We'll be visiting Paris for the first time this summer -- two adults and a 13 year old. We'll be seeing the usual "tourist" sights Eiffel Tower, Louvre and so on (after all, we're tourists). What area would be a good location for our hotel? We only have a few days, so I would like a hotel that is centrally located. Also, we like to stay in hotels with a variety of shops and restaurants near by. I appreciate your thoughts.

My Grand-daughter favourites ARR. in Paris are:The 6th-Saint Germain,the 5th-Latin Quarter and the 1rst. which is the oldest neighborhood in Paris-The Louvre-

Her favourite places in Paris are Notre Dame and le Sacre Coeur in Montmartre.

Island:
to me(personal opinion of course):
1)the 5º(Latin quarter).
2)either 1ª,2º or 3º,right bank.
I much prefer the 5º and walked everywhere.Have a nice trip!!!

hi island,

you will find lots of recommendations here, with everyone having their own favourites. IMHO your instinct to stay somewhere central is dead right, so Kismet's suggestions are spot on - the 1st, 5th and 6th arrondisements are where you will want to be. any hotel in those areas will bring you close to most of what you want to see, with the rest easily reached on the metro.

for what it's worth, we liked our stay here: www.hotel-britannique.fr. It's in the 1st, right by chatelet metro station, near Notre Dame, walking distance to the louvre and the seine, surrounded by restaurants, and for the location, we thought it was reasonably priced.

In July 2007, I stayed at the Hotel Le Regent on Rue Dauphine in the Saint Germain-des-Prés area. It was a great location. Right outside the hotel was an ATM machine and around the corner was the Odeon Metro stop. It was also a comfortable walking distance to the St. Michel metro station, Notre Dame, The Louvre (a little longer walk) and Les Deux Magots café. Double check more recent hotel reviews but I'd recommend the hotel and that area.

If you are open to an apartment three years ago we stayed http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p97127 which was a great fit for us and our 2 boys - strolling distance to the Eiffel tower - easy walk to the metro - close to a market and with a good selection of food stores and restaurants close by. It is a neighbourhood we wouldn't have originally thought to gravitate to, but we would stay there again.

island_girl2,

With a mere three days you absolutely want to stay in as central a location as possible. I would suggest staying on Ille St. Louis:

http://www.saintlouisenlisle.com/
http://www.paris-hotel-lutece.com/en/
http://www.deuxiles-paris-hotel.com/en/index.html

Many, many thanks to all who replied. I really appreciate your input. I've contacted all of the hotels you suggested, hoping one will still have rooms available this late in the game. It was a wonderful gift to be able to head to France on short notice, and equally wonderful to find such helpful advice from seasoned travelers.

What kind of budget do you have per night?

The best hotels in my views are the Burgundy Hotel near Madeleine (4 stars), the Bank Hotel near Opera (4 stars) and the Park Hyatt Vendome (5 stars). Bank Hotel deluxe rooms should be around 250-300 euros per night, when the Burgundy is closer to 500 euros per night and the Park Hyatt 600-700 euros.