hello, i was going on a trip this year to paris and i was looking at this hotel citadines paris les halles---ive looked at several website but couldnt quite figure out where this hotel is situated.---what district. first of all is this a nice place to stay? is it centrally located? id like to stay at a centrally located hotel where there is nightlife as well. also close to most of the attractions and sightseeing. please let me know. thanksssssss.

As you might infer from its name it is near Les Halles in the first. Very much in the middle of things.

The Citadines web site itself gives you a map showing where it is, it's right next to the Chatelet/Les Halles RER/metro stop (it says it's on top of Forum Les Halles, but also on rue Innocent. That is certainly central, but the LEs Halles area is not considered one of the nicer ones in Paris. There's a lot of dicey activity around there (probably because of the kind of people and businesses around that shopping area) and it's not exactly a charming area -- a lot of hookers are on a nearby street, St-Denis, also, which doesn't help.<BR><BR>There is actually some nightlife, as several wellknown jazz clubs as well as other things are near the Chatelet metro stop.

I walked by, and noted, the Citadines Les Halls hotel/apartments quite a few times when I was in Paris in July. I noticed the building(s) because they looked so nice and fresh in the midst of one of the best shopping districts of Paris.<BR><BR>Ch&acirc;telet metro stop is indeed right at their feet, but while I wouldn't hang around the m&eacute;tro stop late at night, the area itself is neither seedy nor scary. It's certainly a busy, and therefore possibly noisy, area, but you can't beat it for centrality and proximity to all kinds of shopping and eating. It's not my favorite area of Paris, but the hotel/apartments looked nice enough to turn my head a couple of times.

Actually, it's a rather nice, but not charming (not typical Paris stuff) area. There are indeed drug dealers in "Les Halles" (it's a kind of subterranean mall), and you could notice people not looking that nice in the Les Halles gardens , around the nearby "fontaine des innocents", etc...However the area is patrolled. The rue St-Denis, where there are many prositutes and sex-shops is indeed not long away, but the part of the street closer to "Les Halles" is mainly home for pubs, fast food restaurants, shops, etc...<BR><BR>It's very centrally located, and rather close to many attractions, and also to the Marais district. During the day, Les Halles themselves are very active, with a lot of people shopping, teenagers hanging out, etc...During the night, it's much more deserted, but the area around them, the nearby streets, etc.. are very lively (a lot of bars and pubs, restaurants, some theaters, etc...)

I stayed at Citadines (Orion at that time) Les Halles with my family, including 2 young children, a couple of years ago and it was fine. I thought the Les Halles mall itself was pretty seedy, but the area was fine and centrally located and wouldn't hesitate to stay there again.

thanks for your replies. i have one more question to ask---i have noticed that some of your replies say that the surrounding area is not too nice. i want to feel safe because if we go out at night we will most likely be walking in that area to the restaraunts, clubs. etc. ---would you recommend it? also are all the above mentioned walking distance or a bus is mandatory? please let me know. THANK YOU.

You don't mention when you're going, so I don't know if there is time to change plans. The hotel is nice, personally I would not choose the Les Halles area as an area to stay in. The Chatelet metro stop is one of the busiest if not busiest in Paris w/many lines crossing its path. Perhaps convenient, but confusing, I avoid it if I can. <BR><BR>The area though central isn't so unsafe that you'll be in danger, I just find it seedy and uncomfortable. I think its a matter of not only picking a good hotel, but a neighborhood you can get to know while you're visiting. I think you can find good accomodations in more comfortable parts of Paris, near Metro Stops and at a reasonable price.

It's not that the area isn't nice, in the sense it would look ghetto-like, with crumbling buildings, etc...It's modern, clean,...It's that Les Halles have become an attractive place for young bored people to hang out, and that include people you'll probably want to avoid roaming in the area. <BR><BR><BR>I personnally wouldn't consider it "unsafe" but I couldn't guess what will be your opinion, especially since the place will be unfamiliar to you.<BR><BR><BR>And yes, places where you could want to go out to will be within walking distance. You should probably check a map of Paris to figure out the area.<BR><BR><BR>The "Chatelet-Les Halles" metro station is probably the most convenient in Paris, but it's also *huge* and indeed very confusing. A lot of people don't like walking in its long corridors at night when there are few people around.

We just returned from Paris having stayed at the Citadines Opera Vend&ocirc;me location. It was an amazing hotel at a wonderful location. <BR><BR>We walked around the Les Halles location before taking the metro after walking to the Pompidou. Not sure that I would feel comfortable walking around that area at night. During the day, it was VERY well patrolled.

My elderly mother and I stayed directly behind the Pomp Center in this area and were perfectly comfortable walking around during the day and at night. It's a wonderful location for getting around most of the city, there's a lot to see and plenty of great cafes, etc. in this area. I'd certainly stay there again.