Recommended Hotels
This list is divided geographically, covering hotels on the islands and the Right and Left banks. Note that the numbers in the postcode indicate the arrondissement (district), so 75004 is the 4th arrondissement.
Hotels on the islands are mainly small and old-fashioned, and few have lifts. Around the Louvre and Tuileries are some of the city’s star addresses, such as the Ritz; further north, on and around the Grands Boulevards, are unassuming establishments with modern amenities. Try Beaubourg, Marais or Bastille for a crop of modern boutique hotels.
Western Paris offers full-on luxury. Montmartre hotels, on the other hand, tend to capitalise on the Butte’s romantic reputation, but often nakedly angle their rates at the tourist crowd.
On the Left Bank, the Latin Quarter and St-Germain-des-Prés have chic, elegant and traditional establishments, but staying here is rarely cheap. You almost always pay a premium around the Eiffel Tower too. There are a few pleasant addresses to be found in Montparnasse.
The following ranges give an idea of the price for an en-suite double room per night. Service and tax are included; generally, breakfast is not.
€€€€ over 300 euros
€€€ 200–300 euros
€€ 100–200 euros
€ 55–100 euros
The Islands
Hôtel des Deux-Îles €€€ 59 rue St-Louis-en-l’Île, 75004; tel: 01 43 26 13 35; www.deuxiles-paris-hotel.com. Set in a small and attractive 17th-century mansion on the main street of the tranquil Île St-Louis, this hotel, with just 17 rooms, is comfortable and friendly, with a cellar bar and a vaulted breakfast room with stone walls. Rooms are compact but nicely decorated. Wi-fi.
Hôtel Henri IV € 25 place Dauphine, 75001; tel: 01 43 54 44 53; www.henri4hotel.fr. Some of the least expensive rooms in Paris can be found at this modest Île de la Cité hotel, which has been popular with visiting students for decades. The 21 rooms are somewhat plain, but location, on the delightful place Dauphine, is hard to beat. Reserve well in advance. Breakfast included.
Hôtel du Jeu de Paume €€€€ 54 rue St-Louis-en-l’Île, 75004; tel: 01 43 26 14 18; www.jeudepaumehotel.com. This 30-room Île St-Louis hotel is decorated in chic contemporary style, but has kept its 17th century jeu de paume (real-tennis) court. Wi-fi.
Hôtel de Lutèce €€€ 65 rue St-Louis-en-l’Île, 75004; tel: 01 43 26 23 52; www.paris-hotel-lutece.com. This lovely Île St-Louis hotel is under the same management as the Deux-Îles . It has 23 tiny, attractive and quiet rooms, several with exposed wooden beams. Those on the sixth floor are the most romantic. Wi-fi.
The Right Bank
Louvre and Tuileries
Hôtel Costes €€€€ 239 rue St-Honoré, 75001; tel: 01 42 44 50 00; www.hotelcostes.com. This super-hip hotel is just off elegant place Vendôme in an exclusive neighbourhood lined with chic boutiques. The rooms are exquisitely decorated with Baroque paintings, heavy drapes and antiques. Some bathrooms have claw-foot bathtubs and mosaic tiles. Owner Jean-Louis Costes dislikes artificial light, so the hallways are lit with candles; even the beautiful indoor pool is dark.
Grand Hotel du Palais Royal €€€€ 4 rue de Valois, 75001; tel: 01 42 96 15 35; www.grandhoteldupalaisroyal.com. In an 18th century building in the south eastern corner of the elegant Palais Royal is this intimate luxury hotel, which opened its doors in the summer of 2013. The 68 rooms and suites, some with their own balcony, successfully marry classical style with contemporary lines. As well as a restaurant and bar, there is also a spa, which uses Carita products.
Hôtel Mansart €€€ 5 rue des Capucines, 75001; tel: 01 42 61 50 28; www.paris-hotel-mansart.com. With some of the 57 rooms overlooking place Vendôme, this four-star hotel, named after the architect of Versailles, is a bargain for this area. Rooms are decorated in traditional style, furnished with antiques, yet have a contemporary feel and there is a lovely stained glass window in the breakfast room. The hotel has been completely refurbished.
The Grands Boulevards
Buddha Bar Hotel €€€€ 4 rue d’Anjou, 75008; tel: 01 83 96 88 88; www.buddhabarhotelparis.com. A couple of streets west of place de la Madeleine, this ultra-hip hotel opened its doors in the summer of 2013. The 18th-century building is decorated in neo-Asian style, the food is Asian-Fusion and the Quatre cocktail bar is fast becoming the place to be seen.
Hôtel Chopin € 46 passage Jouffroy, 75009; tel: 01 47 70 58 10; www.hotelchopin.fr. Set at the end of a historic 19th-century glass-and-steel-roofed arcade, this is a quiet, friendly, simply furnished hotel. It is popular, too, so book well in advance.
