where to stay in Paris
 

What area would be most fun and interesting for a family -2 parents and 3 boys high school and college aged? Left bank? any thoughts? I appreciate your input as this is the first time for us to visit.

Yes, I would head for the left bank - somewhere near the university so the boys can meet other students on evenings out. But finding a hotel for 5 adults will be an issue. How long will you be there and will you be renting an apartment (probably a help with keeping those 3 "kids" stoked up without totally breaking the bank).

I would go. To the web site of Vacation in Paris and looke over apartments available in the 5th-that is the area of the University and it is close to the river and many places of interest.

We had good luck with this company.

Pat

Hi Annette,
You might share what you and your family members enjoy doing and some special interests you have or places in Paris you know you'll all want to visit. That will give folks an idea of neighborhoods to recommend for lodging/activities.

Wherever you do decide to stay for your visit, one thing I would highly recommend to folks traveling as a family is to take a Paris bicycle tour at the very beginning of your stay. We found it quickly oriented us to the lay of the land of the city and it's major sights, helping us get around with confidence the rest of our stay that first time in Paris. Plus, it was just plain fun. Most bike tours are about 3 hours, you can choose lots of routes through several companies depending on what you'd like to see, and its active and interesting for all ages (I'm middle aged and kept right up with the teens). The tour guides tend to be American college/post college-age who live in Paris or native Parisians who lead the tours in English and are enthusiastic to share information about the sites, and keep it engaging without putting kids or adults on snooze alert :-).

We took two different tours (one day, one night) on our first trip to Paris and they were an unexpected highlight for us. The next time I went back I was traveling solo and booked a bicycle tour that got off the beaten track for several hours into some less touristic areas of the north end of the city, and it was so fun and I discovered many places that I returned to on my own to explore further and just adored.

One nice result of having taken those first two bike tours on the first trip was they gave me all the confidence I needed to use the Paris Velib bicycle system extensively to get around on the next trip. It is so convenient to use--Velib stations are everywhere, every 300 meters or so over the whole city. Your hotel or apartment will probably have a Velib station adjascent or just down the street. I highly recommend you check it out.

Here are links to two bike tour companies I have ridden with and recommend (but there are others you might look into), as well as a link to Velib. Wishing you happy adventures in Paris!

Fat Tire Bikes: http://paris.fattirebiketours.com/tours/paris
Velo C'est Sympa: http://www.parisvelosympa.com/en/
Velib: http://en.velib.paris.fr/

Would you rec the bike tour for someone pushing 70? It sounds fun and I want to go back to Paris solo as hubby wasn't into museums. I love exploring neighborhoods and biking seems like an excellent way to go.

We Used Vacation in Paris for apt rental and would recommend.We stayed within walking distance of Eiffel tower but anywhere is good as the Metro is so easy.

Karen

We stayed in the 1rst the first time we went and the 5th the second time. We all preferred the 5th. I highly recommend an apartment with they number of people. I will look for the link to the one we rented. We had ; children with us, two 18 year old boys, 15 year old & 12 year old..girls.

Karen, re. your question about would a bike tour work for older gals, I say yes. I would recommend one of the 3 hours tours--most are on all flat areas on both sides of the river, so no hills to pump up :-). There were folks your age on one of our tours and they seemed to enjoy it. The bikes are very comfortable. One caveat, though, it is probably not for someone who has never cycled before or who has mobility problems. If you're someone who enjoys getting about and exploring, don't let the candles on the birthday cake dictate what to do.

And I must say, it was very rewarding to be all on my own in Paris and do exactly what I wanted when I wanted for as long as I wanted. I felt perfectly safe, had no problems, and even found myself cycling past the Centre Pompidou on a Velib bike at one in the morning back to my lodgings after spending Halloween night poking about le Marais taking photographs. Enjoy those museums!

This apt may work for you, if it is available....great area and sleeps 5. Not sure of your budget but this is reasonable to me. We rent from Paris Perfect and have had good experiences with them.

http://www.parisperfect.com/apartmen.../chassagne.php

I would also endorse Vacation in Paris - they were great to deal with.

We stayed in this apartment in December with our three teenage kids - the third on a sofa bed.

It's only small and up a couple of sets of stairs, but we found the location was terrific!

http://www.vacationinparis.com/apts/id_18.htm

See above - located in the Marais (4th) on Rue St Antoine, near st Paul Metro Station (#1 Line), between rue de Rivoli and Bastille.

It was a nice walk from "our" place to The Louvre and Notre Dame, with lots of cafes, antique shops (in St Paul village), patisseries, fromageries, boulangeries etc nearby - and wine as well.

We just returned from six weeks in France, four of them in an apartment right at the Cardinal Lemoine Metro. I would recommend staying in that area. Look at the Hotel des Grandes Ecoles. It looks quiet, well-located, with a pretty, internal courtyard. There are other hotels along rue Monge.

The vacation in Paris ASpt on Rue St Antoine is so conveniet we stay at a smaller apt across the street from it. Excellent transport ,shops and cafes all around and a laundro mat!!One of our favorite cafes is on Rue St aAntoine and the of corner of rue St Paul. excellent set menu changes daily and Berthillion ice cream!!!LeBouquet St Paul theres also a good Italian nearby Pizza,mama.Several good patissseries too

We just returned from a family trip with two kids, including a 17 year old. We stayed in the 6th and we all loved it. Lots of great easy restaurant choices to walk to, plus easy to get to all the sites. An apartment would be great, but if you prefer a hotel we stayed at Hotel Clement and the location was perfect. It might be possible to get two adjacent rooms that would accommodate your family. I don't think they have one room big enough for five.

The other delight of the rue St Antoine apartment is that you can slip next door, wander through the beautiful and historically important courtyards of the Hotel de Sully:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C3%B4tel_de_Sully

AND, sneaking through the passageway in the back corner, you find yourself in an arcade of the Place des Vosges - arguably one of the most graceful and sublimely spectacular squares in Europe, and therefore, the world:

http://www.aviewoncities.com/paris/placedesvosges.htm