paris neighborhoods

I don't know what he recommended, although I suspect it is the Rue Cler neighborhood in the 7th arrondissement. He loves that area. I stayed there my first trip and although it is a lovely neighborhood I found it to be inconvenient to everywhere except the Eiffel Tower. I have stayed in the Latin Quarter (5th) a couple of times and prefer it for its closeness to many things. IMO, especially for first timers to Paris, the best areas to stay are in the 4th, 5th and 6th arrondissements. The closer to the river the better. Those areas are much more central.

I don't care what Rick says, he does not always do as he says, lol We took a RS tour and our hotel was not in the 7th ( Rue Cler ) area, and my friend took a RS tour and her hotel in Paris was also not in that area.. As a first timer I suggest the 4th, 5th or 6 th as more charming and more central.

Rue Cler area or the Marais are popular with RS and his fans. RS tours have to stay where 25 or so people can be accommodated. Many of his recommended hotels aren't large enough for the tour groups, but may be perfect for a single/couple/family. I find the Marais to be closer to the most poppular tourist venues. From my hotel there I can walk to Notre Dame, the Latin Quarter, San Germaine, etc.

I agree with everything Andrea said. I'm sure Rick was hyping rue Cler as he always does. My favorite areas are the 4th, 5th and 6th, closer to the river as Andrea said. My favorite neighborhood of all is Ile St. Louis in the 4th. Much more charming that rue Cler imo, plus it's surrounded by the river and beautiful views. I have long suspected that Rick really does not know Paris well, and hyping rue Cler makes him sound like he does.

@Elle - do a search here on "rue Montorgueil", there are several older threads that have responses from folks who have stayed there. I had posted last year asking about that neighborhood as I was looking at an apt there but ended up staying in Marais neighborhood instead.

When I was researching for our first Paris trip last year, one piece of advice was to stay "as close to the river and as close to Notre Dame" as you can. We took that advice for our first week and were glad we did. We then moved "out" to the 13th arrondisement for another week for a different experience (and were glad we did). Frankly, I think wherever you stay you will have a wonderful time.

I have a reservation in the Latin quarter at the Hotel Marignan and I think I have a great price - 73 euro per night; very close to Shakespeare and Company; toilet down the hall would be 62 euro per night; they have good reviews on Facebook, etc.

I'm not going to knock the host, but he's skipped a lot in Paris. I won't pretend to know how he gets his scoop, and unless somebody's done an interview, to suggest that he doesnt have help might be a little off. Also, a tally of several months for three decades doesn't come close to the European time that some of have. I'm sticking with Susan. And everwho said that Montorgueil was anything like Rue Cler needs a one-way ticket to the looney bin: the ages don't match the architecture don't match the population don't match the variety of what goes on don't match one's in the middle of everything, the other's out on the far end of the stick What's that leave, a couple of fruit stands? They're all over the place. You should have caught that one, Elle, and punched the colleague. How far is it from the Marais to Montorgueil half a mile, maybe less?

@ Elle, I grew up in Paris, lived there when I was an adult and go back often for months at a time. My opinion is based on my knowing Paris well, watching Rick's shows and reading his Paris guidebook. He absolutely relies on his employees for information (that's true for many places). I believe Rick only knows Paris superficially, he doesn't know it well the way many of us do.

Dan, if you click on the 'TV' tab at the top of this page, you can follow links to watch his travel shows, read the entire script for each show, and lots of other resources. I, too, would bet my house you're looking for Rue Cler. It's fine, as far as location goes, but not necessarily the best. That would depend on what you want to do while in Paris, I suppose. Just look at a good map (maybe
Google maps, since metro stops are shown), pinpoint your interests, look at transportation, then sleep wherever it's most convenient. Have a great time in Paris!

I've never understood this Rue Cler thing. There are so many good shopping streets in many Paris neighborhoods. Rue Cler is in a very wealthy neighborhood. I haven't been way over there, except to go the the new museum, since the 1970s, when I gave English lessons to a very rich lady near Rue Cler. It's like staying in Brentwood in LA, the Gold Coast in Chicago, or the Upper East Side in NY and thinking everyone lives that way. The area was developed much later than the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 9th, 10th, less than 200 years ago. Last summer I told my husband I wanted to go over to see Rue Cler. He asked what for? I said it was a RS thing. Then I never got over there because it's out of the way. Rue Montorgueil is one of the oldest streets in Paris, a very different scene from Rue Cler.