Where oh where to choose a hotel in Paris
 

I am looking to plan a trip to Paris

I need help in choosing an area to stay in. The more I read the more confused I get

We will be a family of 4 with children age 8 & 10. What arrondissement (s) should I concentrate my search in?

Any suggestions on hotels/ apartments would be nice too. We like very clean places with atmosphere to them. We don't consider a hotel room just a place to sleep but a part of the experience. Our max out on the per night rate would be $300 per night but would like to keept it at $200 per night or there about.

Tried doing a search already but wanted to narrow it down to our needs

Thanks

How long is your stay?
How important is it to you to have a spacious room?
How do your kids feel about walking?

Just a few generally recommended hotels well within your price range, some at the lower end of your range, some at the higher

you can search for them by name here or at tripadvisor.com
You can inquire about 'family' rooms, and/or two communicating rooms

Hotel St Jacques 5th
Emeraude Louvre Montana 1st
Hotel des Etats Unis Opera 2nd
Hotel Mansart 1st
Hotel Danube 6th
Hotel des Marronniers 6th
Hotel Dauphine St Germain 6th
Hotel des Deux Iles
Hotel Lenox St Germain
Hotel Fleurie 6th
Grand Hotel des Balcons 6th
Hotel Lanlois 9th

You'll note that the single-digit arrondissements are most popular because they are most central.
There are fans of both the left and the right bank, left bank seems to be the majority here, but I'm a right bank fan for location. But, there are many excellent hotel locations in Paris.

the last one should be
Langlois

I have a long file on Paris, if you'd like to see it, email me at
[email protected]

Hi ga,

As noted, the single digits are the most central.

The 4th (Marais) is fairly hip
The 5th (Latin Quarter) is mainly students
The 6th (St Germain) is upscale trendy
The 7th near the Eiffel Tower is more residential than the others.
The Ile St Louis is ancient and tends toward the expensive

My wife and I always stay at the Hotel Bonaparte, 61 rue Bonaparte in the sixth. It is closer to your $200.

I don't believe that they have quads, but they might have a pair of connecting rooms for you.

Ooops,

Hotel Bonaparte
Tel 011 33 1 43 26 97 37
FAX 011 33 1 46 33 57 67

Thank you for responding

I will look into the suggestions and I appreciate the listings

Will Travel - we like to have at least room to move around in the room. I don't want something that all that fits into the room is the bed/s

We don't mind walking but I don't want to be so far from the main sites that it will be a hassle to get to. This is our first trip to Paris but not the first to Europe. We are planning on staying 7 nights in Paris.

Hi,

My sister, niece and I were in Paris for 9 nights in September. We stayed at an apartment in the 6th, and we loved it! The website for the apartments (there are two -- a larger one in the 5th and the one we stayed at in the 6th). You can check them both out at www.lacigaleparis.com. The owner is an American, making the whole transaction (rent payment, communication, etc.) a lot easier!

The Residence Henry IV may do the trick. Our room had a tiny kitchen/bar, enough for 2 burners and a fridge and tiny sink. With kids, this would help you a lot in the morning. The room we had was a good size, with balcony, and a nice bathroom. Some have a livingroom with a sofabed. The price is is around 175-200 for a standard. Hotel is near the Pantheon, walkable to 2 metro stops. There are great pastry, cheese, and wine shops nearby and reasonably priced and untouristy restaurants.
Go to Small and Elegant Hotels web site or do a search for hotel name.

Residence Henri IV has its own website:
http://www.paris-hotel-henriquatre.com/

This links to an old thread which lists Paris quads. You'll have to do research on the pricing though.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34391541

ciao,
MaryC :)

Thanks everyone for the information

I hope someone can also direct me to which arrondissement(s) we should concentrate on as first time visitors

The list of hotels is great but I am still having a problem deciding on which areas to concentrate in.

My advice is don't think about arrondissements when planning your days. Pick the things you want to do, then explore the areas around them. There's nothing special about being able to say that you accomplished seeing 3 complete arrondissements! Go to the Eiffel Tower, Montmartre, the Marais, Notre Dame, museums that you and the kids are interested in, Arc de Triomphe, a few parks . . .

