What Paris neighborhood suits me?
 

My husband and I are planning a one week Paris trip in June of this year. I have browsed a bit and am unsure what neighborhood is right for us.<BR>We are mid 30s and do enjoy nightlife yet I am not certain the Latin Quarter is suitable as I continue to read about the abundance of college students. We are interested in the romantic side of Paris as well... Not just a party. Where can we find a nice mix of action and tranquility? Lots of walking is desirable as well.<BR>thanks in advance.

You are right about the Latin Quarter being too student-filled. It is also a little less "romantic". I find St. Germain des Pres the most quaint with its bookshops and large amount of cafes. It can be quite busy, too, but if you pick a side street to go back to, you can then pop right into the action when you feel like it. And it is a great location to walk to just about anywhere. In fact, we had planned to ride the metro a lot more than we did because by the time we figured out we passed a metro stop, we were already at our destination! St. Germain has all the charm you want. Le Marais is a little more hip right now I guess, but it has more saturated, too.

Hi<BR>The 6th, 7th (left bank), or 4th might be good.<BR>The 4th covers part of the Marais and the Ile St Louis, it is on the right bank, and it is absolutely charming.<BR>It is one of the oldest areas of Paris.<BR>It is also convenient walking distance to the Louvre, Notre Dame, and the metro will take you everywhere else.

We've stayed all over Paris, from Montmartre to Montparnasse, but on our most recent trip we stayed in the Latin Quarter. We're in our late 30s and we loved it. <BR><BR>The Latin Quarter is large and has diverse corners. I would avoid the area of the Boulevard St. Michel directly off the Seine--that tends to be a much younger crowd (a lot of teenagers on school tours). The crowd in the cafes surrounding Place de la Contrescarpe can be pretty young, too.<BR><BR>Based on my non-scientific observations, I'd say Montmartre had the youngest median age of the places we've stayed (probably mid 20s); Latin Quarter somewhere in the 30s; St. Germain always seems older to me, but the median age is probably late 40s--mid 50s. The rue Cler area of the 7th seems even a bit older--late 50s early 60s. And I couldn't characterize Montparnasse age-wise at all. It was probably the most diverse neighborhood of the bunch (age-wise).<BR><BR><BR>

<BR>Easy MJG . . . the Marais.<BR><BR>You're walking distance from the DJ bars of the Bastille (easy staggering distance back), while you can stroll over the bridges to Notre Dame, the Latin Quarter for dinner/clubs (then stroll back) - you'll love the area around Place des Vosges.<BR><BR>Good luck, have fun!

It's not critical at all where you stay as long as you're in the central area. The various areas (arrondisements) are right next to each other, across the street from each other. There's no great demarcation line. Everyone has their own favorite area they will argue for, from the Latin Quarter to St Germain to the Islands to the Marais to the Louvre area and on and on. You'll be out and about the whole city anyway, and the city is so easy to get around you can go to most areas quickly and easily for sites, restaurants, etc. The 1st, 4th, parts of the 5th, the 6th, parts of the 7th, 8th - they would all be fine for a first timer. For more Paris information e-mail me: [email protected]