Paris hotel, which arrondissment is less touristy?

[Anonymous]

Two kids, two adults going to be in Paris for a few day in mid-July. Wanted to stay in area that was less touristy and had more of local feel with cafes, shopping and is convenient for exploring the sites and sounds of Paris. For those here in DC, thinking of the Paris equivalent to say 14th St/Logan. Are we on the right track if we are looking in the 5th arrondissement (Latin Quarter - Left Bank), 2nd Arrondissement (Right Bank) or 11th arrondissement (near Le Marais)? Thinking about the Hotel Duo, La Maison Favart or Hotel La Lantern.

[Anonymous]

The 16th is not touristy at all and yet quite close to many tourist sites....the St. James Hotel is lovely. I probably prefer the Marais but as you probably know it's gotten quite touristy. The Pavillon de la Reine on the Place des Vosges is an excellent hotel in a great location.

[Anonymous]

The 11th or 10th is what you are looking for. Area near Republique and Canal St-Martin. Also very convenient on the Metro because Republique is a hub with 5 lines intersecting.

[Anonymous]

We loved bastille! Very local feel and lots of bars and restaurants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The 11th or 10th is what you are looking for. Area near Republique and Canal St-Martin. Also very convenient on the Metro because Republique is a hub with 5 lines intersecting.

Should note that parts of the 3rd are also in this neighborhood. The area around Square Du Temple is in the 3rd and mostly outside the heavily touristy parts of the Marais.

[Anonymous]

So long as you avoid Les Champs Elysee you should be ok

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The 11th or 10th is what you are looking for. Area near Republique and Canal St-Martin. Also very convenient on the Metro because Republique is a hub with 5 lines intersecting.

Should note that parts of the 3rd are also in this neighborhood. The area around Square Du Temple is in the 3rd and mostly outside the heavily touristy parts of the Marais.

I clicked on the thread to write exactly this about the area near Republique. You can walk many places from there too (in addition to the Metro).

[Anonymous]

Avoid the Latin Quarter (Arrondissment 5). Very touristy.

On our last trip we rented an AirBnB apartment in the upper Marais, near Republique. In many ways this was ideal as it meant we were walking distance of everything in the Marais, including its cafes and restaurants, but removed enough to avoid the tourist hordes around where we were staying. The Upper Marais also borders a largely immigrant area. There were many metro stops within a few minutes' walk and allowed us to get anywhere in Paris fairly easy, and a fabulous Vietnamese restaurant just around the corner.

The other non-touristy area would be the 7th Arrondissment, around the Musee Rodin (lovely). This is classic 19th century French boulevard territory. Expensive. Think Park Avenue in NYC. But the downside is that it's not necessarily endearing to tourists, just like staying on Park Avenue wouldn't necessarily be fun for visitors to New York.

I don't know where the arrondissments officially begin and end but the area around the Jardins du Luxembourg is quite lovely and south of it you encounter proper everyday Parisian neighborhoods (14th Arrondissment, I believe).

Be aware that if your goal is to dine well, whether high or low end, Paris is not the land of equal opportunity when it comes to restaurants. Review and select wisely. Not all pastry shops are equal (despite having comparable prices). Not all restaurants are equal.

[Anonymous]

Clichy-sous-Bois for the most authentic Parisian life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Clichy-sous-Bois for the most authentic Parisian life.

Credit for some solid low level trolling here. Clichy-sous-Bois is where the 2005 riots started. Outside of the city, poorly connected by public transit, so really disconnected from Paris- which is part of the reason the riots started there. Definitely not a place which sees a lot of tourists.

This is the equivalent of telling someone in 1980 to stay in Columbia Heights when they are visiting DC. Burned out and pre-green line.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Avoid the Latin Quarter (Arrondissment 5). Very touristy.

On our last trip we rented an AirBnB apartment in the upper Marais, near Republique. In many ways this was ideal as it meant we were walking distance of everything in the Marais, including its cafes and restaurants, but removed enough to avoid the tourist hordes around where we were staying. The Upper Marais also borders a largely immigrant area. There were many metro stops within a few minutes' walk and allowed us to get anywhere in Paris fairly easy, and a fabulous Vietnamese restaurant just around the corner.

The other non-touristy area would be the 7th Arrondissment, around the Musee Rodin (lovely). This is classic 19th century French boulevard territory. Expensive. Think Park Avenue in NYC. But the downside is that it's not necessarily endearing to tourists, just like staying on Park Avenue wouldn't necessarily be fun for visitors to New York.

I don't know where the arrondissments officially begin and end but the area around the Jardins du Luxembourg is quite lovely and south of it you encounter proper everyday Parisian neighborhoods (14th Arrondissment, I believe).

Be aware that if your goal is to dine well, whether high or low end, Paris is not the land of equal opportunity when it comes to restaurants. Review and select wisely. Not all pastry shops are equal (despite having comparable prices). Not all restaurants are equal.

Very good advice. Personally I wouldn't stay in the 7th for the reasons stated- feels like Park Avenue, which is not an area I would like to stay in New York.

Jardin du Luxembourg is wonderful, but staying south of it might put you just a little too far outside of where you want to be. I would recommend staying just to the northwest, near the Saint-Sulpice or Sevres-Babylone Metro stations. Even just that few blocks south of Blvd St-Germain, the tourist crowds thin, much like being in the upper Marais. Being walking distance to Luxembourg, but close to a few Metro lines, is a good middle ground. You would also be just a few blocks to the original Poilane boulangerie on rue du Cherche-Midi. Nothing wrong with that.