Lodging & Transport around Gare Montparnasse
 

We'll be in Paris in mid-Sept for 1.5 days. Here's our tentative itinerary:

Monday morning - TGV from Angers to Paris Montparnasse
Monday afternoon - Louvre

Tuesday - take SNCF train from Gare Montparnasse to Versailles

Tuesday early evening - Thalys from Gare du Nord to Belgium

It seems to me it makes most sense to stay near Gare Montparnasse for this short period of time in Paris. I have checked several hotels nearby (budget €100 or less for a double) and found the following with ok reviews.

Hotel du Parc €93
6 Rue Jolivet
http://www.hotelduparcparis.com/

Hotel Delambre €90-110
35 Rue Delambre
http://www.delambre-paris-hotel.com/index.html

Hotel Deguerre €85-140
94 Rue Daguerre
http://s234127087.onlinehome.fr/tarifs-daguerre-gb.htm

Hotel Apollon €99
91 Rue de l'Ouest
http://paris-hotel-paris.net/eng/index.html

Any opinions on the hotels above?

On our second day, I guess we'll have to store our luggage at Gare Montparnasse in the morning before we head to Versailles. When we return, we'll pick up our luggage and take Metro Line 4 to Gare du Nord for our Thalys train (RATP estimates the metro journey takes about 30 minutes).

I've read that there are luggage lockers at Gare Montparnasse, correct?

Anyone have other suggestions or ideas regarding this plan?

Year before last, my friend and I stayed at the Hotel Royal and 212 Blvd. Raspail. It was an easy walk to Gare Montparnasse and was a great area. Lots of restaurants, bakeries, and a big Monoprix and a Franprix very close. There were about five metro stops close buy. I loved the neighborhood and it was very easy to get around. The hotel was very clean and the staff were very nice and accommodating. You might check out the website and see if it appeals to you. I gave the address because this is not the only Hotel Royal in Paris.

Oops, just saw your budget...the Royal is over that for sure, unless you could get a deal. There was an Ibis right across the street from us. They are a budget chain I believe.

I checked the Accor hotels (Ibis and Mercure) plus Best Western - all said not available. I suspect it's too early right now and the rooms haven't been loaded onto the booking system; or none of them allow one night stays.

I know that area and stay in it a lot, and know all those hotels, except the Hotel du Parc -- at least by sight, haven't personally stayed in any. The Daguerre is spelled with an "a" in front. That one isn't actually right near gare Montparnasse, actually, so if that's the main criterion, you can throw it out. It is closer and more convenient than the Right Bank or even some other areas of the Left Bank, though, I agree with that--it's right on the metro like to the gare and a few stops away. It is also right near the RER like to CDG airport, if that would be helpful.

I think those are all good choices except the Apollon is one I'd throw out. It's just not nearly as convenient in location as the others and farther away. It is only about a block from Pernety metro, though, and that's a nice enough area and only two stops from the gare. I don't remember rue de l'ouest as being that charming. Rue Daguerre is a nice pedestrian market street (places to eat, wine bars, etc also on it).

The Apollon just doesn't look quite as comfortable to me (the beds) but really I think all would be fine. I just see no reason to consider that one given it is most expensive and not as convenient a location. The Hotel du Parc is on a side street off bd Quinet which would be a very convenient location, and should be quiet, also. It's only a block or so to the gare, and there are lots of bakeries, stores and restaurants right around there. The rooms are real small, but I give them credit for telling you what size they are (10 m2 for a double, 11 m2 for a twin). At these prices, it is likely all the rooms in those hotels may be around that size, though.

I don't think there are luggage lockers at Gare Montparnasse, but I think there is a baggage checking service. Just follow the signs for consigne. In other words, they are probably screened and you can't just do it on your own. There are also hours when they are open, but it's not usually a problem unless you wanted them real late at night.

Christina - Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts on this. I know you are very familiar with the area and so I'm grateful for your response.

