Where to stay in Paris?

[NancyJoan]

Me, DH, DD (17) and DS (14)

I’m the only one who has been before, so we want to do all the classic touristy things. Where should we stay? Best area? Any particular hotels or AirB&Bs?

Thanks!

What is the budget? The peninsula is my fave but a bit spendy!

Anywhere near a metro station in zone 1 or 2. Then you can get to whatever you need to see.
I wasted so much time on booking.com waiting for hosts of cute places to ignore me for 24 hours that I went to Campanile, Ibis and Premiere Classe websites instead.
Soulless but cheap and excellent coverage.

smallandeleganthotels.com/destinations/france/paris/residence-villa-daubenton-5th/
We stayed here a few years ago
We loved this area with our teens. It's very authentically Parisian but very convenient for getting around

3 nights, we’d need 2 bedrooms, maybe £1500-2000

Fab, thanks.

Merci bien.

We were in Paris recently at the Novotel Porte D'Orléans. It's right on the edge of the city but close enough to the bus/tram/Métro. I'm not normally a fan of chain hotels but this was very good, especially because of the perfect soundproofing. You're 30 metres from the ring road and you don't hear a thing. Avoid their breakfast, though - it's overpriced and not very good, but there are plenty of cafes in walking distance.

The metro is super fast in Paris, so you could stay anywhere in theory. The Astotel chain is worth a look; they have various locations and offer free snacks during day which you can take in sister hotel locations. Good for pit stops.

Agree re chains. Friends stayed in one of the Ibis this week near the Gare du Nord and said it was fine. I’ve got friends here right now staying at the Novotel in Belleville. Not the fanciest area, but it is literally right across the road from one metro, and 5 mins down road from another metro with 2 lines.

If you’re going to be using hotel just at night for sleeping, then save your money and stay in a less fancy place.

Otherwise, with your teens I’d suggest the Canal Saint Martin area. It’s buzzing with life, can be walked to from Gare du Nord, and there are some great bars and restaurants there. If it’s still on, I totally recommend ‘OMG She’s a Parisien’ stand up show at the Theatre Bo in that area; done in English and very funny.

An Ibis near to a Metro station.

Stealing ideas for me and dad's trip next year... Thanks op!

We stayed in Hotel Magenta 38 last week. The location was perfect. Really easy to find (we came in on Eurostar and it was an easy walk from GDN), and really near 3 different Metro stations, which covered about 8 lines between them - so we could get anywhere very quickly. It was really close to Canal St Martin, and we walked all the way down there to the Seine, which was a nice way to orient ourselves on the first day.

We booked it on booking.com, and purely by registering/logging in got a good discount, so it was a great price for Paris. Room was small, but very modern and spotless. It had a nice little terrace out the back, and free tea/coffee and pastries all day in reception. Would highly recommend it.

My favourite places to stay are either Montmartre or the 5th Arrondissement, around Rue Mouffetard. Both feel very authentically Parisian and have lots of good places to eat and interesting shops to browse. The latter is better located for walking, as Montmartre is north of the Gare du Nord. We stayed near Les Halles last year, which is super central, but it was like staying at Leicester Square, so I wouldn't recommend it.

I stayed at Champs-elysse and felt very safe and central

We usually go here https://closmedicis.com so close to the Jardin du Luxembourg, nice small restaurants nearby.

We always stay Latin Quarter. Last time we had a 14 and 19yo with us and found a 2 bed apartment on Airbnb right beside the fountain. We picnicked by the Seine early evening which the kids loved as they were surrounded by young locals. Plenty of cheap and cheerful places to eat, close to metro and RER so easy to get around, my favourite part of Paris. I will see if I can find the Airbnb for you.

I would like to know that @Flatandhappy !

Our favourite area is around Place des Vosges in the 3rd/4th. Great shops, restaurants etc, and an easy walk down to and across the river. We recently stayed in the St Paul area just to the south of there, and it was lovely. To be honest I wouldn't worry too much about being near particular sites, as long as you're not wildly out of town. Paris is small and very easy to get around. When you're planning journeys, don't forget the overground trains and the boats as well as the Metro.

Sorry @MerylSqueak, I went on to AirBnb and couldn’t find it (and forgot to come back and say so!). There are a few others that look nice nearby though. We have generally had good experiences with Airbnb although I know others haven’t.

Thank you @Flatandhappy

We stayed at the Hotel des Artes in Montmartre recently and it was quite charming. Historic, family owned, near Abesses metro station.