Where to base my 4 day stay in Paris?

[skings]

Hi disembarking Meraviglia in Kiel May 2020. Solo older female with a rollator. Wanting to visit Disney

and Versailles. Would like my hotel budget to be less than 500 euros for 4 nights . Thought about

booking Holiday Inn at CDG but maybe nearer central Paris would be better? Any tips?  Close to transportation and restaurants would be a big plus. 

[Chocolate Teapot]

As I have mentioned on here before, public transport in Paris is very extensive, and www.ratp.fr provides advice, maps and itineraries. From Charles de Gaulle, the RER line B goes direct to the Gare du Nord. This area is full of hotels, restaurants and underground and bus lines. 

[Host Bonjour]

On 8/9/2019 at 12:17 PM, skings said:

Hi disembarking Meraviglia in Kiel May 2020. Solo older female with a rollator. Wanting to visit Disney

and Versailles. Would like my hotel budget to be less than 500 euros for 4 nights . Thought about

booking Holiday Inn at CDG but maybe nearer central Paris would be better? Any tips?  Close to transportation and restaurants would be a big plus. 

 

Airport hotels wouldn't necessarily be any less expensive than something you'd find in the city. In fact there are more options in the city and it's definitely more convenient for sightseeing options in terms of transportation options (central location, Versailles is south of the city, Disney is East-ish) so you'll want to have access to Gare de Lyon....wonder why not Gare de l'Est but nevermind. RER A says Gare de Lyon. Haven't been to Disney Paris.

 

Anyway, I think you should be able to find something in your budget if you focus on two star hotels. They would be perfectly fine but likely won't have an elevator. The stars are generally based on amenities, not on they're good/not good. I stayed in a Paris two star in the 12th once for a night or two, I can't recall, to rendezvous with a friend before we left for Epernay to go visit family and Reims, Champagne caves etc. But, I have also found some fine value in three star hotels in Paris, in the 7th and in the 5th. (With the numerical references I am referring to arrondissments of Paris, the various neighborhoods. 7th, 5th are Left Bank, 12th is Right bank) I enjoy very much another place I have stayed in the 1er (also right bank) but it's more expensive, although a three store. Better real estate near Place Vendôme, close to Opéra Garnier and Opera metro stop. Sometimes I am traveling solo, sometimes I have had company. I've never felt unsafe or worried in Paris on my own.

 

I have tended to find the best prices by contacting them directly and inquiring as to rates. Depends on how you like to book, if you'll be using points or miles or whatever or have a favorite booking site maybe? For some reason, in Paris, I like making personal contact with wherever I am going to stay but my relationship with Paris is not like most other places...Paris is not most other places 😉

 

Another benefit of staying in the city center is basically there are restaurants everywhere and the métro is everywhere so you can city hop easily. You decide after visiting Musée d'Orsay you want to go to Sacre Couer, hop on the métro, it's a bit too much to walk. But walk when you can, it's the way to see the gorgeous architecture of the city.

 

Don't forget to do a picnic in the Tuileries (or any garden you love, even Père Lachaise if you fancy it) with a baguette, cheese, fruit, wine (or not) water, etc. to people watch, have a rest, etc. And sometimes choosing a restaurant is as sophisticated (or not) as passing something by that's buzzing, has an appealing menu and stop....take a listen to what language people are speaking...if you're hearing a good bit of French, go for it. Or, ask the desk manager at your hotel for their local favorite. If you wanted to sample fine dining in Paris, thing to do is do the prix-fixe lunch. Costs MUCH less than dinner at the very same place, same great food.

 

You'd lose too much valuable time going back/forth from CDG to the city each day on the RER B, and they have more of the big name hotels (not inexpensive) at the airport than they do budget. Then, you may need to get a taxi or shuttle from the hotel back to the RER to get to the city. Too much. 

 

Ibis (Accor Hotels) had a budget version of their hotels at CDG, they probably still do but renamed it with their constant absorption of other brands.

 

Have fun planning! 🙂

[skings]

Thank you Bonjour

I do need an elevator so I will be sure to check. I am so excited about planning this trip, it spilled over to some other friends.

Now I may have playmates LOL!

[Host Bonjour]

On 8/16/2019 at 10:24 AM, skings said:

Thank you Bonjour

I do need an elevator so I will be sure to check. I am so excited about planning this trip, it spilled over to some other friends.

Now I may have playmates LOL!

 

How exciting! My very first Europe trip (which started in Paris!) ended up being partly accompanied by a friend as well, someone who was a flight attendant and could go anywhere, anytime and so they met me at the start of the trip and went with me to Munich, then I went on to Switzerland on my own. Switzerland is spectacular and I loved it but....it wasn't the easiest place to be alone in because, well maybe because it was my first trip overseas alone! And the vistas in Switzerland were soooo charming and beautiful, couples everywhere...or so it seemed. Doesn't bother me much anymore and I usually end up either connecting with friends from over there or making new ones. 

 

You will find a nice place, I have no doubt. Search far and wide, the right place at the right price is out there for you. If you have trouble finding something, come back and let us know. I love doing this kind of a search, it's a fun challenge, and my French is pretty good. Not all the places overseas even bother to, how do I say, market themselves to guests outside a certain region. Happens everywhere. So sometimes one must really look to find what one wants. It can take some doing - checking out lots of sites and different resources, but it's out there. Thing is, often the search is part of the fun. 

 

Perhaps now with friends traveling along you can look at three star hotels and share a room but as I said, the two stars can be perfectly adequate if they have what you need. 

 

Keep us posted. 

 

 

[BlueHerons]

Have you looked at Hotwire for hotels?

[skings]

Okay have looked at affordable hotels in the Paris Metro area until I'm dizzy. Believe my decision to book hotel at CDG will be right for me. The 3 places that I wish to visit are a train ride away. Hotels are modern and have elevators. Probably will make deposit with Holiday Inn. I know not much charm, but at age 76 modern is okay LOL!

[Host Bonjour]

8 hours ago, skings said:

Okay have looked at affordable hotels in the Paris Metro area until I'm dizzy. Believe my decision to book hotel at CDG will be right for me. The 3 places that I wish to visit are a train ride away. Hotels are modern and have elevators. Probably will make deposit with Holiday Inn. I know not much charm, but at age 76 modern is okay LOL!

 

It absolutely does NOT matter what the décor of your hotel will be! As long as it has what you need for the right price, ideally you won't be in it much but to sleep, maybe have breakfast, chill out a bit etc. Otherwise, hopefully you'll be out seeing what you want to see and eating etc. 

 

It won't take too long to get into Paris proper and without your luggage you can easily ride the métro if you need to or, hop on a bus too. Sometime I have taken a bus if I wasn't near a métro station or I simply did not want to be underground and miss the scenery, or, as is the case here when I'm home and it's just too hot to go down in the subway. The métro honestly didn't ever feel that hot and more often than not I visited Paris when it wasn't too hot, only once I went in late Spring and once in mid-Summer. 

Actually, maybe I took the bus when I was just plum tired after walking a LOT in one day and then yes, was in an area where I didn't want to miss what was above ground because it is so unbelieavbly beautiful in so many places. 

 

Glad you found a choice that feels right for you. Now it's just left to go and then later on, let us know how it all went 🙂