Paris – The Whistlestop guide

Where to stay in Paris?

Paris - Capital of France

Paris receives somewhere in the region of 45 million tourists every year, and with visitor numbers like that, you’ve got to assume they’re doing something right. If you’ve booked yourself a trip to France’s capital and don’t even know where to start, this short guide, should give you a rough idea…

City of Paris

Paris is the world’s single most popular tourist city, and its urban area houses nearly ten million residents. It has been an important settlement for at least 2000 years. 36 of the top Fortune 500 companies are based in Paris, and the city has the largest economy in all of Europe – It alone is responsible for a quarter of France’s GDP, and is also one of the most spectacular places to visit in the world!

Paris 100 Plus Sights

Paris has so many great sights to see it’s hard to know where to base yourself – The city itself is made up of 20 districts and it’s very hard to define where the ‘real’ Paris is. As a general rule however, the hotels on the right bank of the Seine are better situated for sightseeing and shopping, but you will spend more staying there. The left bank, on the other hand, is more likely to give you an insight in Parisian life and save you money. You will find that rooms on the left bank tend to be smaller in size however, and even rooms on the right bank can seem small compared to hotels in places like the United States. It is also worth considering that Paris’ subway system is very clean and efficient, and as a result travelling around the city is very easy – Most hotels are within a short walk of a subway station.

Paris Hotels

Many of the hotels in Paris have recently been through a spate of renovation, and as a result of this the vast majority offer all the modern touches you’d expect while still retaining that Parisian charm – wireless internet and other amenities should be widely available. Not all hotels have a restaurant, but this shouldn’t be seen as a bad thing – after all, Paris offers more restaurants and bistros than any other city in the world, so the fact that you can’t just go downstairs to eat could result in discovering your new favourite place to eat! Most hotels will offer a continental breakfast however, but this is usually not included in the room rate.