Paris hotels

James, it is not possible to be near ALL them main tourist sites,, look on a map and you will note that places like the ET and the Louvre are a good 45 mintute walk apart( and I am guestimating ) . Of course, once you start to use the metro you will realize how great it is,, everything is then only 5-10 minutes or so apart( I love the metro).

Most first time visitors, who want to stay somewhere fairly central,, choose to stay in a central Arrondismont( neighborhoods numbered 1-20 that swirl out snail like from the river clock wise). You can tell if your hotel is in a certain arr. by looking at the postal(?) code, it will start with 750( Paris) and end with last two digits indicating arr. so,, 75006 means located in the 6th arr. 75012 means 12 th etc. Some arrondissmonts also have names.. so the 1st is often called the Louvre area, the 4th is the Marais, the 5th is the Latin Quarter, the 6th is St Germain, the 7th is Eiffel Tower.. the 9th Opera etc..

Anyways,, tell us more about what you want,, and mention a budget ( in euros please) and you will likely get a few great ideas here. Also, check out the hotel reveiws on tripadvisor.com I always find them helpful.

Thanks for the advice. I think that we would have no problem taking the metro. We are interested in seeing a few tourist sights, maybe a cooking class, and great food. I know it is cold so we will be bundled up. I know it is the dead of winter and I should expect great rates with little crowds. What should we do first ? ET at night time ? Louivre ? museums ? churches ? places to eat (not touristy - local )? We are both in our 40's and some what athletic. We work as hard as we play. We are thinking of being in France Feb. 21 - Feb. 27.

Thanks for all the input.

James, you and your wife will love Paris,, it is made for walkers... I know my way around very roughly,, but still always get lost going down little streets( Paris is definately not on the grid system,,LOL intersections with 2, 3, 4 or 5 streets meet higgly piggly all over) .. The point is, getting lost by walking is great,, you will find that perfect little spot,, be it a bench near a park, or a cafe, or just an amazing building that you will remember forever.. and you will eventually end up where ever you wanted anyways..

I stayed at the Hotel De La Place du Louvre this past summer, really liked the location, quiet street, close to metro, Louvre, and only minutes from the river,, which, if crossed takes you into the busy Latin Quarter. Walked alot of places from there. I had two different rooms, I liked both, but one had the bathroom on a second level,, which I did not like as the stairs were steep .. but as I said both rooms were great. I paid about 106 euros a night, but rates seem to vary wildly .

I also liked the Hotel des Grand Hommes( right across from Pantheon) and loved the Hotel Regent ,,which was in the heart of the 6th, all great places. All under 200 euros a night. None were super lux. At Hotel Regent get the deluxe room, standards are tiny. Keep in mind most hotel rooms will be smaller then you are used to back home.

Have fun.

Go for an apartment--it will cost less overall and you can use the extra money for more dining. Check out VRBO.com and there are many others--I stayed in the 6th and it was convenient to many sites--and then the metro nearby made it convenient to the others.

Enjoy!!

James, we just got back from France. We stayed in an apartment in the 6th arrondisement, about a block from St. Sulpice. We thought the location was perfect. We walked everywhere, except to Montmartre. It's an easy walk to the Louvre area, Notre Dame and Ile St. Louis, the Latin Quarter, and even the Marais area. We even walked to the Eiffel Tower which was a little less than two miles. We enjoy walking because you can really see the city that way. I don't think you will have trouble finding good bakeries, cafes and bars no matter where you stay.

I've just returned from a week and a half in Paris, staying at Hotel Jeanne d'Arc (3 rue de Jarente, 75004) in the heart of the Marais, a hotel that Rick recommends and was also written up favorably in the New York Times recently. The metro stop very near the hotel (St. Paul) is on Line 1, which will get you to all the major sites quite easily. Better yet, take the bus, especially #69, as recommended in Rick's book, every easy to navigate and such a great way to see the city instead of taking the metro. For us (mom of 55 and son of 31) the Marais was a wonderful place to stay, and Jeanne d'Arc is highly affordable, but the walls are exceptionally thin and we could hear every sneeze, conversation, and toilet flushing on all sides of our room. The elevator is extremely small, and they recommend only one person with luggage at a time, and going up the stairs to floors 4 and above would be a challenge if you're not in good shape, especially with luggage. The garbage truck arrives at 8 a.m. on weekdays and is horribly loud. Breakfast is delightful, 6 euros. The staff is very friendly and helpful. They have a safe in the main office, but not in the rooms. Free use of computer in the back room, but no QUERTY keyboard. They are very helpful in getting a shuttle service arranged for transportation to the airport, but beware the driver was late and then at the airport he declared he had no change at all, so all five of us in the shuttle were obliged to give him a 3 euro tip essentially because we only had 20 euro bills. The location of Jeanne d'Arc is fantastic, but we won't be staying there again because of all the noise outside in the mornings and in the rooms because of such thin walls.

The Hotel Jeanne d'Arc is delightful and my favorite Paris hotel. I've stayed there twice. It can be tricky getting reservations; it is probably best to call them about rooms. I experienced no noisiness either from inside or outside the room; the rooms on the front will be noisier. Also, if you keep the windows open at night you will hear whatever is going on outside. Unlike many other Paris hotels, when this hotel remodelled and upgraded they did not kill the ambience of the hotel. The breakfast is standard Paris-hotel breakfast, but the room is pleasant and service was great.

I think the 6th or 5th would be closest to ALL the major sites for walkability. Rooms in the 5th (Latin Quarter) probably would be more budget-friendly. I've stayed at the Hotel du Commerce near the Cluny and within walking distance of Notre Dame, major churches, the Pantheon, Shakespeare & Co, and the Louvre (if you are a big walker).

James - Like others have mentioned, I would recommend staying in an apartment. We used vacationinparis.com this past summer. They are based in the US.

James

I stayed at the Hotel Royal Phare in the Rue Cler neigborhood, very close to the Eiffel tower, we walked to the Louvre from here, the Arc Di Triumph and more. I loved this area and would stay there again in a heartbeat! The hotel room is small, no frills but it really is all about the location! There are tons of good cafes, pastry shops, and a market right by the hotel!

We got back from a 6 day stay in Paris a few weeks ago and stayed at the Hotel Clément located a block away from Boulevard St Germain, and across the street from the Galerie le Marche with shops and many places to eat nearby. It is a small boutique hotel minutes from Buci and St Germain markets, and a block from the Mabillon underground station. The location is great in that it is close to underground stations and a great location from which to walk. It is minutes away from St. Sulpice, Luxembourg Garden, Café Flore and Café des Deux Magots, art galleries and bookshops, rue Jacob and rue Bonaparte, and the Saint Germain and Odéon underground stations. It is 10 minutes: from, the Sorbonne, Latin Quarter, the French Institute, the Seine, and 15 minutes from Notre Dame, Sainte Chapelle, Musée d’Orsay, and the Louvre. http://www.clement-moliere-paris-hotel.com/clement/pages/paris.html