Paris - Best area to stay in?

Kinetic^

Like it says, I'm just wondering what is the best and most central area of Paris to stay when it comes to attending all of the sights.

Bluetonic

There really is none as the sights in Paris are so spread out (Catacombes, Père Lachaise cemetery, Sorbonne, Pantheon, les Invalides, Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, Palais-Royal, etc..,). The good thing is the Metro in Paris is excellent and you can get a ticket for around 4 euro which you can use hopping all over the place unlimited for the day.

Of the two areas I've stayed in when over there, I can higly recommend them both. One being St Denis which is near Notre Dame and has lovely resturants and great night life, a lot more 'local' Paris than 'tourist' Paris.

The other is the Latin quarter in and around the Jardin de Luxembourg is also a nice area. Its a student type area and great value.

As I say the Metro is the way to go.

Kinetic^

Bluetonic wrote:

The other is the Latin quarter in and around the Jardin de Luxembourg is also a nice area. Its a student type area and great value.

I had noticed that this area was cheap to stay in.

Cheers for the advice.

penexpers

Bluetonic wrote:

Of the two areas I've stayed in when over there, I can higly recommend them both. One being St Denis which is near Notre Dame and has lovely resturants and great night life, a lot more 'local' Paris than 'tourist' Paris.

Er, St Denis is the suburb up around Stade de France, no?

Macha

Yeah I think he means Rue St Denis, which is off Rue de Rivoli. Thats where all the prostitutes hang out

He´s right about it not mattering where you are in Paris because the Metro is so extensive, however I would still recommend that you try to get somewhere central as it means that you can just step out of your hotel and start wandering. In addition, the main metro stations, with the most connecting lines do tend to be more central. This means that you dont have to change lines as often - much faster and less stressful! Also,the taxi home after a night out wont cost as much.

I personally would recommend Bastille, as I lived there for a year, but anywhere in the 1st - 7th arrondissements are good. 10 is a bit dodgy, would steer clear, also stay away from the big train stations such as Gare de l´Est, Gare du Nord as they tend to be dodgy areas, people hanging around late at night, etc...

Ponster

Paris is divided up into 0 different regions (postcodes) 75001 -> 750020, which spiral outwards from the center of town. So 01-06 are all in the center and 13-20 are on the edges.

Most people stay in the 01-07 regions and it's hear that you'll find most attractions.

My personal preference would be the Marais area. It's right in the heart of town, in an area that looks like Paris when you step out of the hotel door and is about 10 minute walk from the river.

Either way, if you have a list of hotels give me a shout as I'm living over here and can check them out for you.

MiCr0

i stayed here

Hotel Moliere
21, rue Moliere, Paris 75001, France

its a great location - just beside L'Opera

Aurther Hugh

http://www.cheephotels.co.uk/Paris/Hotel-De-La-Bourdonnais.htm

Hands down best place to stay in Paris that's reasonably priced. Stayed here last summer. Not expensive. Rooms are grand, more than grand I suppose on Paris's shoddy standards. Bathrooms large and clean. Most amazing location ever though. Right on the road of the Eiffel Tower, which if you're not too familiar with Paris is in a rich leafy area. Even better despite the fact it's right on a metro line we found we could walk to loads of places; Louve, Champs Elysee and Seine ect. It's the nicest area of Paris and I'd be slow to go anywhere else.

Saruman

Check out Ibis... i stayed at the one by Gare Du Nord (i think) and you can get the metro anywhere... Paris has great public transport, prices similar to a little cheaper than here BUT its far better.

Kinetic^

No point in me starting a new thread. I've booked this holiday. We'll be there for 8 days so we've a good 6 days to ourselves. 2 of those days are going to be spent in disney world and studios (not sure of the right name). So we''ve got 4 days to take everything in.

Basically I'm looking for info on must do things in Paris.

Ponster

Depends on how old you are and what you're looking for.


You could spend a day in Versailles if castles and gardens are your thing.

The Louvre takes days to fully see but you'll get museum burnout after 4 hours or so.

The Tower of course has to be walked up (at least to the second floor!)

Moulin Rouge is a rip-off and a waste of €

Boat trip on the Seine costs €10 and takes 45 minutes.


The important thing about Paris is that you'll spend a lot of time walking even if it does have a great public transport system. And eating a picnic with a couple of bottles of wine by the river is as important as seeing the Mona Lisa