Neighbourhoods · 3 min read
Where to Stay on a First Visit to Paris
A first time in Paris often turns on a single choice: where you come home to at night. A few simple principles, and three central neighbourhoods to start from.
On a first visit to Paris, you want to see everything. The Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame, Montmartre, the quays. The temptation is to stay as close as possible to a monument, or at the lowest price, far from the centre. We believe the opposite: a successful first visit starts with a neighbourhood you look forward to coming home to, and from which you can do almost everything on foot.
Three principles for choosing
Walk rather than commute. Paris is discovered on foot. A central address turns every journey into a stroll and spares you days spent on the metro.
A living neighbourhood, not a set. The immediate surroundings of the great monuments empty in the evening and live to the rhythm of tour buses. Better a neighbourhood where Parisians shop, have lunch and go out.
Calm once the door is closed. You come home tired from a day of sightseeing. The apartment should be a refuge: a quiet street or a bedroom over a courtyard, space, air conditioning in summer.
The 2nd, to do everything on foot
For a first visit, the 2nd is probably the best starting point. The Louvre and the Palais-Royal are neighbours, the Opéra and the department stores close by, the Marais and the Seine within a walk. The neighbourhood has a life of its own, between the covered passages, rue Montorgueil and the tables of the Sentier.
Our guide to the 2nd tells the neighbourhood's story.
The Upper Marais, for the curious
If you love museums as much as streets, the Upper Marais is another excellent base. The Musée Picasso, the Musée Carnavalet and the Musée des Arts et Métiers are in the quarter; the Centre Pompidou, the Hôtel de Ville and the Île Saint-Louis are within walking distance. Our guide to the Upper Marais tells the quarter's story.
Saint-Germain-des-Prés, for the Left Bank
Saint-Germain offers a gentler first encounter with Paris: the cafés on the boulevard, the Luxembourg garden, the bookshops. The Musée d'Orsay and the quays are close; the Eiffel Tower is reached by following the Seine. Our guide to Saint-Germain-des-Prés tells the quarter's story.
What we advise against
Staying far from the centre to save money, and losing the time of two journeys every day. Choosing an address right next to a major station for an easy arrival, and living with its bustle. Moving accommodation mid-stay to "see several neighbourhoods": you see them better from a single base, on foot.
Before you arrive
Our apartments are in the heart of Paris, and our neighbourhood guides introduce each one. A first visit is worth preparing: our concierge can arrange a transfer from the airport, book a table for your first evening, and advise you on the order of your visits. And our piece on how many days to spend in Paris will help you size your stay.
Stay in the city, not in a hotel.
The ACT 3 Team