Hotels near the center of Paris
 

We're an older couple visiting Paris for the first time, May 19 - May 28. Definitele will not be driving. Loo0king for a decent hotel within walking distance to sites such as Orsey, The Louve and such. Somewhat overwhelmed with choices. Does anyone have any suggestions? Also, when should we start booking. Thanks in advance.

Take a look at the Britannique. We had a wonderful stay there and loved the location. I would book once you have your dates pinned down.

One thing to keep in mind is how small a room you are willing to tolerate. It's quite common for even nice hotels to have rooms that are 11 m^2 (129 sq. feet) including the bathroom. So it's worth investigating to see if you can get a larger room, if that's of possible importance to you. These are often marketed as "superior" rooms. Also note the size of the beds, and whether you are getting a true double or queen or king bed, or just two twin beds pushed together. A typical double bed is 140 cm wide, which is narrower than most Americans are accustomed to, and a twin bed tends to be 80 or 90 cm wide. Other issues that people often find important are the shower style, and whether the bathroom is large enough to get dressed in.

Someone may be able to tell you offhand about a hotel that fulfills all of these, but you'd do well to start researching and reading reviews.

booking.com, use the map view and filters to make a selection.

There are literally hundreds of nice hotels within walking distance of the Musée d'Orsay and Louvre. What is you budget and what sort of room do you want?

Hotel Regina is right across the street from the Tuileries and the Louvre. It is probably less than a 10-minute walk to the Orsay.

Thin

DH and I (in our 60s) like to stay in the 7th Arrondissement however when I visited Paris with my cousin 3 years ago we stayed at the Hotel de Varenne, a block north of the Rodin Museum and perhaps a 10 minute walk to the Musee d'Orsay. It is also in the 7th but its location was more central. The street it is on had a couple of small groceries and a creperie with a charming owner. The hotel has a lovely courtyard where you may have breakfast in fine weather, we stayed in December so took our breakfast indoors. Our room looked just like the twin room shown on the website: Hotel de Varenne Paris - 26 rooms - OFFICIAL SITE.

Check out this hotel near Rue Cler; watch/easy walk to the Eiffel Tower. Also near Metro.
https://hotel-paris-bosquet.com/en/

That's the problem. There are indeed hundreds of nice looking hotels in the area. Since this may be our only trip to Paris, we want to find a mice one (just the thing). Our budget shouldn't exceed $300 - $350 per night. Bus lines and metro proximity are also important.

For around 250€ to 300€ per night, you might consider these hotels in St Germain des Prés:

Hotel la Villa Madame
Hotel d´Aubusson
Hotel le Six
Hotel Madison
Hotel des Saints-Pères

There are all fabulous properties and the location cannot be beat.

Paris is very pretty in May.

I would splurge for a one-time "only" visit and stay at Relais Christine.

The bus and subway systems are more significant for your stay than the actual area of your hotel. Convenient transit lines will save much of your walking. My choice might be any hotel around the busy Place de la republique because that square is served by four different Metro subway lines, allowing easy connection to almost anywhere. Plus the nearby Canal St-Martin has grown steadily more chic.
This website will help you plan your routes:
https://www.ratp.fr/en

Google Maps has a similar function plus will show you some of the restaurants and other services in the vicinity of where you choose to stay.

That budget isn't really that unusual for May, and does not mean you are "filthy rich." That's only about 260 euro. In fact, you can't get a lot of the hotels in that budget in St Germain. I think Sarastro has some good ideas but the Madison is probably more like 350 euro.

The Brittanique is a good idea.

On the island, which is certainly central, try the Jeu de Paume, it should be in that budget. It's close to the Louvre.
https://www.jeudepaumehotel.com/en/

In St Germain, maybe the Dauphine which should be in that budget and is more between the two places.

https://dauphine-st-germain.com/en/


If it were me, I wouldn't stay in one hotel for 10 days, I'd move to experience different areas, maybe one Right Bank, one Left Bank.

Do you have a map of Paris with the arrondisements (by number) shown. That's I think the most important thing to know about Paris. They spiral outwards like a snail with #1 in the middle. So any of the single digit numbers are fairly central. I've only been to Paris once but knowing that really helped me get my bearings. You can tell which arrondisement by the postal code. For example Grand Hotel Saint Michel (75005 Paris) is in the "5th".

How much to spend on a hotel? €100? €350? €1500? "Europe on $10 per day?"

When young with a reach that exceeded my grasp, a $10 room with a bath down the hall and the least expensive food let me see a new place. Now my perspective is tempered by the interaction between adequate savings and shortening life expectancy.

The two rules of retirement are "Don't die poor" and "Don't die rich." If I am sure of the first, why not splurge to avoid the second? Understanding the two rules now allows me to understand the man who had at most a year to live buying a white Cadillac with all the trimmings when his old car would have transported him as easily.

I agree with Southam. You can stay anywhere in Paris within walking distance to the Metro.

The Metro is a easy as pie to use if you get a good Metro map and know your line's direction end stations & transfer stations. I recommend the Streetwise maps sold at Barnes and Noble.
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The ticket machines have an English touchscreen menu option.

Snobby's Relaid Christine looks very posh and is in a fabulous neighbourhood. I love this neighbourhood, so close to good shops, cafes, restaurants (Les Climats!).

Another really posh hotel in the 6 é is L'Abbaye.

Thin

Try Hotel d'Orsay. You can check on their own website and then compare on booking.com etc.

The rooms vary widely in size. You could probably throw a rock at the Orsay if you had a good arm. I know you can see it from the hotel if you stay on the top floor.

https://www.esprit-de-france.com/en/orsay

I don't think you can go wrong with the Hotel d'Orsay, Hotel de l'Abbey or Relais Christine. All look very comfortable and are centrally located which is important to me. One way to narrow the choices is to "walk" the neighborhoods on Google street view. See if there are cafes, shops etc. nearby that appeal to you. I'm not a big fan of spending a lot of time on the Metro when I can be walking in Paris. If the sights you want to see are near the center then why spend precious time underground? Many of Paris' Metro stations require a lot of stairs and that's the last thing I want to face at the end of a long day exploring the city.

As I age, I find the Metro more difficult. Lots of stairs and sometimes very long passages for changing lines. Therefore, I would rather save a little money for taxis and avoid having to use the Metro when I'm tired. This may not be the case with you, but it's just my tip. I would rather spend $300 per night (which is far above my budget) than $350, saving $50 for taxis if I want them.

I suggest the Novotel Les Halles -- modern and spacious, and you cannot find a better location.