Paris neighborhoods

Quiet Paris? Hmmm... tough. Let me stick to the Metro. Paris is such a beautiful city (specially at night). If you go to Google Maps you can get an idea of the city and how big it is. If you click on the Letter M's with a circle (metro) you can get an idea how the lines run. I stayed next to the Arch de Triumph because it was free with my points. But the area I really liked was the St. Michel area (I believe it's also called The Latin Quarter). Always bustling with people and has three Metro stops close by. But I learned to use the bus system more than the Metro. The Metro doesn't let you see the city unfold in front of your eyes, it's underground. The web-sites I'm giving you are for the TI in Pyramides Metro stop. Once you get rid of your Jet-Lag, pay for one trip on the Metro to the TI and once there you can get Museum Pass, Metro Pass, and bus maps (check out the web-site). Study them, ask and try to figure out where you are and where you want to go. And then go. For example to get to Pyramides stop from St. Michel; St. Michel #4 to Chatelet switch to #14 to Pyramides. Ask in the hotel for advice. Look in TripAdvisor for the hotel you'd prefer. Well worth the time invested. And besides Pyramides is a few blocks down the street from The Paris Opera House. And I think the Hop on/off is next to the Opera House. Ask at the TI http://en.parisinfo.com/ http://en.parisinfo.com/where-to-find-us/ http://www.ratp.fr/en/ratp/c_5000/accueil/ http://www.ratp.fr/plan-interactif/

Check out these videos, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neLv6xQS48Y

I'm a bore about my favorite hotel in Paris, but in your case, I think it completely meets your needs. It's in the Passy neighborhood in the 16th arrondissement. Some detail: http://manstouch.com/travel/sights16th.html L'Hotel Hameau de Passy is at 48 rue de Passy (http://www.hameaudepassy.com/). The hotel is a 2 minute walk from the Passy Metro stop (line 6) and maybe a 4 minute walk from the la Muette stop on line 9. You can also get the #72 bus to Trocadero and walk up the gentle slope - maybe a 5 minute walk. Which of course means it's about a 5 minute walk from the Eiffel Tower! We take the #72 from the Pont d'Iena stop to the Louvre, Tuilleries, Pont des Arts, Chatelet, the Rue de Rivoli... Here's the route map: http://www.ratp.fr/informer/pdf/orienter/f_plan.php?nompdf=72&loc=bus_paris/ The neighborhood is real, non-touristy, safe, family-filled, residential, with lots of shops, a movie theatre, nice traditional cafes, a street market, a good choice of restaurants (Japanese, Chinese, Russian, a sushi joint, pizza, a McDo). There's a school a few doors down, and lots of families walking their kids to and from school in the a.m. and p.m. It feels incredibly safe. As you walk toward la Muette the neighborhood gets swanker. Feels solidly middle-class in the area just surrounding the hotel. The hotel is off the main drag - you enter through a cute courtyard between two shops - so the rooms are very quiet. Front desk staff are unfailingly polite. It is spotlessly clean (and when we were there in December all the bathrooms were being re-fitted with shower stalls!). The photos on the website are accurate. I cannot explain the faux fur bedspreads, but at least they are cozy and clean! If I were a solo female traveler, l'Hotel Hameau would be ideal for me. And the price is right!

We stayed at the Hotel Royal on Blvd Raspail, and it may fit your needs. It was in the 14th, but near the edge of the 6th. Metro stops were nearby, lots of cafes, and it was busy enough to feel safe but not crowds of tourists. There are more hotels nearby as well. Go on google streetview and take a look at the area. Here's the hotel: http://www.hotelleroyal.com/VERSION-II/english.html

We've stayed in several areas in Paris and always find ourselves making our way each morning towards the Notre Dame / St. Michael / Latin Quarter area to start our day and start sightseeing. We've decided in the future we will always stay in this area for convenience. I know you asked for something more residential, we prefer to be in the thick of the action, but I guess its whatever is important to you. With only 5 days I would hate to spend a lot of time riding buses or metro back and worth to a more "remote" residential area.

I agree with Mark. The Latin Quarter is the center of the action. That doesn't mean it has to be noisy. We are having our monthly helpline meeting tomorrow. You might find a lot of good info from the attendees. Look under the General Europe tab for meeting details. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

Passy is the focus of the latest Amiee Leduc book that involves some Basque activities. All 12 of the Leduc books take place in a different arrondissement (spelling?) throughout Paris. I can't wait 'til we're able to go. We're living in Prague just now and it's so centrally located.

@Terry: That is so cool! I am putting that on my Goodreads immediately! Thanks for the tip.

Amelia - my favorite hotel is the Londres Eiffel in the 7th arrondissment. The staff is helpful and the rooms are clean. It's a very nice (some say quiet) area, 1 block from the Eiffel Tower. There are a number of good restaurants and cafes, a grocery store, several bakeries, pharmacies, and a laundromat nearby. It's just a few blocks from the Invalides, Rodin Museum, and Rue Cler. There are 2 metro stops - Ecole Militare and Pont de l'Alma. I hope you have a great time in Paris! http://www.londres-eiffel.com/

We have stayed at the Claude Bernard and the Hotel St. Jacques, both near the Sorbonne and Pantheon. There were two metro stops near the hotels. The area always seemed very safe because of the students at the Sorbonne. Quiet? Usually but remember your own student days?Weekends were more noisy. It also depends if your room is facing the street or not. If I was by myself, I would stay in either hotel again.

For 5 days, it might be cheaper to rent a studio or an apt. Plus, that way you have cooking facilities and a refrigerator to store foods, wine, etc. There are always threads about apt. so go looking.