Hôtel Langlois €€ 63 rue St-Lazare, 75009; tel: 01 48 74 78 24; www.hotel-langlois.com. If you fancy stepping back in time then this three-star hotel is the place for you. Rooms are decorated in Belle Epoque and Art Nouveau style, each furnished with antiques and paintings, each with original features dating from 1870 when the building was constructed. Breakfast isn’t cheap (€13) but it’s worth trying to check out the old-fashioned birdcage in the breakfast room.
W Paris – Opéra €€€€ 4 rue Meyerbeer, 75009; tel: 01 77 48 94 94; www.wparisopera.com. In a grand 1870s building near the Opéra, this is the place to come if comfort is as important as style: the hotel is famous for its beds (the two Extreme Wow Suites have circular ones) and Egyptian cotton linen. All rooms have 40” TVs, rainforest showers and iPod docking stations. Chill out to the DJs in the W Lounge or try some gourmet tapas in the Arola restaurant.
Beaubourg, Marais and Bastille
Hôtel Bourg Tibourg €€€ 19 rue du Bourg-Tibourg, 75004; tel: 01 42 78 47 39; www.bourgtibourg.com. Situated on a charming narrow street in the heart of the Marais, this 17th-century building is home to a well-kept, affordable boutique hotel stylishly decorated by celebrity designer Jacques Garcia in reds, blacks and Moorish blues and golds. Breakfast is served in a vaulted dining room with exposed stone.
Le Citizen Hotel du Canal €€€ 96 quai de Jemmapes, 75010 tel: 01 83 62 55 50; www.lecitizenhotel.com. In a lovely location next to the Canal St-Martin, this eco-friendly, modern hotel has just 12 rooms, including two suites, with all mod cons including an iPad. There are regular art exhibitions and breakfast is included in the room price.
Hôtel Duo €€€ 11 rue du Temple, 75004; tel: 01 42 72 72 22; www.duo-paris.com. This trendy hotel has an excellent location in the Marais. Rooms are furnished in contemporary style, with good-sized bathrooms. There is a bar downstairs, a courtyard garden and a gym.
Mama Shelter €€ 109 rue de Bagnolet, 75020; tel: 01 43 48 48 48; www.mamashelter.com. This 170-room hotel has won a slew of awards for its looks, facilities, and value. The location is a fair distance east of Bastille, but the sleek Philippe Starck-designed rooms all come with iMacs, microwaves and free movies. Mama regularly hosts DJ sessions, yet has also been voted best business hotel in Europe two years running.
Pavillon de la Reine €€€€ 28 place des Vosges, 75003; tel: 01 40 29 19 19; www.pavillon-de-la-reine.com. This romantic, stylish hotel, located on the beautiful place des Vosges, feels like a country château. Rooms vary greatly in size and price, but most have four-poster beds, exposed wooden beams and antiques. There is also a cosy lobby bar with evening wine-tasting, a spa, and manicured gardens.
Western Paris
Le Dokhan’s Hotel €€€€ 117 rue de Lauriston, 75016; tel: 01 53 65 66 99; www.radissonblu.com. This hotel in the Radisson Blu chain has a fine western location with good views of the Eiffel Tower. The decor is classic luxury with contemporary touches: high ceilings, lots of wood and old-style fittings all set off by modern colours and warm lighting. There is a stylish champagne bar but no restaurant.
Saint James Paris €€€€ 43 avenue Bugeaud, 75016; tel: 01 44 05 81 81; www.saint-james-paris.com. This outrageously luxurious mansion near Étoile was done out in 2011 by British interior designer Bambi Sloan in a sort of modern Baroque, complete with chandeliers. Among other glories, there is a drop-dead gorgeous library bar and a large garden dotted with kiosks made to look like Montgolfier balloons – whose real, historic predecessors used to take off here.
Montmartre
Chat Noir Design Hôtel €€ 68 boulevard de Clichy, 75018; tel: 01 42 64 15 26; www.hotel-chatnoir-paris.com. The ubiquitous black cat image gives away this hotel location in the former famous nightclub of the same name. Rooms are white, bright and contemporary with splashes of red, black and yellow. The area is a racy one.
Hôtel Ermitage €€ 24 rue Lamarck, 75018; tel: 01 42 64 79 22; www.ermitagesacrecoeur.fr. This 12-room hotel is located close to Sacré-Cœur in an old residential neighbourhood. It is a good budget choice, with friendly staff and colourful bedrooms decorated in French farmhouse style. There is a lovely courtyard and terrace, where breakfast (included in the price) is served in summer. No credit cards.
