elcon

Hi Everyone,
I am thinking of taking a trip to Paris in 2009(hopefully May/June). I have never been there before, like to walk, want to see all of the major sites and will be solo(female). I need a safe place to stay that will be close to cafes, shopping, museums etc. Where would you stay? any particular hotels or B&B's spring to mind? Your help, as always, is greatly appreciated.

dwzemens

Hotel Bonaparte in the 6th is a very nice but moderately priced hotel. Very clean and basic, with an adequate breakfast.

Located on Rue Bonaparte, it is a five minute walk to the Luxembourg Gardens, ten minutes to the Seine, and about fifteen to Notre Dame.

Great location, on a quiet street. St Sulpice church is just around the corner, and it has a beautiful plaza in front of it that can be enjoyed from the small cafe directly across the street.

This is the hotel that is recommended by Ira on this board, and based on this we stayed there for five nights in May 2006. I would gladly stay there again.

There is also a great bus line at the endof the street and two metro stops within easy walking distance -- you can get around the city very well from this location.

Any questions, feel free to email me at dwzemens AT comcast DOT net.

kerouac

What is your hotel budget?

elcon

kerouac: As far as budget goes,I don't know exactly what to expect. I want to stay in a mid-range hotel I suppose. No hostels, but I can't afford the Ritz either.I usually book packages online through orbitz or expedia, but I may change my ways considering the rising costs of airfares. I just want a nice, clean place.

dwzemens

At the risk of being redundant:

Hotel Bonaparte.

kerouac

Sounds like your price range. You can get very nice hotels for no more than 60€ if you are willing to take the metro for 10 minutes, however.

suze

I'd pick the 5th or 6th to be close to all the "sights" or possibly the 7th if you like something more quiet and residential but still fairly central.

I would not stay anywhere that required daily use of Metro to get around (just my personal preference).

Christina

well, I use the metro to get around pretty much daily, so I would -- however, 10 min on the metro is what I spend to get some places, and I stay in Montparnasse. I would be interested in the locations and which hotels are very nice for 60 euro that are only 10 minutes by metro from (?? the Seine, I presume). I think my idea of very nice is probably not the same, though. I don't even consider the Bonaparte "very nice", but it's a good idea in this case, I think.

Robespierre

<i>I would not stay anywhere that required daily use of Metro to get around (just my personal preference).</i>

How about buses (<u>my</u> personal preference)? They stop on practically every corner, giving them a leg up on the M&eacute;tro.

If you walk everywhere, I hope you have time to burn, because Paris is pretty big.

Aduchamp1

I just returned from Paris, 4th visit, and I used the Mtero daily. It could becuase I am NY'er and it is part and parcel of my life but a twenty minutes ride is nothing.

I also took extensive walks as well.

littlemountain

Which neighbourhood in Paris should you stay in? The most popular areas for tourists are probably the Latin Quarter / 5th arrondissement (arr. = district) or St. Germain / 6th arr. I don't stay that often any more in either the Latin Quarter or St. Germain. Yes, it's the South Bank of the Seine with jazz clubs and history and all those beautiful monuments and museums nearby, but ... it's full of tourists! Outside your hotel, the good Paris neighbourhood stuff -- baker, butcher, quaint bistro etc. -- are in places overwhelmed by souvenir shops and chain bistros. However, a couple of still relatively affordable places in the Latin Quarter (low 100 euros per night) are the Hotel Familia http://www.hotel-paris-familia.com and the nearby Hotel Minerve http://www.hotel-paris-minerve.com.

Another neighbourhood with a lot of history but some retained semblance of character is Montparnasse (14th arr.), although some people find it a little on the quiet side. It also used to be a bargain, but prices in the mid-range places seem to have crept up. Hotels I can recommend there are L'Aiglon http://www.hotel-paris-aiglon.com and Hotel Lenox Montparnasse http://www.paris-hotel-lenox.com. For a cheaper place in Montparnasse (low 100 euros per night), I've stayed at the Hotel Alesia Montparnasse. It was very basic, but did have ensuite bathrooms (which is where I draw the line on budget). I really like the genuine albeit modest feel of the neighbourhood http://www.hotelalesiamontparnasse.com.

