Paris + Amsterdam: where to stay
 

Hello! My friend and I will be in Paris for 3 nights and Amsterdam for 3 nights. We are looking for suggestions on where to stay on both places.

We'd like to be close to a train station.

Within Walking or metro distance to points of interest.

Fun neighborhood with nearby restaurants/bars etc.

We aren't looking to party all night, so somewhere that's not super noisy would be great, too!

Any other specific suggestions on what to do, must-sees etc!

We've both been to Paris before, so we can probably skip the main attractions.

Budget? Dates? Can you share one double bed?

March 1-7. First half in Amsterdam/end half in Paris.

Budget: maybe like $150+/- per night.

Would rather not share a bed :)

We've been looking at Air BnBs and found some good options, but have no idea what neighborhood/area is best!

We are two 30 something females...so safety is a factor too!

Forget using Air BnB in Paris - the rentals are almost all illegal.

Which train station do you want to be near in Paris?

I enjoyed the Jordaan area in Amsterdam; it seems to fit your criteria. I believe it's the area several blocks to the west and north of the Ann Frank Huis.

Go to Booking.com
For the destination input Amsterdam Central (with ONE "a") Station
input your dates

when the list comes up, sort by "distance from landmark"

<i> Paris + Amsterdam: where to stay
Posted by: lkjone24 on Dec 4, 16 at 8:35pm</i>

Paris: 5th or 6th arrondissements.
Amsterdam: west side, near the Spui.

Safety? The big issue in each city is pickpockets. See http://www.enjoy-europe.com/hte/chap08/pickpockets.htm.

Trams, buses, and/or metros are handy in both cities so you do not need to be near a train station.

While I can understand not being in the farthest location from a train station (and right near it so you can walk to it can be convenient), I wouldn't plan my stay around it in Paris. Perhaps you aren't aware, but there are at least 7 major train stations in Paris, and the one you use depends where you are going. A lot of people who have never taken a train somehow think they can pick which station they want to leave from, as if tracks will crisscross all over the city. This would be impossible and inefficient, anyway.

If that isn't the reason, I can't imagine why you would want to be near a train station. If you mean metro station, sure, that makes sense but there are metro stations all over Paris, so that doesn't limit you much (and there aren't many hotels in the areas pretty far from a metro station).

If you are using the train to go to Amsterdam from Paris (or arrive), it would be the Gare du Nord. This is also a major hub for the RER B line that goes to/from CDG airport. So if arriving at CDG and leaveing by train for Amsterdam, it would be convenient to be near an RER B stop. But it doesn't have to be right at Gare du Nord. There are some cheap hotels around there, but only a couple stops away is the Latin Qtr and if I were you, I'd stay near Luxembourg RER stop (or St MIchel, but it's noisier down there that I like). This would be a great neighborhood for everything you name except it can be noisy. YOu aren't going to get a quiet neighborhood in the center of Paris near a train station, anyway. Just pick hotel wisely.

Hotel Castex is within your budget and in a good neighborhood in the Marais. Convenient to all transportation, too.
Hotel Saint Louis Marais is right around the corner from Hotel Castex.
You'll need a room with 2 twin beds, shower or bath.
Use www.booking.com for best prices.

Castex is nice, was there once. they even have eggs for breakfast, something not guaranteed in Paris.

I don't know the rate of the $ - we use Euros in France.
I don't know about safety in France, you would not be concerned if you didn't listen to Foxnews.

Welcome to Europe, where physical crime is hardly heard of. Now if you are totally plastered at 4 am with wads of money half out of your pockets, you may attract unwanted attention.

Women are also safe, at least from what my wife and my daughter tell me.

Amsterdam: Pension Homeland (it's on booking)

there's a clampdown against AirBnB underway at the moment, with enforcement squads actively following up complaints from housing associations and owners' coops, so better book a hotel.

1 USD = 93 centimes or 7 cents less than 1 EU.
1 EU = 1.07 USD

I just call it even - it's not worth worrying about.