apersuader65

basingstroke2, try this one: http://www.flickr.com/photos/basings...th/2510260640/

flpab

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4L_qTTLvxKM

This you tube video of Rue Montorgueil did it for me. I sent the link to two other couples and they booked apartments there for May.

FrenchMystiqueTours

All the streets that run off rue Montorgueil are charming streets. And just a block away is the beginning of the also great rue Montmartre and just east of that is Galerie Vivienne on rue des Petits Champs (which has the lovely Place des Victoires). And then there are more covered passages in the north part of the 2nd, as well as several more in the east, including the lovely Passage du Grand Cerf about 2 blocks east of rue Montorgueil.

basingstoke2

Thanks aper - that worked. Also thank you flpab, the video brought back great memories of my favorite street in Paris.

farrermog

FWIW a family member reported favourably on her 10 day stay in 2010 in one of these small studios -

http://www.adayinparis.fr/index.html

Dee_Dee

Great thread. I will be in Paris for 2 weeks end of November beginning of December this year and am searching for an apartment. I always stay in a hotel in the 5th but want a different experience for my 2 week stay. This thread has encouraged me to consider the 2nd. I had read good things about Rue Montorgueil. How good to learn the area is so great. Just loved that youtube video of Rue Montorgueil! Now I have to find the perfect apartment!

flpab

@farrermog, wow, that is where we are staying. I am so glad to hear that your family member enjoyed her stay. We did a street view of the apartment and it looks great. So far the communication has been good and this reassures me.

tarquin

Thanks for the link to the apartment - atmospheric view.

nikt34

Yes, the 2nd is cute, lively and not that expensive. Here are a couple of little gems at a good price:
http://ascotparishotel.com/
http://hotelchoiseuloperaparis.com/

mr_go

Topping an old thread to see what the current thinking is on staying in the Second. Recently booked a room near Reaumur & Sebastapol for a brief trip in November, and kind of happy to find a "secret" area off the tourist radar (but close to a Metro stop).

Anyone?

RonZ

I've been staying in the 2nd at the **Hotel Vivienne for several years. The staff calls us the american branch of the family and gives us one of the very large quiet rooms [overlooking the Passage de Panoramas]. We have 2 good Metro lines a block away and another 3 blocks away, and several bus lines.

Christina

Topping an old thread to see what the current thinking is on staying in the Second.>>

It hasn't really changed much in the last decade that people's opinions should change that much. Mine hasn't, but if you just want a convenient location, it will be fine.

kerouac

The second arrondissement is perfectly fine in my book. The only arrondissement regarding which I generally have a negative opinion is the 16th and even in that godforsaken place there are a few places that aren't bad.

fuzzbucket

I would never book a room on or very near rue Montorgueil, because it's become too "m'as tu-vu" and there aren't as many market stands as there used to be. Pretty much anywhere on blvd Sebastopol would be OK, though.

kerouac

Keeping in mind of course that the 2nd arrondissement stretches to the Boulevard des Italiens at the other end. The backbone of the arrondissement is rue Réaumur for anybody who is a bit hazy on the subject.

Whathello

Fun to see different opinions.
For me hotel Vivienne is one of my worst in Paris. No toilet is a relatively derelict room was a killer for me.
I slept in a gorgeous hotel in the 16th (Vila something) and like the 16tb because it is so quiet : no restaurants no cafes no bars no shops.
Some might say boring

Sassafrass

Still good info. Thanks for bringing it back up for comments on current situation.

yestravel

We stayed maybe a 10 minute walk away & walked up that way several times on our way to dinner and thought it perfectly fine area. This year we will also be quite close to Reaumur & Sebastapol.

mr_go

Thanks for all the replies, everyone. yestravel, we do seem to hit many of the same spots, don't we?

I should have mentioned before that we've both been to Paris several times before, so we've done the 'major attractions' and sort of know our way around.

The place we have booked (123 Sebastapol) actually on the border of the 2nd and the 3rd, and I believe it's considered part of the Bonne Nouvelle neighborhood. It gets pretty decent reviews, but it would be no problem to cancel if a much better idea came along.

Thanks again!

menachem

depends on why you have to be in the 16th, kerouac. stayed there a couple of times because I had business with a synagogue there, and it was convenient on Shabbath (walking). That's Ahavat Shalom, near Pont Mirabeau. As a result got to know stretches of the 16th pretty well. Clearly it's moneyed there!

As to the 2nd: yes to Blvd Sebastopol, to my mind one of the most fascinating streets in Paris.