tinybeachbum

I will be in Paris in May for 2 days. Any suggestions on which Arrondissment I should stay in? I will be arriving by train from Brussels and leaving by plane at CDG. I have never been to Paris and have no idea were to stay. Will be there by myself so I want to stay in a safe area, probably a nice hotel. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

traveller1959

The last count showed 974 hotels in Paris.

The arrondissement is unimportant as long as the hotel is close to a Metro station. Also, the main attractions are well scattered across Paris.

If you do not want to take the Metro, the 1st and 2nd arrondissement are the centre of Paris. I am afraid, you find the city's best hotels there.

Mimar

Paris is subdivided into arrondissements or neighborhoods; they spiral out from the Ile de la Cite, arrondissement #1: here's a map: http://www.planetware.com/i/map/F/pa...ements-map.jpg.

Stay in one of the single digit arrondissements. To narrow it down more, map those Parisian sights you want to visit and find what area is closest.

BarbaraMH

Give us some more details about your preferences ... If you want to be in the "heart of things," I'd say go for the 3rd, 4th, 5th, or 6th. I like the Odeon/St-Germain area or Ile St-Louis. While the Eiffel Tower and Montmartre are often favorite tourist locales in Paris, the E.T. area is not "busy enough" for my taste and Montmartre is a bit out of the way, especially if you'll only be there for two days. (Although keep in mind that all of Paris is easily accessible with the Metro.) I once lived in the 9th near Gare de l'Est, more of a working class area. Again, depends on what you want ... all of the "teens" are a bit further out; some are beautiful and quiet residential areas, others are not the safest parts of town.

Whathello

Hundreds of such requests are made daily.

What are your criteria ? Safe means nothing : same level of safety all inside Paris.
Price ? AC ? Lift ? close to RER B (in order to go directly to CDG ?), etc.

(Traveller, TA gives 1805 hotels in Paris (but I think it includes suburbs)).

indyhiker

I, too, like the Odeon section of the 6th as far as the most central area of Paris.

TPAYT

Of course everyone is different and likes different parts of Paris.
That said, here's our favorites.

We agree on Odeon-St. Germain for convenience OR ile St. Louis right in the middle of The Seine near Notre Dame.

http://www.hotel-madison.com
This hotel is excellent on Blvd. St. Germain. A bit pricy but wonderful service & breakfast In convent location.

On Ile St. Louis we usually rent an apt, obviously not a choice for 2 days, but there are 3 small, reasonably priced hotels on the island that we have checked out for future shorter stays.

We are not fans of the high rent huge hotels and over the top shops of the Champs E. Area or the supposedly trendy Marais---just junky IMO. Many will disagree on my opinions. Just thought I'd throw them out there.

nytraveler

A budget will help to make recos.

For a first timer with only 2 days I would reco the 4th - 6th and stay as near the river as possible for easy walking to a lot of places.

Disagree that all of the arrondisements are the same. Several of the outer ones are mostly or at least partially quite downscale and not the best places for a tourist with only 2 days. People may be happy to live there to get more for their money - but that's not the same as a very brief visit.

kerouac

We all have our preferences, but getting around Paris is not at all a problem, so it matters very little where you stay, even though I would tend to avoid the 16th arrondissement.

Considering that your stay is short and that you will be arriving at Gare du Nord and will be leaving from CDG, which is a direct rail link to Gare du Nord, frankly I would suggest the excellent Gare du Nord area. It has hotel and dining options in every imaginable price and is also one of the major transportation hubs of Paris, so you can get anywhere else in about 15 minutes to anywhere else in Paris by RER, metro or bus.

If you stay in the tourist center near the Seine, you will have do deal much more with "petition girls," pickpockets and various other scammers ("ring finders"). You nationality also has a bearing in your choice -- North Americans love the Latin Quarter and the Marais and pay higher prices for that. Europeans stay mostly in the 9th and 10th arrondissements with lower prices. Montparnasse is also popular, but it is on the other side of the city.

MmePerdu

I recently searched for some days for a hotel that I could afford near Gare du Nord, as kerouac mentions, in a neighborhood I liked the look of (check neighborhoods on Google Street View), and settled on one between Gare de l'Est (next to Gare du Nord) and Canal St. Martin, in the 10th on Rue des Vinaigriers, an entertaining and popular neighborhood.

fuzzbucket

What kerouac said. It will take you all of 15-20 minutes by Metro to get to the things most people want to see from the Gare du Nord location.

denisea

I'm with TPAYT and devoted to the 6th (I know, kerouac, I know). I also am not impressed by the Marais or anything near the Champs Elysee.

The great thing about Paris is that it is all beautiful and the public transportation is wonderful. Where ever you stay, you will be able to get where you want to go quickly and easily.

I have stayed in the 9th and enjoyed it but just like the Left Bank a little better.

I haven't been anywhere in Paris where I din't feel safe. Take the same precautions you would take in any large city and you'll be fine.

kerouac

So, as you see, anywhere is fine, tinybeachbum.

And just about all of us tend to return to the same place we first discovered in a city and often proclaim that it is the "best" even without having stayed in any other area.

I confess that in 43 years in Paris, I have only moved 6 times and every place was on the right bank, but that was more or less an accident since 2/3 of Paris is on the right bank and only 1/3 on the left bank. So I never recommend anywhere on the left bank, but I admit that it is mostly out of ignorance and not from personal living experience.

MmePerdu

I, too, am a right bank person as a result of my first 6 month stay in the 18th. I have, however, stayed on the left bank twice on week-long+ visits in recent years and probably won't again. Except in arrondissements right on the river, the right bank feels less populated with visitors. While I don't believe "living like a local" is possible as a visitor, I do like feeling outnumbered by residents.

Whathello

I like 14th more and more.

Going to a 4 stars next week (I think) close to both gare de l'Est and du Nord.

Lots of good value for money hotels in arr 9 and 10th actually.

(My fave hotel in the fab 18th).

tinybeachbum

Wow, thanks for all your responses. I will be looking at hotels in the 10th arr. Thanks all for making this process less stressful!

denisea

You'll have a great time no matter where you decide to stay. Each neighborhood has its own positives and negatives, vibe, etc...click on kerouac's name to read some of his posts. It will definitely give you a local's perspective and help you find all kinds of things off the beaten path that you won't find in a guide book!