Where to stay in Paris?

Parent Cafe
1

D and I are flying in to CDG and are only staying two nights before we take the train to London. (Train departs from Gare du Nord).

She has friends on study abroad who are in the 14th.

Are there any recommendations for small hotels or B&Bs for this short trip — perhaps not too far from a Metro station?

2

What do you plan to do while there? Do you want to stay in the 14th?

3

I agree with @sabaray that you should pick a place to stay based on what you want to do while in Paris. We prefer to stay in Saint Germain when in Paris.

4

I agree with all of the above. What time is the train to London? That would be the only reason I would consider staying near Gare du Nord. I recall it not being a great area.

The 14th is pretty far out. Are you guys comfortable taking the metro? Or would you rather stay somewhere central?

Here are some ideas:

  • near Palais Royal. Loved wandering in the gardens at night when all the people were gone. Only downside is not a huge amount of restaurants around, kind of quiet at night. (we were cooking in, so liked that).
  • Ile St. Louis. Loved that. Felt like you expect Paris to be. Kids would wander down to bakery in the am by themselves and get croissants.
  • Place des Vosges is a really neat area.

A few fun things to recommend:

  • dinner at Chez Francis. Make a reservation and request a window view of the Eiffel Tower. They are on Pont de l’Alma and have a great view of the Eiffel Tower, so you can watch it twinkle on the hour at night. Not terribly expensive, maybe invite a few friends for dinner to come with you?
  • The Louvre is overwhelming. We have done scavenger hunts there which make them manageable and fun without it turning into the forced art death march. Check this one out: https://thatmuse.com/louvre/
  • Musee d'Orsay is larger than you realize. Go to the top where the Impressionists are and work your way down in case you get tired. Wait for a turn and take the iconic clock photo. (maybe someone could take you and your daughter photo?) google it for ideas.
5

My D and I were there last August and we actually stayed in the 1st at Hotel du Louvre (which is right where is sounds like). I looked out my window and there was the Louvre. We were there a week and the location very near to a Metro made it easy to get everywhere we wanted to go. The hotel is a Hyatt property and newly remodeled, on the smaller side as hotels go.

6

We stayed at the Hotel Brighton on Rue de Rivoli across form the Tuileries garden (in the 1st Arr.) It was perfect.

There is a Metro stop right across the street. We got a metro pass and planned on using it a bunch, but found we were able to walk to most places from there - the louvre, the musee D’orsay, the opera house, etc. We did take the train/metro from the airport.

The hotel served a wonderful continental breakfast (included in the room cost) of fresh croissants, jams, and prosciutto (best I ever had - better than the prosciutto I had in Italy).

We had a room in the front which had a balcony and we could see into the park and across to the Eiffel Tower (lit up at night). It is next door to Angelina’s (a must do place for their chocolate).

7

We stayed in the 8th near Parc Monceau. Loved being able to walk most places but also the quiet of the neighborhood.

In younger years, we stayed near the Sorbonne in the 5th/Latin Quarter.

8

The last trip my H and I stayed at the Hotel Villa Madame in the 6th. It’s on a quiet street, room was nice and the breakfast was delicious. We walked everywhere, it is near two metro stations. We took the metro from Gare du Nord to the hotel so I know it is an easy metro ride to the train station.

9

We once stayed at Hotel de l’Avre. Humble, but clean, and very reasonable for Paris (at least at the time). It’s in the 15th, so close to 14th. Also close to a Metro stop.

10

We stayed in an airbnb house in the Canal St. Martin area–the 10th. It was fun having our own tiny, tiny house for less than a hotel would cost, though probably not anywhere near where you want to be.

11

Thanks all for the many ideas. When D was a baby we stayed near Montmarte — liked it a lot but would be closer in this time. We will mostly walk all over the place — taking Metro, just when arriving and departing. We will take the 11:15 (ish) train to London so we have some time to get there.

Now I have many places to look up!

12

We stayed at Le Meurice. It was very close to the Louvre. We enjoyed being in the heart of the city.

13

@sabaray We are staying at Hôtel Louvre Saint-Honoré. Is that the same one you stay at? They were a Best Western Hotel but just ended their affiliation. We are still staying there.

14

We have stayed at The Hotel Elysa Luxembourg on 3 different trips to Paris. It is near the Luxembourg Gardens and easy walking distance to many sights and the metro.

15

@NJRes, different hotels. Same general area!

16

Thanks all, I’ll try to remember to report back after the trip!

17

www.hotel-pierre-nicole.com

Modest hotel near Jardin du Luxembourg. Next to the RER B station with trains going to the CDG and Metro. 15-20 min walk to Notre Dame. Close to historic restaurants on Boulevard du Montparnasse

18

The March version of the trip was canceled. We will also be canceling the Re-booked June trip as the conference I was to attend in Italy has also been canceled. These are the times. Hopefully this thread will be helpful to someone else.

19

@Mom22039 We have a trip to France planned for late June/early July. We have to make a decision soon on whether to cancel. I’m not optimistic. :frowning:

20

We were scheduled to leave March 19 and would have been back by now. Of course we cancelled our trip.