I know this is a tired topic but, our last stop before heading home. We'd appreciate any insight as to neighborhoods that are interesting to stay in and any hotel/ chambres d'hotes that are well liked. Even if you have "no-no's", that would be helpful as well. We are looking at the Marais area as well as the Latin Quarter and Rue Cler. I hear the Rue Cler is now overrun with RS devotees... but we'd like to get the feel of an older, French neighborhood that is at least near a metro stop. We enjoy people watching, cafes, old things, markets. etc. We've been twice years ago and so are looking for more "off the beaten path" things to see and do. Thanks for your experienced insight!
Posted by
Albuquerque, NM, USA
25 posts
Rue Cler is my choice - walk in any direction and you'll get the true sense of a Parisian neighborhood. The Marais and Latin Quarter are interesting areas as well, but are "overrun" by tourists Rue Cler is a delight with all the things you are looking for - people watching, cafes, markets, etc. Near the Eiffel Tour and the Siene, the Rodin Museum, Napolean's Tomb, etc. Hotels I have stayed: Hotel Relais Bosquet, www.hotel-paris-bosquet.com, is a lovely hotel in a central location in the Rue Cler area. Also nearby is another favorite, Hotel Muguet at www.hotelparismuguet.com. Hotel Londres Eiffel, www.hotel-paris-londres-eiffel.com, is the closest to the Eiffel Tour, small and a delight.
Bon voyage!
Posted by
Mentor on the Lake, OH, USA
251 posts
I vote for the Marais. Lots of great cafes for people watching and some great old neighborhoods to wander in. We stayed in th Villa Beaumarchais which has a terrific breakfast buffet. There are lots of great hotels in the area.
Posted by
San Francisco/Marin County
9436 posts
Based on what you wrote, I'd say the Marais would be ideal for you. My favorite areas are the 4th arrondissement (Marais & Ile Saint Louis), the 5th (Latin Quarter) and the 6th. RS Paris and TripAdvisor.com is a good place to find a hotel.
Posted by
VIctoria, BC, Canada
16 posts
Although Rue Cler may be overrun with RS devotees, there are still several thousand of real French people who live in that neighborhood. If you're look for a an older French neighborhood, I would recommend the right bank. Think the 16th or 17th.
When I lived in Rue Carnot, near the Etoile (Arc de Triomphe), I felt I had discovered the essential, older established French neighborhood. You will not find that in the Marais. The Marais neighborhood is mainly gay, urban and definitely not older French neighborhood. Whatever you choose, rest assure, you will have a wonderful time. Every Paris neighborhood is filled with authenticity, warmth and good food! Diane
Posted by
San Francisco/Marin County
9436 posts
"The Marais neighborhood is mainly gay, urban and definitely not older French neighborhood." With all due respect, I could not disagree more. It is quintissential old Paris, and is not mainly gay and urban. I was just there for a month and it is charming.
Posted by
Pensacola
9110 posts
The Marais was very well-developed by the mid 1500s. The 16th and 17th arrondissements on the Right Bank were open fields until well into the industrial age which began in the mid 1700s. The western portion of the Left Bank developed even more slowly. The only thing west of the Invalides by the first third of the 1800s was the Ecole Militaire - - everthing else (including Rue Cler) was goat pastures, turnip fields, and armadillo ranches.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33851 posts
The last time I was in Rue Cler I didn't see any traces of the former armadillo ranches. I thought I saw an armadillo going around a corner in the Marais but on closer inspection it turned out to be a ferret on a leash.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
1068 posts
L'Hotel Hameau, 48 Rue de Passy. It's an established neighborhood (Passy was originally separate village). The hotel is right between two Metro stops, and also easily accessible by bus. I recommend the hotel (http://www.paris-hotel-hameaudepassy.com/) because iit is QUIET (it's off the street, on a tiny courtyard) and very affordable and the staff are all extremely nice, and it is CLEAN. I recommend the neighborhood because it's a real place for real Parisians. You sit at le Passy (local cafe) and watch parents taking their kids to school, guys running out in slippers to pick up a baguette, and local pensioners going to a matinee at the movie theatre (that looks like an apartment building from the outside). It is not over-run by tourists. We visited Rue Cler, once, and found it a little too pricey and poncy for our tastes, although I am sure it was excellent before Rick Steves popularized it. (Alas.)
Posted by
SF Bay Area, CA
2030 posts
Last year I rented an apartment in Neuilly an upscale suburb on outskirts of Paris, that was halfway between the Arche de Triomphe and La Defense, and near the Bois de Bologne. I liked it and would stay there again, I also have stayed at the Hameau de Passy and liked that hotel a lot also. Recommend it, but be aware it does not have an elevator.
Posted by
OP
New Orleans, LA, USA
105 posts
Thanks so much for all of the advice and insight! We ahve booked a room in the Marais center. Have read many wonderful blogs that give the area great reviews. Many of the hotels there, and in the Latin Quarter were already booked so, am pleased to have found one with availabilities. We will still visit the LQ and the Rue Cler...both of which I am very much looking forward to. Any restaurant suggestions?