I'm in a quandary about which option to choose for the first week of June, arriving the 2nd. This will be our last stop having visited London (hotel) and Rome (B&B) for 5 days each before arriving in Paris. In Paris, I figure we will be tired and want to relax and do people watching amid our mandatory tourist activities. This will be my 3rd trip to Paris and my dd's first. My other two trips were also brief - 3 days and 5 days.

1. Studio in Montmartre 5 night - AC , washer, small balcony, NE of Sacre Couer, bit of a walk to Lamarck Caulaincourt or Chateau-Rouge Mo. A plus is this has two convertible sofabeds and the others have just one double bed or convertible sofa/bed. This option is farthest from the main must see sights, but Montmartre is also a tourist spot and a community so that's not so bad. I think?

2. Studio in the 3rd (near St. Paul Mo) 1 week, washer & dryer, no AC.

3. Hotel in the 7th - 5 nights, AC, no washer.

Each of these options is roughly the same price. I'm leaning toward option #2, but am skittish about not having AC.

Where is your hotel in the 7th? This neighborhood is really centrally located so if you have to do touristy things it's a good bet. If you are anywhere around rue Cler I can point you to two laundromats (laveries).

I would not want to stay in the Montmartre studio - I love the neighborhood but it is a little too far from the Seine for me. And quite honestly, for me, a little Montmartre goes a long way. I don't know the 3rd at all so I can't comment on that.

I stay in a Montmartre studio when I travel to Paris, and I love it. It sounds like it's somewhat near the apartment you're considering, and I find walking to the Chateau Rouge or Lamarck-Caulaincourt metros very easy. It takes a little bit longer to get into Central Paris, but to me, that's part of the fun. I will say that I prefer using the Lamarck-Caulaincourt station, as Chateau Rouge can be a bit dodgy, and I was told that's not the nicest part of town. I can't comment on whether or not A/C is a must-have or not; I've never been to Paris at that time of year.

Personally, I think Montmartre is great, but yes, it can be very touristy around the Sacre Coeur, and the guys hawking Paris trinkets are really annoying. I like having the option of Place du Tertre nearby though (fun for people-watching), and there are some great restaurants near the Abbesses metro on Rue des Abbesses. It's one of the deepest metro stations though, so there are a lot of stairs if you choose to take them. The entrance is one of only two original Guimard entrances left in Paris.

Have fun, no matter which place you choose!

Thanks for the advice. The Lamarck-Caulincourt is the very closest Mo to the Montmartre studio.

I like the Marais too, but am unsure about the need for AC. In July and August, absolutely needed. In June, early June, I'm not so sure.

I've stayed in the 1st Pyramides or Tuileries Mos) & the 7th (Varenne Mo) before. Both close to the Seine and walked to many places. This hotel in the 7th is very near LaMotte Picquet-Grenelle Mo, so really only an easy walk to the Eiffel Tower - 10 mins. The place in the 3rd is a 2 min. walk to Place des Vosges, The Pompidou, or Musee Carnavalet and most importantly to the Rue du Rossiers for falafels. ;-) So then not too far to walk to Notre Dame, Ste. Chapelle, or the Louvre either. Am I talking myself into the 3rd? It's the best value cost wise - 7 days and the other are 5, but then there's the issue of AC. Will I be sorry? That is the question.

I would not take a place without AC. Even if you don't need the AC for cooling purposes, you might want it to shut out street noise.

I was in Paris the first part of June, some years ago and it was interesting. We came from London and London had been quite cool (last week in May), but it was quite a bit warmer the day we left and when we got to Paris it was hot!!!!! Not hot like in the middle of July, but in the high 70's, and it was humid. I'm a "desert rat" so am used to the dry heat so I hated it. It was like that the next day also and then voila, just like that, the whole thing changed and it was in the low 60's and drizzling some almost every day for the rest of our stay.

So, you might need air, and take clothes you can layer because you just never know.

Just out of curiosity, what is the address of the studio in the 3e? I'm having a hard time picturing a place three minutes from both Vosges and Pompidou. We love the Marais and would take a place without a/c in early June, simply for the larger space, especially if the apartment were not top floor.

hmmm - Ooops! It's right on the line of the 3rd/4th emes, but is technically in the 4th on Rue Pavee. I think it would be possible that Place des Vosges would be 3 mins, but not the Pompidou, but it wouldn't be too much farther if the map is correct. I very much like this location!

The studio isn't larger than a hotel room. The "bed" is a convertible sofabed. The extra portion is a narrow galley mini kitchen.

The studio is on the 4th French floor, so the 5th floor. So, it is likely to be an oven. Drats!

crefloors- Yes, I must be crazy to even consider no AC having been caught in the beginning of the horrible July/Aug heatwave of 2003! And in early Sept. 2004, it was very chilly by the end of our stay and I had no time to do laundry so I was cold in my travel skirt and jacket!