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Unsure about my current Paris hotel choice...

Posted by (Kansas, USA) on

I have a room booked (can cancel - haven't paid yet) at the Hotel Malte Astotel in the 2nd Arr. I booked on the hotel website vs. Booking . com as breakfast was included via hotel's site. Looking at Paris neighborhood maps, it appears to be situated ok - but I really have no idea what it's like in real life. We will be in Paris 9/26 (arriving at 1pm-ish from Switzerland) and flying home on 9/30, so we have 3.5 days to sightsee (I'm working on our itinerary for our days now; will likely post some questions on this soon).

Will I be unhappy in the 2nd? Missing opportunities to visit nearby cafes, markets, etc?

If we use the hotel just as "home base" and plan to get out and see different areas each day, does this hotels' location look ok?

We've only been to Paris once & our group stayed outside the city so we used coach buses to get around. We did like walking around the Rue Clare area but have read that that area is far from most of the sights.

Any thoughts, ideas, experiences that can be shared will be greatly appreciated!

Jacque

Posted by
7025 posts

I agree that it looks, and sounds like from the reviews, to be a very good choice. Even if there aren't a lot of eating places right on the same street as the hotel, that area has lots of cafes, bakeries, etc.. It looks like you're on the edge of the Marais district so you can always walk a few blocks and find great places, and you're just a short walk from the Rue de Rivoli where you'll find everything. Also, you can just ask the hotel staff for suggestions. This website has some good info on markets based on your interests. Even if they're not on your street or in your immediate area they are easy to get to by metro or walking. You can also go to Google Street View and check out the address to see what the neighborhood is like.

Posted by
3688 posts

I have stayed at a number of Astotel properties and found them all to be well priced and great properties. However, they are not in the pricier areas of Paris that are frequently suggested for novice visitors. I had planned to stay at the Malte next month but the types of rooms I wanted were sold out for the days I will be in Paris. I wonder if your doubts are raised by the fact that many people recommend the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th districts for tourists and the 2nd rarely is. However, the 2nd arrondissement has some great areas and your hotel is located a 5-minute walk stops on Lines 7, 13 and 3. I used to live on the border of the 1st and the 2nd (about a 5-minute walk from the Malte) so I could be partial. There are cafes everywhere in Paris and Rue Montorgeuil, one of Paris' better known market streets, is a 10 minute walk from your hotel.

Posted by
2466 posts

If you enter the address of your hotel in Google Maps Street View, you can navigate around the neighborhood and see if you think you'll be happy there.

Posted by
11507 posts

That hotel is a fine area.. not always my first choice to be right bank.. ( although i have stayed right bank at least a dozen times now) but there is absolutely nothing wrong with that location, its easy to walk to many sites ( I love to walk in Paris ) and there is no reason to change.

Rue Cler is an area I have never stayed in.. in over 35 years of visiting.. and I haven't missed a thing by not..

honestly its a bed and bathroom, its in a decent area.. dont over stress about your hotel.. you are fine.

Posted by
776 posts

The hotel you mention is right next to two Paris treasures few "beginning" tourists see. The Palais Royal and the magnificent Bibliotheque Nationale. Interesting area with access to Paris' unique covered passages.

Posted by
193 posts

Awesome!!! Thank you all for your feedback! Yes, I believe my doubts increased as I noticed no mention of this area in the many hotel posts I've read. I also started worrying that this might be similar to other big city financial districts and be busy during the day but empty (and maybe a bit scary) at night. I will make notes of all the places you've all mentioned and do some Google mapping! Thank you!!

Jacque

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