Home Page    Paris Restaurants    Paris Museums    Paris Monuments    Paris Castles    Paris Hotels

Travel Guide to Hotels In Paris

Paris is probably one of the most famous cities in the world for its culture, history and being at the heart of the fashion industry and has over 30 million visitors every year just wishing to experience this diverse city of lights, as it is affectionately known.

Obviously, anyone travelling to Paris will need to think about some form of Paris accommodation and there are thousands of hotels to choose from within the heart of the city itself along with apartments, bed and breakfasts, hostels plus even campsites on the outskirts.

But in this article we are focusing on hotels and as with any city, there are the very basic hotels, then you get the ones which are rated from 1 Star hotels up to the exceedingly luxurious 5 Star hotels, yet incredibly, there are actually more 3 Star hotels in Paris than any other type.

Also, please do bear in mind that in some of the basic and 1 Star Paris hotels they do not have their own en-suite bathrooms and some have no washing or toilet facilities within a room at all, and therefore these are shared between several rooms.

Plus Paris, along with lots of cities in Europe, are renowned for having smaller hotel rooms than those that you would find in places like the UK and especially America where space is often considered a priority, and as you can therefore no doubt appreciate, the budget hotels and those that are less expensive in their category often have quite small rooms.

Now when it comes to travelling to Paris, most people will travel via train such as on the EuroStar or via plane and then either use the underground or get a taxi to their destination, but if you are thinking about travelling to Paris in your own car, then please bear in mind that parking is a major problem in most cities and Paris is no exception.  In fact, there are actually very few hotels in Paris that do have their own car parking area, so this is something you must consider very carefully when taking your car and booking your hotel as vehicle space is a premium.

However, there are some hotels that do offer preferential rates for public car parks that are located close by and car parking can range in price from 20 Euros upwards per day, so even though a ferry crossing to France and utilising your own transport may be a cheaper option initially, the cost of the car parking could make your holiday far more expensive in the long run rather than utilising other travel options.  And lets face it, you are not likely to want to try driving around Paris to that degree, especially with intersections like at the Place Charles de Gaulle where the Arc de Triomphe is located!  Plus, using the Metro is a far quicker way to get from one Arrondissement to another, yet if you prefer above ground, then there are several different options available to you, such as using one of the tour buses such as the L'OpenTour Double Decker Buses, or how about utilising the Batobus Water Bus, which travels up and down the River Seine.

Another point that you may not have thought about, is that in Europe it is not very often that you get facilities for making a cup of tea or coffee in your room, so do not be disappointed if you do not have a kettle, etc, and the hotels that do provide this service usually make a point of saying so.

Also, most hotels in Paris do not quote a price with breakfast included as this is usually an optional extra and is charged per person, but there are also some of the basic hotels and one star hotels that do not have any facilities for serving breakfast at all.

You will see that many hotels state a Continental Breakfast, which usually consists of things such as cereals, rolls, croissants, jams, fruit juice and coffee, although some will provide a basic buffet breakfast.  It is not usually until you get up to 3 star hotels and 4 star hotels in Paris that they are likely to provide a fuller buffet style breakfast as well as a Continental style breakfast option, yet there are also those luxury hotels that have a variety of different types of breakfast on offer to suit International tastes.

Paris is a city that is very animal friendly and you will be pleased to know that there are lots of Paris hotels that do allow you to bring your dog with you although there is often an additional charge for this.

Also, you will find that lots of hotels are now catering more for families and rather than just requesting an extra bed within a room at the time of booking, you have a great choice of hotels that have triple rooms or even quadruple rooms available, which does mean that you will have more space for all of you to move around!

Being a city renowned for its history, there are numerous hotels that are located within very old buildings and have lots of character, some with traditional period furnishings to match the age of a building and are great for that romantic weekend getaway.  Yet many have been modernised, including those in the 2 star hotel category, to include facilities such as satellite or cable TV and a lift for those of us that are less able or just too lazy to carry the luggage up the stairs!

Visiting Paris on business is also far easier these days as many three star Paris hotels and four Star Paris hotels also now have internet access or WiFi available not just in common areas, but also within the rooms, yet some do charge for these facilities, so it would be wise to check prior to booking if you wish to take your laptop with you.  Some, but mainly the high end 3 star hotels and 4 Star hotels will also have fully equipped meeting rooms and business centres available for their guests to keep up to date with work and colleagues, etc.

And the last thing we feel you need to consider when booking a hotel, is where it is located.  Obviously some areas, or Arrondissements as they are known, are more costly than others, like being near to most famous Paris monument, the Eiffel Tower or close to the famous Avenue des Champs Elysees, but if you are willing to be a little further out like in the business district where you will see the Grande Arche, then you can get a far better deal on the same quality hotel, although you may spend more time and money travelling to the numerous tourist attractions that could be right over the other side of Paris.

Copyright ? www.placesinfrance.com All Rights Reserved