Paris - where is the best area to stay?

theradfords

We are visiting Paris in December, and will be travelling by Eurostar.
I know nothing (as yet) about the areas in Paris, or where the Eurostar station is.
What are the best areas to stay to see the sights, and to be accessible to the Eurostar station?
Are there any areas to avoid?

many thanks

Lady_S

When we went last September we stayed at Holiday Inn Paris - Notre Dame and it was absolutely wonderful. If you pay a little extra you can pay for a room with an Eiffel Tower view.

The area has loads of places to eat and bars around if that is your thing, and right near St Michel subway station.

station296

Hi - the Eurostar train gets in to the Gare du Nord, in the north of the city, it is a major station with good connections across the city, so most areas are not far. Gare du Nord is not the best area to stay in though, I have to stay there for work most weeks (for the last few years!) and avoid it when I travel for leisure! (I would also avoid staying in Montmartre and Montparnasse as they are not great at night either)
Depending on what you are looking for here are some good areas -
Bastille is a good area to stay, with good metro links and has some great cafes and bars, and a wide variety of hotels, so there are always good offers for the area.
The Marais and St Germain have some lovely hotels, and are very art'y areas that are walking distance to loads, and the Marais has some great places for Sunday brunch too!
You'll find lots of offers for by the Champs-Elysees, but check where exactly as it is better to be either by the Arc (at the top!) or the Place de la Concorde (the other end, by the park you can walk to the Louvre through!) otherwise it's a bit of a stroll to the nearest things - though there are a couple of good galleries, there if you like galleries - Grand Palais and Petit Palais.
Last year I managed to get an amazing hotel on a Top Secret deal on lastminute for the Place Vendome area, which is by the Ritz, and the lovely park the Tuileries (you can walk through to the Louvre there), it is also really near the shops but it is much quieter.

Hope that makes sense and helps!

theradfords

that is really helpful - thanks