Hotels in Paris: where to stay and what to book

Paris runs to 20 arrondissements in a spiral out from the Louvre, and the last two digits of any postcode tell you how close a hotel is to the middle: 75001 to 75008 sit along the Seine, while 75010 and 75017 are a short Metro ride out. What the number cannot tell you is which bank to choose — the Right Bank for the Arc, the shops and the Eurostar terminal, the Left for the Sorbonne, the Panthéon and cheaper evenings. Below are ten hotels in Paris, grouped that way, with the star rating, guest score, address and nearest Metro stop for each, all distances in metres.

Where to stay in Paris: six areas worth comparing

The hotels in Paris below are grouped by these areas and ordered cheapest to priciest within each. One ticket covers a single ride on the Métro or the RER inside the city, so buy a carnet or a day pass if you plan several trips, and keep the ticket until you leave the station. Here for the Eurostar, book Gare du Nord; for the museums, the Left Bank; for the Arc, the 17th.

Champs-Élysées hotels: the Arc and the avenue

All three sit in the 17th, just behind the Arc de Triomphe, so the avenue, the Arc and the walk down to the Seine are on foot. Charles de Gaulle–Étoile is one of the biggest interchanges in Paris, which makes this the easiest area for getting anywhere quickly. The 17th is quieter than the avenue itself, and from the Arc the walk down to the Seine takes about half an hour, with the Louvre another ten minutes along the river.

Latin Quarter and Left Bank hotels

These two are for the Left Bank on a budget: Rue Mouffetard's market street, the Panthéon and the Seine all within a walk, and the Sorbonne crowd keeps prices lower than across the river. The Minerve is the conventional hotel option; Young and Happy is dorm beds, so read the room type before booking. Rue Mouffetard's market runs uphill towards Place de la Contrescarpe, and the walk to Notre-Dame along the river takes about twenty minutes.

Montparnasse hotels

Montparnasse suits an early train west or a Left Bank stay away from the tourist crush. The Timhotel Odessa is the pick for cafes and the station, the Pullman for space and views, and the Gare Montparnasse property for a bed beside the platforms. The tower's observation deck is the best place to look at the Eiffel Tower rather than queue to go up it.

Gare du Nord hotels: for the Eurostar

Between them the two cover both stations on the boulevard. If you arrive on the Eurostar, the Flanelles is the least stressful first night in Paris: the hotel faces the station, so you walk your case across the road instead of dragging it through the Metro. It also works for an early departure — and the RER B from Gare du Nord runs direct to Charles de Gaulle airport. The station also handles trains from Lille, Brussels and Amsterdam, so it stays busy well into the evening.

Before you book: five practical checks

1. Expect peak rates at the tennis and in the holidays. Fashion week, the French school holidays and the tennis at Roland-Garros lift rates across the city, and the trade fairs at Porte de Versailles do the same in the south-west. Midweek outside those weeks is the cheapest way in.
2. Compare like with like. The city tax is often added at check-in, and breakfast is rarely included in the cheapest rate, so check what each price covers.
3. Plan the airport leg. The RER B runs from Charles de Gaulle into Gare du Nord and on to the Left Bank; Orly uses the Orlyval shuttle to the RER. Buy a ticket before you board.
4. Check the map pin. "Paris" listings can sit in the outer arrondissements or across the périphérique, so check the postcode: 75001-75008 is the core, and the 10th, 17th and 18th sit inside the ring road but a Metro ride from the sights.
5. Know your stop. Métro and RER are different networks under one ticket system in the centre; Charles de Gaulle–Étoile and Montparnasse–Bienvenüe are interchanges, not single lines.

Arriving in Paris: from the airport or station to your hotel

Two things catch first-timers out: Gare du Nord and Gare de Lyon are different stations several Metro stops apart, so check the name on your ticket; and taxis from Charles de Gaulle charge a flat fare that depends on which bank you are heading for, so have your address ready before you get in.

※ Prices, scores and availability change. Check the linked hotel pages for your dates before booking.