Types of Hotels and Places to Stay in Paris

Paris is a gigantic city packed with amazing attractions and an impressive European setting. You may sure look forward and be excited to enjoying your whole Paris trip, but the toughest question to answer in the end would be where will you stay? Here are some suggestions to choose from:

Hotels. The city has a huge number of hotels that one can consider that can be either from simple pensions to the gigantic hotel properties. Most of the 800 hotels in Paris are owned by the leader in European hotel consolidators, the Venere. Majority of travelers prefer to stay in hotels for reasons like it’s convenient to check in and out; housekeeping chores are covered; and any reservation can be cancelled in case of emergency without being charged for any penalty.

Pensiones. If you are into a more homey accommodation, then you can settle for small bed and breakfast rooms or even private studios. The Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau has this exquisite B&B program which makes the search for smaller places to stay in Paris more convenient for tourists and visitors.

Hostels. These date way back to the time when they are known to serve as huge student dormitories with common bathrooms, stern house rules, and double deck beds. Now, these hostels are composed of a variety of rooms, more convenient, friendlier, and of course at affordable rates. Moreover, there are lots of hostels now who open their doors to large traveling families or the senior travelers who would want to have some time socializing with other foreign tourists.

Apartments. If your stay in the city would last for more than a week, then this could be the best choice to settle for. These can offer you a pleasing accommodation experience especially if you are with the family and the kids. It is definitely cheaper than if you will book for a double room in a nice hotel. A one-bedroom apartment would be totally match the price of its value.

Top Paris Area Sites to See

Ok, you’ve been wandering in Paris for a few days, but what’s outside the city limits to see?  When you vacation in Paris, you want to make sure that you have at least one day reserved for outside the city limits.

• Palace of Versailles - The famous former palace of French kings.  Recently it has unndergone a face lift and it’s a beautiful spot to spend a day.  Wandering through the gardens for garden lovers is a great break.
• Château de Vincennes - A large medieval castle nearby the Bois de Vincennes.  A definite great day trip!
• La Défense - The largest businessand economic  district in Europe.
• Stade de France - The 80,000 seater stadium in which France best known for the win in the 1998 edition of the FIFA World Cup.
• Disneyland Resort Paris - The largest theme park in Europe and worth it for all Disney fans.
• Saint Denis Basilica - The burial site of the past French monarchs.
• Château de Fontainebleau - One of the largest of the French royal châteaux it was built by Francis I
• Château de Rambouillet - The summer residence of French presidents.
• Parc de Sceaux - A park located close to the 17th century Château de Sceaux
• Barbizon - a French village home to the Barbizon School of Painting
• Château Villette- Poplar with tourists, the château was  built in the 18th century

If it’s a first time visit to Paris, I would recommend either the Palace of Versailees or the Château de Vincennes.  If more time is available, then you might branch out to some of the other wonderful choices.

If you have any further suggestions, please send them to me or leave a comment and we’ll make sure that we add them to our lists here.

A Paris Vacation at a Glance

Anytime you take a Paris vacation, you forget just how large the city really is.  There are so many nooks and crannies to explore that covering it in one visit is near impossible.  So here’s a quick and dirty overview of some of the areas in Paris that you might be interested in and want to add to your Paris travels. In the upcoming posts we’ll give more information on each of them to help with making your Paris travels easier.

• Place de la Bastille located in the 4th, 11th and 12th arrondissements on the right bank, it  is a district of great historical significance, not only for Paris, but for France, too.
• Champs-Élysées in the 8th arrondissement, right bank is a seventeenth century garden-promenade-turned-avenue connecting the Place de la Concorde and the Arc de Triomphe. It is one of the many tourist attractions and a major shopping street of Paris.
• Place de la Concorde at the bottom  of the Champs-Élysées, built as the Place Louis XV site of the infamous guillotine. The Egyptian obelisk is Paris’ “oldest monument”.  The Place Vendôme  which is nearby is famous for its fashionable and deluxe hotels and its jewellers. Many famous fashion designers have had their salons in the square.
• Les Halles in the 1st arrondissement on the right bank was formerly Paris’ central meat and produce market, and, since the late 1970s, a major shopping centre around an important metro connection station. The original Les Halles was destroyed in 1971 and replaced by the Forum des Halles. The central market of Paris which is the biggest wholesale food market in the worldthen moved  to Rungis, located in the suburbs.
• Le Marais in the 3rd and 4th arrondissement is a trendy Right Bank district. You can a little bit of everything going on here.
• Avenue Montaigne in the 8th arrondissement, is located next to the Champs-Élysées.  The area is home to luxury  labels well known world wide such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Dior and Givenchy
• Montmartre in the 18th arrondissement on the right bank is a historic area on the Butte, home to the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur. Montmartre has been well known as an area for artists and has many studios and cafés of many great artists in that area.
• Montparnasse in the 14th arrondissement is a historic Left Bank area.  It is also famous for artists’ studios, music halls, and wonderful cafes.
• Avenue de l’Opéra in the 9th arrondissement on the right bank is located  around the Opéra Garnier.  It is the capital’s densest concentration of both department stores and offices. A few examples that are located in this area are the Printemps and Galeries Lafayette department stores, and the Paris headquarters of financial giants such as Crédit Lyonnais and American Express.
• Quartier Latin in the 5th and 6th arrondissements on the left bank is a twelfth-century scholastic center which used to stretch between the Left Bank’s Place Maubert and the Sorbonne campus.  Various higher-education establishments, such as the École Normale Supérieure, ParisTech, and the Jussieu university campus, make it a major educational centre in Paris. A lively area with many dining options and night life.
• Faubourg Saint-Honoré in the 8th arrondissement on the right bank is premier high-fashion districts, home to labels such as Hermès and Christian Lacroix.

There are more highlights to note and we will explore them as well in upcoming posts.  So, consider adding some of these to your Paris vacation to make it a really wonderful trip and experience.

Paris Vacation and Weather

When you are planning your Paris vacation, weather is one of the factors that you need to take into account.  Depending upon where you are coming from Paris might seem to have perfect weather or be very cold or humid in other months.

Winter in Paris (December - March) ranges from an average of 45F - 48F.  That’s much warmer than the northern states of the United States during those same months.  I’ve been to Paris in February and it was in the mid-60’s the entire time that we were there.  The huge plus of visiting during these months is that the number of tourists is remarkably small and you have easier and faster access to all the you want to see and do while you travel in Paris.  In addition, hotels and airfares are cheaper and there are alot of specials as well.

Spring in Paris (April - May) ranges from an average of 60F - 68F.  And without a doubt it is a lvely time of year when the profusion of flowers come in bloom and Lady Paris is at her prettiest.  Considered a shoulder season, you can frequently still get some good deals.

Summer in Paris (June - August) is the hottest and most humid time of year.  The temperatures range in the low to upper 70’s.  I’ve seen it much hotter than that during that time of year as well.  It is also the season when the most tourists arrive and Parisians disappear for the month of August and it seems as if almost everyone in Paris is a foreigner.

Fall in Paris (September - November) is also a shoulder season and frequently has better deals especially the later into the fall that you visit.  Weather during that time ranges from 71F - 51F.

The bottom line of  a Paris, France vacation is that you are unlikely to have to deal with freezing. frigid weather at any point in the year.  So make your plans, pack accordingly and if the weather changes, it’s a perfect excuse to go and buy yourself some Parisian clothes to wear and then bring home.