Cali

DH and I are going to Paris for several days in late Sept., following a cruise. I have asked lots of friends which areas they prefer and what hotels and I am getting closer to deciding where we will stay, but would love your advice. We have narrowed it down to the Champs Elysee Area or St Germain but can't make up our mind. Do you have any special reasons for the area you prefer? Would love input. Thanks for your advice.

Guenmai

St.Germain. I've stayed all over Paris, but have stayed mostly in St.Germain since first in the 70s.

Happy Travels!

Ackislander

Not Champs Élysées

Avalon2

St Germain!!

justineparis

There is no contest, St Germain. Champs area is soulless, just some car dealerships and many chain stores, nothing nice about it , unless you LIKE paying 5 euros for a coffee or coke on the strip...

St Germain is charming, and if you stay in St Germain you can walk to many interesting sites, not just chain stores.

Spend a half day walking up the Champs, visit the Arc, then you can hightail it back to the cozy St Germain...

FHurdle

I hate the Champs Élysées.

kerouac

I am wondering how one could have narrowed down the possibilities to just those two overpriced areas.

justineparis

Well I agree St Germain is not an inexpensive area, but it at least has a tad of charm, and I do consider it more central to more sites then the Champs.

bdsbeautyblog

I agree with kerouac I'm afraid...my instinct was "neither!"

Gretchen

To answer the question--anywhere but the Champs.

MaisonPlague

I thought the Champs were quite posh. Didn't Marlene Dietrich live off one of them?

WeisserTee

It would be helpful if you explained what the Champs Elysees "area" means. Do you mean on the CE itself? Or do you mean farther afield, perhaps into Passy or up as far as the Parc Monceau? The Golden Triangle down near the Avenue Montaigne?

I wouldn't stay along the CE itself, but I have stayed many times in the Passy area and a few times up near the Parc Monceau. I enjoyed both very much and wouldn't hesitate to stay in either area again.

And what appeals to you about these areas? Remember, everyone's view is highly subjective (mine included). Even if other posters hate an area, you might like it. For example, I am not particularly enamoured of the Rue Cler area, but that doesn't mean those who really like it are somehow in the wrong.

Andrew

I stayed in the 17th on my first visit years ago (it's not too far from the Champs Elysees) and really enjoyed the area. I just got back from Paris and stayed near Opera and didn't care for the area much - really preferred the 17th. It's residential and a little less touristy than the other areas.

St. Germain is near a lot of appealing things so it is very convenient, but it is also overrun with tourist-focused businesses.

sueciv

I was about 4 blocks from the Arc (therefore the Champs)when I stayed off Wagram. My memory blurs as to whether it was the 16th or 17..and I agree with Andrew. Nice area BUT if you want to meander to the big sites, the Louvre, Notre Dame, etc. It is a bit of a hike...so maybe a first timer and they have a choice, I'd say the 6th is nice. My next visit I'll stay in the Marais, and close to the Republique... I think.
That said, if someone gave me their points I'd be more than happy to stay plunk down center of the Champs. It is only a bath and a bed, after all...

TPAYT

I'll go out on a limb here and say----ILE ST. LOUIS.

The Champs is our least favorite area of Paris. Way too commercial but some of the side areas are nice. Ex: around Park Monceau, but then it would be a bit isolated for me.

If we were to stay in St. Germain, it would have to be at The Madison Hotel
http://www.hotel-madison.com/index.php?lang=en
Excellent location and outstandinf property.

For Ile St. Louis----for us a perfect location on the river behind Notre Dame. The hotels are small and quaint. We've been renting an apt. for the last several years so can't comment on the hotels but the location is perfect.
We've walked by this one countless times and it looks charming.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...de_France.html

Here's the others on the ile
http://www.expedia.com/Ile-Saint-Lou...l-Guide-Hotels

StCirq

The last place I'd stay in Paris is around the Champs Elysées. And I don't understand how you narrowed it down to two, either. Must've been a very small sample. My own new favorite is the 20th, but of the two you've limited it to, it would have to be St-Germain.

Andrew

I kind of assume any visitor to Paris will use the Metro (and/or buses) at least sometimes. If you stay in St. Germain you'd have less need of it, depending on what you wish to see, since so many top tourist sights are walkable from there - but not everything. That's why I liked the 17th: easy Metro to almost everything but a desirable area itself to stay in. But, we all have our personal preferences.

BigAleinstein

I thought the Champs were quite posh. Didn't Marlene Dietrich live off one of them?

And Hitler once went down the Champs.

This is the same discussion as when first timers to NYC want to stay in the Times Square area. While St. Germain has infinitely more charm that Times Square, each has it own attraction that experienced travelers usually shun.

latedaytraveler

Another vote for St. Germain for charm and convenience. My second choice would be the Marais...

WeisserTee

I am always surprised at the stridency and arrogance that pops up whenever someone asks about which area of Paris to stay in. I have stayed in St. Germain plenty of times and never found it to be more "soulful" than Passy or the Monceau area, both of which are not far from the CE.

I don't like the Marais, for example, but I don't drape myself in disdain when others ask about staying there the way some people do here whenever an area they don't approve of comes up for discussion.