Paris - which arrondisement for solo woman traveller?
 

I am looking for accomodations in the $150 - $200 range for Paris. I would like to stay in a neighbourhood with lots of cafes and walking distance to some major sites.

Good news...Paris is a safe city, so feel good about that.

you could, if staying for week or more, think of an apartment. A search here will give you the names of some agencies and selected apartments.

for arrondissements, good start would be 4/5/6th.

there are two jumbo hotel threads. Do a search on 'paris left bank hotels' and '...right...'

very common question here so you will find many good ideas

A few years ago I stayed solo in the 3rd on rue des Tournelles, just a stone's throw behind Place Des Vosges, also near Bastille. I rented through parisbestlodge.com, but I don't think they rent that particular apartment anymore. It was a great location. Any place in central Paris will probably fit the bill.

My solo stays have usually been in the Passy area in the 16th, which I like a lot. Question: is this your first trip to Paris? If you've been there before, where did you stay and what did you like best/least about the location?

My recent trip was to the 6th which I found very convenient
as I was 1/2 block from bus to Right Bank, 2 blocks from
Odeon metrocafes & restaurants nearby, w/2 Monprixes within a block...hotel was cheap so it was not a hassle to get about each day.

If anyone has been there recently, does the price range sound reasonable?
@Rhea58 - where did you stay?


This is my second visit but I was much younger the first time around.

Hi K,

>which arrondisement for solo woman traveller?<

It would help if you gave us a hint as to your age and your interests.

I'd have different suggestions for a 20yr old than for a 35yr old.

((I))

Two good budget hotels I have stayed in solo are Hotel Eugenie and Hotel Saint Pierre( the one by the Sorbonne) both are in excellant safe areas, with lots to walk to , metros stores and cafes all around you.

I absolutely love the 6th -- and if you can stay within a block or so of Blvd St. Michel that's even better.

If you are a shopper, then staying near Au Printemps in the (ACH I'm blocking, 8th or 18th?) can be heaven.

The problem in Paris, like NYC, is at night. And then I simply would not advise walking around alone. After the sun is down. At all.

If you don't mind paying a lot for your coffee (and after all that's why it's a vacation right) the best area of all might be near the Louvre and Rue de Rivoli, where you have plenty of all three, or L'Opera for the same reason. (And if you're a decent walker you can walk among them)

I also recommend whatever they are calling their metro pass these days -- when tired you can just jump on a bus and watch paris go by. The 38 bus takes you from one side of the city to the other.

Be sure to try a crepe from a corner stand, ditto for french ice cream and a bagette made over a real wood fire...

Always say please (seel voo play) thank you (mayr see) and excuse me (pahr-dun-ay mwa) and many Parisioners can actually be nice lol!

Enjoy!

TF

Kelsey22: I stayed at:

www.saintpierre-hotel.com/

same one that JustineParis has recommended...very very reasonable w/cafe to left & right of hotel, across from the Sorbonne.

Oops forgot to mention great upscale resto across street w/reasonable prices (to wit: 100 euros for dinner for 4 w/Kir & 1 bottle of hard cider) and they have a cider cellar w/private table that is very cute: www.compagnie-de-bretagne.com.

Recommend the Coquille St Jacques gallettes & crepe for dessert.

Hotel du Lys is in the 6th, 2 min. walk from both St. Michel and Odeon metro stations. Great location for exploring both left and right banks. www.hoteldulys.com

I was alone one year and stayed in the Marais.
There are so many restaurants,some with sing-a-long, tea rooms, bars. Never a boring day.

I think you would enjoy around the area of Place des Vosges, can be quiet, but at the same time so near many wonderful local shops and cafes. Also close to the Richard Lenoir markets too

<<The problem in Paris, like NYC, is at night. And then I simply would not advise walking around alone. After the sun is down. At all.>>


Absolute balderdash. Walking around Paris alone at night - just about anywhere in Paris - is perfectly safe.

<<If you don't mind paying a lot for your coffee (and after all that's why it's a vacation right) the best area of all might be near the Louvre and Rue de Rivoli, where you have plenty of all three, or L'Opera for the same reason. (And if you're a decent walker you can walk among them)>>

Totally disagree. This is the most commercial area of Paris, busy, noisy, few cafés and restos compared to many other parts of the city. Unless you're on a business trip, I'd choose another arrondissement.

<<I also recommend whatever they are calling their metro pass these days -- when tired you can just jump on a bus and watch paris go by. The 38 bus takes you from one side of the city to the other.>>

Generally, it's a better deal just to buy a carnet of tickets.

<<Be sure to try a crepe from a corner stand, ditto for french ice cream and a bagette made over a real wood fire...>>

I'd love to know where in Paris you can get a baguette made over a real wood fire.

LOL, StCirq.

I was going to respond to the "not walking around after the sun goes down" comment earlier, but couldn't find a nice way to say, "That's !@#$%^& ridiculous."

But balderdash works... ;-)

StCirq, well summarized.
I avoid Champs Elysee and Rue de Rivoli as places to eat or people watch. Crowded, over-priced.

I am also out every night when I visit. One trip I walked from Montmartre to Jardin des Plantes...arrived back at hotel at 3AM. Yet I was never 'alone', be it people on street, cars,etc..

4/5/6th are fine for first time visitor, busy, nice to be able to walk to Seine (which I try to do every evening), plenty of people out, restos, clubs.

I traveled solo in 2009. I stayed in the 6th at the hotel des grand echoles. I loved loved loved it!. Lots of cafes, all very close and not far to the Line 10 Cardinal Lemoines metro station. It is walking distance to the Jardin du Luxembourg and The Pantheon.

The 7th for something more peaceful and residential. 4th, 5th, 6th for something more central.

Unless you are someplace really out of the way or in an area tourists aren't likely to find themselves, there is no problem walking (for example) from your hotel out to get something to eaet in a restaurant after dark. I wouldn't be wandering drunk down dark alleys at midnight, but there is NO need to feel trapped in your hotel room after the sun goes down. That's just silly advice.

>I'd love to know where in Paris you can get a baguette made over a real wood fire.<

So would I, StC.

That poster seems to be living in an alternate universe.

((I))