Where to Stay in Paris: A Local’s Guide

Wondering where’s best to stay in Paris? This guide is for you. I’ve been living in Paris for over 8 years and I’ve been lucky enough to live in many different areas of central Paris. In this guide I’ll tell you the pros and cons of each area.

But where exactly is the best area to stay in Paris?

Well this depends entirely on what you want to do during your stay. Shopping, exploring, museums, food, ambiance – whatever your priority, there’s going to be a “best” area for you.

Each area certainly has their own personality and in this guide I’ll share with you my tips all form living here!

Neighbourhood vs Arrondissement

Before we get into where to stay in Paris, it’s important to understand how Paris is laid out.

If you’ve never been to Paris before you may have heard about areas such as Montmartre or the Marais – these are the city neighbourhoods.

Officially Paris is split into 20 administrative arrondissements. These districts fan out in a clockwise spiral starting in the very centre ending in the north west of the city. Each arrondissement has their own town hall and is designated by its own postcode.

Note that neighbourhoods aren’t confined to an arrondissement. For example, the Marais neighbourhood is in both the 3rd and 4th arrondissement.

Saint Germain des Prés

I lived in the Saint Germain des Prés area for 3 years and I love it. For me, it’s definitely one of the best areas for visitors to stay in.

One of the more well-to-do areas of the city, it’s certainly an area where you’ll feel the glamorised, glitzy version of Paris. It’s also the neighbourhood of Paris to experience the famous café culture. Grab a coffee at Les Deux Magots (a well known literary café where the likes of Hemingway frequented) and watch the world go by – it’s great fun.

It’s a genuinely stunning area as well. From the beautiful Jardin du Luxembourg to the small side streets around the Église de Saint Germain des Prés – it’s hard not to fall in love with it.

If want to eat, drink, wonder around charming old Parisian streets and be in the thick of the action, this is a great place to stay.

Pros and Cons

• It’s very central and very well connected to the rest of the city
• You’re in walking distance of the Seine and the Louvre
• There’s plenty of great restaurants and bars in the area
• You’ll find a nice balance between locals and tourists
• Genuinely pretty with lots to explore near by
  

• It is expensive
• Not the best for shopping
• It’s a busy area

Le Marais

The old Medieval Marais neighbourhood of Paris is another lovely place to stay. It’s where I lived for a year when I first moved to Paris in 2016 and it’s an area I hang out a lot.

Famous for being the Jewish and Gay quarter of the city, it’s an eclectic, vibrant mix of the new and old. There’s a buzzing restaurant scene and it’s home to some of the best wine and cocktail bars in the capital.

From the famous falafel restaurants on the Rue des Rosiers to the eclectic Marché des Enfants Rouges, it’s a really good area for foodies.

The ancient streets (that weren’t touched by Haussmann’s great rebuild in the late 1800s) are a joy to discover. Finally it’s also a great shopping area with the neighbourhood’s boutiques open all day on Sunday (unlike in the rest of the city).

Pros and Cons

• It’s very central
• There are plenty of fantastic bars and restaurants nearby
• It’s great for shopping
• There’s plenty of small, underrated museums to discover
  

• Accommodation is expensive
• Some parts can be quite touristic
• You won’t be in walking distance from the key attractions and museums

Montmartre

The old village of Montmartre is one of the most charming neighbourhoods in the city. Located on a hill in the north of the city, it’s well known for being the home of Amélie Poulain and of course the beautiful Sacre-Cœur.

Just like the Marais, Montmartre was untouched by the renovation by Haussmann in the late 1800s so it really retains its old (and original) village feel.

The old village is extremely pretty with original cobblestone streets winding up to the top of the hill. It is very hilly so if you’re staying in the village then expect to walk up and down a lot of stairs if you go exploring elsewhere!

At the foot of Montmartre, around Pigalle, you’ll find the buzzing Boulevard de Clichy lined with clubs, restaurants and wine bars open until late. This is perfect for those wanting to eat and drink all night but if you don’t, fear not, the atmosphere changes completely a few streets up as you move towards the village itself.

