paris on a budget

maggiemoo0

im new to this and planning a trip to paris (9/10 jan £69 eurostar) and want somewhere cheap to stay .we have ruled out gare du nord area as some reviews say its not very safe , we are a party of 4 ladies (2 fifty somethings and 2 27 years ) we were thinking of ibis etap premmier classe but dont know what are the better areas for safety and transport. also any ideas on things to do / or avoid in january
any advice gratefully received thanks in advance

Voyager2002

Be aware that the weather in January is pretty vile, so plan to do things indoors.

For relatively affordable accommodation, check out MIGE. It is a chain of youth hotels in magnificent old palaces in the Marais (an excellent area).

Hill53

Is there any particular reason you chose January? I would suggest to go in April or May as the weather will be a lot nicer then. I also heard that New Years Eve in Paris is just fab. Anyone else on this? (Sorry I have no idea about hotels but you can check - http://www.booking.com/searchresults.html?aid=333082?aid=333082&error_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.booking.com%2F%3Faid%3D333082%3B&ss=paris&checkin=2015-01-10&checkout=2015-01-15&si=ai%2Cco%2Cci%2Cre%2Cdi&label=label&lang=en&ifl=1 )

Mrs_Soup

Should be relatively easy to find indoor things to do given how many museums and art galleries there are in Paris. Even the Eiffel Tower is mostly indoors. I was recommended St Chapelle on my last visit which was well worth it but on a bright day as the effect wouldn't be as good if there's less light coming through the windows.

Alan_Bowen

There is a great site called Euro Cheapo, its intended for innocent Americans abroad but it recommends 20 'cheap' hotels in Paris, choose one that has on line booking as not all of them do. The reviews are as honest as you will find on line

richardw

Avoid Paris in January.

I'm sorry to be blunt but I really wouldn't bother, it can be horrible weather that can really spoil your break. Go in early March and look forward to better weather.

codo

My hubby stayed at the Ibis bastille opera earlier in the year. It was relatively cheap (for Paris) for a twin room. He was impressed with the area and the hotel, although the rooms are small.

growler834

Can't recommend any 'cheap' hotels as we have found that to get somewhere in a decent area you have to pay a decent price. You could try doing 'free' things & the money you save put towards a decent place to stay. This website gives you some ideas
http://en.parisinfo.com/discovering-paris/themed-guides/paris-for-free/free-cultural-outings-in-paris/free-admission-and-good-deals-in-museums-and-monuments-in-paris
Also don't be put off by the weather in January - we have been in January & February & had lovely sunny but very cold & frosty days - it adds to the atmosphere of walking through the Tuileries & warming up with a hot chocolate at a cafe!

maggiemoo0

thankyou for your suggestions will deff look into parisinfo.com/discovering-..it looks good for ideas on what to do as we dont really know where to start .i think we may need to upgrade the hotel areas just for peace of mind ,just not to sure on where is best to start looking

maman

codo wrote: »

My hubby stayed at the Ibis bastille opera earlier in the year. It was relatively cheap (for Paris) for a twin room. He was impressed with the area and the hotel, although the rooms are small.

I've stayed in Ibis chain all over France and it's absolutely fine. Not luxury but generally clean and tidy and most do a decent breakfast too. I'd certainly recommend them. It's the same chain as Mercure but with formica furniture.

angelil

Well, we need to know which areas you're looking at before we can tell you what to rule out...

People here have already mentioned the Bastille and the Marais areas, which are both fine.

As someone who's lived/worked in the Paris area for 6 years, I'd say that as a whole, it's a very safe city. For more affordable prices you could also look at the 15th and 17th arrondissements as they are mostly residential, rather than touristy, but they are as safe as any other place in Paris (perhaps safer, since tourists don't tend to hang out there and so the pickpockets tend to go to the places where they are packed wall to wall ). Paris is also a relatively small city with a fast metro system, so you can get anywhere you want to be in no time. There's no real reason to stay right outside the main attractions (unless you enjoy getting ripped off, of course).