frenchfriends

You can hardly wait to leave for Paris, France .  You’ve gotten your cheap airfare to Paris, France , now you’re trying to decide between some wonderful sounding bargains on accommodation for Paris, France . Here’s a guide to Paris’s arrondissements or neighborhoods so you can learn more about what neighborhoods in Paris the hotels you are considering are in . It’ll help you decide where in Paris you want to be and where you don’t!

The ideal of a holiday in Paris can be an extravagant one. It’s quite easy to begin picturing pampered living - canopy beds, crystal antique chandeliers , pure silk sheets - before coming to terms with the reality of budget constraints. Paris is an expensive city. And living like a king or a queen isn’t feasible for most visitors . Furthermore, Paris is a diverse city. It has an array of different arrondissements, and sections of the city .  Some that might suit a married couple and two children might not work for the trendy young honeymooners, the group of backpackers, or the semi-retired or retired couple celebrating their golden anniversary. So before you finally choose which Paris hotels near the Eiffel Tower are for you and your family , or which 5 star hotels in Paris you like , or which Paris hotels in the Latin Quarter make the most sense for you, you should also consider the ambiance and milieu of the neighborhood you’re about to stay in. This is critical if you are to find the best hotel in Paris for you . Remember it’ll be your home away from home while in Paris and you’ll want it to be a good fit. So consider neighborhood along with price, safety and convenience as you make your final Paris hotel, bed and breakfast, motel, apartment or other accommodation selection . Neighborhood is always an important consideration for luxury or cheap accommodation in Paris, France even if you are looking at hotels in Paris city centre.

General Guide To Pricing

By and large, good Paris hotels on the Right Bank in elegant districts like the eighth and 16th arrondissements are the most expensive of any hotels you can find . On the left bank, prices are generally lower. Of course there are exceptions, the upscale artsy Boulevard St. Germain area is also rather pricey, though not as expensive as Paris’s Right Bank hotels. Less costly areas include more residential, student oriented, or out-of the way arrondissements. Boulevard St. Michel - though perhaps congested , is rather inexpensive , though not as cheap as Montparnasse. These two areas are good for finding cheap accommodation in Paris. Other neighborhoods that are generally on the bottom end of the price scale, but that aren’t worryingly dangerous , include Montmartre, which is low-key, artsy-hippie, and relaxed, the student-oriented , though perhaps a tad touristy, Rue Mouffetard, and the residential Portes d’Orleans/Alesia area. These areas tend not to be a five minute walk from the Eiffel Tower, but it’s easy to get around on the Metro or through the city’s Velib bike-rental system.

General Guide To The Star Rating System For Paris France Accommodation

The concept behind France’s star ranking system is arithmetic - not a value-judgement. In France, a standardized system of star-ranking measures not the quality of the hotel but the quantity of its amenities. The one- four star scale (there are no five -star hotels in France) is based on 22 criteria about the square footage, features, and amenities, and doesn’t reflect on the “charm,” “niceness,” or lack thereof. So do your research ; don’t assume stars automatically mean good, or that a hotel with only one star is bad - it could be far more charming than its “four-star” a hotel with four stars.

Picking A Neighborhood

As a rule of thumb, the 1st, eighth, 16th, and seventh arrondissements are the most “elegant,” with the seventh by and large more aristocratic, residential, and refined, and the 8th, 1st and sixteenth more opulent, catering to businessmen and government officials. The 6th is also upscale, but in a more artsy , more bohemian fashion. For young, trendy visitors , the Marais (3rd and 4th) is the best place to be, although for student travelers on a budget Montmartre (eighteenth - but be sure you’re not in the less safe district of Barbes-Rochechouard or the seedy Pigalle, also bordering the eighteenth ) is a great bet, as is the slightly more picturesque Latin Quarter ( 15th). Quiet residential areas like the 13th, 12th, 14th, 15th, and seventeenth are wonderful for families looking to inexpensively rent out an apartment and experience “neighborhood life.” Seedier areas include bits of the second , the 9th, and outlying areas - be sure you’re not in Barbes-Rochechouard, on Rue St. Denis (unless you’re low down near Les Halles), or in Pigalle or Clichy - these are all slightly seedier, or even more dangerous   neighborhoods. Staying in the banlieus - suburbs- is not suggested .