I am going to Paris for the first time. I have heard different sugestions as far as what is the best district to stay in Paris being close to interesting sites as well as cafes good restaurants etc. A lot of people reccomend 6th or 9th. Any recomendations?

The 5th, 6th and 7th are close to the major sights, and have lots of good hotels, restaurants and cafes. If you look at a map of the city, you'll see that most of the sights are near the river (the 5th, 6th and 7th border the river).

Walter, I agree with elvira's suggestions but will put an additional plug in for the 1st, on the right bank <BR>(the others she mentions are on the left bank). The 1st is not as quaint perhaps as those, but very convenient to a lot of sites. <BR>If you'd like to see my Paris notes, email me.

6th - great location and super neighborhoods / markets. In the heart of many good restaurants and close to all sites.

The 4th is also a good choice (Right Bank - Marais, Isle St-Louis.) Hotel selection here is smaller, but most are quaint and moderately priced. Walking distance to Notre Dame, and the 5th/6th are just on the other side of the river.

We love the 7th, anywhere near Place de l'Ecole Militaire (location of the metro stop), for sleeping. This is an upscale and very quiet residential neighborhood. Paris is a busy and loud city and getting a good night's sleep and not being awoken early in the morning is nicely accomplished in this neighborhood. Everything you could need is nearby, including dozens of very nice and reasonably priced restaurants. Best of all, you can go all over by bus (seeing the fabulous scenery you miss on the metro) from there. And, the "livelier" neighborhoods are a short ride away. The hotels in this neighborhood are also very nice and moderately priced. Many two-stars that seem more like three-stars.

We stayed in the 5th, the Latin Quarter, at the Hotel Ste. Jacque. It was a great location. The Sorbonne down the street in one direction, the Pantheon up the street, Notre Dame nearby and lots of places to eat. The Metro and RER stations were only a couple blocks away. The Metro is so easy to use and convenient you really don't have to worry too much about where you stay in Paris, everything is very accessible by Metro or RER. Hope you have a great trip!

Depends on your interest. Latin Quarter has lots of students so cheap food abounds and very busy at night. As a single woman I felt safe at night because it was so well traveled. An older hipper crowd lives in the Marais. I will stay there for part of my trip this time. The Ecole Militaire/Eifel Tower is said to be very pleasant and quiet. For the most part the 1st is quite upscale and fancy. Some people love the outer arrondisments for their neighborhood and working Parisien charm.