Paris: Do i stay near Paris Nord? Accommodation help?
 

I desperately need some assistance and advice with my trip to Paris and then onto Amsterdam.

I will be travelling from London to Paris on Euro, staying in Paris for a few nights then on to Amsterdam. I obviously arrive at Paris Nord from London, then leave from Paris Nord to go to Amsterdam.

I was wondering where i should base myself in Paris. I will be there two nights and i dont want to worry to much about transport.

Should i stay near Paris Nord and do the Paris sightseeing thing from there? Then have easy access to the train for trip to Amsterdam.

I would like to know if Paris Nord is close to everything? or it accessible to any hotel in Paris.

I would love some advice on what to do and then where I should stay (specific hotels).

Thank you

Hi

Paris is a big city but the metro system is very good so it is easy to get around. So no matter where you decide to stay you will most likely have to use the metro to get around at some stage. Just check that the hotel that you are planning on using have gotten decent feedback (on e.g. TripAdvisor). My wife and i just came back from Paris last week and here is a short blog: http://spaces.msn.com/gardkarlsen/

I will also post a trip report with pictures and links on my homepage http://gardkarlsen.com eventually :-)

Regards
Gard

No, I would not stay near the Gare du Nord. Is this your first trip? If so for a short stay I would stay in the 6th. I know that some would argue that given your short stay you should stay near Gare du Nord. However, I dislike taking the metro back to this area at night. What is your price range for your hotel?

Travelbunny, there are four of us on this leg of the trip. Because we are only in Paris for a short time, we dont want to be doing to much travelling. Our budget is around 100euro per night. Naturally we want to take in as much as we can in such a short period of time.

Thanks for your advice

You will find very good value for money around Gare du Nord, both for hotels and restaurant options. It must be noted that some people here seem to be uncomfortable about the ethnicity of the neighborhood and also the general lowlife that hangs out around major train stations, but I personally believe that an area like this enriches one's understanding of the city. There is a lot more to Paris than the tourist ghettos. In any case, all of the transportation options from Gare du Nord are excellent -- the RER B, for example, will whisk you to Notre Dame in 5 minutes, and the variety of bus lines that originate at Gare du Nord will take you to every area of the city for a fraction of the rate of the official sightseeing buses, and the normal metro lines will get you anywhere fast if you're in a hurry.

NO - whatever you do, don't stay near gare du Nord. It is not a particularly nice area.

I don't understand the "we dont want to be doing to much travelling" - do you mean w/i Paris. Then you most definitely don't want to stay near Nord since it is quite a ways from most of the major sites.

I would Stay in the 5th, 6th or possibly 7th.

Do you mean €100 for all 4 of you? That is a pretty tall order.

Check mije.com..3 nice YH in Paris. They have quad rooms in your $ range. These are in a great area...really beats gare du Nord!

The 10th arrondissement is one of my favourite areas with the magnificent old working class Paris of the Canal Saint Martin and the Place Sainte Marthe (which is perhaps becoming too trendy - but no tourists there yet!), the aroma of Little India on the Faubourg Saint Denis going north from the Gare du Nord, the divine Pakistani restaurants of the Passage Brady, and a great selection of Turkish restaurants of all categories (the best in my opinion is the one next to the classic French restaurant Julien near the Porte Saint Denis. One of the jewels of Paris is the original Flo Brasserie, in a little courtyard off the Fbg. St. Denis, not forgetting the fabulous Terminus Nord directly across from the train station. The 10th is also the heart of the theatre district, which makes it a favourite of French provincial tourists coming to the capital for entertainment. There are at least 100 hotels around Gare du Nord and Gare de l'Est, in every price range, including 4-star (which makes me wonder why people think it is not a nice neighbourhood). The Gare du Nord has been completely transformed in the past few years and there is a shopping mall with 100 boutiques on the RER levels, including the only Monoprix in town that opens at 7 a.m. I cannot recommend the area enough!

I forgot to mention my favourite cheap restaurant in Paris -- Chez Papa -- across from the Louis Blanc metro station. Southwest French specialities at incredibly low prices. There are other locations of Chez Papa in Paris, too.

"I forgot to mention my favourite cheap restaurant in Paris -- Chez Papa -- across from the Louis Blanc metro station. Southwest French specialities at incredibly low prices"


I had to chime in on this one. "Chez Papa" is a restaurant I would advise to *avoid* (and yes, I'm talking specifically of the one near Louis Blanc).

Yes, it's south-west food for cheap. But you get what you paid for. The food is of poor quality, even more poorly cooked, and the service bad. There's a lot of young people hanging there, which makes the restaurant very noisy and the service cold. And if you come early to avoid the crowd, they take forever to serve you.

