Rue Cler Hotels

Hotel Muget.

Hotel Relais Bosquet.
https://hotel-paris-bosquet.com/

It used to be if you "liked" them on facebook, you received breakfast free. Not sure if that is still the policy, but it would be worth checking.

I've stayed at both of those suggestions, lol and would return to either one. Also at Hotel l'Empereur which is now owned by the same group that owns the Relais Bosquet.

Hotel Londres Eiffel is a hotel used often by the RS Best of Paris tours although it is a bit further from Rue Cler.

I love this neighborhood although many on the forum pooh-pooh it. I find it comfortable, lots of restaurants, interesting people watching. There are many locals in the area contrary to what some on the forum say....the last 2 visits there were many more French speakers in the cafes/bistros than Americans.

At this point it might be what is available.

I asked the same question of the RS office and they replied with the following suggestions:
Hôtel du Cadran
www.cadranhotel.com

Hôtel Bosquet
www.hotel-paris-bosquet.com

Cler Hotel
www.clerhotel.com

Hôtel de la Motte Picquet
www.hotelmottepicquetparis.com

Grand Hôtel Lévêque
www.hotel-leveque.com

Hôtel du Champ de Mars
www.hotelduchampdemars.com

Hôtel Beaugency
www.hotel-beaugency.com

So I’ve stayed at a lot of hotels in this area. Here they are an order.

Hotel Cadran. Small rooms but very well redone very friendly front desk staff good location I just really like this one

Hotel Relais Bosquet. Very nice, get breakfast for a decent price. I think the price is just a little high for the quality but it’s a good hotel option. The small room I was in was very small. I think if you’re a couple you want to go at one step above the very basic room

Hotel Beauregency Probably the most bare bones of the hotels I stayed in but a great location and a good value for the price.

Hotel Grand Leveque. Personally I think this one’s very overpriced they have been riding on being a Rick Steves Europe favorite for a long time – and does not deliver. I don’t know that I would go back there. Very small rooms and an attitude of “we have more guests than we know what to do it so if you’re not happy we don’t care”

Champ du Mars. Never again. Probably the least well equipped room and the rudest front desk I’ve ever met and I believe that man was actually one of the owners. I was sitting in the lobby waiting on my mother and he was yelling at me for using the lobby! Yes I’m a guest in your hotel I’m using your lobby - get over yourself

We stayed at Hôtel Duquesne Eiffel in 2015. It was fine but the room was on the small side. The location was good being a block or so from a metro stop and close to the Eiffel Tower and Tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte. Some staff were friendlier than others.

Relais Bosquet is our go to. Absolutely love it. Nice rooms, great staff, and breakfasts! Also the location can't be beat. 1/2 block from Rue Cler markets, tons of restaurants.

Kudos to everyone ... love the frankness about the stays ... this is when the value of a travel forum really shines through.

We stated at Hotel Beaugency twice - barebones for sure but great location, great price and great staff.

We stayed at the Grand Hotel Leveque decades ago on Steve's rec and it was the worst hotel experience we ever had in France. I am sure it has been completely renovated since then. The room was incredibly noisy. The bathroom was a couple inches above the bedroom floor for night toe snubbing and there was a leak which dripped into the room from the bathroom. You could hear every pipe in the building every time someone flushed or ran the shower. And the room was dreary and the bed sagged.

All that was endurable -- crappy hotels are often like that, but the piece de resistance was a front desk that was rude and hostile. We were there 5 nights and when our baby sitter tried to contact us, they were told we were not there and never had been. Breakfast was literally baguette pieces dumped on our bare tabletop. (we like baguette but not even a basket or cloth)

Long ago -- not relevant today, but definitely read recent reviews before booking any hotel. I'm sure that in the years since, this hotel has been upgraded, but it remains a sour memory.

We were not wild about the location either. Rue Cler is an ordinary market street -- there are market streets all over Paris -- we have stayed near Montorgueil, Levis, Moufetard all of which are IMHO better areas. And the Eiffel Tower location is not very convenient to trqnsport compared to some other places. but to each his own on that. Some people's dream of Paris is the Eiffel Tower.

Rue Cler or not Rue Cler is similar to wheels or no wheels or whether or not to carry your passport.

It must be a record that this thread got to 10 posts before someone complained about the area.
I am very curious about this debate and can't wait to decide for myself this September!!

Appreciate the helpful information.

These are wonderful hotels, I am sure.

The reason why many avoid rue Cler is that it is isolated, with minimal transportation options. Other locations, such as le Marais, the Latin Quarter, St Germain des Prés, offer a more centralized setting with far better bus/métro connections.

Some people enjoy being in a location close to other RS readers/followers. Others do not share the same idea and prefer to explore other areas of Paris.

I do not recommend rue Cler, primarily for the reasons I have stated. But if you like rue Cler and you don’t see yourself anywhere else in Paris, that’s fine as well.

Regarding the list Jane was given:

Hotel de la Motte-Picquet: Extremely tiny breakfast room. Literally 4 tables so you need to eat and go.

Hotel Grand Levecque: Just reopened in April from a long reno where they took it back to the studs, based on pictures on their website.

Champ du Mars: haven't stayed here since 2014. Dark basement breakfast room. I did not encounter mean staff here but I have seen that complaint before.

