Should You Split Your Paris Stay Between Different Neighborhoods? Reader Questions Answered

If you're visiting Paris for a week or more, should you consider splitting your stay between two or more neighborhoods so that you can experience different parts of the city?

In the Sunday edition of my free Paris Discoveries Newsletter, I answer reader questions about Paris travel.  Recently, several readers have asked whether it makes sense to move from one Parisian neighborhood and hotel to another when time permits.

This article is part of the Paris Discoveries Q&A Archive and brings together my answers based on my own experiences with staying in multiple neighborhoods on longer trips.  

You'll find advice about whether splitting your stay is worth doing, how to choose neighborhood combinations, hotel suggestions for several popular areas, and practical tips for making the move from one hotel to another easier. 

I've lightly edited, expanded, and updated my original answers, and added photos to make this a more complete Paris travel resource. 

Chiricola's Question: Should You Split Your Paris Stay between Two or More Neighborhoods?

My wife and I just recently visited Paris in March. This was our first time in Paris and we really wanted to get a feel for the city. To do this, we stayed in a hotel in the 8th, an airbnb in the 17th, and an airbnb in the 10th during our twelve day visit. I noticed in your latest newsletter, you mentioned that you stayed in Montmartre for just part of your trip. Do you recommend hopping around if time allows?

Susan's Answer: 

Even though I've been to Paris many times and know the city well, I feel the same way you and your wife do about wanting to get an immersive feel for different parts of the city, and so I do change neighborhoods and hotels, usually a few times, when my stay in Paris is long enough to justify the moves.  Because each neighborhood and each arrondissement is quite unique and has its own vibe, it's almost like being in several different cities.

I love all the areas you chose - the 17th, in particular, is one of my own favorites with its two great food streets and wonderful parks, and the 8th and the 10th, while quite different from each other, both offer a lot of things to do and see.  

On my most recent trip of slightly more than a month, I split my stay among four neighborhoods: Montmartre (the 18th arrondissement), Saint-Germain (6th), the Latin Quarter (5th), and the 1st near the Louvre.  

During another trip last year of almost 3 weeks, I stayed in the 17th, the 11th (Oberkampf), and the 1st.  

Still another trip included the Marais, the 7th near Rue Cler, the Sentier neighborhood in the 2nd, and again, the 1st - as you may have already guessed, I almost always include a stay in the 1st during every trip because it's so central and convenient to everything, plus I love its two beautiful green spaces near the Louvre, Tuileries Garden and Palais Royal Garden. 

So yes - for anyone who wants to really experience Paris in a broader sense, I do recommend hopping around if time allows.

I should mention one negative - packing and changing hotels does take at least a couple of hours, maybe longer.  I'd always rather be sitting in a cafe and enjoying a drink or meal.  So I don't usually change hotels on shorter trips of 8 or fewer days. 

For anyone else who's thinking about doing this, here are two articles on PDG that you might want to look at - this one, which gives an overview of what each arrondissement offers, and this one, which is more of an in-depth look at a selection of neighborhoods.  And here are also two seasonal ones:  where to stay in Paris in Spring and in Winter.

Annette's Question: Where Should I Stay in Paris for Art, Literary Places, and People-Watching?

Hi Susan, I’m a bit overwhelmed looking at accommodation in Paris.  I will be staying in Paris for September 2026. I rather liked your idea for staying in different places for a week or so.  I love art museums, literary places, and just watching the parade.  Could you suggest 4 different pensions or hotels which are middle range price?  I already have a room in The Latin Quarter, but am interested in the following neighborhoods:  the Louvre/Les Halles district, Montmartre, and Le Marais.  Many thanks. 

Susan's Suggestions

Any time I'm in Paris for longer than 8-9 days, I do love to split my time among two or more different neighborhoods because each one is so different.  I did this on my most recent trip, and stayed four different areas over the course of a month - Montmartre, Saint-Germain, the Latin Quarter, and the 1st arrondissement.

So I'm very happy to suggest hotels for you.  Since you didn't mention a specific nightly budget, I'm including a range of options within each neighborhood.

Based on your interests and the neighborhoods you're targeting, here are my suggestions:

Louvre/Les Halles

The first three hotels are closer to the Louvre, but you can walk to Les Halles in five or six minutes - I usually cut through Palais Royal Garden on the way.  The 4th one, Hotel Crayon, is on the edge of the Les Halles area, with the Louvre about a 5-minute walk away.

