My parents are taking me to Paris as a graduation celebration. We will be staying for one week. I%26#39;ve searched through both hotels and apartments for rent, but I%26#39;m unsure about where exactly to stay. It will just be my mom and I. She and I both love the arts, and we love to envelope ourselves in the local culture whenever we travel. We tend to shy away from touristy things. We do go to main attractions, but like to get a taste for the local culture. She is leaving the choice of where we stay up to me. What I%26#39;m looking for is somewhere that is relatively safe, is close to a metro station (but not so close you can hear it rumbling by), NOT TOURISTY, soundproofing so we can actually sleep, and decent inside. She would be happy just staying inside reading a book, but I%26#39;d really like for it to not be a completely lame part of town. Also maybe nice cafes nearby? I don%26#39;t really like hotel food so that would be a plus too. Any suggestions would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Travel dates: June 3-10
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I think you would definitely be happier in an apartment than a hotel room. It will give you more space and your mom will probably be more comfortable in her %26quot;own%26quot; space if you do go off on your own and leave her reading or whatever for an hour or two.
I would suggest you look for a place in one of the single digit arrondissemsnts. Here%26#39;s a quick run down on them as I imagine you might see them.
1st (the Louvre) — a bit too commercial by day, too quiet at night.
2nd (the Bourse — Stock Exchange) — not teriibly interesting for most first-time visitors day or night.
3rd (northern Marais, Arts et Métiers) — I really like this area but it is a bit removed from the major tourist sights, perhaps a 20 minute walk from A. et M. to Notre Dame cathedral for example. It%26#39;s a solid middle class area without a lot of tourists but with good cafés and restaurants and a number of interesting museums, the Picasso, Carnavalet, Arts et Métiers, etc. Some of its streets are a bit lacking in charm, others positively ooze it. It%26#39;s also only a short walk to the trendy and un-touristy Oberkampf/Ménilmontant district with its lively nightlife and wide variety of cafés and rtestaurants.
4th (southern Marais) — this is the other area I think you might like. It is a bit more touristy than the 3rd but not overly so. It has some of the most interesting architecture in all of Paris and a wide selection of cafes and restaurants. There are a lot of boutiques selling mostly fairly hip clothing and jewelry. The rue St. Antoine that bisects the arrondissement on the east-west axis is a very good street for food shopping of every kind and is always lively with (mostly) local folk. Access on foot to most of the sights is pretty good, especially from the western part of the arrondissement. There is some pretty decent nightlife both here and nearby around Bastille.
5th (Latin Quarter) — has a fairly young and lively vibe but much of it is very touristy. From the sound of things this is not where you want to be, though some bits of it not so close to the river and away from rue Mouffetarde might be OK for you.
6th (St. Germain des Prés) — has the advantage of being probably the most centrally located in terms of walking to the major sights. Is very upscale and (IMO) a bit stuffy, but is certainly popular with a lot of visitors, especially Americans. I love strolling its streets — there are many art dealers in the area — and enjoy its cafés and the Jardin du Luxembourg but it%26#39;s not a place I choose to stay and I don%26#39;t think it is quite what you are looking for.
7th — (Eiffel Tower) — this is an upscale residential area and the home of many government offices and ministry buildings. There are some fine museums here — the Musée d%26#39;Orsay, Musée de l%26#39;Armée, Rodin etc. — but much of the area is really dead at night and it is not really convenient for walking to many of the other sites. (The north-eastern part that abuts the 6th is not bad from that point of view.)
8th (Champs-Élysées) — IMO the least interesting of the arrondissements well-known to most visitors. Lots of upscale shopping, block upon block of high rent commercial space, some *very* expensive housing. A rather limited supply of cafés and restaurants and those that there are tend to be expensive.
Take a look at a map of Paris and a guidebook (If you don%26#39;t have either get both ASAP; the DK Eyewitness Guide is good for pre-trip planning.) and do sme searching here and elsewhere. See what you think about the 3rd or 4th arrondissements.
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Thank you so much! Your information helped tremendously.
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pixichic,
I think it%26#39;s just great that your mom is leaving the decision of where to stay up to you!! It will give you the opportunity to become a real savy traveler, and you%26#39;ve already started by posting to this forum. So kudos to your mom!
Get a guidebook and read up on the various arrondisements. I agree with IrishRovr%26#39;s suggestions - you can read more on your own to see if you agree as well.
If I were you I would try to find an apartment. To me, an apartment gives you a little bigger window into what life is like for people who live there. There are a lot of options in the more %26quot;non-touristy%26quot; areas. When you have some selections, come back and let the experts give you some feedback.
Have fun - the planning can be exciting all on its own!
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