Where To Stay In Paris
The right arrondissement matters more than people think. Here's the honest breakdown.
Paris has 20 arrondissements. Most visitors should be looking at the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 9th or 10th. The 18th (Montmartre) has parts to avoid. Anything marketed as "Paris" that's actually near CDG airport or Disneyland is not central Paris — factor in 45+ minutes of commute time before you book.
Hotels in the 18th arrondissement around Barbès-Rochechouart or Gare du Nord are poor value and require care after dark. Hotels marketed as "Paris" near Disney or CDG airport are not Paris — the commute will eat your holiday.
1st & 2nd Arrondissement — Louvre & Palais Royal
The most central location in Paris. The Louvre, Palais Royal, Tuileries Garden, and Sainte-Chapelle are all within walking distance. Streets are quieter than you'd expect — the daytime tourists largely come from outside the arrondissement. Expensive but convenient.
Maximum walkability to major sites. The Palais Royal and Rue de Rivoli are on your doorstep.
Very expensive. Not much neighbourhood life — this is the commercial and tourist centre.
The best budget option in Paris — a design hostel near Canal Saint-Martin with private rooms as well as dorms. Rooftop bar, decent café, well-located for the 10th and 11th arrondissements.
Why we picked it: The best hostel in Paris. Private rooms are genuinely comfortable and the location is excellent for the most interesting neighbourhood in the city.
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A quietly excellent hotel steps from the Tuileries, with rooms themed on different continents. Better value than its location would suggest, with genuinely warm service.
Why we picked it: The location — between the Louvre and the Opéra — is unbeatable for first-time visitors who want to walk everywhere.
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The grandest address on Rue de Rivoli, overlooking the Tuileries. Salvador Dalí's favourite hotel. Two Michelin-starred restaurant by Alain Ducasse, extraordinary Belle Époque decoration, impeccable service.
Why we picked it: If you're going to do Paris in grand style, Le Meurice is the standard everything else is measured against.
Check availability on Booking.com →3rd & 4th Arrondissement — Le Marais
The best neighbourhood in Paris to stay in — full stop. Medieval streets, the Place des Vosges, the Jewish Quarter, galleries, concept stores, the best falafel in Europe, and easy Metro access to everything. A strong mix of local life and visitor interest. Gay-friendly, architecturally extraordinary.
Most interesting neighbourhood. Good restaurant and bar scene. Easy access to the rest of Paris.
Can be crowded on weekends. Some streets are more touristy than others.
Three historic Marais mansions converted into youth hostels. Not the hippest option but unbeatable location — in actual 17th-century buildings steps from Place des Vosges.
Why we picked it: The location inside real historic Marais architecture at budget prices is genuinely remarkable.
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An 18th-century themed hotel in the heart of the Marais, named after Pierre Caron de Beaumarchais who lived nearby. 19 rooms, charming interiors, genuinely Parisian atmosphere.
Why we picked it: Perfect Marais location, genuine character, and it's smaller and more personal than the big hotel chains.
Check availability on Booking.com → Christian Lacroix designed the interiors of this 17-room boutique hotel — each room is different, all are extraordinary. In a former bakery (the oldest in Paris) in the Upper Marais. One of the most distinctive hotels in the city.
Why we picked it: The Lacroix interiors make this one of the most visually extraordinary small hotels in Europe. Neighbourhood is excellent.
Check availability on Booking.com →5th & 6th Arrondissement — Latin Quarter & Saint-Germain
Classic Left Bank Paris. The Latin Quarter has the Sorbonne, Rue Mouffetard, the Panthéon. Saint-Germain-des-Prés has Café de Flore, Les Deux Magots, the church where Descartes is buried, and some of Paris's best streets for walking. More expensive than the Marais but quintessentially Parisian.
Classic Paris atmosphere. Luxembourg Gardens nearby. Excellent restaurants on side streets.
Expensive. Some areas are very touristy (particularly the main Sorbonne streets).
The best-located budget option on the Left Bank — a few streets from the Panthéon and Rue Mouffetard. Basic but clean, friendly staff, excellent neighbourhood.
Why we picked it: Latin Quarter location at hostel prices is hard to beat. Rue Mouffetard market on the doorstep.
Check availability on Booking.com → Three buildings around a private garden in the Latin Quarter. Floral wallpapers, antique furniture, genuinely restful. The garden is extraordinary — you'd never guess you were in the centre of Paris.
Why we picked it: The secret garden and the quiet charm make this one of the best mid-range options in Paris for couples.
Check availability on Booking.com → Oscar Wilde died here in Room 16 in 1900. Jacques Garcia's restoration of this 19th-century townhouse is one of the most beautiful small hotel interiors in Europe — a domed atrium, a private pool in the cellar, 20 extraordinary rooms each different.
Why we picked it: The combination of the literary history, the extraordinary interiors, and the Saint-Germain location makes this genuinely special.
Check availability on Booking.com →9th & 10th Arrondissement — Grands Boulevards & Canal Saint-Martin
The up-and-coming area of Paris. The 10th arrondissement around Canal Saint-Martin is now the most interesting neighbourhood for food and drinking — natural wine bars, excellent restaurants, a genuinely local atmosphere. Good Metro connections. Better value than the Marais or Saint-Germain.
Best value for money. Most interesting neighbourhood for food and bars. Local atmosphere.
Not as central for major tourist sites — slightly more Metro reliance.
Listed again because it's that good for budget travellers. The design hostel near Canal Saint-Martin has private rooms, a rooftop bar, and is surrounded by the best cafés and restaurants in Paris.
Why we picked it: The best-located budget option in Paris for people who want to eat and drink like a local rather than a tourist.
Check availability on Booking.com → A 36-room boutique hotel near Canal Saint-Martin with a rooftop bar and extraordinary interiors. The rooms are genuinely designed, not merely decorated. One of the best mid-range options in the city.
Why we picked it: The rooftop bar, the neighbourhood, and the design quality make this one of the most exciting hotel openings in Paris in recent years.
Check availability on Booking.com → The hotel that helped establish the 10th arrondissement as a destination. Beautiful rooms (each different), an excellent bar, a restaurant, and impeccable service in a 19th-century building near the Canal.
Why we picked it: Consistently excellent. The bar is one of the best hotel bars in Paris and the neighbourhood is the most interesting in the city.
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