Pros and Cons

• It’s village feel is a refreshing change from the city centre
• There’s plenty of beautiful views across the city up on the hill
• It’s relatively cheap if you avoid the touristy parts
• Pretty relaxed ambiance

• Metro access is limited
• It can be very touristic around the Sacre-Cœur
• You’ll be far from most of the key sights and museums
• It’s very hilly! To access the top of the hill you’ll need to walk up a lot of stairs

Champs-Élysées

The Champs Elysées is one of the most famous streets in Paris. Famed for the designer shops and of course, the Arc de Triomphe at the end.

The iconic boulevard is located in the capital’s rather flashy 8th arrondissement – home to designer boutiques and a lot of 5* hotels.

It’s a perfect base to be close to many of the major sights and museums. You’ll be next to the Place de la Concorde, the Grand Palais, Les Invalides and the Eiffel Tower.

Whilst perfect for sightseeing, the downsides come in the fact that the area is very touristic. Not many actual Parisians live there and many of the restaurants are extremely expensive.

Pros and Cons

• Great for shopping
• Close to many of the main sights and attractions
• Well connected by the metro system

• It’s expensive
• Very touristic
• It lacks good and reasonable restaurants and bars
• You’re not going to feel the real Paris here

Around the Eiffel Tower & 7th Arrondissement

Whilst the Eiffel Tower is an absolute must-see when you come to Paris, the surrounding area is also a brilliant place to stay. Despite the tower itself being one of the city’s busiest attractions, the streets close by to the tour on left bank side are very charming and authentically Parisian.

The area between the Eiffel Tower and Les Invalides, especially near Rue Cler is very picturesque. You’ll find greengrocers, cheese shops, boulangeries and of course plenty of incredible patisseries. It’s a heaven for foodies.

You’ll also have the benefit of having plenty of fantastic views on the Eiffel Tower as it comes into views between buildings. Even after 8 years of living here, I still find it absolutely stunning.

It might not be as trendy as the Marais but if you’re looking for a calmer more traditional ambiance then this area is perfect.

Pros and Cons

• You’ll be in walking distance of many of the big attractions
• There’s a lot of fantastic food shops in the area
• It’s a calm and family friendly area

• It’s not particularly central
• Accommodation and food are expensive

The 1st Arrondissement

I’ve put the 1st arrondissement in this guide as it’s the most central area in the city. Wedged between the Seine and the Opera neighbourhood, it’s home to the stunning Louvre and the Palais-Royal.

Whilst the area is small, it’s perfectly central with great metro access allowing you to easily get anywhere in the city. The Louvre, Saint Germain des Prés, Champs-Élysées and the Marais are in walkable distance (30 mins).

Yes it doesn’t have a distinct identity of Montmartre or the Marais but it is very much the Paris that you’ve seen on TV. If you’re visiting for a few days and want to see as much as you can – this area is perfect.

Pros and Cons

• It’s as central as you can be – public transport connections are the best here
• Most of the major sights are a walkable distance away
• There are some great restaurants and bars nearby in the 2nd and 3rd arrondissements

• Accommodation is expensive!
• It’s a tourist and office area – it’s not where locals hangout

Where Not to Stay in Paris

So there’s my list of the best and for me, the most magical areas to stay in Paris but where should you avoid?

Firstly i’d say avoid staying outside of Paris (that’s to say, outside of the ring-road). Maybe you’ve found a cheap AirBnB on the end of a metro line? Avoid, these will be ultra residential areas that will be realistically very far from the city centre.

What about in Paris? Well firstly most of central Paris is safe. Infarct I’ve written about this here. But that said some parts can be plain boring or just a little ‘dodgy’.

I’d avoid the following areas:

• In between Gare du Nord and Gare de l’Est. Whilst some parts of the 10th arrondissement have become very bobo (notably around Jacques-Bonsergent) the areas around the main stations are pretty rough around the edges. They’re not necessarily unsafe but it’s certainly not somewhere where you’ll find tourists.
  
  
• 13th, 14th & 15th arrondissements: Ok there’s nothing wrong with these areas but they’re very residential. They’re also not particularly well connected with the city centre and it can take a long time to get anywhere central depending where you are. They are home to some great restaurants however!