Looking for a centrally located hotel in Paris for two nights over New Years. Not too fancy or expensive, just clean and in a good location. Any additions New Years in Paris advice would be much appreciated!

Lona <BR>Don't wait any longer to book a place, many of the popular places will already be fully booked. <BR>There are so many suggestions. I'm not sure exactly what your budget is. Just some of the left bank hotels that are often recommended on this forum are the Muguet, the Familia, the Jardins du Luxembourg,Champs de Mars,Leveque, <BR>Saint Merry,Grandes Ecoles, Palais Bourbon, etc. You can search on those hotels on this forum for more info. Also check out comments from past guests <BR>at www.paris.org and www.hotelboulevard.com

It's kind of hard to tell what your budget is as people say things like you did when they mean US$50 a night and also when they mean $150 a night. I think you'll have to kind of decide where you might want to be New Years Eve as I would personally recommend you choose a hotel within walking distance of whatever you do that night; some metro stops are closed for the holiday due to traffic (the Etoile, I think) and otherwise the metro may be very crowded and hectic, and I would just avoid it if possible. I think main partying areas are the Champs-Elysees, Place de la Bastille, and bd St-Michel in the Latin Quarter; also, they have fireworks near the Eiffel Tower. But, there are many local party-fun type crowds and carryings--on at most cafes, restaurants, etc, so you won't be far from one if you stay in a lively area with cafes. I wrote a post a month or so ago (I think) recommending budget hotels near the Sorbonne, maybe you can search for that post (I know I mentioned the Hotel Cujas Pantheon in it, as well as Hotel des Mines, so try searching on "cujas"). The Castex is a good budget hotel in the Marais not far from pl Bastille. Near the Eiffel Tower, you'll find several recommended by Rick Steves (Grand Hotel Leveque, Champ de Mars, Muguet are several popular ones over there). I don't know as much about cheap hotels around the Champs-Elysees, but there are always a few (the Hotel Keppler is a good 2-star possibility over there near Kleber metro stop); in general, hotels are more expensive in that area. Also, many hotels have a rate surcharge over that holiday period so you may not get as much for your money. I might have other NY ideas or suggestions if I had a clue as to how old you are, what you want for NY Eve, etc, as my advice would be very different for a 21 yr old vs. a 41 yr old. Also, you didn't mention at all how many people you need a room for, if you are alone or not, etc, and that is very important--some things you might want to do a lot if you were a couple on NY Eve, but you might not alone.

Coincidentally, I just tried that search on cujas to see if it worked and it did although it took forever -- the post is labeled "Hotel near St Michel" and someone recently posted so it's last date is now 10/3/00. Here is the segment on what I said about hotels near the Sorbonne: "There are several decent budget two-star hotels between the St-Michel and Luxembourg stops; try browsing them on www.hotelboulevard.com or www.paris.org for ideas. In that area near the Sorbonne square, I would suggest the Hotel des Trois Colleges, the Cujas Pantheon, the Cluny Sorbonne, the College de France or the Hotel des Mines."

Message: Christina - we are planning to be in Paris for Xmas and NY as well. We will be staying near the Champs Elysees area and are bringing our 11 year old son with us. Do you have any suggestions for New Year's Eve; fireworks and such? <BR>Regarding accomodations -for the first 8 nights we are staying in an apartment-hotel in Saint Germain. The are 18 such places in Paris. Check their website: www.citadines.com