Where to stay in Paris – a guide to the best areas and neighbourhoods

Every hotel in this curated list has been visited by one of our expert reviewers, who are usually hosted on a complimentary basis. They stay for a minimum of one night, test at least one meal and trial other experiences that the hotel might have to offer. 
 

• Best hotel to stay in St-Germain des Près – Hôtel Lutetia
• Best hotel to stay in Louvre & Jardin des Tuileries – Le Meurice
• Best hotel to stay in Champs-Elysées & Grands Boulevards – Le Bristol
• Best hotel to stay in Montmartre & Pigalle – Maison Souquet
• Best hotel to stay in Le Marais & Bastille – Caron de Beaumarchais
• Best hotel to stay in the Latin Quarter – Hôtel les Dames du Panthéon
• Best hotel to stay in Gare Du Nord & Strasbourg Saint-Denis – Hotel Les Deux Gares

Only smart people stay in this sophisticated part of Paris, embracing the seriously posh 1st arrondissement on the right bank of the Seine – this is the best location to stay in Paris if you want to be central. The Louvre, Musée d’Orsay, Cathédrale de Notre Dame and Centre Pompidou are easy strolling distance and the pristine pea-green lawns of the 17th-century Tuileries gardens – laid out in 1664 by André Le Nôtre of Versailles fame – is the height of urban zen. Fashionable cafés and restaurants (Telescope, Verjus, Le Grand Véfour) cluster around the graceful Jardin du Palais Royal.

• The best Paris hotels near the Eiffel Tower

Luxury shopping is the lure of this well-heeled district, a classy cocktail of haute couture fashion houses, glitzy nightlife and celebrity chef kitchens in the central 8th and 9th arrondissements. The mythical avenue des Champs-Elysées is its linchpin and the Arc de Triomphe, at its western end, is the spot to get an aerial bird’s eye view (count 284 steps to the top). Other major sights include Grand Palais, the Palais Garnier opera house, the super-swish Place Vendôme and Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré for designer boutiques.

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Laced with enchanting old-world alleys and romantic cobbled lanes, the fabled hilltop quartier of Montmartre (18e arrondissement) is the stuff of movies: the 2001 French comedy Amélie was filmed here and staying in this quaint, village-like hood feels just like being on set. Visiting the Sacre Coeur, Musée du Montmartre where Renoir had a studio and the Clos de Montmartre vineyards – all doable on foot – are essentials. Down the hill in the 9e arrondissement, raunchy cabarets and peep shows mingle with hip new drinking and dining addresses in edgy ‘n upcoming SoPi or South Pigalle.

• The best hotels in Paris

Still on the right bank, immediately north of Paris’s monumental city hall Hôtel de Ville, Le Marais kicks in with trendsetting dining and bags of hipster attitude in the 3rd arrondissement. The fantastic Musée National Picasso, the Victor Hugo house-museum on achingly beautiful Place des Vosges, and the largely unsung Musée des Arts et Metiers are top sights here. To the north, boutique shopping for unique fashion and art pieces in Haut-Marais is second-to-none. To the east, in the neighbouring 11th arrondissement, the pace quickens in the Bastille area with creative bistro openings and outstanding street markets.

• The best hotels in Paris city centre

On the Rive Gauche (Left Bank), across the water from the Seine’s twinset of islands, languishes the eminently elegant and graceful district of St-German des Près (6th and 7th arrondissements), made famous by the early 20th-century likes of Simone de Beauvoir, Jean-Paul Sartre and Hemingway who quaffed coffee and cocktails on its historic café pavement terraces on boulevard St-Germain. Do the same, mooch around this area’s many art galleries, antique shops and fashion boutiques. Key sights include the Musée d’Orsay, Musee Rodin, Hôtel des Invalides and gorgeously green Jardin du Luxembourg.

• The best boutique hotels in Paris

The Sorbonne university lies at the heart of the literary, student-loved 5th arrondissement, wedged between the vast green spaces of Jardin du Luxembourg and Jardin des Plantes on the Left Bank. The Panthéon, Musée National de la Moyen, National Museum of Natural History and dazzling Institut du Monde Arabe are among the city’s finest museums; and there’s always Paris’s oldest and most famous bookshop, Shakespeare & Company, to browse when sightseeing fatigue sets in. Dining covers every taste, with plenty of cheaper addresses for those on a tighter budget.

• The greatest hotels in France for summer    
   

This buzzy area on the Right Bank has become one of the most exciting areas in Paris in recent years. It’s just out of the touristy and often expensive centre, but the big sights like the Louvre are still within comfortable walking distance and you can zip across town on Métro Line 4. A historically populaire, or working-class neighbourhood, it strikes a good balance between authentic Parisian character and a rich offering of things to do, not least at night when the local bars and concert venues bustle with life. 

Contributions by Natasha Edwards, Rooksana Hossenally, Eleanor Aldridge, Nicola Leigh Stewart & Nicola Williams