Should we stay in the Eiffel Tower/Musee D' Orsay/Invalides neighborhood while in Paris?
 

We are traveling to Paris on a budget. There is a 4 Star hotel in the Eiffel Tower/Musee D' Orsay/Invalides neighborhood in Paris for a very reasonble price. Fodors mentions that this neighborhood is quiet and rolls up early at night. Any and all recommendations/comments would be greatly appreciated.

Yes, it is quiet. Is that what you want? If you're looking for other suggestions there are plenty to peruse if you do a search for "hotels in Paris" or specify the arrondisement that you are interested in.

I did stay in that area one year and enjoyed it but missed the Notre Dame - St. Germain area so have stayed there in recent years. I like the Hotel de Notre Dame on Rue Maitre Albert and the Abbatial St. Germain on Blvd St. Germain. There are many good hotels in that area.

We stayed in the 7th in June and found it to be wonderful. Yes, it was pretty quiet at night, but not enough to bother us. We were 3 females, and we walked everywhere, even at night, and always felt safe. There were plenty of restaurants, but it didn't have the buzz that other areas of town have in the evenings. Which hotel are you looking at?

there are hundreds of nice hotels all over Paris. What is your budget and when are you rgoing?

We are going June 2008. We had to book early since we are using frequent flier miles and need to arrange childcare with grandparents. I found this particular 4 star room on Hotwire.com for $112 USD a night. I booked a 4 star hotel last year on Hotwire.com for London at $112 USD, and it turned out to be the Hilton Waldorf just off of Covent Garden. It was truly too good to be true! With Hotwire.com, you know the general neighborhood but can't find out the property name until you book with your credit card. I purposely booked the room in London since I am familiar with London nieghborhoods. I am asking for help on this forum since this is my first trip to Paris. We are in our early 40's and like hustle and bustle, but are not ones to go to nightclubs. Quiet is good for the right price, and this is a pretty good price. I've used Hotwire.com on many occasions and have had wonderful luck. I've found that the key to using Hotwire.com is picking the proper neighborhood.

i'd be willing to bet you are talking about a hotwire.com 4 star hotel in that neighbourhood. i'd also be willing to bet that that 'secret' 4 star hotel is the hilton on ave. du suffren.

we stayed there (using hotwire) and the rooms were far better than i imagined. the price was right (about US$ 120 per night) and it was right on top of a metro stop so getting around the city was no problem.

that said, the neighbourhood itself is cool - lots of local bistro's great quiet tree lined streets. you are a 6E cab ride away from the louvre

if you are in fact talking about the 4 star on hotwire.com i'd go for it. i've used hotwire a number of times and never been let down - that said, you are 'stuck' to mostly american style hotels, a little less authentic that the spots you'd find on ile st louis or something.

here's the link - http://www1.hilton.com/en_US/hi/hote...01AECSGBJF2VCQ

i swear i didn't see that ;-)

i'd book it - there is an outdoor patio at the hotel staring right at the tower... a cognac watching the lights in a peaceful setting in my mind is better than the view from the top!

Monterey, I have friends who always stay in a beautiful small hotel in the 7th and love it.

I can recommend a hotel on a quiet street that is nonetheless in the absolute center, a block off the Seine, between the Louvre and Hotel de Ville (city hall), 3 minutes from Notre Dame, 5 minutes to the Marais, close to Place des Voges, etc: The Britannique on avenue Victoria.
TripAdvisor.com gives 4.5 stars, Fodors user rating is 4.6 - well worth a look. http://www.hotel-britannique.fr/

tom--LOL! We stayed in the 7th for the first few days, then spent time in Normandy, but when we returned we stayed at the Britannique. Fabulous hotel! And yes, very quiet hotel, quiet street, but literally around the corner was all the hustle and bustle.

JMWF, that does look like a might bargain, if it turns out to be so!

i think you guys are missing the point...

"we are travelling to paris on a budget"

hotwire has this hotel for US$112

the hotel britannique is 173E per night for a standard double room. thats more than twice the price...

