Need a recommendation for hotels

Hi Fran, I don't know what your budget is but here are some hotels I can recommend: Hotel de Lutece, Hotel des Deux Iles (these are in my favorite neighborhood, Ile St. Louis - the little island next to Notre Dame), Hotel St. Jacques, Hotel du Pantheon, Hotel des Grands Hommes and Hotel des Grandes Ecoles. My favorite area of Paris are the 4th (Marais & Ile St. Louis), 5th (Latin Quarter) and 6th (St. Germain) arrondisssement. As close to the river as possible. That is the heart of Paris imo. You can easily walk to the Orsay, the Louvre, Notre Dame, St. Chapelle, Luxembourg Gardens, lots of places from these arrondissements. The Eiffel Tower is a bit far, as is the Arc de Triomphe, you may want to take the Metro or a bus.

This is wonderful! I don't think this message board ever fails me. Thank you, thank you.

Fran, For the sites you mentioned in your previous post, I think the best area for you to stay in would be Saint Germain des Pres. Look at Hotel Eugenie, Hotel Le Jardin de la L'Oden and Hotel Des Grand Hommes. Go directly to their sites, and book directly. Metro in this area would be Oden, Saint Michael
In the Eiffle area check out Hotel Le Tourville metro Ecole Militaire

I agree with Susan - I have also stayed at Hotel de Lutece, Hotel des Deux Iles on Ile St. Louis and it's my favorite place to stay. We also liked Hotel des Grandes Ecoles.

"Our travel agent gave us a hotel that is 1 hour walking distance from Notre Dame" And people wonder why we're all so negative about travel agents? You're right - fire him or her immediately, and book your own hotel. I stay at the Grand Hotel Des Balcons: http://balcons.com/. The rooms are not as nice as the lobby; they're a bit plain, but perfectly serviceable. The location is great (near the Odeon metro and Boulevard St. Germain, but on a quiet side street). If the hotels recommended in the posts above are above your price range, look at http://www.eurocheapo.com/paris/. Their neighborhood descriptions will be very helpful, even if you stay in a more expensive place than they list.

hi, i stayed at the Hotel de Turenne near the Ecole Militaire stop behind the Eiffel tower. The bathrooms were sort of cramped, but it was clean and close and central to what i wanted and it was less than 1 block from a tube stop. for your info (fyi), Paris is BIG compared to where im from, but in my opinion, it isnt that difficult to get around using public transportation. I loved the subway and i took a few busses too. happy trails.

Fran , there are a great deal of choices , as I'm sure you realize , one more to consider ; We are fond of the seventh arrondissement ( Eiffel Tower - Les Invalides ) . two negatives I hear about this area : too quiet ! and not convenient to many sites ! . My personal reaction ; at night , when I want a quiet night's sleep , that's great . . I'm not in my twenties anymore ,( not for forty years ) and my wife and I are up and at 'em early , after all that's what we came for ! As far as accessibility , Paris has the best Metro I've ever used ( including my home town of NYC ) . Ten minutes on the Metro will get you just about anywhere in the city . That said ,look at the Hotels Muguet and De L'Empereur on the Rue Chevert next to Les Invalides . Metro : La Tour Maubourg is one block away . The previous recommendations are all good no doubt . I don't think you will go wrong with any , I hope I come back here often enough to stay at them all !!

I agree that the Metro and the busses in Paris are great, and I enjoy taking either when I have to. But, I like staying in a hotel that's in the heart of Paris (see my post above) and being able to walk out my hotel door (or rented apartment) and be in the center of things w/o having to take transportation to get there. I've done that in the past and prefer not to anymore. I've never stayed at any of the hotels I listed and ever been bothered by noise, and I'm a very light sleeper. I like Ile St. Louis best because it is a little village unto itself with everything you need surrounded by the river and amazing views. Everyone has different tastes, and there is no right or wrong.

Fran, In order to choose a neighborhood and hotel that best fits your criteria, I'd highly recommend picking up a copy of the Pocket Paris Guidebook. There's a wealth of information there, and it will be a good reference source during your trip. I prefer to stay in the 7th, as it's walking distance to the Eiffel Tower, Rodin Musuem and other sites, and has good Metro access to get to other areas. Some hotels that you could look at are: > Hotel Duquesne Eiffel > Hotel du Cadran > Hotel Muguet > Hotel du Champs de Mars Happy travels!

Many good suggestions here, best one was don't use travel agent, she/he sounds clueless. I prefer staying in the 4th, 5th, 6th myself, but have enjoyed staying in the 1st twice, I liked the Hotel Place Du Louvre, right by Lourve on a quiet street but only 1/2 block to Seine and Pont Neuf, easy walk to Notre Dame, Cluny, Louvre, Orsay, etc.. I have not stayed in the 7th, its a bit quiet in some areas for me at night, I like to be in less residential areas especially when I am visiting alone or alone with a child, I prefer not to walk down sleeping streets by myself.. a few cafes and some life feels better to me when solo.

We just returned from Paris on 3/31 - stayed 7 nights at the Holiday Inn - Notre Dame. GREAT LOCATION, and the hotel was great. Lots of reviews on trip advisor, and I found it to be more than I expected. I know everyone likes a 'boutique' hotel, but we were travelling on a budget and this worked perfect for us. The bed was extremely comfortable too! About 5 minutes walking to Notre Dame, maybe 15 minutes walking from the Louvre & Luxembourg Gardens. There is a small market directly next to the hotel that is open very late to grab some water, juice, snacks or wine on your way up to the room. Also a beautiful (guests-only) roof top terrace with great views of the entire city.