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Three night trip to Paris in early May with two teen/tween grandkids—what area to stay?

Next year, I am taking two of my grandchildren to London for about 10 days, and then plan to take the Eurostar to Paris and spend an additional 3 nights there before flying back to the states from CDG. The last (and only) time I was in Paris was 1999, so I have some knowledge of the area, but it's been 25 years; hence the question. We will probably get into the city on the 6th or 7th of May.

My grandson will be 15 when we travel, and my granddaughter will be 11.

A friend of mine who has an apartment in the Marais told me that the 4th and 6th would be decent options, and maybe the 3rd. But he admits that since he lives there (part of the year now that he is retired), he's not as well versed in travel information. I'm looking for an area that is fun and would enhance my "cool Oma" status; relatively close to the Seine, Notre Dame, etc.; although using public transport is fine, too. Generally I like to keep hotel prices fairly low, but since this is a short trip and we will only have 3 nights there, I'd be willing to splurge a bit (although I have a feeling my splurge is someone else's normal hotel budget). :-) At any rate, I would prefer not to spend more than €300 per night if possible.

I was thinking about an apartment, but decided against it. If we were there longer, I might go for it, but with only 3 nights, I'd rather have a hotel and not have to worry about cooking or anything. So basically I need area recs and also hotels, if you know of anything; ones that have family rooms would probably work best. Thanks for any help you can give me!

ETA: Well, the dates have already changed. My granddaughter's school just released the dates for MCA standardized testing, so now I may be looking at the beginning of April.

Posted by
15 posts

Hi mardee

I was in Paris in April and my husband and I stayed at the Caron de Beaumarchais. It is very well located (the Marais)and you can walk to the seine, isle St. Louis, Notre dame, the louvre, and basically all the sights. We ended up walking home one night from the Eiffel Tower, which was a bit of a stretch, but I refused to pay 40 euros to drive 3 miles!

It is a small hotel with very lovely period decor. The rooms are very small, but the management is very kind and we met the owner working the front desk, so I can say for sure it is a family run hotel. They do have breakfasts in the charming dining room downstairs.

The neighborhood is loaded with restaurants, cafes, shops, close to the bus and metro, and parks.

I think your friend made the right suggestion to stay in the Marais.so trendy and local, safe and convenient.

Martha

Posted by
1997 posts

I checked 2 hotels that I have used previously. Hotel Andrea is in the Marais and has a triple room for just over your budget. It is right off the Rue de Rivoli, but quiet because it faces a small side street. The bus goes right down to the Louvre area and there are tons of restaurants around. Another one is Hotel Diana which also has a triple room more at your budget price (I always choose the flexible rate you can change or cancel.) It is in the Latin Quarter near Notre Dame and the Cluny and practically next door to the Sorbonne. They have changed management since I was there in 2019, but rooms look the same. I remember there was a great little restaurant right next door. I went there for dinner one night and it was excellent, but I would stop in every morning for a croissant & cafe au lait before I started my day. It would usually be me and men on their way to work, but everyone greeted me with a smile and bon jour.

Posted by
165 posts

Despite having zero imminent plans to visit Paris, I am nonetheless following along on this thread (partly for vicarious reasons; partly because I love that Mardee is such a cool Oma!) ... and holy cow, the Caron de Beaumarchais looks BEAUTIFUL. I started with the website and then the TA page and then jumped to its Instagram page and now I just want to go to there.

Posted by
7970 posts

Thanks, Martha! I do like that hotel and love that location, but I'm worried about the size. There will be 3 of us, and it looks like there are just double rooms; no triples. I will definitely keep that as an option, though. I do agree with you about refusing to pay a lot for a cab ride. I would almost always rather walk.

ETA: Martha, I did go back to see what the cost would be for 2 rooms (maybe a single and double), but it looks like they only have one double room available for the dates I want.

Laurie Beth, both of them look good! I really like the Hotel Andrea's rooms and location, but the other one looks good, too. I haven't booked my flight yet, so I'm waiting a few days to book, but I have them both on my radar. Thank you so much!

Posted by
7970 posts

Hannah, vicarious looking is always the best! I love the look of that hotel, too, but it looks like the larger rooms are gone already. And I don't think the three of us would do well in a room with just a double bed. :-)

Posted by
2080 posts

I am by far no authority on Paris but we have stayed at and enjoyed the Hotel du College de France a few times. It is in the 5th, near the Cluny. Our last visit was 8 years ago (wow) when we took the nephew and we all shared a triple room. Not huge nor glamorous but we were always treated with kindness. Easy metro and many restaurants and services minutes away. Enjoy your trip with your grand daughters. This was nephew's 21 birthday and he says he’ll never forget it. Seeing his eyes explode as we emerged from the metro when he first saw Notre Dame was worth the price of admission. Safe travels.

