Best Paris Neighborhoods & Hotels for Your Paris Visit: Questions & Answers Reader Questions Answered

Choosing where to stay in Paris can be challenging simply because you have so many wonderful options.  Each neighborhood offers its own vibe, attractions, things to do, places to shop, and of course, appealing cafes, bistros, and restaurants.  So naturally, you may have lots of questions.

In the Sunday edition of my free Paris Discoveries Newsletter, I answer reader questions about Paris travel.  Not surprisingly, where to stay and which hotel to book are among the most frequent inquiries. 

This article is part of the Paris Discoveries Q&A Archive and brings together my answers to questions about neighborhoods, arrondissements, and choosing the right area and hotel for your stay.

Some questions focus on the best neighborhood for your first visit, the feel of different areas, and choosing the right hotel when online reviews vary.  I've lightly edited, expanded, and updated my original answers, and added photos to make this a more complete Paris travel resource. 

Interested in staying in the Marais or Saint-Germain?  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)

Which 4-Star Paris Hotels with Balconies near Arc de Triomphe Should We Consider?

Lana's question:

We are planning on staying in Paris from Sept 18 through Oct 1.  We are looking for a  4 star hotel conveniently located (hopefully near the Arc de Triomphe) with a full service restaurant and a queen room with a balcony that is less than than $7,000 for our stay.  ... please advise.  Last year we stayed at the Warwick but the prices have escalated and it has become almost not affordable.  Thanks for your help.   

Susan's Answer: 

Hotels with balconies are relatively scarce in Paris, and in general, hotels in the neighborhood near Champs Elysées and the Arc de Triomphe.  I checked the rate for a Deluxe Room with Terrace for your dates on Hotel Warwick's website, and the lowest price that I'm seeing is €6,610 plus €508 for taxes and fees, which comes to a total of €7,118, or $8,105 based on today's exchange rate so I used that as my benchmark. 

I checked rates for somewhat similar hotels with balconies in the same general area.  Hotel Zelie, Hotel Regence Etoile, and Hotel Belfast have no availability (I blame Paris Fashion Week, which happens during this time).  Grand Hotel Champs-Elysees strangely would not let me attempt to book more than 7 nights, but based on the price I saw for those 7 nights, the total cost for 13 nights including tax would probably be over $11,000 - which makes the Warwick look like a comparative bargain. 

Without checking farther, I think both the lack of availability and high rates are reflecting both the popularity of your September-October time frame, the overlap with Paris Fashion Week, and a general escalation in prices in Paris - not just for hotels, but also restaurant meals, museum and concert tickets, and even metro tickets.  When doing my own hotel bookings for my most recent trip a few months ago (March), I noticed about a 10% to 20% rise in prices since my previous visit about 6 months earlier.  Like the U.S., France has also experienced a surge of inflation during the past couple of years, and I fear we're seeing the results.

I wish I had better news for you - but I don't.  My suggestions would be to book a room without a balcony, or if you really want a balcony, consider splitting your stay between the room at the Warwick with a balcony and a room without a balcony at another hotel and with cheap enough rates to keep the total under $7,000.  Or find some other way to save money, but that's tough because hotel costs are usually one of any trip's biggest expenses.  

Wishing you the best of success in working this out!

Susan's Follow-Up:

By the time I'd finished checking rates for for the few hotels with balconies and availability in the same general area as Hotel Warwick, I'd concluded that Lana's rate at the Warwick was actually an excellent value compared with the others, despite being higher than last year. 

So when Lana emailed me again after her question and my answer were published in the Paris Discoveries Sunday newsletter and told me that she'd decided to keep the booking despite the higher price, I was thrilled for her. 

Although I don't often splurge on a room with balcony, but when I do, the experience of sitting outside in the evening while gazing at the rooftops of Paris and sipping a glass of French wine is priceless - a memory I enjoy long after my trip is over.

Where to Stay for a Multi-Generation Visit with Plans in a Variety of Neighborhoods

Jane's Question:

I am not sure which arrondissement would be best for myself and 2 adult grandsons. Two of us arrive with Eurostar on the 11th March.   We would like to visit the Latin quarter, check out café Procope, Shakespeare’s bookshop, bakeries and possibly Sorbonne University, Place Estrapade - Emily in Paris territory!   Would also like to go to Moulin Rouge.

On Saturday 12th March, my French grandson will arrive at Gare de Montparnasse from the Southwest, and my grandsons will go to the Six Nations Rugby match, England versus France.

Sunday is free, so we will visit Notre Dame, and then on Monday, go home.  I previously stayed at Hotel London, 9th arrondissement, and visited the usual tourist attractions.

I do love Galeries Lafayette, Place de la Madeleine, and Rue Rivoli

Please can you suggest the best area for us to stay to achieve our goals?

Susan's Answer: 

So it sounds like you'll have 4 days in Paris if you arrive on the earliest Eurostar from London on the 11th and depart on the latest on Monday.  Plus you'll have two grandsons arriving from different directions as well as plans for activities in a variety of neighborhoods.

