Paris experts - pick our district!
Jul 12th, 2008, 10:20 AM
#1
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Paris experts - pick our district!
Hello...my husband and I are planning a tenth anniversary trip to Paris and Venice. We've narrowed our choices to staying in either the Marais vs. Latin Quarter. Sure, one is left and one is right. 
We are in our mid-thirties, want to be able to walk to cafes, bistros, dont particularly care about nightlife (except going out for an evening drink) and want to stay in a boutique hotel. Which is our best bet?
Thanks!
We are in our mid-thirties, want to be able to walk to cafes, bistros, dont particularly care about nightlife (except going out for an evening drink) and want to stay in a boutique hotel. Which is our best bet? Thanks!
Jul 12th, 2008, 10:36 AM
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Split the difference! You have the Left Bank, the Right Bank, and the Islands in the middle.
Ile St Louis is considered part ot the Marais (4th arrondissements). Superb location, nice main street with shops and restaurants, quieter at night, Notre Dame and St Chapelle steps way, easy walking distance to Metro lines and RER to airport,the Seine right there,etc...
Depending on your budget, have a look at these hotels: Lutece, Deux Iles, St Louis or Jeu de Paume. They have web sites.
Ile St Louis is considered part ot the Marais (4th arrondissements). Superb location, nice main street with shops and restaurants, quieter at night, Notre Dame and St Chapelle steps way, easy walking distance to Metro lines and RER to airport,the Seine right there,etc...
Depending on your budget, have a look at these hotels: Lutece, Deux Iles, St Louis or Jeu de Paume. They have web sites.
Jul 12th, 2008, 10:45 AM
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We loved staying in the Marais during our last visit...now we'd never stay anywhere else. We're in our 40's-50's.
We literally walked everywhere to the major sites, except for one metro ride home from Sacre Coeur late one evening.
The streets of our neighborhood were lined with great cafes, tiny bistros, excellent coffee shops, patisseries, a chocolate shop, gelato shop, and great take ethnic restaurants.
I also loved it because it's an older part of Paris that escaped destruction during Haussmann's 19th-century "modernizations." So, it has a very quaint, neighborhood-y feel, much like the West Village in NYC, but without the noise.
I can't help you with a boutique hotel, but I'm sure other Fodorites have some suggestions.
Bon Voyage!
We literally walked everywhere to the major sites, except for one metro ride home from Sacre Coeur late one evening.
The streets of our neighborhood were lined with great cafes, tiny bistros, excellent coffee shops, patisseries, a chocolate shop, gelato shop, and great take ethnic restaurants.
I also loved it because it's an older part of Paris that escaped destruction during Haussmann's 19th-century "modernizations." So, it has a very quaint, neighborhood-y feel, much like the West Village in NYC, but without the noise.
I can't help you with a boutique hotel, but I'm sure other Fodorites have some suggestions.
Bon Voyage!
Jul 12th, 2008, 12:16 PM
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My vote would be for the Marais. I have stayed in both and am returning to the Marais this time. I am sure it all depends on exactly where you stay, but I found the Latin Quarter more touristy and noisy--though still wonderfully located, with lots to offer.
Jul 12th, 2008, 01:38 PM
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Last summer for part of our trip, we stayed in the 1st at the Britannique. It is a beautiful boutique hotel, and it is just a block from the Seine. The location was excellent and the hotel was perfect. I believe their website has a map so you can see exactly where it is.