Beaugency: A favorite but it is looking worn. When I stayed in April they have finally replaced the gray faux suede bedspreads that dated back to at least 2014 with duvets so a much cleaner feel. However, paintwork is chipped, bathroom doors look warped in at least one instance, etc. All cosmetic though and staff is wonderful. Most of the staff are from pre-covid. There are a few rooms with an ET view although I had to stand in the bathtub last time to see it, lol.

Not very recent, but Hotel Muguet——nice, quiet. Room was fairly large but I think that varies. Staff was business-like but absolutely fine. I believe we stayed twice.

Grand Hotel Leveque—agree with several others. I wouldn't stay there again. We didn't find the staff rude, but as far as the rooms go, you can do better.

"Hotel Muget ... Room was fairly large but I think that varies"

I thought the rooms were pretty similar in size, but the bathroom sizes can vary greatly. Very strict on the no food in rooms policy.

Pam. I laughed at you standing in the bathtub to see the view. Once booked a 'view room' for more bucks near the Pont du Gard and joked to my husband we would be standing in the tub on our tiptoes. Got there. Ordinary rustic room. Drapes on one long wall -- opened those and there was the Pont du Gard stretched across our window view -- watched it in the moonlight from bed that night. Best hotel ever. You never know.

Janet, what a view you must have had!! And you are right, you never know!

And I had had the room next door to this year’s one several times and knew it had a view. I expect most people don’t think to open the window in the tub to see what’s out there, hahaha!! I do know their smoke detectors are sensitive to shower steam so I always open a window before I hop in.

I once paid more for a view room at Hotel l’Empereur and the lit golden dome of Les Invalides was stellar!

Muguet’s bathroom size does vary. I’ve always wound up with a good sized one until this last time when it had the toilet kind of slotted into a cubbyhole. Good thing was if I’d had an Elvis type stroke I could not have fallen off the toilet. They do have the most wonderful sheets and luxurious towels though.

Well I like it, but I’ll be honest I tend not to stay in these centrally located recommended areas anyway.

I often stay in the 13th or 14th. So obviously being centrally located in Paris just doesn’t do it for me.

Hotel grand leveque - the front desk was not rude. Just indifferent. It was as if they were the superior beings and the tourist were minions that they deemed to allow to use their hotel.

How many days will you be there? Just because I recall Mondays and Tuesdays being pretty dead on Rue Cler. I stayed by the Maubourg Metro a couple blocks from Rue Cler. I agree that the area is far from transportation and most sites.

On other trips, we stayed in the Latin Quarter, on the edge close to St. Germaine. We much preferred that area. There are wonderful markets all over Paris.

Honestly, I used to adhere to Rick Steve’s advice to a great extent. Lately? Not so much. I’ve seen him speak in person, read his guidebooks over 20 years and he falls into the rut of repetitive talking points. Rue Cler might have been ideal 20+ years ago but when my wife and I left on a morning from our Marais neighborhood to see Rue Cler we were very disappointed. I suppose if you want to stay in an area with other Rick Steves acolytes, it would be ok. But if you want a more “authentic” Parisian experience, I’d recommend other neighborhoods, like the Marais. Now, I don’t want to come across too harshly towards Mr. Steve’s. If it is a place you have not previously explored, perhaps his recommendations might be more appropriate, not having anything to compare.

Ignore those who tell you that you shouldn't want to stay here. It is a fine area to stay in and you will enjoy yourself. The truth is Paris is a great place to visit and any sensible person who can figure out how to walk and take public transport will do well in almost any area where they choose to stay.

Some like this area because Rick Steves recommends it and some dislike for the exact same reason. Go figure!

What moorehdg said. I think many areas are victims of the popularity of Rick Steves' shows/videos/books. The one time I went to the Rue Cler neighborhood, I was struck by the multitudes of American tourists clutching their blue and yellow RS guide books in the cafés, looking for their next recommended place to visit. I agree there are many wonderful market streets (one nearby in Passy is the Rue de l'Anninciation), and you are well advised to seek out one that hasn't been heavily promoted on guide books if you are looking for an "authentic Parisian experience."

“I tend not to stay in these centrally located recommended areas”

Rue Cler is not centrally located, as Tocard said.

Notre Dame is the center of Paris and rue Cler is quite far from there.

Regarding rue Cler vs. other areas, I think that the city of Paris has evolved in a way that took its center of gravity further east and north in the past 20 years. Nothing to do with Rick Steves!
I grew up across the Champ de Mars from rue Cler, near la Motte Picquet. 20 years ago, I would meet up with friends for a drink or a meal in rue Cler. It would not cross my mind anymore (even though I lived relatively close by until 2020). There are still some solid options in that area, but there are many more exciting places to choose around the 2nd, the 9th, the Marais, Canal Saint Martin or Bastille these days (and I'm missing many other "cool" districts).

This absolutely does not mean that rue Cler is a "bad" area to stay in. It is quintessentially Parisian, just getting a bit staid these days. Young adults, in particular, might be interested in other areas.

Thomas,

I've stayed at the Hotel Leveque several times and found it to be clean and comfortable, although certainly not posh. It's great to hear that it's been renovated, and the rooms look fantastic. I wouldn't hesitate to stay there again.