On the North side of the river, near the Louvre, one of the few barely affordable places I've stayed at is the Hotel Louvre St. Honore http://www.smallandeleganthotels.com...reStHonore.htm. It's really not that elegant, and the prices have shot up in recent years (over 200 euros), but the location is very convenient - a five minute walk to the Louvre, close to one of the main Metro stations. Something to keep in mind about Paris is the efficiency of the Metro system. You’re rarely more than 500 metres from a Metro station, and safety and security are very good. So why stay in an expensive neighbourhood when you can get there in 10 minutes by Metro? It's no exaggeration to say you can save 100 euros a night to stay in the same quality hotel by being willing to take the metro for 10 minutes.

I've spent weeks in Paris and other parts of France over the years and my rule of thumb in booking hotels (and good restaurants) has frequently been this: If it isn't in the Michelin “Red Guide”, I'm not encouraged to book it. In France, Michelin does miss a few of the good places (in other countries, it misses many more), but it hardly ever lists a truly bad place (for long). It also lists the good place in all price categories, too; it’s not just a “best hotels&quot; guide as in &quot;most expensive hotels” guide.

Finally, and most inexpensively, there is the Hotel des Arts at 8 Rue Coypel in Paris http://www.escapade-paris.com/en/hot...hotel&amp;id=2 I've stayed there on and off for almost 25 years, literally since I was a student (not within the last 10 years, though). It was very basic, and it's in a decidedly non-touristy (but safe) neighbourhood in the 13th arr. to the South of the Latin Quarter. However, it does have the advantage of being dirt cheap for Paris (well under 100 euros a night). It's in a genuine working Parisian neighbourhood with a fabulous bistro (L'Avant Gout) just down the road and, like so many hotels in Paris, it's only steps to the nearest Metro station.

Depending on how long you're staying, you might wish to investigate doing a vacation rental of an apartment. I'm staying in the Marais neighborhood (generally quite expensive for hotels) for the cost of a modest hotel in Montparnasse. There are other boards in which you can see how this is best done.

Salut!

kerouac

Once again, I see the words <i>&quot;The most popular areas for tourists are probably the Latin Quarter / 5th arrondissement (arr. = district) or St. Germain / 6th arr.&quot;</i>

This should always have the qualifier &quot;NORTH AMERICAN TOURISTS&quot;. The most popular places for most tourists to stay and the two arrondissements with the most hotels are the 9th and the 10th.

littlemountain

Kerouac is right, quite right.

risab

Marais is a wonderful area.
We stayed at Hotel Jean d'Arc and got a great price but it was two years ago.
Great little hotel but you must book in advance because it fills up quickly.
Great location in the Marais.

FrankS

Rick Steves gives great advice, he likes the Latin Q ( ker-I remember lots of Germans in the Latin Quarter too), but Ive enjoyed all areas except maybe the financial district(paid quite a bit for the Concorde and was not impressed). I found a little place in the 15th that was great and very economical. So if price is an issue, the outer areas do have some nice properties.
When we go, we do 2 hotels often- it really broadens the experience
Sample-
5 days Paris hotel #1
4 days Loire or Normandy
5 Days Paris Hotel #2

Have a great trip

Guenmai

Hotel Clement on rue Clement in the 6th...a few steps away from Line 10 subway station and a 5-minute walk to Line 4. Plus, near a taxi stand. Have been staying in that district since the early 80s and there's always something interesting to stroll around and check out. Happy Travels!

danon

Once again, I see the words &quot;The most popular areas for tourists are probably the Latin Quarter / 5th arrondissement (arr. = district) or St. Germain / 6th arr.&quot;

This should always have the qualifier &quot;NORTH AMERICAN TOURISTS&quot;. The most popular places for most tourists to stay and the two arrondissements with the most hotels are the 9th and the 10th.'&quot;

I used to stay in 9 /10 many times, but since I have switched to 5/6/7 (some years ago) I must admit I like it much more and would never go back.

Robespierre

The problem with the 5&egrave;me &amp; 6&egrave;me is that they're full of people like YOU.

suze

Tourists stay in tourists areas (anywhere not just Paris) because they are convenient for the things most tourists want to do.

danon

&quot;The problem with the 5&egrave;me &amp; 6&egrave;me is that they're full of people like YOU.&quot;

if you ever stayed there , shopped or had a meal in a place other than a park bench, you would notice that they are actually full of Parisians!