I will be traveling to Paris next year and am looking to book a hotel room in an area convenient to some of the historic sites in Paris. Can anyone recommend a district or neighborhood that is convenient for a new tourist? In many cities I have visited, often there is a "historic district" and that is typically a good start for me. Paris is so large that I am having difficulty selecting a location. Thanks.

www.hotel-collegedefrance.com

one of my favs well located in the Latin Quarter

cute historic old Templar Building

pretty easy stroll to most central sites

www.eurocheapo.com Paris other good options city guides

that can help a lot...Have fun,

We really love staying in the Latin Quarter as well. Its easy to walk to some of the main sites and has a good atmosphere. We stayed at Hotel St Jacques http://www.paris-hotel-stjacques.com/ which is a two star.

Also a good choice is Hotel Bonaparte www.hotelbonaparte.fr which is I think a three star.

Not sure what your budget is, but these are the places we liked.

Perhaps something you might find useful before booking a hotel is to figure out where the major sites are. In general, the major sites can be found within a 10-15 minute walk north or south of the Seine between Île Saint Louis in the east and the Grand Palais in the west. This excludes The Eiffel Tower, The Arc de Triomphe and Montmartre. Certainly there is much more to Paris than this area but I think it answers your question as to where the major sites are.

You should get yourself a good, detailed map that comes with a street index and shows all the streets, metro stops and major sites/attractions. You will need a map with a scale of 1:12,000 (1cm = 120 meters). Based on your question it sounds like you would be happy with something in the 1st through the 6th arrondissements.

You can then do google searches and search for hotels in your preferred areas and in your price range. Paris has some 75,000 rooms in a variety of types of accommodations (i.e. hotels, hostels, apts. etc.).

A couple of websites you can start with to find a hotel are www.venere.com and www.kayak.com. There are loads of other websites to search but this will get you started.

I love the sixth...great cafes and boutiques and so close to Musee d'Orsay, Notre Dame, Pantheon, Hotel des Invalids, Luxembourg Gardens and the latin Quarter, as well. Lots of small hotels that feel Parisian.

Enjoy your planning and your trip!

Don't know your budget but you might look at the Madison on Blvd St Germain.Walking distance to Notre Dame, Louvre, d'Orsay , Rodin, Delacroix, Rodin, Luxembourg Gardens, Tuileries, even to the Eiffel Tower.

If it a bit high , try some of the hotels on Rue Jacob, 1 block closer to the Seine. We've stayed at the Millesime, du Danube, d'Angleterre, des Marroniers, and all are excellent. Deux Continents also on rue Jacob gets good reviews. The Verneuil on rue de Verneuil is also very nice if you get a deluxe room the standards are small.

I'm sort of echoing FrenchMystiqueTours here, but in a more general way.

I always tell my friends that for their first trip, they should buy a Streetwise Paris map (it has monuments and museums clearly marked and also has a Metro map on it), and then do this thought process:
"how close to Notre Dame?",
"how close to the Seine?",
"What is the access to which Metro/RER lines?",
in that specific order.

I admit I always add: "Avoid the Champs Elysee--not because it's unsafe but I'm pretty sure it's not the Paris you want to see (chain stores!)every darn day".

As I've often posted before, I made a mistake in booking my first Paris trip by putting location emphasis on the two museums I knew I wanted to see--The Louvre and the Musee d'Orsay--rather on the concepts I've just listed. Our hotel was on the border between the 6th and 7th arrondissements (neighborhoods), and while it was by no means a bad location, it was not an ideal location for a first-time vistor. Although it was not far from the Seine, it was in a Metro "dead" zone--streets away from a Metro stop and even then not a really useful line--and it was a hike to walk to Notre Dame.

For our next few trips to Paris, we tried to stay in different hotels on different streets, but I made sure that we were generally located in the 6th arrodissment close to the Seine and a good Metro or RER line. Once we stayed on Ile de St. Louis, which is of course in the 4th but is practically on top of Notre Dame.

Now it's different. In the many trips after that, we've moved more or less away from Notre Dame to stay in the 5th near the Pantheon (hill!), in the Marais in the 4th (which is actually very close to ND), in the 11th in the Bastille in the 15th in Montparnasse, in the 13th near the Jardin des Plantes, and in the 7th near the Eiffel Tower. I enjoy all these areas and in fact would now enjoy staying not far from Champs Elysee, but they are not the areas I would recommend for the first-time visitor.

I hope this is helpful, and I apologize if it's not!

www.hotel-madison.com

Usually we rent an apartment, but this is the hotel we like. It's in an excellent location, especially for a first time visit.

If price is too high, look on www.tripadvisor.com for something not too far from the Seine and Notre Dame. That way you will be centrally located and able to walk to many sites.

Paris actually is not that large a city. Compared to, say, London it's quite small. That said, there's no "historic district" because it was built over so many historic periods. For a first-time visitor I would suggest staying in the 1ère, 5ème, or 6ème arrondissement, near the Seine.