JMWF - you hit the nail on the head! With two young kids and a new house, our travel budget has been greatly reduced. I figure that we can use the difference in savings from the hotel room as our spending money. Every penny counts! Luckily, I am able to accrue tons of flier miles thorugh my work to cover the plane tickets. We were able to get the tickets for about $200 in taxes. These exact tickets would have cost us about $1,450 each to fly from San Francisco to Paris. It has become so expensive to fly! Now all I have to convince my husband that we should book this room as he wants to stay in the middle of the hustle and bustle. You guys are great! Thanks so much for the input.

I was not suggesting anything...just agreeing with Tom that it was a great hotel.

Anyway, monterey123, we flew from SFO to CDG this summer...tired to use miles but that didn't work, so I know all about those fares. If you decide to go for the Britannique, there is a way to get 10% off the rate. Join www.bonjourparis.com for their premium membership. It does cost about $35, but depending on how many nights you stay at the hotel, it can really pay off. We had 2 rooms for 5 nights, so for us it was a no brainer. I will say that the hotel location was great, and we loved our room! I won't comment on it anymore, unless you ask.

We stayed in teh 7th a few years ago and loved it. We were on a nice semi-lively street filled with cafes and shops. We were within walking distance of the Eiffel Tower and the Invalides.

If you are interested, the hotel we stayed at was the Hotel du Champ de Mars. We were there in November, so it was off-season, but our room was only around 80 euro per night. We had a small but lovely room with very pretty decor and a view of the top of the Eiffel Tower from our window.

Tracy

I booked a few nights for this September with Hotwire and got the Hilton Paris for $115/night. I needed a room for nights our apartment (in the 7th) was not available. I was able to determine that it would probably be the Hilton by matching up the amenities and checking with www.betterbidding.com, where others had recently reported their results for similar dates. There is no guarantee, though, that you will get the Hilton, and you won't know until you've booked and paid with Hotwire.

Note that the Eiffel Tower/Musee d'Orsay/Invalides area on Hotwire is huge. Hotwire's hotels change all the time. And, Hotwire adds a bit to the daily rate, during the booking process, for fees, etc.

It it is the Hilton, it's not located in the 7th, but the 15th (just over the border of the 7th). There are many, many charming hotels with moderate prices in the 7th (€80-120). But, I think you'll find the rooms at the Hilton larger, nicer, and more comfortable.

We've stayed at the hotel next to the Hilton. We like staying in the 7th better, for the location and because we enjoy that it's quiet at night.

In my opinion, the Hilton is not the most convenient location. Though there is a metro station nearby, connections are awkward, and more than one is often required to get where you're going.

But, we prefer the buses, anyway, and there are stops nearby for Routes 42 and 82 which now run evenings (until 12:30) and Sundays (they didn't previously).

For that ridiculously low price (especially compared to booking directly with the Hilton), I think you'll be thrilled with the Hilton. No matter where you stay, you'll want to go all over. And, the savings in the rate will more than cover a few taxi rides, if necessary. And, if you enjoy the Eiffel Tower, it's in your face going and coming.

I've also had great luck with Hotwire. And, we stayed at the Waldorf Hilton (though with Priceline) for just over $100/night and were beyond thrilled.

JMWF -

Do the board members a favor, and learn to use tinyurl.com so your long URLs don't overflow the page and force everyone to scroll horizontally. Due to a "functional characteristic" (read: design flaw) in Fodor's server script, links like yours with certain characters in them don't even work correctly. Tinyurl fixes that, too.

Thank you.

Girls, girls - I didn't look up Monterey's hotwire info until after posting the Britannique. Priced lower than REGULAR 4* rates, even "reasonable" 4* rates. I agree, if you can do the big-boy hotel at that price, go for it.

btw, I'm priced out of the Britannique myself right now. Their recent upgrades make it much prettier than it was, but quite a bit more expensive. Still, I love that location.

<<i think you guys are missing the point...

"we are travelling to paris on a budget"

hotwire has this hotel for US$112>>

Go for it! The 7th is nice, just quieter than the Latin Quarter, etc. As others have noted, lots of bistros, restaurants and shops. You can take the metro all over Paris and also do lots of walking. If you find you like another area better, stay there next time.

I encourage you to book the 4* on Hotwire. You cant go wrong with that price. Ive stay at the Hilon Paris. I got it on Hotwire for $120. It exceeded our expectations. If you wait too long it will be gone. Book it now.