tony8028

hello...

i am in paris for a few days in early Feb and was wondering if anyone could recommend an area that had lots of nice cafes.

Not really looking for fine dining, but love the idea of having nice, typical fresh cafes close by the hotel.

Somewhere close to the tower would be nice too....

I have heard the latin district light be good....but i thought i'd ask for some first hand experiences.

thanks !

Tony

christabir

I've stayed in the 1st and the 6th. Definitely recommend the 6th and 5th - the 1st was shut down early. The 6th is a little more upscale than the 5th if that matters to you. No matter where you stay the metro is excellent and the Eiffel Tower and fine dining are easy to get to. The place we've stayed in the 6th - the Millesime - is a pretty good deal (upgrade to a deluxe) and a fine location for cafes (the Rue Buci and the three most famous cafes in Paris are right around the corner), 3 metro lines nearby and we felt close enough to everything to hoof it.

I LOVE Paris - I hope you do too.

tony8028

Thanks christabir !

I am sure we will have a great time, although it will be freezing cold in Feb ! Hopefully that will add to the "charm" !

MomDDTravel

I have stayed in the 1rst & the 5th and much preferred the 5th.

It was cold when were were there (snowed a few times!) but had all the charm in the world... enjoy.

aussie_10

Another vote for the the 5th stayed there in September and loved the area

billxyz

The area around the Opera is also nice to stay.

jrecm

I have stayed in apartments in the 7th and 16th (I believe) .My son really like the 16th, he was 14 years old at the time. It seemed very lively and mostly locals in the particular area that we were staying with friends.

But I must say I loved loved the 7th and am returning this May for a couple of weeks. We are trying a different apartment and company this time. If you have the vacation funds for Paris Perfect their apartments are so beautiful with every detail thought of.

Because of the economy, unfortunately, we can not go quite as upscale this time, but we are looking forward to our new apartment and company.

PatrickLondon

Here are some descriptions of different areas of Paris:

http://www.slowtrav.com/france/paris...dissements.htm

http://www.intransit-international.c...ment_tour.html

amwosu

PatrickLondon- Thanks for posting those links! I've stayed in the 5th, 6th, 8th and 11th but still enjoyed reading the descriptions presented in both of your links. I'm forwarding them to a friend who is planning her first trip to Paris.
-Ann Marie

Luisah

I think you'll find cafes all over Paris so I wouldn't book a hotel based on cafes.

I've stayed in the 5th, 6th, 7th and 16th. although I enjoyed all locations, I prefer the 5th for the following reason:

"Finally, the Latin Quarter also happens to be about as centrally located as you can be in Paris, and it's a relatively easy walk to the vast majority of tourist destinations from here."

I take the metro when I have to, but prefer being above ground as much as possible to enjoy the sights of Paris.

StCirq

In Paris, unless you really go far out into the burbs, and even then, you are never more than a minute's crawl to a café or two or lots. I have stayed in many arrondissements, but my favorite is the 7th.

Suzanne2

I like the 5th near Rue Mouffatard or the 2nd near Rue Montorguiel. the 7th near Rue Cler is ok too.

kerouac

Absolutely all of us can recommend an arrondissement, and most of us will never agree.

However, I would say that the arrondissements that you are the least likely to see recommended are: 12, 13, 19, 20. And yet, even in those arrondissements, there are plenty of lovely neighborhoods and fantastic places to stay.

tony8028

thanks everyone for your replies - fantastic ! What did we do before the web hey ?!

With the amount of hotels available in Paris and the fact that i am booking in February, i will probably wait for a last minute deal, hopefully around the 5th or 6th region.

Google street view is a great asset when assessing a hotel's area I find...you can at least see if it looks like there is a bit of atmosphere around..

sandypaws3

My favorite area is the 6th. However, that said, we stayed in the 5th last time and found it fine and a lot less expensive for hotels. It was also easy to reach everything we love in the 6th -- the rue de Buci, Saint Sulpice, and Jardin du Luxembourg, for starters. On top of that, many of the restaurants we enjoy are in the 5th. We stayed in the 7th the year before last and enjoyed it very much, but the 5th and 6th are more lively, and we found it a little more difficult to get from the 7th to the 6th than from the 5th to the 6th.

Sandy

OntDave

My wife and I stayed in the 13th in sept. and like kerouac said I would probably be the only one to recommend it but we loved it. Tons of great cafes and a real local flavor. Great shopping both in the mall and small boutiques. I don't think you can go wrong in any neighborhood in Paris with the metro and busses being so quick and easy, everything is always only a few minutes away.Not being in the direct center kept our hotel cost down so we could spend the money in other places.

tony8028

OntDave, thats interesting....will check out the 13th too! Sounds like a great atmosphere!

tedgale

If you have never been to Paris before, you will probably want to stay as central as possible.

As you may already know, the arrondissements in Paris are numbered from the centre outward. (They are numbered in a clockwise spiral)

Hence, the most central are the lowest numbered.

You might consider the 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th.

Many Americans seem to prefer the Left Bank, where their historical stomping ground was the 5th and 6th.

In circa 40 years of visiting Paris, I have stayed in the 1st, 5th, 6th, 7th, 9th, 12th, 14th.

I am a convert to the Right Bank -- e.g. the Marais (3rd and 4th) and areas eastward.

JayMazz

The Marais is a great choice... one of my faves for nightlife. It is a bit pricey as I have come to learn.

The majority of my stays have been in the lower 20th. Not a fave among travelers on this forum (all the more for me) and some here will poo-poo the idea. I enjoyed (overall) the density of cafes in the canal area - 19th and 10th... it is a nice combo of touristy cafes and local's cafes. Try it out and see for your self. Get adventurous!!!

I have found the ppl in the 10th, 19th, and 20th to be most receptive to tourists/travelers. I felt like an curiosity (in a good way), esp in the 20th. They would always ask me if I was lost - as if I was out of place. Once I told them this was where I chose to be, they bent over backwards and went out of their way to show me "their" Paris!

~Jay

tony8028

This is all great info!

I am looking at booking this hotel:
Cluny Square
21 Boulevard Saint Michel, 05. Panthéon- Notre Dame, 75005 Paris

Looking at Google street view, it looks like a lively corner with plenty of stuff going on...

any comments on this area?