Areas NOT to stay in Paris
 

My Husband and I will be traveling to Paris in early May with our 1 year old daughter and my mother. We are planning on renting an apartment so that our daughter can have a bit more room to roam around when we are indoors. I was wondering if anyone can tell me of neighborhoods to stay away from. I would like to stay in a very safe neighborhood that has cafes and markets nearby. I am hoping someone can give me some advise soon as I would like to make my reservations before the end of the Feb. Thanks!

I wouldn't stay in Pigalle, because it's seedy. I wouldn't stay in Montmartre, probably, because it's just too far from everything. I wouldn't stay in Bercy or La Défense because they also are too far and not terribly attractive.

But that leaves SO much of Paris to choose from - ALL of it featuring cafés and markets and safety.

There was a great thread on Fodor's not too long ago describing the various Paris arrondissements. Maybe a search will turn it up. At any rate, you'd probably be happy in the 1st, 5th, 6th, or 7th.

See the answers to the same question posted recently:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34467321

Ditto to St Cirq!

NO I AM NOT A DITTOHEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Last March, my husband and I stayed in the 6th arrondissement, which was very residential, clean and pretty. We were virtually across the street from the Picpus metro station, and there were cafes, restaurants, hotels and apartments galore. We felt very safe walking at night (though we are both very tall and he is somewhat intimidating, so nobody really messed with us).

Even so, we didn't stay out too late, didn't get drunk or stupid, etc. I'm sure anyone using common sense would feel okay in any arrondissement, but we really enjoyed the 6th. We were just steps away from cafes and restaurants, and the local market was 3 blocks from our hotel.

Good luck with your apartment search. Real estate seemed (to us) moderate to expensive, but a rental shouldn't be out of reach. Wish I could give you a referral. Have fun!

The lesson I learned on my last visit to Paris was that, while the Marais is a wonderful place to sightsee and soak up atmosphere, it was not, for me anyway, the ideal part of town to overnight in. Those narrow winding streets translate to some pretty dark interiors! Maybe it was the hotel I stayed in (the Vieux Marais, which I had very lukewarm feelings about), but I was happier in the 6th and 7th arrondisements.

I think it's hard to describe all neighborhoods of Paris to stay away from, it's too big. For convenience alone, I would choose a location in the central arrondisements. There are some neighborhoods far out in some others that I would not choose for convenience but there's nothing particularly unsafe about them and almost any part of Paris has markets in it (and cafes, although there are more in the central areas with more stores/businesses and street traffic than in the more heavily residential areas. There are parts of some central arrondisements I wouldn't choose if they aren't close to a metro stop, either, that is very important to me.

I think with a child you might just enjoy being near a nice public park, though, so why don't you look for that -- near Champ de Mars or Luxembourg Gardens, for example.

I think Holy is mistaken about where she stayed because Picpus metro stop is in the farther side of the 12th arrondisement, it's not even close to the 6th. That's an example of how people can enjoy being in a lot of areas, however, as I wouldn't be interested in staying there, even though I wouldn't be worried about safety.

I've stayed in the 1st, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 9th, 10th, 14th and 18th. 5th (Ile St Louis) is wonderfully charming, quiet and my absolute favorite. 7th was next favorite - lots of shops, cafes and markets, still pretty central, as was 6th. 4th was fun, not elegant but safe and loads of interesting places, including the market. 1st is close to Louvre but otherwise didn;t find a lot to recommend it. 9th and 10th are a bit rough around the edges in parts but OK if you get a great deal on rates. 14th (we were on the edge closest to the Seine) was OK, again with lots of shops. 18th was a bit too far out of the center for my taste.

Seamus, the Ile St. Louis is in the 4th, not the 5th.

hollywoodhtx...

metro picpus is in the 12th. and, yes, it's a great neighborhood to stay in.

Christina:

You are correct. I was thinking of another hotel, another time. My apologies, Elizabeth. We liked the 12th.