Where to Stay in Paris ✨
For every budget and occasion
If you aren’t intimately familiar with the ‘arrondissements’ of Paris or the transportation system, booking the right hotel for your trip can be daunting. Here’s a few pointers to help.
🗺 The Basics: Most sight seeing is the 7th arrondissement, near the Eiffel Tower, in the 1st, and near the 9th, all of which tend to have inflated hotel and restaurant prices. I recommend hotels on the 1️⃣ line of the metro or with a quick transfer to it because it is the spine of the metro system. Le Marais (3rd Arrondissement) is commonly regarded as likely a favorite place of tourists and Parisians alike. Business trips will probably take you to the 8th, 9th, or La Defense districts.
🚎 Getting Around: Metro is best, but not always intuitive. Consider buying a weekend pass or rechargeable Navigo Easy Travel Card to avoid keeping track of paper tickets. Keep in mind: ApplePay and other types of contactless payment are not available, and tickets are not available for purchase at every station.
🏡 Airbnb vs Hotel: Paris is one of the densely populated real estate markets out there, meaning Airbnb hosts can and will be picky about their guests. To avoid the hassle and the headache, I personally recommend Airbnbs for longer stays, (more than 10 days) and hotels for anything shorter.
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MIJE Marais - Auberge de jeunesse Fourcy
Adorable, charming, and full of fellow travelers, this hostel will bring you back to your boarding school days. Ideal if you’re open to sharing a room, and making friends during your stay. Perfect for: Students and travelers 30 and under. PRO TIP: “Auberge de jeunesse” is the term for youth hostel. Google this for better, high quality options if you’re booking last minute.
Hôtel Castex
Like a hostel for grown-ups, Hotel Castex is a homey 3-star hotel that has hosted dozens of travelers from all over the world. It has a cottage-y bed and breakfast feel, with cozy rooms and attentive staff. Very conveniently located, with breakfast, a/c and elevator. Heck yeah! Perfect for: Sight-seers over 30. 🫶 Mom approved.
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Hôtel Jeanne d'Arc le Marais
Another 3-star, but usually with low vacancy. What it lacks in A/C, it makes up for in cleanliness and spaciousness! Perfectly located, next to a lively square, a block from Places des Vosges and the trendy Le Marais district, and the Saint Paul metro stop. Perfect for: Families. 🫶 Mom approved.
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Hôtel Le Ballu
This 4.7 star hotel, is deep in the 17th. I have never actually stayed here, but friends love the neighborhood, and it’s within walking distance to Opera House Garnier, Le Printemps (excellent shopping 🛍 ), and the beautiful and historic Cafe de la Paix! It’s also near Pigalle for enjoying night life, trendy enough to interact with real Frenchies, and close enough to the 1 line for comfort. Perfect for: Extended Business Stay. 💼
PRO TIP: Need more business hotels? Accor Hospitality Group is a leading international brand with French roots. When in doubt, they offer consistent service and rewards programs at every price point. Business people love that.
Hotel Montecristo
If you’re looking for a real “rendez-vous” go to a little-known place in the 5th Arrondisment, and let your imagination run wild. Inspired by Cuban interior design, this place is filled with textures and great details that make you feel like you’re living the life in Havana. Close to Arts and Metiers Museum, Le Bon Marche & La Grand Épicerie de Paris, and Musée D’Orsay. Perfect for: A Romantic Get Away. ❤️🔥
PRO TIP: Stay in and hit up the Alexandre Dumas-inspired Rum Bar 1802 for a rum tasting. Learn about the heritage and flavor profiles of rum, then sweat it out in the pool and sauna.
PRO TIP: Need more romance? Try Sinner Paris or Hotel JoBo for that famed Parisian ‘je ne sais quoi’.
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Mandarin Oriental Hotel
Did you know there are hotels that go beyond 5 star hotels? These are the ones with the killer views of the Eiffel Tower, historic reputation, and best-in-class service. The Ritz, The Penninusla, the Four Seasons, and the Shangri-La are the ones you see in all the Vogue and AD magazines, and are out of most people’s budget. Put this one on the company card and enjoy the lavish life! Or maybe… don’t, and just go there for cocktails at Bar 8. Perfect for: Instagramming z🤩
Hôtel Costes
If you know about this hotel, you are cool and you are fancy. Located just outside of Place Vêndome and nearby Les Jardins Tuileries, you can have wave your car ahead and stroll past the tango dancers in the square after dinner, or sashay towards the Seine and see Paris put on a show in the hazy midnight glow. Make your dinner reservations well in advance (book in French for the best tables) and dress to the nines — you have made it, my dear. It simply doesn’t get better than this! Perfect for: Royalty. 👑
PRO TIP: Expect all 5+ star hotels to enforce a dress code after 5pm. It’s okay to dress down in the lobby (note, dress down does not mean jeans…) but you may be turned away for dinner or the bar if you aren’t in suit & tie. And yes, do your hair & your face for breakfast.
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