Hello!
I am starting to book my trip to Paris and need help figuring out where to stay. This will be my first trip to Paris and I would like to stay somewhere that is centrally located to everything, everyone tells me that you can walk everywhere in Paris but I just don’t want to get stuck out in the middle of nowhere..any help would be appreciated.
Not sure if the time of year matters but we are planning on the first week of October 2006…how is the weather around that time??
Thanks for your help
Angela
Comment On Help with Arrondissements??
Hello. October is beautiful. The trees are turning color then. It will be a little chilly (depending on where you live) and there may be rain so bring an umbrella. That said, Paris is absolutely lovely in the rain. It takes on the ambience of those 1930s black and white photos that we all love. I’m from southern California so I was surprised to discover that autumn leaves on cobblestones get very slippery when wet. Be careful. If you are from someplace where it actually rains occasionally, this will not surprise you. LOL
Where to stay: If you want a central location, you probably want to look at hotels in either the St. Germain District (6th Arrondissement) or in the Latin Quarter (5th Arrondissement). We’re going over in September and October, staying in the 6th on the way in and in the 5th on the way home. We usually stay in the 5th because it is less expensive and close to everything we like to visit. St. Germain is a bit more upscale but still not too expensive. The 5th is the student section where the Univ. of Paris is located, i.e. the Sorbonne.
We usually stay at the Hotel de la Sorbonne right across from the University. It is clean, convenient, has private baths and an elevator. The desk is manned 24 hours a day and most staff speak English. There are 3 Metro stations and 2 RER stations within an easy walk. You can easily walk to Notre Dame, Ste. Chapelle, the Louvre, the d’Orsay, the Seine, Ile de la Cite and Ile St. Louis, the Tuileries Gardens and the Orangerie (newly reopened) and you are only a couple blocks from the Luxembourg Gardens. My favorite museum, the Cluny, is only two blocks away! The location can’t be beat.
We book through this web site, France.com and always have. They are very reliable.
I highly recommend a good Paris map because it will save you a lot of time. You can get free maps from Tourist Info and from Printemps Dept. store but they don’t have all the streets. Better to purchase a little 5 X 7 inch booklet called "Paris Pratique par Arrondisswement" at the first news stand or tabac that you see. It has all the streets, an index of them, maps arranged by arrondissement, i.e. page 4 is arrondissement 4. It also has a complete Metro map, RER map and bus routes. It’s a great map and fits in your coat pocket easily.
Click on the red and blue France.com above and you will go to the Home Page where you can do your hotel search. When asked for area, choose Latin Quarter or St. Germain (or whatever you wish) and do your search. They will give you photos that are authentic, prices and reviews written by people who have actually stayed there.
If you want to double check any of this, go to http://www.tripadvisor.com and check the hotel reviews there to get a second opinion.
If you want to see photos of the outside of the hotel and the surroundng area (with a map), go to http://photos.pagesjaunes.fr/ where you can type in the address of the hotel you are considering. It’s fun! There are arrows beneath the photo that allow you to see the buildings on either side of the hotel and look up and down the street. You may also click on the map and move it around too. The Metro stations will be listed; just hold your cursor over the M and the name will appear.
Oh yes, take very comfortable shoes because Paris is so beautiful that you will walk a lot more than you planned.
If I can help more, let me know.
Have a good trip.