StCirq

I will be the first to extol the virtues of the 10ème. Many of my Parisian friends live there. But I do think it's not what most American tourists have in mind when they think "Paris" and the visuals alone of the neighhborhood can be "off-putting" for lack of a better word, given what people conjure up in their minds when they think of Paris.

Just sayin'.....

Michel_Paris

I'd ditto the stay closer to the centre. Kerouac, who lives in Paris, knows his stuff. I, personally, like idea of being near Seine. It's kind of my 'once a day' treat.

A lot of the guides will recommend the 4/5/6/7th areas and they are all fine. The Metro system is superb, so not being "close" to one of the major sites is not a negative. The 4-6th will be lievelier at night.

Last trip I stayed in the 16th, at a business hotel, which was out from the centre, and not near any tourist sites, and a decent price It was my plan to get away and be in a 'plain' neighbourhood. So I had my local cafe, some nice restaurants, went to see movie down the street,etc Staying more central means you could have sites within walking distance, which is nice.

janisj

The 10th is absolutely fine, as are lots of others. However even its strongest supporters would not say it is the best location for a 1st or maybe even 2nd trip to Paris. Stay in the center a couple of times (my preference would be the 4th, 5th, or 6th), get a good feeling for the city and what you enjoy about being there.

Then - on subsequent visits, venture out into some of the other interesting neighborhoods.