tidy

I am narrowing down a place to stay; one is in the Latin District and the other is the 7th arrondissement. In the Latin district is Hotel College and the other is Hotel du Champ de Mars. They are similar priced and neither have AC. We will be there late May till June 2nd. We are in our 60s ,during the day we will visit museums and hopefully the French Open and at night dinner etc. We are not in to the bar scene. Whish area do think will fit our needs best. Thank you,

annhig

There are literally hundreds of hotels in both the 5th and 7th arrondissements - I wonder what it is that drew you to these, apart from the fact that the don't have AC and are therefore presumably cheap.

IME what you want to be looking for is ease of getting around - therefore proximity to a metro station would be important to me, preferably one that was going to take me to where I was likely to want to go without long "correspondences" [ie long walks between platforms if you have to change lines]. So if you are intending to go to the tennis more than once, you might want to make sure that you can get there easily from your chosen location.

it's also a good idea to consider how you are going to get to your hotel from the airport - after several visits, we came to the conclusion that we didn't want long walks with luggage so decided to stay in hotels near RER stations so we could just get the RER into Paris from CDG and back again.

do both/either of your hotels fit these bills?

BTW, I think it would have been helpful for you to post links to them so that we could have a look at exactly where they are.

Robert2533

Are you referring to Hotel Collège de France in the 5th? The Hotel du Champ de Mars in the 7th might be better if you want to be near the Eiffel Tower and the École Militaire. The Hotel Collège de France is a little closer to the Louvre if you plan on walking more than taking the metro.

It can be warm in late May, so having A/C might be helpful.

kerouac

If those are the only areas of interest, I would definitely choose the hotel in the Latin Quarter. The 7th arrondissement is not very convenient for getting to other places in Paris unless you are a taxi fanatic.

StuDudley

I'm not a big fan of the Latin Quarter - it is too "tourist infested" and it doesn't seem like the "real Paris" too me. I'm in my 60s too - and it was OK when I was in my 20s - but not now - when "quiet" is more important. I don't like the "fast food" scene there either. We did a "one-nighter" there in about 2011, and I hated the area.

We now stay in the 7th at the west end of R St Dominique next to the Champs de Mars. Great restaurants in the "hood". Excellent bus connections to most sites (we always take the bus - rarely the metro).

Bus Routes
28N 42N 63N 69N 72N 80N 82 87N 92N RER-C Batabus
The "N" indictes that the bus runs past 20:30.

Bon Marche 87N
Ile St Louis 87N, 63 N
Jacquemart Andre 28, 80N
Louvre 69, 72N
Luxembourg 82
St Germain de Pres 63N, 69, 87N
Pl Madeleine 42N
Opera 42N
Arch de Triomphe 92N
Marais 69, 87N
Montmartre 80, or 80 to 30, 54
Castel Beranger area RER C
Belleville 63 (Odeon or St Michel) 28, 82 (Montparnasse), 69 (St Paul) to 96 OR 69 to 26
Train Bleu 87N, 63N,

Stu Dudley

kerouac

I personally despise waiting at bus stops although the GPS timer sometimes makes it bearable now. Of course, then you don't have to mind spending at least twice as much time getting anywhere as by metro.

StuDudley

We hate sitting underground, and then traveling underground. Can't see much. We use the bus system like a "hop-on/hop-off" bus. We like riding down the various streets, watching the "street scene", the shops, the Christmas decorations, admiring the architecture, etc. I'll often put together a zig-zag or circular bus route through Paris, using 2-3 different buses. If something looks interesting - we'll get off the bus for further exploration on foot. Can't do this on the Metro.

We do the same thing in London.