To come up with suggestions about where you might stay, the first thing I did was to line up your activities based on their general location:  

Activities on Paris's Right Bank:  Arrival/departure at Gare du Nord on the Eurostar, a night at Moulin Rouge for you, perhaps a day or half-day exploring Galeries Lafayette, Place de la Madeleine, and Rue Rivoli, and for your grandsons, Stade de France for the Six Nations game (which is in Saint-Denis a bit north of the city but an easy ride on the metro or RER B and RER D from the Right Bank).

Activities on Paris's Left Bank:  Arrival/departure for one grandson at Gare Montparnasse, and an exploration of the Latin Quarter including Café Procope in Cour du Commerce Saint-André, Shakespeare & Company, etc., plus a visit to Notre Dame which you could easily combine with your Latin Quarter activities as it's about a 2-minute walk across a bridge over the Seine from Shakespeare & Company.

Therefore, so that you can make the most of your time in Paris, I recommend choosing a hotel on the Right Bank (RB).  

Stay in the 9th arrondissement if you want to be within easy walking distance from Gare du Nord (and also Moulin Rouge, shopping at Galeries Lafayette, etc), and the Rue de Martyrs food street which puts you just a 10-12 minute walk from the station.  

Consider hotels in the 1st arrondissement or even the 2nd if you prefer to be closer to Place de la Madeleine, Rue Rivoli, and the LB and are fine with being a bit farther away from the station.  Hotels in either of these districts will put you within easy walking distance of most/all of your RB activities, and then you can take the metro as needed to the Left Bank.  

Since Gare Montparnasse is a bit farther out in the 14th arrondissement, your grandson will probably have to take the metro wherever you stay.

Hope this helps!

Regina's Question about Choosing between Two Apart'Hotels when Reviews Vary

We’ll be in Paris for a first visit, and are deciding between 2 apart’hotels for our stay.

One is the Citadines Saint-Germain, which has great reviews for location but some concerns about cleanliness and needing to be updated.  The other is in the Citadines Les Halles, which again has great reviews for location, but with better reviews for cleanliness and the quality of the facility, but the surroundings sound not as good, loud, and more touristy and active.

Do you have any insight as to these neighborhoods and what your recommendation would be for a first time visitor?

Susan's Answer: 

Hi Regina,  Both of these apart'hotels are in excellent locations - more about Les Halles in a moment.

But first, cleanliness.  I looked at recent reviews on TripAdvisor about both of these Citadines - and was shocked by the number and variety of complaints about the one in Saint-Germain, despite a few reviews that sounded fine.  In fairness, just about every hotel gets at least a few negative reviews - partly because people are more likely to post when they're unhappy, plus you can't discount the possibility of unscrupulous competitors posing as "visitors"- but the number for this hotel, especially in recent months, seems much higher than average.

In addition to cleanliness issues, it sounds as though the property needs updates, maintenance, repairs, and perhaps a complete makeover.  Citadines hotels in Paris generally have good reputations, but this one appears to be experiencing a rough period.  Based on what I read, I would not stay there myself at this time.

As you said, the reviews for the Les Halles Citadines are much more positive.  Aside from the possible need for better soundproofing, it sounds fine.  I did see one complaint about lack of daily cleaning, but that's the norm for most apart'hotels - at many, cleaning once a week is typical.

Now, back to the Les Halles location:  I personally love this area.

My favorite attractions include the truly magnificent Saint Eustache church, the Pinault Collection (contemporary art museum), and a wonderful historical food street, Rue Montorgueil, where you'll find a lot of good cafes, bakeries, chocolatiers, etc.

But there's also a lot more to enjoy in this area.  A huge wholesale food market dating back to the 12th century occupied much of the space near the hotel until it was demolished, with great controversy, about 50 years ago.  The whole area was again renovated about 6-7 years ago, and there's now a very nice park, a major metro/RER station, and a shopping mall - its mostly-chain stores are not particularly interesting, but the design of its roof is spectacular.  

E. Dehillerin (my favorite go-to store for high-quality knives and other professional-grade kitchen equipment), plus several other renowned Parisian cookware and baking supply stores (A. Simon, TOC (the former Bovida), Deco Relief, MORA, G. Detou) are nearby.

The elegant and quite pricey Samaritaine department store overlooking the Seine is a 2-3 minute walk away, along with hundreds (or maybe thousands?) of other stores, boutiques, cafes, restaurants, bars, etc.

The area is quite lively - but so is much of Saint-Germain, which is also even more touristy.  Both neighborhoods are about equally convenient to Paris's most famous attractions that may be of interest to you as a first-time visitor, such as the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, and Notre Dame Cathedral. 

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See More Questions & Answers on Similar Topics

Should You Split Your Paris Stay between 2 or More Neighborhoods & Hotels? - Find out when and why to consider doing this, plus practical tips

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

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