Where should I stay in Paris?

Travel Info
Where should I book a hotel? In which area?
Should I stay in Montmartre? Le Marais? or Somewhere in the Middle, near Le Louvre?

Travel Tips

The 5th and the 6th arrondissements on the Left Bank are the the ones I suggest. These are the areas usually described as the Latin Quarter and St. Germain.

The Sorbonne, the School of Medicine and the Ecole des Beaux Artes are here. They are centrally located and the area is filled with restaurants, cafes, bars, and clubs.

If you do choose to stay on the Right Bank then the Marais is a good choice. The area has become very trendy in the last decade, especially around the new Opera house in the Place Bastille. Two small notes though. First, the area around the Forum Les Halles and on the rue St. Denis can be a little dodgy at night as these are gathering places for young Arabs/North Africans and prostitutes/drug users respectively. Secondly, the Marais is the center of Gay life in Paris and if you have a problem with this you may be uncomfortable in some places in this area.
Others

A lot depends on your budget and requirements.

There are several clean but basic places in Marais. Montmartre is very interesting during the day can be a bit dodgy at night. Both places are fairly central and easy to get to or from by Metro.

I usually stay in a place near Opera (Hotel Peletier Haussmann Op茅ra). The Metro is practially around the corner and there are loads of restaurants, bars, clubs in the area. The big shops (Les Grands Magasins) are less than ten minutes' walk away.

You can walk straight along Haussmann until you reach the Tuilleries and the Louvre, then choose which direction to walk along the river.

If you do stay at Hotel Peletier, try the Italian restaurant on Rue de Gramont (around the corner from Cafe Gramont with the big, yellow awning). The food is delicious and the owner is a charming host.

Wherever you stay, have a fantastic time. I love Paris!
I stayed close to Montparnasse Tower and really liked the location the last time I went. There was a Best Western there that was clean and cheap with a fantastic cafe right on the corner (and very close to St. Germaine). It was super easy to get back to the hotel (quite a few metro lines come into the Montparnasse station). Good luck and have fun. Paris is wonderful.
It depends a lot on your pocket book but I have found that a centrally located older hotel is the best way to go. Montmartre is too far from central Paris. There are hundreds to choose from.

I stayed at nice little hotel called the Hotel Carre Copetal at #4 Blvd. Raspall. It has a good central location not far from the subway and withing walking distance of many landmarks.

http://www.martlink.com/france/paris/k+k...

ps I stayed in Montpanasse once and there is nothing in that section of Paris but the Pasteur institute and and a postal museum.
I'm a British expatriate living in Paris and receive this question alot. As the others say it really depends on what you are looking for from your stay. Consider budget, noise tolerance, location, nightlife and safety. Have a look at this page for details, it also includes a couple of recommendations from people that have visited me in Paris:

http://ourmaninparis.googlepages.com/hot...

Regards, OurManInParis