You'll see plenty of Paris by just going to the places you want to see and working from there.

I don't know if this helps, but one hotel website gave this very general description of the different sections of Paris (IMHO, the 1st arr. would be nice for a first-time visitor; also, sorry for this long post):

Central Paris includes hotels in the 1st and 2nd Arrondissements. This is the most popular area of Paris for visitors and is where you will find The Louvre, Notre Dame and most of the expensive hotels. The shops along Blvd Haussmann are on the northern edge of this area, and to the south is the Seine.

Opera and Montmartre includes hotels in the 9th, 10th and 18th Arrondissements. This area is to the north of the centre and includes the romantic Pigalle district, as well as several museums and the Folies Bergeres. Montmatre, a lively and slightly bohemian district, has the incomparable Sacre-Cour church, the Moulin Rouge and a host of delightful, intimate, restaurants.

Bastille includes hotels in the 11th, 12th and 20th Arrondissements. The area around the Place de Republic, to the east of Central Paris, has in recent years become quite fashionable. There are good shops, restaurants and the Edith Piaf Museum. The Bastille should also not be missed, one of the sights of Paris, and to the north of this area Pere Lachaise Cemetary is where stars like Chopin, Edith Piaf and Jim Morrison are buried.

Arc de Triomphe and Eiffel Tower includes hotels in the 7th 8th 15th and 16th Arrondissements. To the west of the centre this is the finest part of the city. The Champs Elysees is possibly the most spectacular street in Europe, with the Arc de Triomphe standing majestically at the end. Across the Seine the Eiffel Tower dominates. The shopping and restaurants are the finest the city has to offer and there are a host of museums and other attractions.

Latin Quarter and Montparnasse includes hotels in the 6th and 14th Arrondissements. The Latin Quarter, on the south bank across the Seine from The Louvre, is best known for its association with writers, including Simone de Beauvoir, Camus, Hemingway and Sartre, but it is also where such famous Parisian landmarks as Saint-Germain-des-Pres Church and the Luxembourg Gardens can be found. Montparnasse is home to many Parisians. Full of delightful neighbourhoods, each seemingly with its own market, this is a great place to make as a base for those on an extended stay in Paris.

La Defense is 5 miles (8km) north west of the city centre this modern development has good transportation links to the city centre. There is a major convention and exhibition centre here, and many new hotels have been built to cater for visitors and exhibitors. If there are no events, particularly during holiday periods, these hotels can represent excellent value.

I wouldn't worry unduly about which arrondissement to stay in. All of Paris is easily accessible by bus or Metro and your children are old enough to manage public transportation. Why don't you pull out a map and check the locations of all the attractions you'd like to see, and then choose the arrondissement that is most convenient to your interests?

Arrondisements 1-8 are all very central and easily access the major sites/sights of Paris. You could get 2 double rooms at the Hotel Muguet for about $200.

the following also have information on the districts

http://www.hotelstravel.com/france-paris.html has a small map of the arrondissements.

www.webscapades.com/france/paris/paris.htm good descriptions of
arrondissements and neighborhoods, but
a better one is at http://www.concierge.com/paris/resou...hborhoodguide/


The center of Paris is relatively small and mostly walkable, and the metro and buses fill in nicely for the longer distances. There is more than one great arrondissement to stay in, especially as mentioned if you stick to the single digits.

Any place that is near a metro stop in the 1-8 arrondissements will be central enough for you to explore Paris fully as a first time visitor. The metro stops in Paris are very close together, and almost all the sights you will want to see are near metro stops and easily accessible. If you stay within easy walking distance of the Seine, you will be able to walk to many of the places you want to see.

Thank you so much

That is exaclty the information I was looking for

We've stayed ay several hotels in Paris, but recently we've come back to The Artus Hotel several times, a great, moderately priced hotel in the 6th arrondissement. It gets MY rave review too.

http://fodors.com/rants/rrread.cfm?d...ntity_id=51297