Hotel choice

The one at the Bastille, if its the one I think it is, is actually quite near the Gare de Lyon. We stayed there a couple of years ago when we needed to catch the early train to Monaco. Its a largeish place, decentish neighborhood, art deco, decent brekkie, view of the Eye-full (sic) tower in the distance. No real issues. I wrote a favourable TA review at the time. Dunno about the other one.

thanks, was wondering more about site seeing and things to do.

Michael I would choose the St. Germain Holiday Inn for the location. Near enough to the Seine and the 2 islands which are the center of sightseeing for Paris. Notre Dame, St. Chapelle, Louvre, Musee d'Orange (Monet), Musee D'Orsay (19th century art), etc. But best of all, near lots of restaurants, cafes, bars, and music. And the Luxemburg Gardens, metro stops, and Monparnasse Train Station. Bobbie

St Germain. For the neighborhood & the same reasons Bobbie mentions. Unless you have some freakishly early train or plane out of Paris, choose a hotel based on convenience to the sights, restaurants, nightlife you want to experience during your visit. As long as you have 1 Metro station within walking distance, you can get just about anywhere you'll need to go as a visitor.

I agree with the two previous posts... St. Germain for sure. Much nicer neighborhood.

I agree that St. Germain might be a better location but we are in Paris now and walked by the Holiday Inn near the Gare de Lyon on our way to dinner last night. I thought that it looked very nice and there are some good restaurants in the neighborhood. If St. Germain isn't available, I think that the other location would be fine. Also, compare the 2 on Trip Advisor.

I am presently in Paris and staying in the 3rd district at the Villa Beaumarchais which I got for 123 american dollars using hotels.com. This hotel is a easy 15 minute walk to the heart of the Marais and near Bastille. This is by far the quietest hotel I have stayed in Paris being one block off the Beaumarchais street. This hotel is a 4 star hotel. When I book a room in Paris I look for good deals and not concerned with what district I am in as the metro makes Paris easy to get to places.