highland_lass

I need help please from those experts on Paris out there.
I am taking my 12 year old daughter to Paris in April. Its our first time and I dont really know where to stay. Theres hundreds of hotels in various areas and I'm at a loss as to which to choose. My friend stayed in Bercy and was happy there. She stayed in the Kyriad Paris Bercy and another friend stayed in the Claret Bercy.
Any suggestions??
I want to feel safe and dont mind too much staying further out as I believe the Metro system will get us where we want to go.

luckykat

Hi there, few question to try help you out.

Budget?

Whats most important to you? Sightseeing, shopping, eating and partying? Or something else all together?

Do you like old style or modern hotels?

highland_lass

The quotes I've had are for 3* small hotels. I dont know what the nightly rate is but approx $100 per night.

We want to sightsee , no partying ( shes too young...........more like I'm too old .) So nightlife doesn't matter.

Primarily somewhere with easy access to " the sights" and safe for 2 women alone. Doesn't matter if the hotel is old or new, big or small.

julia_t

Last July I went to Paris with my 14yo daughter and 12year old twin boys. We stayed at Hotel Monge (which has very good reviews here if you search) in the 5th and we were happy there and felt perfectly safe. Metro Monge is very close by, the Pantheon is around 5 minutes walk away, and it's a shortish walk up to the river, Notre Dame, and much more. It is a very good location to base yourself.

Although I've also been to Paris several times alone, previously when my girls were aged just 5 and 7 we stayed at Hotel Residence la Concorde on rue Cambon just off the rue de Rivoli, and again I felt safe here, and it was my first time travelling alone with children.

Personally I'd rather stay in Paris (by which I mean well within the peripherique), because I don't feel as safe on the metro travelling further out towards the suburbs, particularly in the evenings.

You will get plenty of advice here, and lots more suggestions too. Below is the link to my trip report as the first Paris part may have a few points of interest for you - I heartily recommend the bicycle tour, my children loved it and so did I!

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34651483

Have a great trip.

Travelnut

Bercy is a part of eastern Paris that is undergoing renewal but it is a bit far out for easy/convenient/scenic visits.

Look for 2-3-star hotels in the 3,4,5,6th arrondissements to be in the "central" area of Paris. A $100 room is currently approximately an 85€ rate, which will be a 2-star at best.

Here are a couple of popular/good ones:

Hotel du College de France (5th)
80-115€ /Twin
http://www.hotel-collegedefrance.com/

Hotel de la Sorbonne (5th)
50-130€ / Twin
http://www.hotelsorbonne.com/

StCirq

Bercy is fine for a business trip - a terrible choice, IMO, for a pleasure trip. There's simply no reason to park yourself that far outside the city and have to travel back and forth to get the flavor of Paris.

There are loads of good hotel suggestions on this board if you do a search. In your budget range I like the Hotel de France, on the Boulevard de la Tour Maubourg in the 7th. About 75€ for a double.

travelbunny

Lass, please listen to the others. For a first trip please stay in arr 1-8 or the 16th..I think the 6th near the 7th or 7th near the sixth would be my recommendation.

mclaurie

Hotel Bonaparte is really popular on this board.

http://www.hotelbonaparte.fr/ang/accueil.htm

lol42day

Hi there. I'm planning a trip with a teenager to Paris in June. I've been looking at some furnished vacation rentals, studio apartments. Does anyone have any experience with those? There is one called "Vacations in Paris" that is based in the US and sends your keys to you before your trip. Would love any suggestions for good, safe areas.

mclaurie

Plenty of info here on apts. in Paris. Put the name of the rental co. in the text search box above. Also do a search for apartments in Paris. There's a recent one going with discussions on air conditioning (apts with A/C are not so easy to find).

slowtrav.com also has apartment and rental co. reviews.

mclaurie

btw, lOl42day, I'd suggest starting your own post about a studio apartment in Paris. There are lots of folks on this board with good experience/advice.

Here are 2 previous threads I found you might want to read.

