Antonio2100

Hi. I'm looking to spend around 6 nights near Paris as part of a European trip. However probably only a couple of those days will I actually spend in Paris as my main interest is visiting places near Paris such as Versailles, Fontainebleau, Giverney etc.

I'm wondering whether it is better to stay in a Paris suburb or somewhere near Paris rather than a more central location as hotels etc are less expensive. Is this a good or bad idea ? If it is a good idea what are some recommended locations ?

I'm a solo traveller and ideally I'd like to spend under $100 euros per night. Also I will be using public transport. Thanks for any advice ! This is my first trip to France and I don't have a lot of experience with international travel.

nytraveler

Staying outside Paris is a bad idea unless you will be driving to these places.

The train service around Paris is wheel and spoke and the places you want to see are not all on the same train line and might well require heading into Paris and then changing train stations (Paris has several for trains going different directions) to get where you are going. I think a waste of time and money.

Better to find a budget place to stay in central Paris so you have easy access to day trips in all different directions from several of the train stations.

sandralist

It's not easy to give you a tip on what might be a cheap and convenient "base" or if it might make sense to divide your 6 nights into 2 locations without knowing precisely what the other "etc" day trips are, and more about what is on the top of your agenda to see & do in Pars, also what the rest of your itinerary in Europe is (where are you coming from and where are you going next?)

Sarastro

Your interests would be better served if you stayed somewhere central to the locations you are interested in visiting and that central location is Paris itself.

Consider these hotels, all within your budget and all very centrally located:

http://www.cosmos-hotel-paris.com/en,1,6436.html
http://hotel-diana-paris.com/tarifs/
http://www.hotel-marignan.com/
http://www.parisluxhotel.com/

Gretchen

Why are you more interested in seeing these places than Paris? That truly makes very little sense. Paris is full of Monet (rather than his home). Paris has the Louvre--which was a grand chateau like Versailles and Fontainebleu.
And staying outside of Paris to see these also isn't as good as staying IN and IF you do go to see them, have good transportation directly to them

Gretchen

Actually if this is your mode of planning and choosing the rest of the trip, it would be interesting to hear that part also.

kerouac

Will you be driving? That is what will make the biggest difference in choosing a location.

traveller1959

A couple of years ago we did a similar thing. We wanted an affordable hotel with a pool and you do not find hotels with pool within Paris. You are absolutely right: there are many inexpensive hotels in the suburbs, usually belonging to chains like Ibis, Novotel etc.

If you check hotels, make sure that you have an RER station in easy walking distance - this is the key. Here is the RER map:

http://www.chezbertrand.com/metro-bu...is-RER-map.htm

sandralist

HI, OP

I see nothing wrong with being more interested in seeing the places you named than doing many of the things many tourists typically do in Paris, which are of no interest to many other people. I have read many "trip reports" from people who spend 6 days in Paris and spend 80 percent of their time doing things I wouldn't bother with.

Furthermore, if you are interested in Monet's work, a trip to Giverny's garden is incredibly illuminating from an artist's perspective. If you have an avid interest in gardens, then not only Giverny, but Versailles is also great rewarding.

No doubt you will appreciate all the tips you get, and maybe some of what you get in response will give you reasons to adjust your trip. But if you know yourself and what you want to do, feel free to ignore the sarcasms and ignorance you will also get from cookie-cutter mindsets and old scolds.

WeisserTee

"We wanted an affordable hotel with a pool and you do not find hotels with pool within Paris."

People's definition of affordable vary, but everybody should agree that this Paris hotel comes with one impressive pool:

http://www.accorhotels.com/gb/hotel-...on/index.shtml

jkbritt

We have used this studio for the past 9 or 10 years. It is in the 9th and close to bus stops and metro. Way less than 100 Euro per night.

Nadine Giblin
Studio 30 sqm Paris 9e near Montmartre
E-mail : [email protected]
Website : http://locationparis9.canalblog.com

DebitNM

I got Novotel Paris Gare De Lyon on Hotwire for under $80 a night plus fees in early November. It has a pool.

FrenchMystiqueTours

Well, I'm someone who actually lives just outside Paris and who has to take the RER A into Paris when I go there. And I live in a beautiful suburb called Saint-Maur-des-Fossés where I can walk to everything I need and it has any of the services and amenities that one might find in Paris (but cheaper) and I love living here. I wouldn't trade it for living in Paris. Most people have no idea how beautiful my town is and I live just 20 minutes from central Paris (Châtelet-les-Halles). The 14km walking/cycling path along the Marne River in my town is stunningly beautiful and yet no one knows about it.

However, every place you mentioned that you want to visit would be easier to visit if you stayed in Paris. As mentioned in post #1, the rail system here works on a hub and spoke system with Paris being the hub. I know quite a bit about every day trip anyone might want to take from Paris and just about all of the places people would want to visit on a day trip from Paris would be easier to access if you stayed inside Paris.

If you don't mind having to commute into Paris to do your day trips, let's say about a 20-30 minute commute, then I think your idea is fine if you really don't like staying inside big cities and prefer just going into Paris from time to time. But understand that most day trips that you might want to do will be easier to access from Paris itself than from a location outside of Paris.

Speaking of day trips from Paris, if you want to learn about more than the ones you have mentioned then you can have a look at the thread below:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic....html#55885554

Antonio2100

Thanks for the advice and links !! It seems as if it will probably be a lot more convenient to stay in a more central location. So I'm probably going to bite the bullet and go with that option. I only enjoy cities and museums in limited doses. Also I'm a very light sleeper, so I'm worried that many Paris hotels are going to be quite noisy at night, especially the cheaper ones without AC or double glazing (I'll have to bring earplugs I suppose !)

Apart from Versailles, Fontainebleau, and Giverney, I was also thinking about a visit to Chartres or another chateau like Chantilly but I haven't finalized that. I only have 6 days in Paris so I have to prioritize the things I think I will enjoy more such as gardens, landscapes, smaller towns etc. Of course I still have time to stroll around historic paris, visit the Louvre and so on.

I arrive at CDG airport and won't have a car at this stage, after Paris the French part of my trip is Bayeux, followed by the Loire Valley, Sarlat, Carcassonne, Avignon, Antibes. I'm intending to spend on average 4-5 nights in each place (except Carcassonne where I will just stay 1 night), and spend the time exploring the surrounding areas. Thanks again !

Gretchen

You might be able to combine the Versailles and Chartres desire with your trip after Paris. We visited Chartres on our return from Bayeux to Paris.
I think Ibis hotels can be in your price range.

sandralist

Think maybe this place would work for you? It's on the Ile St Louis, which gets a minimum of car traffic.

http://www.bedandbreakfast.com/franc...-st-louis.html

sandralist

or maybe this. It's in your budget

http://www.philippebarnier.com/chambre/LE_REGARD.html