We reserved a four star hotel near the Gare de Lyon train station for 6 nights. The hotel is near the metro. The Hotel is the Citizen Paris Gare de Lyon. We got a good rate of $161 per night. We booked it for the first part of October with Free Cancelation. We will Depart from Basel Switzerland and arrive at the Gare de Lyon station. I was wondering about the pros and cons of this neighborhood and we are close to the Seine River.
Thank You
My wife and I stayed at this hotel for one night in October 2019 between arrival at CDG and departure from Gare de Lyon on the TGV to Avignon. It is a modern hotel with small rooms. The bed mattress actually touches the three walls at the far end of the room. The bathroom was an Ibis-like prefabricated glass and plastic pod. An Ipad controls lights, curtains, and check out. They serve a very nice breakfast with a choice of seating in a hip setting. There is a bar on an upper floor to view the city and Seine. It was fine for one night. The area has access to the Metro, shops, and restaurants. If price is a major consideration, the hotel is more than adequate. You will not have any desire to linger in your room, it is a place to bathe and sleep. It is not Parisian in any way, it could be in any cosmopolitan city. There are certainly more charming hotels in Paris but charm comes with a price tag.
I've stayed in lots of tiny hotel rooms and don't mind them at all, but I'm a solo traveler. In your shoes, I'd want to be sure I wasn't in a room so small that one person would have to crawl across the other to get in and out of bed. Doing that for one night is one thing; for six nights, it would get very tiresome.
I'm not sure how well I'd do in such a tiny room, sharing it with another person, but as long as you are aware of this, then fine. Perhaps you'll be happy spending your awake down time in the hotel's public areas, if covid restrictions allow that when you are there. There are pretty good reviews on booking.com. I personally prefer something a bit more central, but you will have very easy access to the bus, metro and RER. There should be plenty of shops and restaurants nearby, and a couple of parks are within walking distance.
You might want to try the Ibis Gare du Lyon Ledru-Rollin. It has a large garden in the back, so you might want to make a request for a room looking over the garden in your reservation. The rooms are larger than described above. It’s our go-to when we’re in Paris for a short stay.
I don’t know anything about the hotel, but we rented an apartment on Rue Crémieux in 2014 and didn’t mind the area at all. Metro access was good and it was easy to walk across the river to the 5th and only a few minutes walk to the 4th.
I’ve been to Paris several times, and for six nights, I would want a more central location to the activities that interest you. The metro connections from Gare de Lyon when you arrive from Switzerland can get you to your choice of location for your week - no need to limit your hotel search to the train station area. I think the only time I was in that neighborhood was to catch the trains.
I agree with others that budget and medium-priced hotels in Paris can be very tiny. Luckily, we’re in Paris to be out enjoying it!
Hi,
I have stayed in the Gare de Lyon area three times (the last in 2018) and have enjoyed it. It is clean and I always felt safe. When I was there in '18 I do recall some significant construction going on, but nothing that impacted my stay (I'm a male, solo traveler and usually stay in 2-star hotels).
I don't think there are any "must sees" immediately around the station, but the Gare Austerlitz is just across the Seine River, as are the Jardin de Plantes, the Arena de Lucete, and the Sorbonne. I'm a very big walker, and I love walking through Paris, so these are all in walking distance to me. I like to get out of my hotel early, so I enjoy walking to the River and heading up along the quai to the Isles St. Louis and Cite. Other times, I'll walk up the Rue de Lyon to Bastille Place and turn left onto Rue de Rivoli. Also nearby Gare de Lyon, on the same side of the river, is the Place de Vosges, St. Paul's Cathedral, the Isle de Saint Louis and the Place de Bastille.
Even if you're not a big fan of walking, you can get anywhere fairly quickly on the Metro and there are plenty of stations within walking distance.
You can easily extend your range across parts of several areas, always interesting walking.
The Coulee verte Rene-Dumont is a long garden stroll from the mouth of the Canal St-Martin to the ring road. Part of it is in the sky, partially atop an old elevated railway. It predates a similar development in central Manhattan. This section offers eye-in-the-sky views of several neighbourhoods. Some of the old railroad archways are occupied at ground level by artisanal workshops dealing in unusual goods; there used to be, and maybe still is, a shop devoted to music stands. Appropriate cafes have followed. The route also has been known as Promenade plante and the section on the ground as Coulee verte. The Paris authorities provide this information:
https://www.paris.fr/equipements/coulee-verte-rene-dumont-ex-promenade-plantee-1772
The area between the Lyon station and Bastille does not feature much in the way of monumental attractions aside from Bastille itself with its spire and hulking Opera house. However it is an energetic and much-lived-in district with a sense of real day-to-day on the streets. Place d'Aligre offers both an indoor and streetside morning markets (except Mondays).
https://www.parisinsidersguide.com/aligre-market.html
The market atop the St-Martin canal at Bastille, a healthy walk from Gare Lyon, is more refined but only open Thursday and Sunday. https://en.parisinfo.com/shopping-paris/73869/Marche-Bastille
There are cruises on the canal starting at the boat basin of Bastille, rising through locks and past living room windows through Republique to Vallette. Be aware that about a third of the route is under the city streets in a tunnel, a novel experience.
“Stars” are not the same in France as they are in the US. Four Stars does not mean the hotel is nice, or clean, etc. Google for more info on Stars in France.
Thanks for all the info. If I find a nicer Hotel in the 4th, 5th, 6th or 7th I would make the change. Paris is expensive like New York City and London. We got a good price of $161.00 per night and each of us have our own room. The Hotel is modern and clean and the rooms are small. If I find a Hotel with character and a price I would book it. We will be coming off our Main trip that starts in Bruges for 5 days and River Cruise 15 days out of Antwerp and ends in Basel, Switzerland on Oct 2nd. Then we have 12 days to explore France which includes 7 days in Paris and 2 Days in Bayeux and 3 days in Loire Valley before flying home from Paris on Oct 14th. We are seniors and looking forward to this having been locked down for so long. I find these travel forums very helpful.
Thank you
Bruce
Is that October 2022 or 2021?
If you paid $161 or 135€ for a hotel in high season, September/October, that is an excellent deal, particularly with a no fee cancellation option. The neighborhood is OK, but I might suggest this boutique hotel in St Germain, (6e arrondissement) which will have more charm and a more interesting location at about the same price:
We stayed at the Marriott Courtyard right across from Gare de Lyon in June 2019. We had also arrived from Basel. I chose the location because 1) it was free for 7 nights with Marriott points, and 2) we had a member of the group with somewhat limited mobility. I loved the location. We walked out of the station, looked up, and there it was! Easy access to Metro ( half a block), Starbucks next door, close to river, and we found some nice little restaurants in the area. Another plus: we did the Candlelight Evening at Vaux-le-Vicomte and took their shuttle back. Drop off point is one block from hotel. We felt very safe, and the Metro makes it easy to get anywhere.
Hi Bruce, I see that you’re planning to go to Bayeaux and the Loire Valley - both excellent! If you’re able, stop and see the Chartres Cathedral and take the English-speaking tour. I enjoyed it so much! Also the Angers Fortress is amazing!
Have a great time!
that is a good deal. I would stay with the great deal. The metro there can take you anywhere quickly. It will make your arrival easier. I also take the bus frequently, several bus routes should begin or end at the Gare. Likely you are close to the Seine, always beautiful no matter where you are in Paris.
