Latin Quarter - near Metro Odeon is a good starting point. You didn't state what "an arm and a leg means", but there are several hotels at all budget levels here. Rooms are always small in Paris, due to the fact that bathrooms are inside the rooms, instead of down the hall, as they used to be. But even budget hotels will be clean and have what you need.
Also do a search on www.booking.com for listings with postal codes of 75005 and 75006.

Thank you all so much for the great information! We are looking into the Latin Quarter for hotels. This is very useful and looks to be what we are looking for!! You are all super!!

Hi all, thanks for all the great advice! We like the idea of staying in the Latin Quarter, and are interested in Henri Iv Rive Gauche, but I'm wondering if it has an elevator and if not, is that a big problem? I also like Hotel Diana, although the rooms look a bit more contemporary. I did take the advice to purchase RS pocket Paris, wondering why these two hotels are not listed here? Thanks again, you are the best!

There are thousands of hotels in Paris, and no travel book can rate them all. So not being in Rick's book doesn't mean that it's bad. I have personally stayed at a number of non-Rick-recommended hotels in Paris, some suggested by other people on this forum.

In the Marais, not far from the Crown Plaza République ...
http://www.hotelmolay.fr/en/

There is a small elevator in Henri IV Rive Gauche. There are stairs to go down to the breakfast room, though.
I would frankly skip a hotel breakfast and go to the nearest cafe, which will be a lot more enjoyable.

I would also vote for moving to another hotel. Looking at the Metro map, you would need several transfers to get to the major sites of Paris. And, you want an area that's fun to stroll in the evening.

If you're planning to catch the RER train to the CDG airport, you might want to consider the Luxembourg area. There's an RER stop, so you don't need to transfer on your way to the airport.

There are other RER (that go directly to CDG) stops closer to the river from the Luxembourg stop... there's one on Blvd St. Germain for instance.

If you don't use public transportation on a regular basis, since you mentioned that stairs will be a problem, and since you will probably have luggage, you might think about taking a taxi to the airport. There is a set fee of 50 or 55 EU, depending on the address of your hotel.

Ask the hotel to call you a taxi the night before you leave, and allow at least one hour travel time to the airport, plus the check-in time recommended by your airline company.

We just got back and stayed at the Citadines Saint Germain des Pres (sp) and I have to say that it was really awesome!

1) its on the bank of the Seine (west bank) about 100 ft from the Pont Neuf bridge, so you are pretty center to most of the sights;
2) the rooms are large for Europe standards (approx 250 sqft) with a small kitchen so you can do some lazy charcuterie in-room;
3) they have a free gourmet coffee machine in the lobby for guests (free espressos!!); and
4) they have onsite washer/dryers for guest use.

I'll second using Citadines apart-hotels! There are 14 scattered around Paris, at various price levels. I stayed in the Tour Eiffel one for five weeks in 2014, with an incredible view of the Tour (warning - it's on the high end of their locations unless you get a discount for staying a while). A friend stayed in the St. Germain one and loved her view of the river and Notre Dame.