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34671267

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...mp;tid=1332491

Christina

Bercy isn't outside Paris, it is well within it and not that far away from things by metro. It's a little "off-center", but I wouldn't stay there just because I think it is dull and boring and not very charming. I don't like it at all. It's an area that has had some new building and renovation and so has sort of a mall-like atmosphere (even though not an inside mall), new modern cheap buildings and apartments, etc.

I think there are some good specific suggestions above in areas you'd like better (Monge, Sorbonne, etc.). There are really many hotels in that price range in better areas, although they may be older or you might not get as much for your money because they are in more desirable locations. US$100 for a 3-star hotel is kind of low in central Paris, so you may have to spend more than that to get what you want, although not a whole lot more.

clarson

You might check out Hotel le Tourville (www.hoteltourville.com) which is located in the 7th arrondisement on the Left Bank. We began going there when our son was 12. It's located not far from Les Invalides, the Musee Rodin and the Eiffel Tower. It is a small, friendly hotel in a safe and centrally located neighborhood - near a metro stop. We stay there whenever we visit Paris. Bon voyage!

suze

I would first look in the 5th, 6th or 7th so you can walk to at least some things. The Metro's all well and good but I wouldn't want to use it every time you want to get somewhere.

By narrowing down the arrondisements you are looking at hotels in, well it will become less overwhelming than trying to search all of greater Paris.

Felly

A really nice and friendly budget hotel on one of my favourite streets is Hotel du Septieme Art on rue St. Paul. My mom and I stayed there in November. It was really clean, and adorably decorated with pictures of old movie starts and things. It's also right in the Marais, which is as central as you can get, and near all the best shops and the Place des Vosges. Also, it's always nice to be on the 1 line for the Metro.

Nikki

Even though I have always stayed in places quite close to metro stations, I find that dinners have mostly been in the immediate neighborhood. It's nice to have lots of good choices within easy walking distance so you have the option of staying close to home after a long day. So staying in an interesting, central neighborhood is important to me.

Peteralan

For your first trip to lovely Paris I think you should look at the St Germain area ( the 6th ). We have stayed there a couple of times and loved it. Our last place was the Grand Hotel des Balcons. A lovely area and good hotel with pleasant,helpful staff. It has a lovely breakfast and is handy to everything including metro station and is a reasonable price.Have fun wahtever you decide!

brandie346

I stayed at the Hotel De Nesle in the 6th this past May and thought it was very good. Best thing was the location - about a long block and a half to the river, about 3 blocks from a Metro station. I couldn't have been happier with the location, and would stay there again.

http://www.hoteldenesleparis.com/

I didn't get one of the rooms that they show on the website, and it was quite small, but it was just me so it worked out fine. Quiet, with a nice courtyard. The staff (a woman and her son) were very friendly.

Good luck!

jules4je7

The two times I've been to Paris I've stayed in the 7th -- once at the Hotel du Champ de Mars and once at The Grand Hotel Leveque. Both are within about a block or two of each other in the Rue Cler area -- only 5-6 blocks from the Eiffel Tower, and close to some very convenient buslines (69 which will take you to the Louvre, Orsay, and Notre Dame), as well as the buses that run north on Rue Bosquette up to the Arc de Triomphe and on to Sacre Coeur.

We love the 7th -- it's close in, very safe, and Rue Cler is a pedestrian only street that has lots of cafe's and shopping including a delightful chocolate shop that's to die for.

Personally when I stay in a big city, I always avoid staying anywhere that forces me onto a subway or bus to see everything, especially if it involves a long ride. I save my commutes for home.

If you want to book either of the hotels I mentioned, you'll want to do it soon -- they fill up quickly.

You may also want to buy Rick Steves Paris 2006 book, available in the travel section of your bookstore, or online at amazon.com. His recommendations are very good, and he has some great walking tours, as well as up-to-date, accurate information about all the sights, hotels, and eateries.

Enjoy your trip!

Jules

Jesseb8

I loved Hôtel Left Bank (Saint-Germain) It is located in the heart of Saint Germain des Prés near famous museums and Notre-Dame. It's awsome and so reasonable (3 Star), The Metro is down the block. Notre Dame is walking distance, very safe, St Germaine I felt extremely safe also. Check out this quaint beatiful hotel, Highly reccommend!! Good luck