Terrass Hotel €€€ 12–14 rue Joseph de Maistre, 75018; tel: 01 46 06 72 85; www.terrass-hotel.com. This renovated Montmartre hotel has one considerable advantage over its rivals, in addition to its stylish decor and chic piano bar: the open-air lounge on its roof. Drinks and meals are served here in good weather, with panoramic views of the capital.
The Left Bank
Latin Quarter and St-Germain-des-Prés
Abbaye St-Germain €€€€ 10 rue Cassette, 75006; tel: 01 45 44 38 11; www.hotelabbayeparis.com. This 17th century abbey, attractively situated between the Jardin du Luxembourg and St-Germain-des-Prés, has been beautifully adapted into a hotel. A favourite haunt of writers and artists, the charm of the old decor has been maintained – some of the 46 rooms have beams – but there are all mod cons, and a lovely garden. Staff are helpful and attentive.
Hôtel d’Angleterre €€€ 44 rue Jacob, 75006; tel: 01 42 60 34 72; www.hotel-dangleterre.com. The location could not be better, on a quiet, upmarket street lined with art galleries. This lovely hotel was the site at which the Treaty of Paris, proclaiming the independence of the US, was signed in 1783; in the 19th century it was used as the British Embassy. Ernest Hemingway lodged here (in room 14) in 1921. Rooms are fairly small and furnished with antiques; only the top-floor doubles are spacious. Delightful terrace and garden.
Hôtel Familia €€ 11 rue des Ecoles 75005; tel: 01 43 54 55 27; www.hotel-paris-familia.com. Within a few minutes’ walk of the islands and St-Germain-des-Prés, the Familia offers solid comforts in smallish rooms for a modest price; rooms on the fifth and sixth floors have views of Notre-Dame. Another attraction for the hotel’s many regular guests is the hospitable Gaucheron family who live on the premises and take pride in every detail.
Hôtel des Grandes Ecoles €€ 75 rue du Cardinal-Lemoine, 75005; tel: 01 43 26 79 23; www.hotel-grandes-ecoles.com. At first glance, you might think you were in the French countryside. There are 50 large, prettily furnished rooms around a cobbled courtyard and garden of established trees and trellised roses. Although it is a short uphill walk from the Métro, you are still near enough to attractions including rue Mouffetard. No TVs.
Hôtel de Nesle €€ 7 rue de Nesle, 75006; tel: 01 43 54 62 41; www.hoteldenesleparis.com. A laid-back students’ and backpackers’ hotel. Facilities are basic, but bedrooms are cheerfully decorated with murals, furnished to various eclectic themes and spotless. There is also a garden with a pond and an impressive palm tree.
Hotel Le Six €€€ 14 rue Stanislas, 75006; tel: 01 42 22 00 75; www.hotel-le-six.com. Design-conscious but child-friendly boutique hotel, where the rooms have iPod/iPhone docks, Nespresso machines and L’Occitane toiletries. Relax with a drink in the glass-roofed lounge, book a private yoga class in the fitness centre or ease away aches and pains in the hammam. No restaurant.
Around the Eiffel Tower
Amélie €€ 5 rue Amélie, 75007; tel: 01 45 51 74 75; www.hotelamelie-paris.com. A short walk from the Eiffel Tower, this small, friendly, family-run hotel has some of the lowest rates in the area. Renovated rooms have small refrigerators and private bathrooms. A narrow wooden staircase leads up to the four levels of rooms; there is no lift. Breakfast is served in the small lobby.
Hôtel Lenox €€€ 9 rue de l’Université, 75007; tel: 01 42 96 10 95; www.hotelparislenoxsaintgermain.com. This trendy hotel is decorated in Art Deco style and is very popular among style-conscious types. There is a bar and the rooms are spotless. Reserve well in advance.
Hôtel Verneuil €€€ 8 rue de Verneuil, 75007; tel: 01 42 60 82 14; www.hotel-verneuil-saint-germain.com. Lovely hotel in an elegant 17th century building in the upmarket 7th arrondissement, with small but attractive rooms renovated in contemporary style. Discreet service. Singer Serge Gainsbourg lived on this street, and the wall outside his old house is decorated with graffiti in homage. Well placed for St-Germain.
Montparnasse
Hôtel Ariane €€ 35 rue de la Sablière, 75014; tel: 01 45 45 67 13; www.hotel-ariane.fr. Peace and quiet is one of the Ariane’s biggest selling points. Its 30 rooms have been renovated, each with its own take on the theme of ‘Time’ – hourglasses, and so on. All have free Wi-fi and flat-screen TV.
Hôtel Istria €€ 29 rue Campagne Première, 75014; tel: 01 43 20 91 82; www.hotel-istria-paris.com. Three star hotel, whose exotic previous guests have included Man Ray, Eric Satie and Rainer Maria Rilker. The 26 renovated rooms are based around an attractive interior courtyard; all have flat-screen TVs and Wi-fi.