REading between your lines, I gather that either du Parc or Delambre will be good for my purpose.

I've read all the reviews on tripadvisor and looked at the photos. The rooms don't look any smaller than the small rooms I've stayed at Hotel St Germain.

I'll have to see what price Hotel Delambre will quote me for September.

If there aren't luggage lockers at the train station, I guess we can still leave our luggage at the hotel and retrieve it when we come back from Versailles.

topping to see if anyone has stayed at these hotels; or any other comments

I entered September 15 (a Sunday) into Accorhotels.com and did a search for Paris and then selected the area of the map containing the 14th, and a bunch of hotels did show up. My guess is that you are looking at a weekday, and some sort of trade fair is going on.

The hotels that did show up that are near Gare Montparnasse are quite expensive, so I suspect Accor may not be a great option in this case. Another one that is very near Gare Montparnasse is Concorde Montparnasse, but that is terribly expensive too.

Another hotel that is about a block from Gare Montparnasse is the Waldorf Montparnasse hotel, and I've read good things about it.

Another one that I have read positive things about is Hotel Aiglon.

I know I saw other hotels in this area that were popular with Japanese tourists, who are, I'm told, quite picky.

I like www.hotelscombined.com because it brings together a bunch of booking sites so you can see comparative costs for a lot of hotels.

Hi WT-
Thanks for your input. We will be staying for 1 night on Sept 15 (which is a Monday, not Sunday). I looked at Accor again and I was able to pull up rates. The closest hotel is the Mercure Montparnasse but the rate is over 200 euros. I also looked at Waldorf and Aiglon but both are (quite a bit) over 100 euros. I guess I can't be too picky when it comes to budget accomodation and proxmity to the train station.

One other hotel I thought of booking once (but didn't because it doesn't have air conditioning) is Sèvres Montparnasse. It's in the 15th, but the hotel claims it's a 3 minutes walk from the station, using the rue Vaugirard exit. Booking sites (I think I saw the original cheap rate on hrs.de or on venere.com) are usually cheaper than the hotel site.

I looked up the location of Sèvres Montparnasse - it is very close to Gare Montparnasse. But it has one really bad review on tripadvisor...

You might also check out Hotel Central off of Rue du Maine
http://www.central-hotel-paris.com/
It is basic, but clean and very well priced. Easy access from there to several metro stops. We stayed there last summer, and it worked out fine. Breakfast was adequate, I'd probably not bother there, but plenty of places around to grab a bite.

clarification- it's off Avenue du Maine, on a little side street. It's about 2 minutes to walk from Montparnasse. We took the Air France bus to Montparnasse, and it's just down the block. We booked the superior double.

I stayed at Hotel Apollon and would not recommend it. The only plus is the metro (Pernety) at the corner. Rue de l'Ouest is very blah. I would not stay there again.

Yes, I think both the Parc and Delambre would be fine. There are other hotels around there, some are budget, but I don't know that they are any better than those choices (like the Renoir, the Lenox is more expensive and so is the Apollinaire). I like several on bd Raspail (like the Aiglon or Royal) but they are definitely more expensive than below 100 euro. I have heard the Waldorf is nice enough, but I guess it is more expensive (and the location really is on the street next to the station, which I don't like).

All in all, I think those two are good bets. For only 1 night or so, it really doesn't matter that much as long as it is decent. If those don't work, here is another 2* hotel that is only about a block from the gare and right next to Edgar Quinet metro stop (and next to a couple of my favorite cafes), and less than 100 euro: the Odessa
http://www.hotelodessaparis.com/
It does seem to have not so hot reviews on Tripadvisor, it's just a place I know about but haven't stayed there. Some of the comments may have been addressed if they refurbished, the noise is going to be a problem in any hotel in a popular area where you keep the window open at night (ie, ones without AC). The Parc might be quieter on that front, as the Odessa is very near some cafes and places people hang out at night.