They're all in a wonderful area for anyone who loves art - in addition to the Louvre, they're close to two fantastic contemporary art museums: the Pinault Collection in a round building called the Old Bourse that was once a grain market, and the truly fantastic Fondation Cartier, newly relocated to a prime location on the other side of Rue de Rivoli from the Louvre Museum.

Whenever I stay in this area, I almost always walk up Rue de Richelieu, which becomes Rue Drouot, and stop by the Drouot auction house.  Admission is free, and you get the opportunity to see amazing art from private collections while it's on display for a day or two before being sold and disappearing from public view again.

You're also close to Musée de l'Orangerie, where you can see Monet's water lily paintings.  Musée d'Orsay is within easy walking distance on the other side of the Seine and the ornate Palais Garnier, the Paris opera house, is about a 10-minute walk up Avenue de l'Opera from the Louvre.  You should book tickets at least several days or even a week  in advance for all of these, so I added ticket links.

Another wonderful option in this area is the Musée des Arts Décoratifs (enter on the Rue de Rivoli side), where it's easy to spend half a day among the many exhibits.  The best ticket option here is a ticket that includes both the permanent and temporary collections, which is usually the same price as the ticket just to the permanent collection; it's easiest to get it at the door.

Some of the best and most fascinating covered passages are in this area also - plus another place you shouldn't miss is the Reading Room (free admission) in the Bibliothèque Nationale - you enter at 5 Rue Vivienne, about half a block up from Rue des Petits Champs.  On rainy days, I usually stop by for an hour or so with my laptop when I stay in this neighborhood.

• Hotel Montpensier - A very affordable, very nice 2-star hotel about a block from the Louvre
• Relais du Louvre - 3-star hotel, also close to the Louvre, great location - but small and popular, so usually quite hard to find availability
• Hotel Molière - One of my personal favorites, a 4-star boutique hotel with a wide range of room sizes and rates
• Hotel Crayon - Cute 3-star boutique hotel in Les Halles - a fun wine bar nearby is Ô Château on Rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Best people watching spot in the Louvre/Les Halles area:  Palais Royal Garden - settle into one of the green metal chairs by the pool, find a spot on a park bench, or enjoy a coffee at a table outside Café Kitsuné or Muscade, both on the garden's west side.  Le Nemours, overlooking Place Colette on Rue Saint-Honoré close to the Louvre, is also a good spot.  And closer to the Louvre, Tuileries Garden is wonderful.

You can find more information about these hotels as well as photos in these articles on Paris Discovery Guide:  Paris Hotels near the Louvre, Where to Stay in Paris in the Spring.

Montmartre

Montmartre hotels are located in two general locations:  

• The area along the border between Montmartre in the 18th arrondissement and the 9th arrondissement - ideal to stay in if your focus is on Moulin Rouge, the Cigale music hall, or other clubs and nightlife in this area
• The area on the butte - the hill where Sacré Coeur Basilica, the Rue des Abbesses market/food street, Place du Tertre (where artists - some good, some not so good - congregate to paint and sell), the vineyard, and a number of the neighborhood's other quirkier sites (like the sculpture of a man “walking” through a wall) are located

I'm guessing that with your interests, you'd rather be on the hill, so that's where you'll find these recommended hotels: 

• Hotel des Arts - Family-owned 4-star boutique hotel in a central location off Rue des Abbesses
• Hôtel Littéraire Marcel Aymé - This is part of a “family” of literary hotels; some rooms have kitchenettes; my favorite place for coffee in Montmartre, Crème Cafe (20 Rue Durantin), is about a block and a half away. 
• Timhotel Montmartre - With 59 guestrooms, this is one of Montmartre's larger hotels, and is in a very nice location 
• You can check out more information plus photos about these hotels in this PDG article: Paris Hotels in Montmartre.

Le Marais

The Marais neighborhood is known for its many small museums (plus the large and fascinating Carnavalet Museum, which has the bonus of free admission), beautiful architecture, and numerous small parks and green spaces.

