Please help--the following are choices of areas in Paris in which to stay. If any are unsafe, please let me know. Also, please tell me which are the safest, the loudest, the nicest, etc.<BR><BR>1)La Defense - Neuilly<BR>2)Batignolles - Montmarte - Republique<BR>3)Opera Quarter East - Les Halles<BR>4)Bastille - Bercy<BR>5) St. Germain - Latin Quarter - Montparnasse<BR>6) Eiffel Tower - Grenelle - Montparnasse<BR>7)Champs Elysses - Opera Quarter Weste<BR><BR>Thank you so much!

Christian, the best area to stay in Paris is the 5th one, St Germain-Latin Quarter-Montparnasse, very central and safe. Neully is out of the center of Paris. Also avoid Monmartre area. It's not so safe . Have fun in Paris!

It looks to me that you’ve listed the Priceline.com zones. If this is true I’d be really careful. I’ve examined their maps to see their zones and there is a huge area in each one. You could easily bid for the 5th in St. Germain and end up 5 or 6 subway stops further out at the far edge of Montparnasse. That many stops mean an extra 20 minutes each way getting from your hotel to the central area for site seeing.<BR><BR>Again the areas are so broad you can't pick one as being completely &quot;safe&quot; or &quot;quiet.&quot;<BR><BR>Personally I’ve researched Priceline a bit for Paris because I use it here in the US. I don’t see that many particularly good deals when I cross reference with biddingfortravel.com. But then I’m a two-star hotel at $70US or less in the 1st, or 9th through 12th kinda guy.<BR><BR>If you aren’t asking about the priceline zones, then, never mind. <BR>

From your choices, the only area I'd choose to stay is #5: St. Germain/Latin Qtr./Montparnasse. I don't particularly care for Montparnasse as it's closer to the Luxembourg Gardens and I really like being in the center of St. Germain or the Latin Qtr.

What priceline seems to have done is blended areas together that otherwise can vary greatly.<BR>For example, the St Germain and Latin Quarter areas in the 5th and 6th are very popular. Montparnasse is farther away, at least it reaches to a wider scope, and imo all of it is not as charming or convenient, though many people like it.<BR><BR>How Montparnasse also got combined with the Eiffel Tower I can't figure.<BR><BR>In real life, Paris is divided into arrondissements (districts) that are numbered and that are arranged in a spiral. The 1st, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th are the most popular areas to stay in generally speaking.<BR>You should buy a good map of Paris--<BR>&quot;Streetwise Paris&quot; is excellent and I've used it for years. Or buy a guidebook (you'll need one anyway) and most books have a map or drawing somewhere inside of the book that shows the principal sites and the arrondissement. It may helpyou decide.<BR><BR>If you have to decide &quot;blind&quot;, then I recommend area 5 as a first choice and #7 as a second choice--better odds for a good location.

If you are using Priceline, why don't you give us an idea of your price and amenity requirements. We can see if we can match you with a hotel. Just a thought. Paris is pretty affordable, compared to major US cities, IMHO.

Hi Christian,<BR> Agree that #5 on your list is the best. <BR>I suggest that you try other sites for possible locations.<BR><BR>http://www.hotelstravel.com/france-paris.html has a small map showing the locations of the arondissements.

Another vote for the 5th arr (Latin Quarter). I stayed at the Hotel du Levant in October and was very satisfied. The lobby area is very hip-looking. We requested a room on the fifth floor (which turned out to be the sixth because the first floor is numbered 0) and could see the towers of Notre Dame from our windows. We reserved a larger room (it had a double and a twin), and a full bath. It was bigger and better than I expected.<BR><BR>I liked the Latin Quarter because of the variety of restaurants. There must have been 50 of them within a 2-3 block radius, and because they are all competing for your business, prices are so reasonable (about $15 for a 3-course meal) and they also offer you free drinks, etc. to get you inside. I also thought the area was very convenient to Metro and RER stops (again, within a 2-block walk), so it was easy to get to places within the city as well as CDG, Disneyland, and Versailles. Notre Dame, the Louve, Musee d'Orsay are all within easy walking distance.

I would not choose La Defense/Neuilly because they are outside Paris. the 2) Batignolles/Montmartre/Republique looks like the diciest area on there, I would not choose it. I wouldn't choose Bastille/Bercy because some area right near place de Bastille or western edge of Bastille area would be okay but Bercy is far out and dull and most likely you'd get it.<BR><BR>I would choose 5, 6, or 7. They put Montparnasse in both 5 or 6 because the western edge of Montparnasse abuts the Grenelle area. I wouldn't mine around Eiffel Tower or Grenelle but wouldn't like the Montparnasse section of that too much because it's probably around the train station.

I recentley went to Paris and I took a chance and stayed in the 13th. arrondisement. It was just outside the 5th district. I would have to tell you to stay in the 5th district. It has everything you need and is safe. The eiffel tower area is just to crowded with tourists. Good Luck!!!!!