Stu Dudley

kerouac

That's because you are a "relaxed" traveller, Stu, as am I now. But lots of people coming to Paris have a very limited time and never manage to get to all of the places that they wanted to see. That's the reason that I do not encourage using buses for a lot of people (just as I do not encourage using them much right now, because it can be a miserable wait in the middle of winter -- but that's not when the OP is coming, thank goodness.

tidy

Okay, so what Stu says makes me reconsider the Latin District, we are not in to touristy. So sounds like there may be other options than the 7th that you all have not mentioned. what might they be?

indyhiker

I've stayed at the Hotel du a College de France and found it acceptable from a too touristy perspective. Admittedly, we didn't spend a lot of time otherwise roaming the Latin Quarter (which I also don't love) but the hotel itself is on a quiet street that puts you in good stead for other areas of Central Paris. While I prefer to stay in the 6th myself, for the price, I thought the hotel was a good compromise. That said, the lack of AC would be an issue for me that time of year.

denisea

Have you considered the 6th? Particularly closer to the 7th, possibly? I am with Annhig that you should look for a hotel that will put you close to a good metro station. How will you get to Roland Garros?

I don't enjoy the seventh, at all. It was harder to get where we wanted by Metro, although, there are some good bus routes. Fewer shops, very quiet and all about the Eiffel Tower (IMO) and we are not big party people but just find it more interesting to be in the 6th. It depends what you want to do while you are there but I would look to be near lines that go to the areas near the major sites or connect easily to them. I think the 8, 12 are 4 lines are most convenient for sites on the Right Bank from the Left. For us, we like the Odeon and St Germain des Pres areas in the 6th and find it pretty accessible. One are that might be good to stay in would be near the Sevres Babylon metro station (where the 12 and 10 lines intersect).

I will say we stayed on rue des Bernardin in the 5th last year and it was quiet (but an apartment). That side of the 5th is far less tacky and less loaded with trinket stands and kebob shops, again IMO.

You might list your budget in euros per night to get better hotel recs.

kerouac

There are many really excellent places to stay in Paris. Even traditionalists appreciate Montparnasse (intersection of the 6th, 14th and 15th) or the Batignolles (border of the 8th and 17th).

Naturally, connoisseurs have many other areas in mind. Even though I live in the 18th, if I were a tourist, I would absolutely look for something in the area of Montorgueil.

annhig

it is truly amazing what you can find on the internet.

here's a site showing you how to get to Roland Garros on the metro`:

http://grandslamgal.com/roland-garros-on-the-metro/

turns out that it's on line 10 - which goes both to Odeon in the 6th and Cluny in the 5th - very close to the Hotel du college. From there of course you will be able to walk down to Notre Dame St Michel [RER lines B & C and metro stop] and walk west into the 6th.

of course kerouac's suggestion of Montorgueil may be equally convenient - i bow to his superior knowledge.

Sue4

I've always been a real fan of the Paris Metro system, and like to stay at hotels near stops. However, if you have any mobility issues, all the stairs can be a challenge. As you are in your 60's, you should be fine. I'm older, and my arthritic back is still recuperating from a May trip to Paris and the constant use of the Metro!
The buses are OK, but were better getting on at the beginning stops in order to get a seat. They were extremely crowded in May, especially trying to get back to my hotel in the 6th near Montparnasse in the afternoons.

I love the Montparnasse area to stay in, as it's less touristy and quieter than Latin Quarter or even the 6th, but still convenient to sites and restaurants, with plenty of Metro stops and buses. I've often contemplated staying in the 7th, but haven't yet. I know lots of people love the 7th - good restaurants and quiet at night. However AC is important to me. I've hit some very warm spells in Paris in May. Whatever you decide, I'm sure you'll be happy, as Paris is Paris!

tidy

I am able to get Hotel du Champ de Mars for 150 euros and Hotel College for 118 euros. With that said I certainly would pay more (175 to 200 euros) if the area warranted it.

tidy

Robert, the address of Hotel College is 7 rue Thenard

tidy

Kerouac, I am sorry to show my ignorance but I do not know where the Montorgueil area or intersection of 6th, 14th and 15th are. Can you give more information. Thank you much.

kerouac

Have you thought of using Google?

annhig

tidy - for Montorgueil, find Chatelet and look a few blocks north of there.

for Montparnasse, follow the RER B to the south - it's about 4 stops after St Michel-Notre Dame.

danon

don't like 7th at night, hate taking buses in Paris.
We did not mind 11th close to 3/4.