... I still can%26#39;t figure out where my husband and I should stay. LOL! I%26#39;ve consulted two Parisian friends, and they gave me two different places. Friends of ours who lived there gave us yet another. I may just turn over the computer to my 2-year-old and have her hit submit.
Marais? Montparnesse? Ugh!
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For a first visit, it%26#39;s best not to obsess over neighborhoods for sleeping. No matter where you stay, you%26#39;ll be going all over. And, once you%26#39;ve had a look around, you%26#39;ll know better which neighborhood(s) you find most appealing for a subsequent visit, when you%26#39;re not rushing all about so much, rather just enjoying being in Paris.
The best bet may be to get yourself a one-page map of Paris and highlight those places you plan (or hope) to visit, and note locations of restaurants, shops, etc. Then, select an area convenient to most, and also convenient to the metro/buses. You%26#39;ll hear that there%26#39;s almost no place inconvenient for getting around, but some areas are better serviced by buses, especially those that run later at night and on Sundays and holidays, and some metro lines require more transfers to get where you%26#39;re going.
When selecting accomodations, a block or two or more from transportation, cafes, shops, restaurants, may not seem very far, but within steps is much better at the end of a long and tiring day.
Everyone has their favorite neighborhoods, but what appeals to others may be totally different for you.
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Try Ile St. Louis, my favourite area and the one I think is most typically Parisian, not very inexpensive, I%26#39;m afraid, but wonderful. It%26#39;s the one area where I would break my person 2* only, rule.
Also, you can try the Marais, Saint Germain, and the Latin Quarter, depending on how much lead time you have.
My favourite area in which to stay is Montmartre, but it%26#39;s getting more and more difficult as the two * traditional hotels that I love are being modernized out of all their charm and out of my budget.
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Sorry for the typo -- sb %26quot;my personal 2* only, rule%26quot;.
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There is no one arrondissements that is much much much better than other ones for tourists (for living there it is different as it depends on your income, job, family situation etc.) Most experienced posters on this site recommend any one of the low number districts (from 1st to 7th)as they are an easy walk away of most--but not all--major touristic sights. All the same, tourists who know Paris well and don%26#39;t mind travelling on the Metro for a long time (like 20 minutes..) do like the 13th, the 18th etc.
Rather than worrying about a specific area worry about a hotel that meet your budget and tastes. And no you don%26#39;t need to stay in a 4 stars hotel and spend $ 250 and up night. Quite a few 2 stars are very nice and 3 stars can be just as good as 4 stars
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if you are comfortable with a relaxed atmosphere and would like to be near bars, cafes and restaurants then choose either the latin quarter (5th) or the Marais and you can%26#39;t go wrong. Metro will get you where you need during the day.
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Don%26#39;t stress about location: as you can see there are a variety of opinions. Just select a hotel that attracts you.
The sights in Paris are spread out, and you will always need to use the metro to visit some of them. And wherever you stay in central Paris, there will be a metro station within a few hundred yards.
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I should have mentioned that this is my second trip! Though the first one doesn%26#39;t count because I was a young, broke college student and we stayed somewhere without a toilet in the room. That is not happening this time. ;)
Anyway, thank you for your advice. I know wherever we end up it will be lovely. How can it not be? It%26#39;s Paris, after all.
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I also will say the Ile St. Louis or Ile De La Cite. The Latin Quarter / near Lux. Gardens would be my 3rd choice and Marais 4th. However, you can stay anywhere near a Metro (which is EVERYWHERE) in Paris and get to your destination within minutes. So, either way...you%26#39;ll be fine.
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Is the 2 year old coming along? If so, stay not too far from teh Luxembourg gardens. A hotel we enjoyed when our girls were young, was Hotel Lindbergh on the rue Chomel. It is in the 7th, but the neighborhood is St Germain des Pres. There are three parks within two blocks and the Luxembourg gardens are a healthy stroll away.
The staff is friendly and you are near bus stops that will take you just about anywhere you need to go.
There are two cafes accessible without ever crossing a street and plenty of neighborhood feel on the rue du Bac and rue du Cherche Midi.
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I have just been researching hotels in Paris. If you google BestWestern.com (MUCH better chain in Europe than in the US) you can see hotels and prices for all over Paris. A big plus for booking through BestWestern for me is that they give frequent flyer miles for many airlines--we use American. I%26#39;m a frequent flyer junkie. :)
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