7th or 3rd Arrondissements?
 

My daughter and I are going to France for the first time and can't decide which part of Paris to stay in. I found a couple choices in eurocheapo.com but does it really make a difference which part of the city you stay in?

I suggest somewhere between Place Maubert and Place Edmond Rostand. Others on this forum have recommended specific hotels on rue de Ecoles. Look at those posts. That is the area where you want to be.

I stay for two months every September and October in the 7th and continue to go back because of the "at home" feel of the neighborhood (rue Malar, a block from rue Cler) It is convenient to everything, yet you are not suffocated by having to be in the middle of it all. You get the " I live here" feel in the 7th.
Enjoy Paris-you will!!

Where you stay can make a difference in your visit, but most of your time in Paris will not be spent at your hotel, so you should be able to enjoy yourself no matter what.

Also, for anyone to say "That is the area where you want to be" is pushing it. Some people like the "home-y" area of the 7th, others prefer the liveliness of the 5th and 6th. Some like the 1st, the 9th, the Marais (3rd & 4th) or Ile de la Cite/Ile St. Louis.

Most people would advise not staying too far out of central Paris - the 1st 7 arrondissements are generally preferred.

Given those choices I would probably pick the 7th (depending on exact location). If I were going to choose the Marais, I'd be more inclined to choose the 4th than the 3rd. But I also wouldn't hesitate to stay in the 3rd if that was just the best option for other reasons. I've stayed in the 7th twice and will probably choose another area next visit, just to get a different feel for the city.

You will probably enjoy your stay no matter what, though! :)

Hi susie,

Everyone is right.

Assuming that the hotels are equivalent, I would stay at the one closest to a Metro stop.

Give us the names of the hotels. We might be able to help.

We stay in the Latin Quarter because it is so close to everything we particularly enjoy. It might be easier for you to make up your mind if you and your daughter sat down and wrote down a few things each of you wants to see, or something you absolutely feel needs to be nearby. When you have that information, you will find it is easy to choose a hotel.

Ira has an excellent point. Be sure you are close to a Metro station. That way you can easily get anywhere in Paris.

Have a great trip.

lilliancroft-
Since there are no photos on this apartment's site would you have any to post? Thanks.

daph, I looked at the site and there are indeed photos as well as a floor plan.
My only question which I asked on another thread was about air conditioning. I assume it isn't, but it seemed that for over $200 a night it ought to be.

I think it matters a lot what part of the city you stay in, but there is a wide variety of areas and one end is about 4-5 miles from the other, so it makes a big difference. It's definitely important how close you are to metro and bus lines, but it's hard to say without knowing exact locations of those hotels. I agree with someone else, given those two, I'd pick the 7th, I imagine, but it could depend on exact location.

Patrick, I'm sure you know that most Parisian ST vacation apts. have no AC, regardless of price, so that doesn't surprise me at all. It's more than $200 during parts of the year, also. I saw some photos on that web site, although I didn't think the site was very welldone nor informative (no size mentions, no terms mention, no mention of equipment). I would never pay that kind of money for a place like that which looks rather ordinary to me (not even a real double bed), but I know a lot of folks on here pay a lot of money for vacation apts in Paris.