Posted by
2000 posts

Hi Mardee, I can recommend the family rooms and junior suites at the Hotel de La Bretonnerie in the Marais.
These rooms are quite large, accommodate 3-4 guests
and should be within your budget. There is a small supermarket just two doors away. The nearest metro station is “ Hotel de Ville,” which is at Paris’ City Hall. The Marais is where the oldest house (1407) in Paris is located at 51 Rue de Montmorency, along with some of the surviving mansions (coincidentally also called “Hotels” in French) of pre-Revolutionary Paris.
www.hotelparismaraisbretonnerie.com

Posted by
7970 posts

Denny, what a charming place! Sadly, the triple room is not available during my dates. I actually added on one more night in Paris, so now I'm at 4 nights. Originally I was planning for us to stay 10 nights in London and 3 in Paris, but my grandson wanted an extra night so that's that. :-) That's such a cool story about your nephew. I hope my grandson and granddaughter feel the same way, although it would be hard for them not to love Paris! Thanks!

Kenko, I love the look of that hotel. I'm going to hang onto the site, but it's a bit pricier than I was looking for. The lowest family room was €344, and I would love to get under that if possible. Thank you!

Posted by
377 posts

In 2019 my friend and I stayed in a junior suite at Hotel Residence des Arts. It was very spacious for Paris and had a king bed which they separated into two twins and a sofa bed. We loved the location in the 6th very near the Seine and Notre Dame. It looks to be just a bit over your price point at 315 EU a night

Posted by
124 posts

What a fun trip! What lucky grandkids!

We stayed at Hotel Le Clement in the 6th in October of 2023 and got the Junior Suite which for your time frame is looking like 204 Euros a night. It is a quirky room which might work out perfectly for you. The main room is pretty small, with a queen size bed, desk and chair and closet but it opens to another small room with a twin bed. I think at one time that connected room might have been a single with a shared bath down the hall, but was converted with that being less desirable to tourists these days. It features another closet, desk and chair, and space to store your luggage. It has a small bath and the room does not have a lot of lounging space, but I assume you will not be spending a lot of time in your room.

It is clean, in a fantastic area, on a quiet street, and has a great grocery store around the corner for snacks, coffee, and a quick breakfast if you desire. The hotel provides an extensive continental breakfast in a lovely room for $12. It was always sold out when we tried to stay there previously and now we know why! We thought is was a steal! Enjoy!

Posted by
8876 posts

My niece always stays here. 1/2 hostel, 1/2 boutique hotel located in Montmarte with easy metro connections.
https://caulaincourt.com/
I put in random 3 night for April and it came out to a little less than 200 euros a night including breakfast for a private triple en-suite room.

Posted by
15 posts

Hey Mardee

If you haven’t found the right place yet, you might try villa beaumarchais. We stayed there in 2019. It is also well located, on a quiet street. Not as close to the Rue de Rivoli as Caron, but a bigger hotel which might have some family rooms.very charming, clean and friendly!

Best,

Martha

Posted by
1418 posts

Mardee, I traveled to Paris with my then 10 yo granddaughter in 2017 and had a very enjoyable trip together. I’m sure you will always live up to the “cool Oma” moniker..

We stayed for a week in the 6th Arrondisement very near Luxembourg Garden at a beautiful hotel called Grand Hotel des Balcons (link below). I checked for the first few days in April and they had a family room available for just under 900€ for 3 nights. Our room was small but this family room looks like it could work for you and the Grands. Your grands will be older than my granddaughter at the time of your visit but I bet they would enjoy visiting the gardens like we did. The location is good - we walked to most every site or took the Metro from Odean.

https://www.balcons.com/?_ga=2.202263185.1260275783.1723564136-1623366472.1723564136

Posted by
24 posts

My sister and I were in Paris in October 2017. We stayed at Hôtel du Cadran, 10, rue du Champ de Mars, 75007 Paris. https://www.cadranhotel.com We were happy with it.

It is just off the south end of Rue Cler. You can get from CDG to the hotel via bus if you want. Take Le Bus Direct. It should take you to the Arc de Triomphe and catch the #92 bus to the bus stop at Avenue Bosquet and Rue de Grenelle, which is about a 5-minute walk to the hotel. (Check to make sure the routes haven't changed).

Le Roussillon is a good restaurant just up the street - 186 Rue de Grenelle, 75007 Paris, France.

Have fun!

Posted by
7970 posts

Thanks, everyone! I will definitely check them all out! I'm out of town this weekend but have my laptop.

Posted by
10186 posts

Le Bus Direct doesn't exist any more, so that isn't a viable way to get to a hotel in the 7th (or anywhere).

It died with COVID.