What is your budget?

I think the most helpful thing to understand about Paris is how the arrondisements are laid out. Like a snail starting with #1 in the middle then spiraling outwards and around. The 4th, 5th (latin quarter), 6th, and maybe the 7th (eiffle tower) are the most central & convenient for tourists imo. You can tell by looking at the last two digits of the postal code of a hotel's address which arrondisement they are located in.

Historic districts are usually the oldest parts of cities that have been renovated especially, and often parts may be protected from street traffic. I'd say you could call any of the central arrondisements historic areas, actually, the outer arrondisements are newer in settlement and wouldn't be called that. It's the usual advice people give to stay in a central area (eg, arrondisements 1-8). 9 and 18 are pretty historic, also, in their ways (eg, Montmartre), but I wouldn't advise you stay there given you haven't been there before. The most historic area are the islands, of course, it is the original center of Paris. So that would be staying on Ile St Louis, or the nearby Marais is very old. Others like the Latin Quarter or St Germain, any of those areas should suit you.

In the nineteenth century Baron Haussman redesigned much of medieval Paris, which was demolished to make room for the wide, straight boulevards that are typical of modern Paris. Parts of the Latin Quarter and the Marais near the Seine escaped this urban renewal and still have narrow, unruly streets (from the viewpoint of city planning, not of the activity on them, although perhaps a little of that too). These might be considered historic districts of Paris, and both areas are very atmospheric.

We like the Hotel de Nice -- very nice hotel that is inexpensive and on the west edge of the Marais.

http://www.hoteldenice.com

It is very close to Notre Dame and Ile St. Lous. (We would frequently walk to St. Louis after dinner for ice cream and a beautiful river stroll.)

The hotel is on a main street, so you might not like that...but the Marais is great for walking and the transport situation is excellent. It is a couple of blocks from the #1 Metro (right bank) and frequent buses that wisk you to the Metro & RER on the left bank.

There is also a Wednesday and Saturday market right across the street for picking up fruit and cheese for in-hotel-room snacks.

Venere.com reviewers give it an average rating of 7.9/10 and Trip Advisor folks average 4/5 stars -- pretty consistent. It was also recommended in a 2007 New York Times article, "Paris Chic on the Cheap".

Note: This is a budget hotel, and our budget is pretty low, but you won't be uncomfortable. In our three trips to Paris, we've stayed at three diferent places, and we have decided that this one is a "keeper".

Warning note: The decor is weird -- the wallpaper might not suit everyone because it is quite "loud".

SS

One of the most helpful things I've learned on Fodor's is that there is no central or best spot for Paris. Even if it's not true, it's helped me to be less neurotic when choosing an apartment or hotel. You're going to end up on the metro (or other transporting device) and walking (lots) for most of your sightseeing forays so choose lodging you can afford and will enjoy and don't sweat the 'best' locale.
On the other hand, I'm fussing over which marketplace to be close to on our next trip. So, even though I am nonchalantly suggesting to close your eyes and point a finger at the map to choose your location, I'm still here making mountains out of molehills for my location.
Enjoy!

I love the Opera area! it is one of my favourite.
I can suggest you the Best Western Opera Saint Lazare, it was quite comfortable and clean.
http://www.h-st-lazare.com/index.html

Enjoy!

We recently stayed at Hotel Henri IV on Rue St Jacques in the Latin Quarter. It is only a block from Notre Dame, and right across the street from a Hop-on-Hop-off bus stop (L'Open Tour) for 2 routes, and about 2 blocks from a 3rd route. We found it very convenient. I thought the hotel was a very good value (3-star), and the staff was very pleasant & helpful. If you are youngish, you may enjoy the youthful atmosphere in that neighborhood, but if not, you need walk only a little way to find things a little calmer. We did not hear street noise with the windows closed, and there is AC. The view from our room was of the flying buttresses of St. Severin church, which is just across the street. The hotel has its own website, or you can check it out on booking.com -- the photos on both websites are very representative of what we found when we got there. Good luck.

Our (my) first time to Paris, we stayed on the Ille St Louis, at the Hotel Lutece, at number 65 St Louis en Ille.
It was perfect for a first time trip. Easy to walk to the Left Bank, Latin Quarter, you are almost next door to Notre Dame.
The times after that, we always stayed on rue Jacob in the 6th, at the Hotel D'Angleterre. Oozing with it's own history. . around the corner from Cafe Deux Magots and the Church of Saint Germain De Pres .. after a few times in that hotel, we began to rent apartments.
I would consider staying around the Place des Vosges if there is anything reasonable.. I love that area so
We are beginning plans for yet another trip after a bit of a hiatus .. so much to think about this time.
* I do recommend small hotels , not these great huge chain hotels if possible.

I have a hotel thread that's under, "Paris Hotels Left Bank Thread". The Right Bank thread is linked to it. It can be typed into the search box. Happy Travels!