Ile St. Louis
 

Has anyone stayed at the Ile St. Louis? We are considering renting an apartment in this island. Aparently, this is a very nice place.
The two apartments that we are looking at seem very nice too. The only problem we see, is that you have to cross a bridge to get to the metro or bus, since there are no metro stops in the island.
If anyone has stayed there, please let us know how you liked it and if it is convenient.
Thanks, Daisy

I've never stayed on the Ile St. Louis, but it's long been one of my favorite places to stroll in Paris. Very charming and cozy, almost like a small village within Paris. Several nice small restaurants, shops - not to mention the best ice cream in town at Berthillon (though, depending when you go, beware the lines!)

In terms of the location wrt the rest of Paris - it's a very short walk across the bridge to the Metro, close to the 5th(Latin Quarter), pretty close to the 6th (St. Germain) and definitely walkable to le Marais (great part of the city to explore.)It's also quite close to Notre Dame, St. Chapelle....so all in all, I'd say it's a fine location, even if not right around the corner from the Metro (besides, depending on whatever alternate location you stay, you might well have to walk a few blocks to the Metro anyway.)

All I can tell you is that there are a LOT of people who would give their eye teeth to be able to rent an apartment or live in that section of Paris..one of the nicest IMO.

I agree with Intrepid (I'm quite envious of you already!)

Anyway, forgot one thing - while the Metro is great, and comes in very handy, Paris is a city made for walking. The best way to see it, get the feel of it...so I wouldn't be overly concerned with having a metro stop right next door. As long as there's one that's not too far a treck, I think you'll find yourself enjoying walking and not really caring that the metro is an extra couple of blocks away.

My first trip to Paris, we stayed at the Lutece on the Ile St Louis .
The island is small, it is no big deal to go to any of the bridges and cross. The hotel was near the foot bridge that crosses to Ile de la Cite & Notre Dame. I never felt inconvenienced by the distance to a bus/metro stop.
Have a wonderful time!

Walking distance to a metro is not a problem. I'd say it depends on whether or not you like quiet. Ile St. louis is one of the quieter places in Paris.

Daisy1, you will not be inconvenienced walking from the St. Louis to the metro, it is very "walkable". If you can make the arrangements, by all means take the apartment - the Ille is beautiful! I have been looking at hotels and apartments for our group of 4 and this week we finally decided to go for two studio apartments instead (the "true" 2 bedroom - 2 baths were a little scarce). Anyway, we too are looking at several properties on the Ille St. Louis, do you mind sharing the rental services name? When are you traveling?

Daisy - I would stay on the Isle in a heartbeat. We recently spent 2 weeks in an apartment just across the bridge in the 5th and found ourselves taking a stroll over to the Isle each evening between 10:30 and 11 to people watch and have a small cone of incredible ice cream. My favorite flavor is pear, my husband's was coconut. Go for it! CJ

http://www.guestapartment.fr/default.htm

This is a wonderful Apartment site for the Ille St-Louis~

Daisy1, we just stayed at the Hotel de Lutece on the Ile at the beginning of June. We loved staying there. The islan is tiny, especially from north to south, where it is only 3-4 blocks wide, so "crossing the bridge" is really no big deal. It is a 5 minute walk to the Metro station on the right bank, and a 5 minute walk to Notre Dame. Just a couple more minutes on foot will put you into the heart of the Marais, with lots of shops and restuarants. Great location!!

The Ile St Louis is served by the #67 bus line. To see the route, go to the ratp web site, then cite futee.

Why would crossing a bridge be a problem?

rufus, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it ;)

Thank you all. Margie, we have not decided yet. Many people seem to like the Ile St. Louis very much. Right now we are seriously thinking about the Marais. The area seems to be more lively
and in the middle of everything. We will be going Oct7 thru. Oct.14. The agency we are looking at is franceforrent. Their properties seem very nice. However, one point we do not like ,is the fact that they will not return any money in case you have to cancel your trip. We will have to buy travel insurance, which adds to the cost.
By the way, has anyone dealt with this rental agency? If so, please let us know how you liked it.
Thanks again,
Daisy

We stayed in a small hotel on the Ile St Louis last October. It is really charming and the access is quite easy both for walking to the Left Bank, Notre Dame, the Marais, etc. I would stay there again, as it is lively but away from the constant bustle you can find in other areas of Paris.

sallyandbob, what hotel did you stay in?

You won't go wrong on the isle. The bridge is not large and it is so convenient. Just stay there.

Hi Daisy,

If you think lively and bustling is preferable to quiet and staid, do do do stay in the Marais. You will not be happy with the Isle.

We stayed on the Ile for 10 days last May in a fantastic apartment on the Quai d'Anjou. The apartment was in a mansion built in the 1640's and was on the 2 top floors with a deck and breath taking roof top view of the city. Everything you need is on the Ile and by the end of our stay all the local merchants knew us. Our favorite restaurant is also here "Reine Blanche", which is moderately priced and serves wonderful classic country French dishes. We also love the Marais, but the Ile St. Louis is actually much more central with very easy access to both the left and right banks. We booked our apartment through NYHabitats.com, which is a very reputable firm. You can also find no fee apartments easily on the internet, though I suppose that can be a little more risky dealing directly with the owner, though you will save the fee. Since you asked for opinions about the Ile and everyone has been unanimous in their endorsement, why would you look elsewhere? Just do it and have a fantastic time!

We stayed in the "DQA" apt. that can be found in the "guestapartment.fr" site (thanks Scarlett). Beautiful apt., quiet street. The apt. is on the river and the tourist boats at night shine the lights over the buildings which lights up the apt. (it doesn't take long to get in the habit of closing the curtains at night). The walk across the bridge to the metro is only a few blocks. Not a problem.