Where Should the Family Stay in Paris? The Neighbourhood Before the Apartment

In Paris, the neighbourhood makes half the journey. It is what the family sees every morning on the way out, the route it takes in the evening on the way back, the café that becomes familiar after two days. That is why we always say: choose the neighbourhood before the apartment. Here are three neighbourhoods in the heart of Paris, as we know them.

The 2nd: between the Opéra and the Palais-Royal

The 2nd is the smallest arrondissement in Paris by area, yet it sits at the heart of everything: the Bourse and the glass-roofed Galerie Vivienne on one side, the Palais-Royal gardens and the Opéra Garnier on the other.

For a family that loves shopping, this location is precious: the department stores of boulevard Haussmann are close, and place Vendôme and rue Saint-Honoré are in the neighbouring 1st. You go out shopping and walk back without effort.

The Upper Marais: museums and streets for walking

In the 3rd, the Upper Marais is a neighbourhood of streets you walk without a map, between courtyards, galleries and designer shops.

It is also a neighbourhood of old mansions that have become museums: the Musée Picasso, the Musée Carnavalet, which tells the history of Paris, and the Musée des Arts et Métiers. And the Square du Temple is a small green space where children play in the afternoon.

Saint-Germain-des-Prés: the Left Bank and the garden

In the 6th, at the heart of Saint-Germain: the literary cafés, the bookshops, the galleries and the shops around the church of Saint-Sulpice. Close by is the Luxembourg garden: chestnut alleys, ponds and green chairs. It is the neighbourhood's open-air living room, and an ideal place for children in the morning.

And the other neighbourhoods?

Many families know the 8th, avenue Montaigne and the Champs-Élysées, or the 16th near the Trocadéro. They are beautiful places to visit. As for us, we choose our addresses across Paris, one by one, by the same standard: a lively neighbourhood, a building with character, a city discovered on foot. Our apartments have a spacious living room for receiving guests, and two to four bedrooms for up to eight people depending on the apartment, which is what an extended family looks for.

What changes with a concierge

A large family needs organisation. Our concierge team is available seven days a week, and the team can be reached at any hour: airport transfers, restaurant bookings (including suggestions of addresses serving halal food near the apartment), and last-minute requests. A high chair in almost all our apartments, and a baby cot in several of them: tell us your children's ages and we will point you to the equipped apartment.

An intimate relationship with Paris, one neighbourhood at a time. You will find the apartments by neighbourhood on the Paris neighbourhoods page, or in the full collection. And if you are hesitating between a hotel and an apartment, read our article on the difference between them.

The ACT 3 Team