where to stay in paris

The Opera area is more expensive than a lot of Paris' neighborhoods and lacks variety in restaurants, markets and shops.

You will find a lot of fantastic buildings in the Opera area, but not a lot in the way of services you might want as a traveler.
I would stay in the Marais, the Bastille area, the Latin Quarter, or St-Germain-des- Pres.

How long are you in Paris for?

What do you want to see and do there?

What kind of budget do you have?

Saint Germain you mean Saint Germain des Pres ou Saint Germain en Laye, outside Paris? If you have to choose between Opera and Saint Germain (des Pres) I would choose the second for the reasons that Kenko explained. But in the end what it is important, in my opinion, is to be located close to a metro station for logistic reasons. Bastille area and Latin Quarter are more party areas. I agree with the Marais option but there are other interesting districts as well.
Hope it helps
Elisa (World In Paris)

Thankyou so much Kenko for your quick reply.

Thankyou Elisa. I have kids aged 12 and 14. Wanted to get around easily on foot so was asking which would be more centrally located

Paris is very compact and kids that age are a bundle of energy (besides being hungry all the time), so you don't at all need to stay in the dead center of town. Keeping the hunger aspect in mind, snacks and meals will be about half price in some of the outer arrondissements compared to the tourist ghetto.

If you still want to be "central," I would recommend the Grands Boulevards area which separates the 2nd and 3rd arrondissements from the 9th and 10th, besides being much more interesting than an area like Saint Germain-des-Prés.

Kerouac knows the city inside out and has posted many photo tours to prove it. You might also consider the Saint-Martin canal adjacent to Place de la Bastille. The banks of the canal become improvised open-air gatherings on hot summer nights.

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