Where to stay in Paris in September 2024?

This happened to us on our first trip to this area. We just flipped our itinerary avoiding Fashion Week and then had no problems.

Honestly your goals seem kind of incompatible. You wanted to stay in the Marais or St. Germain. You want to stay within walking distance of the main "attractions" All of those scream "touristy" . Then you say "we would like to be in area that is not too touristy"? Any place with "easy access" on foot will have LOTS and LOTS of tourists. September is liable to be particularly busy due to pent up demand from the summer.

This area was recommended in another thread and think it would work for you but it's not "easy access" by foot. It does have a good metro station with three lines and affordable hotel options. -Place d' italie Lots of cafes and locals.

As others have noted you actually don't want to stay in a non-touristy place -- you want to stay in the charming picture books central areas of the Marais and St. Germain. Central Paris is pretty small and the metro will get you anywhere so you can venture out. Place d'Italie area is where we stay every spring , a bit east on Tolbiac -- it is not touristy but also not 'charming'
It is also not very convenient to central sites -- it has good connections but it is a ways to the center.

An area that might thread the needle is Montparnasse in the Edgar Quinet metro area -- good transport, lots of amenities, a tad out of the tourist thrum. You can walk easily through Luxembourg Gardens to the center as well.

I have been to Paris many times during Fashion Week and it all really depends on your budget, which you haven't mentioned. How much per room are you budgeting for? Paris is filled with many neighborhoods that are nice, with plenty of cafés and restaurants and centrally located (which is totally subjective as attractions are quite spread out).

Thanks for all the info so far...budget around $474 per night

There is always something going on in Paris. Busy is normal.

Check Airbnb. Fashion week may book up all the hotels. Business travelers usually book hotels exclusively. I haven't had trouble finding Airbnb the second and fourth weeks of September, without booking outside the center.

We find the 6th arrondissement (bordering on the 7th) charming and full of all kinds of people; tourists and locals. I'm sure to be in a touristy place when I'm standing at the Eiffel Tower, or the boat ride on the Seine or other such locations, but otherwise anywhere in central Paris is just a wonderful place to see people from all walks of life.

Absolutely, as I know of a few 2 star hotels in Paris Nord offering decent rates. It basically comes down to how much luxury you want.