Lodging: Rue Cler or Marais?

I must admit I am not as familiar with the Marais. My impression was that the Marais was a little more "funky" (in a good way). I always stay on Rue Cler at Grand Hotel Leveque. It is essential to ask for a street side room. The rooms are much nicer and there is no traffic to keep you up at night. Air Conditioned clean rooms with that great Rue Cler neighborhood. You can buy a bottle of wine and a picnic lunch right there on rue cler and walk to a park for a picnic.

The Rue Cler is wildly popular with Rick Steves readers and for that reason can feel like an American bubble. Also, the street itself has lost several of the charming businesses that won Rick's heart. It's a long distance from most of the major sites except for the Eiffel Tower and Invalides.

The Marais is closer to many of the major sites and certainly within walking distance of the Louvre, Notre Dame, etc. It is much more diverse than the Rue Cler.

I would choose the Marais over "Rick Steves street" . The area around Rue Cler is dead in the evening and very residental, which is nice if you like things very quiet, and don't mind walking to other areas for fun and more cafe selections.
We had to walk back from the 7th late one evening after a bike tour and it was a bit creepy just walking down those quiet deserted streets lined with apartment blocks mostly. . I know Rue Cler is busier, but that is only one street. And alot of Ricks hotels have become a bit full of themselves now, not like they once were, victims of their fame I suppose, according to reveiws.

I always google the hotel name and the work " reviews" and read reveiws on serveral different sites to get a well rounded view.

Really Paris is great anywhere ( almost) and if you are planning on travelling soon then its not like you would even get into a Rick hotel, they book up ahead of time.

Just returned from 3 weeks in Europe. We rented an apt. in the Marias from "isabelles apt. in france", it was called the beauberg and was wonderful! reasonable & 1/2 block from the pompediu. It was great having our own place. We went to the Rue Cler on our last day and it is a very lively area in the day but pretty quiet at night. We even ran in to Rick walking down the street and my husband took my picture with him! Amazing.

I would pick the Marais. You are within walking distance from the Notre Dame Cathedral and POmpidou Center. The Notre Dame Cathedral is must beautiful in the evening (great for a post dinner stroll). I found the Marias district to have a more "parisian" feel to it (if that mamkes sense!). The Rue Cler district was too cookie cutter perfect for me. Plus there was way too many North American tourists there that you didn;t quite feel that you were in Paris!

There is a lesson here for all of us...much as we may love RS and his work, you can't take a small area like Rue Cler, the Cinque Terre, or Gimmelwald and make it a prime destination for all to pursue (sometimes to the exclusion of all else) without affecting the community. There are so many Americans overruning these places that its hard to find the natives in the crowd. There are lots of neighborhoods in Paris that are equally as nice as Rue Cler (or nicer). You can check out the posting Jona made on the various Arrondissements to help guide you. Additionally, you are already starting to plan your days in Paris...what neighborhoods will you be visiting the most? As Jason Robards said in "A Thousand Clowns": "Wake Up Campers"....pay attention to what RS says in Europe Through the Back Door...not about specific places, but about what he looks for when traveling...then find your own bliss.

http://www.vacationinparis.com/

Hi Bryan,
... before you take hotel rooms, check out what is available thru VacationInParis (above link). They manage many Paris apartments and have their HQ in the USA. You may call them toll free at the number given. You could have the key to your way cool Paris apartment before you leave Seattle! bon voyage.. P

We loved the Marais area. We rented an apartment on Rue Du turenne. Good neighborhood restaurants, grocery stores, cafes and shops and nightlife also.

I have been to Paris 4 times in recent years. Have always stayed in the Rue Cler area. The first time I went I didn't even know who Rick Steves was! The last time was April 2008 and it seemed that every other person on the Rue Cler had a RS tour book in their hands.More english spoken there than anywhere else in Paris. I'm planning to go back next spring and will look to stay in the Marais area.
Good luck and happy travels