Paris - favorite arrondissement to stay and why?

I like the 4th, 5th & 6th arrondissments. They are centrally located to most of the sites and you can walk to most places. They are also lively. I stayed in Rue Cler (7th) once. It was a very nice neighborhood, but pretty quiet. What are you looking for in a place to stay?

This exact same question was asked and answered on 5/18 - scroll back and read that thread :)

If it has been a long time since you last visited Paris, I would suggest you get RS Paris Guide Book if you have not done so already. It has lots of information about the different neighborhoods to help you in making a decision.

When we go this time, we are going to rent an apartment. I want something that is close to the sights, but still a less touristy neighborhood. I just thought it would be interesting to hear people's stories. Maybe they love a certain street or arrondissement because of a cafe or the architecture. Thanks for everyone's input!

Very difficult to stay in central Paris and not encounter a neighborhood that is "less touristy". You just want to make sure you are an easy walk to a Metro station or, better yet, located in the middle of several different Metro lines. For cheaper and larger apartments for your money, I like the 10th Arron. which is not everyone's cup of tea because people who have never stayed there tend to think of the area that immediately surrounds Gare du Nord as being "bad" because (like any major city in the world) you have a few homeless hanging about outside the station. There are also a couple adult "bookstores" near the station that sell sex toys (the windows are all blacked out, so you don't even see the merchandise and the customers don't exactly linger outside on the sidewalks). But if you walk about 5 minutes away from the train station, you encounter a far less touristy neighborhood that is full of Parisian families, restaurants, cafes and stores that have better prices than what you will find in places like the 4th, 5th, 6th or 7th. The 10th gives you easy access to multiple Metro lines, 2 major train stations (Nord & Est) and the RER to the airport. If money is not a factor, or you don't mind getting a smaller apartment, I would then suggest St Germain des Pres in the 6th as it has great window shopping and art galleries plus Luxembourg Gardens nearby. Also the area around Places des Vosges which straddles the 3rd & 4th Arron.