which area of Paris?
 

Last trip to Paris over 25 years ago we stayed in the 5th at Hotel Scandanavie. I hear hotel is gone ...any recommendations for what area to stay in and reasons why?..thanks.

Hubby gettng a Palm and says he will transfer all this info.

Hi Lois,

There is a bias on this forum for the 2-7 Arronds, with 4-6 being most popular.

(I shall now step back and wait for the slings and arrows to fly.)

Some folks like to walk out of their hotel and be right in the 'thick' of things, walkable distances to many sights/museums... there is no one place to book that will put you by <i>everything</i> of interest, however. Consider a hotel that is near a metro and bus stop, that is central enough to reach most places within 15 minutes or so, and is on a smaller/side street to reduce traffic noise level.

If traveling in the summer you may want A/C, which can serve to cool you and reduce that traffic noise.

Proximity to a market street is nice, or to a park or green space. As ira mentions, most repeat posters prefer the Left Bank (5-7th) and the Marais (4th), a few stay on the Right Bank (the 16th can be nice) and a few like the Montparnasse/Denfert area of the 14th.

You should offer your nightly budget and what quality/class of hotel you would like to book and your travel dates, and plenty of Fodorites will chime in.

Budget hubby says for hotel will be Less than $200 and even that sounds like a lot to me. I would rather spend on restaurants..can anyone relate to that?

oops forgot to state...we are staying in Paris after traveling through Normandy, Loire, and other areas etc. Arrival in Paris to stay would be in October.

Loisco:

We loved Paris in October/November.

I find the easiest way to answer a request such as yours is to simply tell you what we liked and why. I can recommend 2 hotels in your budget range.

Hotel Bonaparte is in the 6th, just 2 blocks from the heart of St. Germaine. (Find St. Sulpice on your map and the hotel is next door.) It's a nice hotel on an upscale street, surrounded by very chic shops and boutiques. The hotel itself is not grand, but it's safe and well tended. Very courteous staff will bring breakfast to your room or there's a nice breakfast room if you prefer.

The other hotel is the Hotel de Notre Dame in the 5th (Rue Maitre Albert). It's in the very center of Paris, about 50 yards from the Seine, right at Notre Dame. Fabulous setting. It's on a tiny one-way street. You can walk to Ile St. Louis and Ile de la Cite in 5 minutes. The Louvre is right across the river. The Latin Quarter is right there too. It is a little more updated than the Bonaparte. Nice room...nice bath. They offer breakfast, but we always walked over to the Iles for breakfast.
Here's their website:
http://www.hotel-paris-notredame.com/index.html

Both hotels have excellent restaurants all around them. Metro access is probably better at the Bonaparte.

For a double, Hotel de Notre Dame is about 160 euro. I think the Bonaparte is about 130 euro. (Ira , is that right?) October will probably be &quot;high season&quot; since it's a busy time in Paris.

We were very happy with both. I probably liked the Notre Dame best just for the location. I'm an early morning walker and loved being right at the river when I left the hotel.

Do searches in the box above on &quot;Bonaparte&quot; and &quot;Hotel de Notre Dame&quot;...there are recent threads on both. There are many hotels with Notre Dame in their name. Always be sure you're reading about the one on Rue Maitre Albert.

Have fun planning your trip. Research can be maddening, but it's also part of the fun!

Thanks so much. I have them written down..!!

Now I have to work on the rest of the trip..

The above two hotels seem to be very well thought of.
A few on the left bank that are a little less and also well-reviewed by guests:
Grand Hotel des Balcons
Hotel St Jacques
Residence Monge
Degres de Notre Dame
Hotel Jardins de Luxembourg

for hotel comments, also check at
www.tripadvisor.com

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

Prior to a couple months ago, it had been 33 years since I last visited Paris, and I was amazed at how little it had changed (at least from what I remembered). I think if you liked the 5th 25 years ago, you'll probably like it next October. We stayed in the 6th (Hotel du Danube). The question might be whether or not your creature comfort needs have changed such that you can find suitable accommodation within your budget. $200 at today's exchange rates buys a 3-star and lower in the 4th - 6th.

Hi lois,

Hotel Bonaparte is about 120E for the smaller rooms up to about 155E for the larger rooms.

It is where we always stay in Paris.

Tel 33 1 43 26 97 37
FAX 33 1 46 33 57 67