Hi,
We are a couple in our mid-20's and we will be traveling to Paris this July. We were wondering which areas of Paris would be the most desirable to stay in. We want to be in an interesting part of the city. We also are looking for inexpensive places to stay that are in a safe location. Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks!
If you want to be near the heart of Paris, go for one of the areas close to the Seine
as most attractions are concentrated along a three mile strip bordering the river. The Marais district has some of the oldest architecture and many of the museums in the city. The other close-in neighborhoods are ones you've probably heard of already- St- Germain-des-Pres, the Latin Quarter, Ile de Cite among others. The excellent Metro system, however, makes the trip into the heart of Paris quick and easy, so even a hotel in the outlying arrondissements can be relatively convenient.
My recommendation is to stay away from the Seine if you are looking for an inexpensive location. The outer arrondissements (9 through 20 excluding 16) all have lots of accommodations in every price range. The 9th and 10th arrondissements are the two arrondissements with the most hotels and yet do not feel very touristy because most of the people in the hotels are visitors from other parts of France or the nearest European countries (Gare du Nord and Gare de l'Est being the principal arrival point for trains from Great Britain, Benelux and Germany). In the 5th and 6th arrondissements, you would be more likely to be surrounded by aging Kansans with freeze dried purple hair.
A lot of people like the 18th arrondissement (the arrondissement with the greatest number of AirBnb rentals), particularly Montmartre, but quite a few others find climbing up and down the hills a bit arduous.
There is no "unsafe" location within the city limits, but some people seem to feel that "run down" or "sleazy" = "unsafe" so it is often a question of one's personal comfort level. Some people even find it unsettling that not all Parisians are of European stock, but that's a whole other can of worms. Since I live in one of the mixed areas, I just don't give any thought to the issue but quite a few people seem to obsess about it.
I'd say that in general...everywhere within the '20'is safe enough...you obviously need to take the usual precautions,but no major problems.
In terms of cost..yes,the closer you are to the 'centre' the more expensive it usuallly is.But nowhere in Paris is exactly cheap for accommodation.
I usually stay in either a hostel or a cheap hotel.And I don't worry too much about the area....I've stayed all over the place in Paris.As long as it is near enough to a metro station.....
And yes.I agree with kerouac on the stereotypes......lots of people seem worried when they discover that many people around them are not 'white French people'.Or other white tourists.
I don't want to use stereotypes myself ;-),but these tend to be Americans from smaller places,where there is very little ethnic diversity.
This is not unique to Paris.Tourists have the same worries in London,Rome etc.But it is not a safety issue..more one of perception.
When i go to Paris i usually go for a specific reason other than tourism (+ additional time) and pick a location that is convenient to me. In recent years it has usually been in different parts of Paris.
The only location that comes to my mind where i didn't like staying so far was near Bercy station. I just didn't find it an attractive neighbourhood.
Every part of the city is interesting to me. I usually stay in the 20ème because it's inexpensive and diverse, but I imagine many Americans would be put off by it. That said, Ménilmontant, Belleville, and Oberkampf, among others, should be appealing to 20-somethings as they are chock full of music venues, inexpensive bars and cafés, art galleries, interesting shops, and lots of young people. On the other hand, they're not around the corner from the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, and all the things most visitors want to see. For that, you'll pay good money.
You have received a lot of good advice from above. With the Metro near by, you are not really far from almost anything in Paris and I have always felt safe, just be prepared and aware of the pickpockets.
I was planing a trip to Europe this spring and was looking at an apartment for a week in Paris, I found this and it can accommodate three for a low price: https://www.vrbo.com/455893ha# I had an apartment in the area many years ago and found two Metros a very short distance away, couple supermarkets, couple blocks from the Moulin Rouge(had no desire to visit) and short walk to Sacre Coeurs. There are many apartments in a wide range of prices. A hostel can be inexpensive, but usually it is a per person fee, but with an apartment or hotel you can usually have a room for one price. airb&b.com is another site you may find something.
I have found that many of the lower priced hotels do not belong to the "hotel web sites" and you will have to search to find them and some do not even have a web site and have to call to make a reservation.
As a very rough rule-of-thumb, hotel prices can be lower on the edges of the central city, that area defined by the ring-road highway known as the Peripherique. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boulevard_P%C3%A9riph%C3%A9rique
Some of the hotel chains have branches at major intersections which will be cheaper than their operations in the centre. The balance to be paid is the amount of time spent on public transportation to the tourist attractions, so having a Metro station nearby is an important issue. And while the surroundings are a genuine part of Paris, they will not be picture-postcard quaint. The huge Accor chain shows 281 hotels with many price points and levels on its website http://www.accorhotels.com/gb/booking/hotels-paris.shtml#48.97664687980353,2.5978391875976285,48.74083071098154,2.097274612402316
Others such as Booking.com allow geographic searches too.
Without an idea of your budget, it's difficult to give a specific hotel recommendation. There is a highly-rated romantic hotel in a classic Beaux Arts building in the Latin Quarter called the Hotel Observatoire Luxembourg which is currently running a promotion on Trivago.com with rooms from $119. It is near the Luxembourg Gardens and steps from a Metro station. A great hotel for a great price. ObservatoireHotel.com