Many thanks to those who have helped me out before. My family and I will be staying in the 1e in Paris (near to the Chatelet Les Halles). We have reservations at the Grand Hotel De Champaigne, a 3 star hotel. Can you tell me if you have any opinion on the hotel and finally, what is the area like ? I know it's supposed to be near upscale shopping, but is it full of druggies and streetwalkers at night?

The 1st district is good to stay in and it's quite safe at night. Well, you have to be careful anywhere you stay regardless. But the way you describe it's not that way at all; the 10th district could be like that but not the 1st.

MY sister's business associate (female) always stays in the 1st. Loves it. No problems. I'll be there in about two weeks.

I stayed in the 1st last November; not a problem.

I stayed there in February. Nice area, good Metro access and no problems with anyone.

Yes, it's right in the heart of the major shopping district and, as such, way too busy/noisy for me. I also think the Châtelet métro is all that safe late at night, nor the street area near Châtelet. However, I would never classify this as a seedy part of the city or anything like that. It just would be way down on my list of areas I'd like to stay in.

We spent a week in the 1st in the winter of 2001, staying at the Hôtel Mansart (just off the Place Vendôme). We enjoyed the area very much, especially the Rue St.-Honoré and restaurants such as L'Ardoise and Le Soufflé.

I stayed near that metro stop before - no problems at night (but of course use your head). Very convenient for walking the Seine at night or walking over to the Ille de la Cite. I don't know if you are arriving by plane at CDG but your hotel location is ideal for talking the RER (if you don't have a lot of luggage) into Paris, it would be a direct ride - no changing from RER to a Metro line. Enjoy your stay, and please post a trip report when you return.

2 years ago we stayed in an apt very close to your hotel. It was quite nice. Close to everything. A bit noisy but it was fun to listen to sounds of the city. We are going back in June to a different apt but still in the same area and are looking forward to it. While I don't know much about the hotel you picked I am sure you will have a great time.

Well, then none of you stayed at the "little hotel gems of Paris for under $100 a night" from Frommers Budget travel magazine, did you? The back entrance to the hotel opened out to the Chatelet metro station. I feared for my life at night and wasn't too happy mixing with the low life during the day. Of course, this is what you get when you buy your plane ticket on Friday and leave on Monday, and during the week of the French open to boot. I didn't have lots of time for shopping around. Had to change hotels three times in 10 days because I could only get 3 nights at a time in any of them. But if you're able to afford upscale hotels, a few streets over can make a big difference. Us poor, underpaid school teachers in the South have to opt for budget locations!

The location is fine - very convenient for shopping and sightseeing.

Late in the evening, you may want to avoid the area around Les Halles and the rue St Denis. The northern part of rue st Denis is full of porn shops and XXX cinemas, while the southern end is mainly full of kebab shops and greasy crepe stands. Both types of establishment tend to attract a lot of people at night.

Also, on the weekends there are often a lot of people around place du Chatelet after midnight, because once the metros stop, all the night buses depart from Chatelet.

But on the whole, I wouldn't ever consider Chatelet to be an unsafe area. Like any major hub it gets busy, but I've never experienced or seen any trouble there, even at 5 am. (Bastille, on the other hand, is a different story...)