The Marais vs St. Germaine

Sides of the river?

Uh oh, Ed. Here we go again..

That's my best guess.

Neither's cheap. What's standing in both is of about the same age. The major streets run the same way. They both seem to appeal to the same type of people - - maybe St Germain (Saint-Germain-des-Pres, more accurately), a bit more to the faux snobs.

Second guess: only one has Two Maggots ?

What's with all the riddles lately, anyway?

It was so longggg ago that I stayed in St. Germain that I don't quite trust my info, but historically it was the intellectual quarter. I did stay in the Marais the last time I was in Paris. It was a lively neighborhood. Lots of galleries, it neighborhood with lots of Gays. I lived in a Gay neighborhood in Chicago and there is always something happening. The Marais is also interesting in that it was a Jewish quarter. I would stay there again. It was easy to get to places I wanted to visit and it had great restaurants.

Pam

I'll take a stab... and these are broad generalizations... St. Germain is more expensive, more upscale, wider streets, more trees. Marais feels more crowded, narrower streets, Jewish quarter, museums, less expensive, more hipster. Both have parks, history, the river, great restaurants, cafes and stores.. both are in the heart of Paris, both are wonderful.

I really like both - although, personally, I enjoy the Marais more.

They're on the two sides of the river, as rightly pointed out by Ed, with Notre Dame and Ile Saint-Louis in the middle. Both are great locations for walking.

One is "chic" (St-Germain-des-Prés) and the other is "bohemian chic" (Le Marais). Many designers are calling the Marais home.

I think St Germaine has just become too gentrified - posh, expensive shops and people walking around wanting to be seen. Not my style...yuck.
The Marais is also becoming more of the-place-to-be but it's still hegelety-pegelety enough to make it visually interesting and a little more "real".

Both of these neighborhoods are fantastic. I hang out in them often when I'm in Paris, and am staying in St. Germain in May. If you are on the younger side, you will probably like the Marais more, it's hipper. I love the medieval feel of the streets & architecture there (particularly Place des Vosges), the cafes, tea rooms, bars, the shopping and the museums. St. Germain is more upscale, but I have grown to love it s well and I'm really looking forward to re-visiting the great churches, shopping, cafe (Deux Magots and Cafe De Flore) & parks there too. Yes, it's kind of posh, but hanging out and people watching there can be fun.
If you are fortunate to be able to stay in either one of these areas it will be great, and you should definitely explore them both.

I think there is quite a lot of generalizing going on here.. St Germain is not all wide streets and fancy shops.. the area closer to the river between the 5th and 7th has many narrow streets and little shops and cafes.. love that area..

I think both areas are nice.

Thanks so much for all the replies so far! I'm even enjoying the sarcastic one! lol
Do you have a favorite hotel in St. Germain?

Hotel Le Sénat. It's very close to the RER (handy to CDG), boul. Saint-Michel and boul. Saint-Germain.

Hotel Le Regent- rue Dauphine ... lovely quaint area.. shops, markets, cafes.. and an ATM just steps from hotel.. We took a deluxe room rather then the standard one and were glad we did as the standards were tiny.Our room was nice.. had good ac, nice little mini fridge to store wine and snacks in,, and a lovely bathroom. I like this hotel very much but it can be pricey,, find only good deals for August visits.

I have a very inexpenisive hotel ( under 100 euros usually) in St Germain that I have stayed in .. and will actually be in a night this summer before our apartment is ready... its cheap, clean, has a/c .. but rooms are tiny.. location is perfect to me though.. Hotel ST Pierre

At Pat,
I also considered renting an apartment through Airbnb. Have you done this before?

No.. I have only rented through Parisbestlodge.. I like everything about the company.. how they run it, the policies on payment and deposits etc.

However I would not bother to rent an apartment for less then a week myself.. too much hassle for a few days.. I like staying in hotels quite a bit. cooking and cleaning on holidays is not total bonus for me.. lol
We are renting an apartment this summer in Paris, but also staying in a hotel for a night till apartment is ready. When I visit solo I stay in hotels ,, but when with my bf he likes apartments.. as long as I don;t have to cook or clean I humour him.

I use VRBO, Homeaway and for the first time this year Airbnb to find apartments. In addition to those there are many other rental companies that cover Paris. The apartment I'm renting in Paris this year is just outside of the Marais, near the river. If you would like more information, send me a Private Message.