Hello,

Which area in Paris would you recommend for staying to get a good feel of the city for a first time visitor and also be easily able to get to Gare De Nord Station and the main attractions in Paris?

St. Germain, the 6th arrondisement, or St. Michel, in the 5th.

I prefer the 4th ,5th or 6th.Good tranportation options from either

I liked the 4th a couple close subways and the 4th is an excellent area to end the day (If you like to eat and/or drink)

Gare du Nord is in the 10th arrondissement, but you can easily reach it by metro from 5th, 6th or 7th. Staying in the 6th, would probably be you're best bet in being within easy walking distance of most everything you want to see. We usually stay in the 7th, close to where our favorite restaurants are.

http://www.ratp.fr

There's also a free app for the metro:
https://itunes.apple.com/fr/app/id507107090

The 6th is a vibrant neighborhood.

You can walk to the Luxembourg Gardens, Notre Dame and Musee D'Orsay.

Don't worry about access to Gare du Nord. Taxis and Metro lines abound in Paris to make that access work, and you do NOT want to be staying there!

For first-time visitors, I, like poster Avalon, recommend 4,5,6, with emphasis on 5th and 6th because of excellent access to both superb Metro lines and walkable access to major sites and the Seine.

I do like the 7th, but I never recommend it for newbies because Metro access tends to be convoluted. But transport is quite good there, though.

Thank you all. Looks like 6th is what I will start with for researching the hotels. I have seen other threads with hotel recommendations so I will first look there.

Last year we stayed at Hotel Bonaparte on Rue Bonaparte near Luxumbourg Gardens (in the 6th), and we really like the hotel and location. Staff were friendly & helpful; we walked just about everywhere, but it's very convenient to public transportation, too.

I prefer the 1rst,the 5th and the sixth ARRS.

the 15th

Everybody who's been to Paris more than once has their own favorite arrondissement for one reason or another, but the 6th is still the best place for your first time in Paris.

I love St. Germain!

Why? I think it's because of myths, but the 6th is overrun with people looking for those myths. Also what would be the definition of "best".

Because it is your first visit, I think all the advice about the fourth, fifth, or sixth arrondissement is worth listening to.

More generally, for people who are NOT on their first visit, especially if they expect yet additional trips there in future years, my advice for the "best area" is "somewhere you haven't stayed before." There are many quite different kinds of neighborhoods in Paris.

Sometimes it's better to stay just outside of an area where you want to go. So for instance, if you stay around Batille, you don't have the crowds, but you're within walking distance of the Marais and Place des Vosges. Likewise the area around jardin des plantes: hardly a first choice for many, and yet you're pretty close to Rue des Ecoles and the Latin Quarter. Personally I quite like the area around Republique too, the nearer to Canal St Martin the better. The problem with the area where "everyone" wants to go is that the crowds of tourists are considerable. Often it's nicer to visit an area during the day, then get back to your quartier and enjoy the relative peace and quiet. It's one of the reasons I like the 15th so much, even if it's out of the way of much of the sights. There's buses, there's the metro, there's walking. I like commuting.

I agree with Menachem 100%. The 15th is very convenient to all the popular places in Paris and close to the Eiffel Tower. It also has great neighborhhod restaurants and inexpensive hotels. Additionally, on Sundays, there is a great open air market near the Dupliex metro station.

There some sort of implication with these last few posts that if one stays in the 5th or 6th, one cannot make one's way through the streets because of the hordes of tourists staying there.

Absolutely and totally untrue. Having visited Paris at least once a year for the past 17 years, I've never, ever felt hemmed in in the so-called "touristy" neighborhoods the way I've felt closed in in Rome or Prague.

Do not get me wrong:
I enjoy the 15th.
I've been staying in the 7th.

But for 1st timers, the riverside RER and Metro lines are direct in inclement weather; the walks along the Seine and across the bridges are delightful in balmy weather. If one is trying to soak it all up day and night, it makes perfect sense to be staying close in.

Furthermore, the Eiffel Tower is, for the most part, just outside the zone of main attractions. To base one's entire first stay on proximity to the tower just isn't logical. There are only so many times one is going up the darn thing in one visit.

I think the point I was trying to make was that many people are in search of an essence of Paris in those areas: but that is not where that is to be found because it all caters to tourists. The essential Paris is outside of those areas. I like good neighbourhood restaurants and cafes, and I find those in the 15th for instance, but not so much in the 6th. Those areas are more for entertainment, so for me, I like to travel to them, but be "home" by evening too

Hi, Im in a similar predicament. We are planning a motorcycling trip to Paris just for 4 nights in July. I want to stay somewhere outside of the city so I dont have to negotiate Parisian traffic on the bike. Equally though we want somewhere that is a pleasant suburb with good communication links into the city. St Germain keeps coming up; is this a good option? We are sailing into Le Havre so somewhere with good road connections would be ideal. Thanks in advance for your suggestions.