The BW Bretagne Montparnasse is a bit farther from the gare than the Parc, but often has good rates and good reviews, but you said you checked with them, I guess.

This is a 2* hotel across the street from where I often stay, on bd Raspail. So it's several blocks from the gare, but right on the metro line and it's only one stop away http://www.parishoteldelapaix.com/
It looks pretty typical for a budget 2* hotel and had one good review on Tripadvisor. A double is only 95, superior double 106 euro. As a tip, take a room on the courtyard, not overlooking the boulevard as bd Raspail has a lot of traffic and can be noisy.


YOu do not actually probably want a hotel right on the street next to the gare, it isn't that pleasant and would be noisy, also. The Hotel du Parc would be very convenient, you could easily walk to/from the station.

You don't have to keep your luggage at the hotel, necessarily, as I said, I think there is a checked luggage service at Montparnasse, just not do-it-yourself lockers.

you ought to be able to find something with these options, I hope

I have looked at Hotel Central, but IIRC, it has some not-so-great reviews on tripadvisor, so that's why I didn't consider it.

I heard back from Hotel Delambre - they're asking for 110€ for the basic double. (Also available 115 or 120 euros for nicer doubles.)

I looked at Hotel du Parc's booking website again. The 93€ double is an early bird discounted price. Normally a double goes for 110€. They charge a 5 euro non-refundable booking fee, plus a cancellation fee of 3%. Also, they bill your CC for the first night's stay immediately. I guess if I want to cancel, I'd have to make sure they refund my money (minus the 3% charge).

I think I'm gonna sit tight for now, as the trip isn't for another 6 months.

I checked Hotel de la Paix. Double is 95€, plus €3 booking fee (non-refundable) and a 3% cancellation penalty.

I looked at Waldorf, even though it's more than my budget. Its website is listing a double for 133€ though I've found a rate of 123€ on booking.com. Perhaps I'll go ahead and reserve that for now, as I can cancel it w/o penalty as long as I do that 2 days before arrival.

Since this is just a one night's stay, I can pay a little more if I can find cheaper accomodation elsewhere on my trip. My husband is a bit pickier than me when it comes to hotel rooms, and Waldorf seems to get very good reviews.

In the mean time, I can continue to see if better deals pop up on Ibis or Mercure or BW.

Sounds like a plan -- I think you have enough time at this point, you don't need to book right now. Of course, Sept is very busy, so I would probably want to decide around May, perhaps, to book something.

I've heard some hotels now charging a 3 pct cancellation fee. Often they don't do that if you book directly, only if you book on one of those automated website things (availpro seems to be the one most hotels use). Is that what you did with them? It's the company that maintains that software on the website that has that fee and the booking fee, I believe, not the hotel (not sure how it works, but perhaps the hotel gets that service free if they allow availpro to take those fees). If you really want that hotel, I would write them directly, not use that automated booking software. I still think you have some time to look around, though.

Booking.com doesn't usually charge a small percentage for cancelling, but it's worth checking, because each hotel can have different terms.

The Aiglon is available for 120 Euros through www.hrs.de - the terms are to cancel by the day before - and either a large double bed or two twins are available.

Christina - yes, the reservations were thru avilpro. your explanation about the non-refundable booking fee sounds reasonable.

WT- thanks. I checked booking.com website again, I'm pretty sure there's no penalty to cancel if more than 2 days in advance. I went ahead and booked Waldorf. It's only 3 euros more than Aiglon. From the reviews, sounds like Waldorf is better, and it's closer to the station.

I'm not used to booking hotels so much in advance, as all my previous trips have been relatively last minute (1-2 months in advance). I usually just book whatever is avaiable and don't think about it afterwards. this time the trip is another 6 months from now, and also nothing is really set in stone yet (I haven't bought plane tickets yet), so I just need to make sure I can cancel if something were to happen between now and Sept.

Thanks again for all your help.