Hotel Advice

I%26#39;m staying in paris for 3 nights in March. I%26#39;ve got a small budget of about £50 per night (75 euros) (that%26#39;s for a double room for 2 people). As we%26#39;re only there for 3 nights I would like to be somewhere central so that we can see as much if Paris as possible.

I%26#39;m trying to gather as much information on all the different areas of Paris, and where all the %26#39;sights%26#39; are so that I can make an informed choice of where to stay. I%26#39;ve never been before or done any research so everything is new to me.

I would welcome as much advice as possible!

Areas, nice hotels within my budget etc.

All your help will be greatly appreciated!!!

THANKS!

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Same for me, going in April. I%26#39;m trying to book a room for 2 people to split the cost. We each wish to spend less than $75/night. I%26#39;ll post anything I find out and hope to hear what you find as well.

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Hi pink_perlie (nice name btw), I advise you to stay in the Latin Quarter where you can still find a variety of reasonably priced hotels. The area is great for sightseeing and eating inexpensively too.

Try www.eurocheapo.com for hotels in your price range.

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Hi Pink, as this is your first trip, you will find you get more out of it if you read a couple of good guide books to help you set your priorities for sightseeing. You will find 3 nights and however much time you have on your 2 full days and the arrival and departure dates does not give you a lot of time to see the main sights. However, that just gives you a reason to return.

Rick Steves%26#39; Paris guide is often criticised for focussing on the major sites and particular areas for (mostly budger) hotels and cafes but it does give you an overview of most of the sights and areas a first timer is likely to want to see.

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Keep in mind that for a European capital, Paris is not that spread out and the transportation system is excellent (reliable, safe and inexpensive, clean compared to NYC for ex.) So, for your budget, you don%26#39;t have to be right smack dab in the center.

I would recommend getting a charming hotel that is close to a convenient metro line (something like the Hotel de l%26#39;Avre, at La Motte Piquet, which is a hub for the lines 10, 6 and 8). You%26#39;re within a decent walk of the Eiffel Tower, only 10 minutes by metro from the Latin Quarter (take the line 10 to Mabillon or Odeon or even Cluny), 10 minutes from the Champs Elysees (line 6 to l%26#39;Etoile), and 10 minutes from the Opera Garnier (line 8) and less than that to the Louvre/Tuileries (also line 8, get off at Concorde).

The Hotel de l%26#39;Avre is on a small quiet street near the rue de Commerce, which is very charming, and they have a quiet courtyard as well. I know that in-season, their doubles are around 80 to 90 euros, so I would think they%26#39;d be less in March. They do book up fast though.

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Cathy%26#39;s suggestion for the rue du Commerce area is most excellent. A real Parisian neighborhood, a bit off the beaten path, but still close enough to be considered centrally located.

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Thanks for that help ever so much.

I%26#39;d seen the reviews for the Hotel d%26#39;lavre, but hadn%26#39;t look into it in any more detail.

I%26#39;ve just found its website - http://www.hoteldelavre.com/

and have sent off a booking request.

It is within budget and looks really charming! Just what I was after.

I%26#39;ll trust your comments that it%26#39;s in a good area, and go and get a guide book on my lunch break!!

Thank you once again!!

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Hi --

Besides posting on the Forum, get thee a good guidebook and map - many of us like Streetwise Paris. It%26#39;s laminated and folds up so it will fit in a pocket.

If you don%26#39;t get a good guidebook, and read it, you won%26#39;t be able to make the best of your trip. We can all give our opinions, but they%26#39;ll be more useful if you%26#39;re knowledgable enough to set some parameters for us. By the way, don%26#39;t allow our opinions and taste to supercede your own. If you%26#39;re interested in some obscure museum, go for it. It doesn%26#39;t matter that none of us finds it interesting. Paris has more unusual museums than any other city I%26#39;ve ever seen. You could make a career out of searching them out and touring them (and you%26#39;d probably have a great time doing it).

As for being in a central location - the Metro is very efficient and makes almost any location pretty central. Choose some hotels that look good to you and have good access to the Metro, and do a search for them here on the forum. There will always be some negative reviews, so the best advice is to go with the consensus but also to take note of why there was a negative review. Often it is simply that the rooms or the elevator are small. That%26#39;s normal for most hotels in Europe unless they%26#39;re part of an American chain.

The most important advice I can give you is to leave yourself enough slack time to just enjoy being in Paris. Your first trip is a magical thing if you allow it to be. Bon voyage.

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I just returned from a stay in the rue du Commerce area. I%26#39;m so glad that we stayed there. It is definitely a very nice area, full of shops - and like Phread said, it%26#39;s a very Parisian neighborhood. There were 3 metro lines very close to where we stayed so we didn%26#39;t feel like we were far from the %26quot;sights%26quot; (and we walked to the eiffel tower one day). I personally was glad to get away from the throngs of tourists whenever we went back to the neighborhood after sightseeing

(yes, I recognize that I was and am a tourist - please don%26#39;t beat me up! :).

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My mom and I are heading to Paris in 10 days to celebrate her birthday, and after a lot of research and using Tripadvisor reviews, I booked Hotel Star Etoile near the Arc de Triumpe. I booked it through federalhotels.com and got a superior room with a queen bed for $100 USD per night.

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That would be the Arc de TRIOMPHE, though I%26#39;m sure it has occurred to

%26quot;The Hair%26quot; to buy the place and change its name to the Arc de Trump...