area to stay in for Paris

I like the 4th, 5th & 6th, trying to stay as close to the river as possible. Le Marais would be good. There is a lot going on in those areas and its very walkable to a lot of the places tourist like to go. I would advise against Montmartre. The "night life" there is probably not what you're looking for, if you know what I mean. There is a good reason Montmartre is less expensive than other areas. Not to mention it is out of the way from most of the places you will likely want to see. You say you'll be there for 3 days. Does that mean 3 nights?

Agree, Marais is also my favorite area to stay in Paris!
Safe and lots to do! Happy Travels!

Hedy , while Montmarte has some lovely parts, it has a few less so, and it is not central to many sites.. so I would go with a stay in the 4th ( Marais) 5th( Latin Quarter) or 6th( ST Germain) also. Apartments, well its a bit late for booking first choices, and many places will charge an extra fee for a "short stay" ( less the a week) .. and for 3 nights I would just get a hotel. Hotel Diana( 5th) is cheap , clean, and central. Its on a quiet street in the Latin Quarter but only a block away from the fun bustling area filled with shops, cafes and restaurants in the oldest part of the Latin Quarter. Hotel Eugenie( in the 6th but on border of 5th) is also a great choice, its a 2 minute walk from everything , the river, the RER and metro, and less then 4 minute walk to Notre Dame,, 6 minut and only 15 minutes to Louvre .. Its on a busy mostly pedestrian street , we did not find street noise an issue but if you are sensitive to noise just ask for a courtyard room, view will be horrible from window,lol, but you really will be right in middle of everything just outside door. Hotel Pantheon or Hotel Des Grand Hommes( in the 5th) , these are sister hotels right across from Pantheon, both are nice, you are a 10 minute walk from busy sections, but still in the student area of Paris, and only 2 minutes from Luxembourgh gardens! If you can afford the deluxe rooms( the standards are tiny , and I mean tiny) then try the Hotel Le Regent( in the 6th) , I took a friend there for her 1st visit to Paris and her comment was "this is exactly what I thought Paris would be like". A small market , many cafes, and atm right next to hotel, great area.. loved it.

The Best Western Hotels in the Latin Quarter (University) and the one near the Lourve are both great locations and reasonably priced. Have a fabulous trip!

You can check airbnb.com and possibly find an apartment that won't require a week's stay. We were advised against staying in Montmartre. From what I was told, it's nice to go visit during the day but it can get bad real quick. I don't think it's the kind of night life you are looking for.

My daughter and I stayed in the Marais last March. The apartment we stayed in did not require a week's stay. http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p350342 My review is on the site there (Just Perfect).

We stayed at the Hotel Le Littre (6th arron.) in 2010 and 2011. We had a balcony room. We were there for a total of three weeks. We could watch the city lights and the Eiffel Tower from our balcony. Since it stays light until 11:00 PM. in May and June, we could watch all the lights, all night. We also sat on our patio during the day. We were close to the metro train also. You have to book the balcony rooms only on their website. We could walk to many sites from our hotel. The 6th arron. is a gret area to stay in.

I like the 4th, 5th and 6th the best. Don't like Montmartre at all, even to visit. I'd never stay there.