Which area of Paris?
Apr 17th, 2002, 08:14 AM
#1
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Which area of Paris?
I am trying to book a hotel in Paris for May. All my first choice hotels are booked, but I do have responses from a few places unknown to me. <BR><BR>I will be traveling alone and am curious which area I should want to be in: the 1er, 5e or 13e Arrondissement?<BR><BR>Also, if you are familiar with any of these three and can provide feedback, I would be appreciate it very much:<BR><BR>Louvre Forum (1er)<BR>Hotel Residence Monge (5e)<BR>Residence Les Gobelins (13e)<BR><BR>Thank you for any help,<BR>Amalia <BR>
Apr 17th, 2002, 08:56 AM
#2
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Hi Amalia<BR>I think all three of those hotels have appeared on this message board--try searching for each. Also check the Fodor's hotel listings for Rants & Raves comments.<BR>I have a copy of the reliable book<BR>"Cheap Sleeps in Paris" although it's not the newest edition.<BR>For the Monge, my book says "it isn't posh by any means, just a modest hotel...rooms are generally small by American standards but they're the norm...If you book #31 you will have one of the best in the house...You can expect some noise in both Rooms 1 and 15 because they face the street...elevator, hair dryers, tv."<BR>No mention of a/c. Location is in the Latin Quarter, student country, near the Pantheon and the Sorbonne, which is very good. Lots of choices for places to eat, and good central location.<BR>I've been to Paris on my own from time to time, and it's great. If you'd like to see my Paris file, email me.
Apr 17th, 2002, 09:34 AM
#4
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If it were me, I'd pick the Residence Monge as I like that part of the 5th and have read good things about that hotel. I don't think you want the 13th; that area is just not that nice, kind of drab and ugly in parts, modern ugly highrises, urban renewal, nothing special, and farther out anyway. I don't stay on the Right Bank myself so am not that familiar with what it would be like to stay in the 1st.
Apr 17th, 2002, 11:37 AM
#6
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I just returned from Paris and I stayed in the 1st Arr near the Chatelet Metro station and the location couldn't have been more convenient. It was at a major Metro station, in the middle of the city and within walking distance from many sights and shopping on the Rue Rivoli. I loved it. I stayed at the Hotel Britannique. <BR><BR>Amalia, which hotels have you checked? I know a bunch of others you may try, send me an Email if you are interested.
Apr 17th, 2002, 11:47 AM
#7
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just to offer an alternate view point, although I have often stayed in the 1st arrondissement I prefer further west and I avoid the Chatelet metro station as much as I can. I wouldn't want it to be the stop nearest my hotel. To me it is arduous there, long stairways, endless corridors, and very crowded and pushy.
Apr 17th, 2002, 01:20 PM
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Amalia,<BR><BR>We stayed at the Hotel Residence Monge last September and found it to be quite satisfactory. It's a two-star hotel (the online guides list it as a three star but they're wrong) with typically small (Parisien)clean rooms and pretty good amenities (small breakfast room, hairdryers, etc.). <BR><BR>We found the location to be quite good and had no problem getting to places we wanted to go from the two Metro stops nearby (of course we still did a tremendous amount of walking but we love to walk in Paris!). Our room had a nice private balcony overlooking Rue Monge and although there was construction going on we still thoroughly enjoyed the fact that we could stand out there and watch the Parisien world go by. <BR><BR>If noise is an issue, I would suggest asking if the construction is still in effect. If it is, you can ask for a room at the back overlooking the Arenes Lutece (Greco-Roman arena w/ gardens which sits directly behind the hotel). <BR><BR>If you go to france-hotel-guide.com and do a search by emes you will see a few outdated photos of this property. Again, don't be fooled by the fact that this site lists it as a three-star. Just two other things: the room had a refrigerator (where we stored all kinds of French delicacies) but the safe you'll see listed on the amenities section is actually behind the front desk and only accessable during certain hours. This was no big deal and, all in all, we had a very pleasant stay there with Julie (the owner).<BR><BR>Please e-mail me if you have any other questions about this hotel.<BR><BR>Strive
Apr 17th, 2002, 04:55 PM
#11
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The 13th is more off of the so called<BR>"beaten path" of Paris. There are only a few hotels there. I would classify it as more of an industrial and residential area of the city.<BR>Because of the excellent transportation system, I usually consider the quality of the hotel first and the area that it is in second and the proximity of transportation 3rd, and the nearess of restaurants 4th. But you may have a different agenda, particularly if is your first trip. <BR>In that case the 5th is in the tourist area as is the first.
Apr 18th, 2002, 01:05 AM
#12
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Bob, there is 13th and 13th. Between Monge and Gobelins, there are only 2 metro stations. When you get out of the metro Gobelins you are in the 13th. You cross the boulevard, and you are in the 5th, so... Personnally, Gobelins is one of my favorite areas of Paris, very lively, lots of cinemas, restaurants, markets, within walking distance to the Latin Quarter. IMO much more central than the gloomy, bourgeois, dead at night 7th which most people rave about on this forum.
