Stay in Paris

The Rick Steves Paris book has many suggestions for hotels. Figure out where you want to stay (I personally like the 7th arrondissment, Hotel de L'Empereur or Hotel Londres Eiffel) and get something locked down. July is a busy month. Have a great time in Paris!

Yep, July is awfully close to still be sitting on the fence about a hotel. You'd better get one booked asap or be left with the ones that are less desirable and/or outrageously expensive.

I have seen lots of recommendations on this site...you might look through the threads. I saw many recommendations about the Isle de St. Louis so I have already booked my hotel: Hotel St. Louis en l'Isle and it seems nice and in a great location. A bit pricey though, so it depends on how much you want to spend. My criteria was: a small place in a central location. Hope you find the place of your dreams! Enjoy! I'll be going this December......

Paris does not really have a lot and b@bs . Hotels may have breakfast but is usually not includes in room price and is usually overpriced, smart folks most often find a cafe nearby for breakie.
For specific hotel suggestions post your budget in euros per night and tell us what you are looking for in area type,quiet or busy etc. Then folks can chime in with places they have stayed.
I suggest you get a hotel with a/c for July.

You can search for a gite, not an exact translation of bed-and-breakfast. As said before, Paris does not have many rent-a-spare-bedroom operations. Usually the situation is a small hotel with a breakfast room, similar to London except charging a stiff fee for a croissant and one cup of coffee.

I usually aim for what's cheapest, but being in the city center is also valuable for time savings, convenient transportation, and atmosphere. I would not go any further out of the center than necessary.

My favorite neighborhood of all is Ile St. Louis and the 3 hotels there that I think are great are: Hotel de Lutece, Hotel des Deux Iles and Hotel St. Louis en l'Isle, as Trish mentioned.

If not Ile St. Louis (if out of your budget), then I highly recommend staying in the 5th (Latin Quarter) or the 4th (Marais & Ile St. Louis) arrondissements... as close to the river as possible. It is the most central area, the heart of Paris and the area I like best.

Paris is a very walkable city... that's part of the fun and charm and from these areas, and anywhere along the river, you'll be able to see lots of places and sites... and just explore for the fun of it.

I would recommend looking on TripAdvisor.com or Booking.com for hotels in this area.

Susan mentioned the Latin Quarter. I spent one night (yes, I know, unfortunate that it was only one) at Hotel Excelsior Latin and enjoyed it. It was a nice suite and a great location.

Thank you to all of you. Susan, I did read that Ile St. Louis is a lovely neighbourhood. We will probably finalise our stay in the next couple of days. From all the posts in the travel forum, looks like I HAVE to make an itinerary. I thought we will be able to get to Paris and then decide and do stuff. Looks like thats not going to work.. Thanks again all you lovely people for taking the time to reply. I shall await more advice and suggestions until i complete my booking

We like B & B's and are currently staying in a private flat in a guest room that we booked on line through the site Good Morning Paris. It is in the 12th, a lovely area, close to everything and our hosts are fabulous...all this for 84 euros per night. We can't say enough good things about this accommodation! Plus, you pay when you book, which eliminates issues with having to have cash on hand.

Rajendrassudha, no need to have an itinerary beyond your flights and where you will stay. We make a list of things/places we want to see in Paris (or wherever we're going), then decide each day what to do, maybe the night before, or that morning. Weather is a factor, so is geography. Sometimes we split up to see different sights. If you want to visit museums, it's important to know that many are closed either Mondays or Tuesdays so you can plan around that.

Thanks Dick. That's definitely reassuring. We would like to have flexibility during a vacation. I have to add that I love this travel forum of Rick Steves. So many people are writing in with such useful information. Wonder how people travelled in the earlier days!!!

I just want to second the recommendation for Good Morning Paris. My daughter and I stayed in a flat very close to the Place Monge Metro stop and very much enjoyed being in a real dwelling rather than a hotel. I have also used the Bedycasa.com system of home stays in two cities in Southern France - that could be another b&b-like option. Have a great trip!

A big thanks for all the info. We have booked a B&B stay through Good Morning Paris in the 8th quarter. Some of the positive experiences from you helped us decide. I will surely write in a review after our stay. Now I am excited. The next step will be PACKING!!!!!!!!!!