I gave this restaurant two chances, and I've been equally dissapointed both times.And mind you, I don't usully eat in pricey restaurants, so it's not like I'm comparing it with Taillevent.

Last time I went there, I had first sauted "foie gras" that was bland in taste. Then a dish with duck (I don't remember what exactly) that was in part overcooked and in part undercooked. Great feat! I finished with a "creme brulee" that was the worst I had (it had lost its consistency).

Once again, yes, it's cheap for the kind of dishes they propose. But the quality of food reflects quite well the price. I'd rather have *good* less fancy food for the same price, and in a more pleasant place.

I'd have to disagree, even if the Chez Papa near Gare du Nord is not my favorite (I prefer the Montparnasse location). It is true that the service is frenzied due to the crowd and can be slow for the same reason, but I have always eaten well, particularly their ultra cheap salad with hot roasted potatoes in it, the Boyarde. As portions can be very large, the staff are very good about warning you if you are ordering too much. They also have a pretty good wine list, considerably cheaper than in a lot of restaurants.

It seems that clairobscur has had some unfortunate experiences. Let me put it this way > I think it is fair to say that there are quite a large number of restaurants all around the Louis Blanc metro station and most if not all of them are cheap, due to the neighbourhood. Yet just one of them is full to overflowing, with often a queue of people waiting out on the footpath to get in. The other places are half full at best. If the quality were as insufficient as clairobscur has experienced, I do not really think that this restaurant would be so full, as it is not really in a big tourist area and most of the people who go there are locals. Do so many people have such bad taste?

If there are four of you and only for 2 days, I think you could stay near the Gare. We were on a tour that stayed at the hotel directly across the street on the corner. It was the Hotel du Nord at that time but I think it is now named Hotel Terminus. It was clean, had an excellent breakfast. The Metro entrance is directly out the front door. But I do think you must be careful using the metro there. However, it has been extensively enlarged and renovated in recent years and is much more open--but confusing.
There are a string of cafe/restaurants along the street facing the Gare. We travel over there every trip to have our best meal of moules frites. Our favorite is Maison Blanche. There is also a large restaurant that has Terminus in the name, I believe--more expensive.

My take on the tourist ghettoes (5th, 6th, 7th... versus "real Paris" :

Gare du nord (I commute through that station every day) and its area have the mixed crowds of railway station neighbourhoods in major European cities, which does not make it a particularly dangerous area.

One positive is that it is well connected to the rest of the city tranportwise. There are architecturally interesting neighbourhoods nearby (canal Saint-Martin, the surroundings of the Saint Vincent de Paul church)

What I would fear most (that's a real criterion in selecting a hotel) is street noise, as it is a neighbourhood where several thoroughfares intersect. Avoid street facing rooms.

Our room was on the street and it was fine. They have double paned windows. I loved looking out on the facade of the gare.

All these suggestions for off the beaten path places, and for around Nord are fine for old Paris hands. There are great funky neighborhoods all over.

However - for a first time visitor on a whirlwind trip - the "tourist ghettos" of the 5th, 6th, 7th (or 1st, 4th) are really by far the best locations. Otherwise you will be just too far from the major sites you'll want to see.

In one of those districts you will be able to walk everywhere, and won't have to worry if the neighborhood is OK.

I agree with janisj. Staying in the 5th, 6th, 7th makes it easier to see the Paris sights. I think Nord is too far out.

Keeping in mind of course that what we are talking about is 5-10 minutes by metro.

The arguments that Prolepsis gives in the favor of the 10th arrondissement are exactly my reasons NOT to stay there. I would not travel to Paris for "aroma of Little India" or for " divine Pakistani restaurants " or Turkish restaurants.

I recommend to stay in 1st arr., near Louvre. The hotel Montpensier is 100 euro for a double room, very clean, on a safe and nice street, 1 minute from Louvre, 3 min. from Pl. Concorde, near Royal Palace and Rue St. Honore.

I think you are getting a good sense of the area from previous posters. It is, overall, about a 2 star area - fuctional, not fussy. It is quite convenient for accessing the Gare du Nord. While not my choice for a longer stay (I like the 11th myself) I have stayed there for short (1 or 2 day) trips and found it suitable. You will not find plush hotel amenities but if you are looking for basic accommodation you should have no problem finding it. Last time I stayed in that area it was at a place called the New Hotel Gare du Nord at 40 rue Saint Quentin - literally just across the street from the GDN. Room was typical size for Paris, basic but clean (recently remodeled),service was friendly and efficient and there is a lift. No problem with street noise. I booked it through www.laterooms.com and got a good price. If you are interested in something more atmospheric in the tourist sense look elsewhere, but for functionality this area works.