This is a very popular neighborhood to stay in and hotels tend to be small boutique properties - so rates trend high.  Here are several mid-range (for the Marais) hotels to consider:

• Hôtel de Roubaix - Charming (and slightly quirky) 2-star hotel in the Upper Marais - many fans, so hard to book
• Grand Hotel Malher - Family-run for 4 generations, this hotel offers 28 guestrooms with contemporary furnishings
• Hotel Beaubourg - Close to Centre Pompidou (currently closed for renovations until 2030) and not far from the Museum of Hunting and Nature, one of the Marais' many interesting small museums
• Le Clark Hotel - This is actually just over the border with the 11th arrondissement/Oberkampf neighborhood and near Place de la République and the Upper Marais/3rd arrondissement - very nice hotel, with somewhat lower rates because it's not quite in the Marais

You can find photos and additional information about a couple of these hotels in this PDG article:  Where to Stay in Paris in the Winter

Best nearby people-watching locations:  Place des Vosges, Rue Vieille du Temple, Rue des Rosiers, and the café terraces around Rue de Bretagne, Marché des Enfants Rouges, and Rue de Rivoli near the Saint-Paul metro station.

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How to Choose Your Own Paris Neighborhood Combination

Are you interested in splitting your Paris stay between two or more neighborhoods in order to get a broader sense of the city, but wondering which ones to choose? 

One approach is to start with your interests, and combine neighborhoods where you'll a variety of experiences linked by a common theme.

For example:

• For museums:  Louvre/Les Halles + Marais + 7th arrondissement + Trocadéro (16th)
• For art galleries:  Upper Marais (3rd arr) + Saint-Germain + 7th arr
• For a village vibe:  Montmartre + Latin Quarter + Batignolles (17th arr) + Passy (16th)
• For a trendier/contemporary vibe:  Oberkampf (11th) + Canal Saint-Martin (10th)
• For a medieval vibe:  Latin Quarter + Marais
• For food markets/cafés/shopping:  Upper Marais + Sentier (2nd) + Saint-Germain + Ternes (8th)/Batignolles

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Practical Tips for Changing Hotels during a Paris Visit

My visits to Paris usually last anywhere between about a week and slightly more than a month, so that means that except for the very shortest trips of 7-8 days, I almost always split my trips between at least two neighborhoods. 

Here are some practical tips that I've learned that may help you:

Don't Change Hotels Too Often

Changing neighborhoods always takes me at least 3 hours, due to the process:  packing, checking out of my hotel, getting to the next hotel, checking in, and unpacking.  If I'm in Paris, you can be sure I'd rather be spending those 3+ hours enjoying the city vs the process that I just described. 

So for that reason alone, I try to spend at least 4 days, and ideally longer, between moves - especially since that's also the minimum amount of time, at least for me, to feel fully immersed and "at home" in a new neighborhood. 

My ideal time per neighborhood is 7-8 days, or even longer.

Be an Organized Packer

I swear by packing cubes to keep my things tidy and organized.  This shaves time off of packing and unpacking.  I use this packing cube set, which I've had for several years - they're cheap, and 6-piece set is sufficient for what I bring.  Needless to say - pack light!

Choose the Easiest Way to Get to Your Next Hotel 

Unless my next hotel is very close to the one I'm leaving (which has only happened once, when I moved from a Latin Quarter hotel to one on Ile Saint-Louis), I don't usually walk because the prevalence of cobblestone streets in some areas makes rolling a suitcase dicey. 

And I don't take the metro (although I'm on it daily for other destinations) because navigating the numerous stairs isn't easy with a bag (plus I always have an additional bag for my laptop). 

Ubers are the easiest, and usually arrive within a minute or two - so that's what I use.

Drop-Off Your Luggage Before Check-In

Since check out time for Paris hotels is typically 11am and check-in typically isn't until 3pm, I plan an activity such as lunch or perhaps a museum visit near the hotel I'll be checking into. 

When I leave my current hotel, I take my bags with me when I check out (vs having the hotel hold them for a few hours) and head immediately to the next hotel, where I ask the hotel to keep my bag until check-in time. 

Then, bag-free, I go enjoy the planned activity until check-in time, or even later. 

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See Questions & Answers on Similar Topics

Wondering about specific neighborhoods for your Paris visit?  You'll find those Q&A archives here:

• Where to Stay in the Marais (placeholder: add links later)
• Where to Stay in Saint-Germain (placeholder: add links later)

Paris Neighborhoods & Hotels - Where to stay in Paris + choosing the right hotel

Paris Discoveries Q&A Archive - See Q&As on all topics

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