3 nights in Paris
 

Hello all,

I'm planning my first family (2 adults and a teenage daughter) trip to Europe. The plan is to fly into Gatwick, take the train to Gare du Nord (late arrival on 6/18, 7PM'ish), and checkout the morning of 6/21. After that, hop over to Rome for four nights, then jump on a week-long cruise out of Civitavecchia. I'm here to request suggestions for a Paris hotel.

Some amenities I would prefer but I expect to make sacrifices::
* non-smoking, clean rooms, staff speaks english
* near city center, or relatively quick access to the city center or suggested itinerary
* safe area
* not noisy
* air conditioning that works well
* 2-4 stars, inexpensive (I'd like to keep it under $150/135€ per night, including all taxes)
* 1 double+ bed and single/twin equivalent, or 3 single beds
* a decent breakfast is a plus, or near some place we can easily grab breakfast
* mattresses which are relatively softer
* free wifi is a plus
* scenic view is a plus

If you also have suggestions on how to make the most of our time over those two days (what's worthwhile and the best way to get around), I'm all eyes. Thank you for your help.

Jim

Everyone has their own "favorite" area and you will get lots of conflicting opinions. My favorite is the 6th. Go on some websites and look for hotels in that arrondisement. I found a triple room at Hotel de Sevres for 188 Euros per night (Trip Advisor website), which is quite a bargain. Start looking NOW.

I'm sorry but your budget won;t do for a 4* hotel and is pushing it for a 3* property. If it were me I would go for the 5th or 6th and as close to the river as possible - since your time in paris is so limited. I wold check kayak.com or booking.com to see what they have for your dates and 3 people. Use AC as a key factor since some places will not have it and IMHO Paris in the heat without AC is unbearable.

For getting around feet is best since you get a chance to get at least a small feel for the city. For longer distance use the Metro - just buy a carnet of tickets which may be enough for the 3 of you.

As for what to see you really need to do some research in a couple of guide books - and have your daughter check out the Let's Go Guide so she can see what other students recommend. Without knowing you it's impossible for us to make recos since we don;t know your interests.

Your budget is tough to meet.
That is a price range for 2 people at 2-3 star hotels at non-peak time without breakfast. You are looking at a price at peak time for more people with breakfast. If your vision of "breakfast" differs from what locals eat at that time, you would end up paying a lot for a meal targeted to the tourists.

Also, why Gatwick? Are the flights into Paris more expensive for you? Are you going to Gatwick just for the airport and heading straight to Paris? If this is the case, compute the total cost adder in traveling from Gatwick to Gare du Nord.

Hotel Diana in Paris might work for you if the budget is increased. It meets all of your requirements except scenic view and breakfast. A view is going to cost you. Hotel Diana starts at about 180 euros per night this year. If you are willing to go a bit further out of the center but with very good mass transit connections from Nation stop, Hotel Lux Picpus might suit. They have a family suite that starts at 152 euros.

Forgot to mention that there is no AC at the Lux Picpus.