Paris_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 7th Edition) - Lonely Planet [235]
The following guidebooks list pubs, restaurants, clubs, beaches, saunas, sex shops and cruising areas; they are available from Les Mots à la Bouche bookshop Click here.
Dyke Guide: Le Guide Lesbien (www.dykeguide.com, in French; €13;) The essential French-language guide for girls on the go in France and Paris.
Le Petit Futé Paris Gay et Lesbien (www.petitfute.com, in French; €14) A French-language guide that goes well beyond pursuits hedonistic, with political, cultural, religious and health listings along with bars and restaurants. Highly recommended.
Paris Gayment (www.parigramme.com, in French; €6) A French-language, 110-page sourcebook from the ones behind Paris Est à Nous pocket books about various aspects of life in the French capital and contains just about every address of interest to ‘girls who love girls and boys who love boys and their friends’.
Spartacus International Gay Guide (www.spartacusworld.com; €28.95) A male-only guide to just about every country in the world, with more than 80 pages devoted to France, half of which cover Paris.
Among some of the better gay and lesbian websites include:
Dyke Planet (www.dykeplanet.com, in French) The best French-language website for gay women.
Gay France (www.gayfrance.fr, in French) Lots and lots of male-to-male chat and classifieds.
La France Gaie & Lesbienne (www.france.qrd.org, in French) ‘Queer resources directory’ for gays and lesbians.
Le Gay Paris (www.legayparis.fr) Not unlike Paris Gay (see below) but slightly more up to date.
Paris Gay (www.paris-gay.com) Decent overview of what’s up and what’s on in the French capital.
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SLEEPING
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ACCOMMODATION STYLES
RESERVATIONS
ROOM RATES
LOUVRE & LES HALLES
MARAIS & BASTILLE
ALSO RECOMMENDED
THE ISLANDS
LATIN QUARTER & JARDIN DES PLANTES
ST-GERMAIN, ODÉON & LUXEMBOURG
ALSO RECOMMENDED
MONTPARNASSE
FAUBOURG ST-GERMAIN & INVALIDES
EIFFEL TOWER AREA & 16E ARRONDISSEMENT
ÉTOILE & CHAMPS-ÉLYSÉES
CLICHY & GARE ST-LAZARE
OPÉRA & GRANDS BOULEVARDS
GARE DU NORD, GARE DE L’EST & RÉPUBLIQUE
GARE DE LYON, NATION & BERCY
13E ARRONDISSEMENT & CHINATOWN
15E ARRONDISSEMENT
MONTMARTRE & PIGALLE
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top picks
Hôtel St-Merry
Hôtel Minerve
Hôtel Alison
Terrass Hôtel
Hôtel Résidence des 3 Poussins
Hôtel Jeanne d’Arc
Hôtel Muguet
Hôtel des 3 Collèges
Hôtel d’Angleterre
Hôtel La Demeure
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Paris has a very wide choice of accommodation options, counting some 76,500 beds in 1480 establishments that cater for all budgets throughout much of the city. There are four basic types: deluxe and top-end hotels, some of which count among the finest in the world; midrange hotels, many of which have personalities all of their own, and by and large offer very good value when compared with similarly priced places to stay in other European capitals; adequate but generally uninspiring budget hotels; and hostels, which run the gamut from cramped, airless cupboards to party places with bars worth a visit in their own right. In this chapter, accommodation options are listed according to the sections of the city as outlined in the Neighbourhoods chapter and appear in budget order, with the most expensive first. Prices are given for rooms with bathrooms unless otherwise noted.
The city of Paris levies a taxe de séjour (tourist tax) of between €0.20 (camp sites, ‘NN’ or unclassified hotels) and €1.50 (four-star hotels) per person per night on all forms of accommodation.
A note on the icons used in this chapter: Most hotels and hostels in Paris have some form of internet access available nowadays. We have included an internet icon ( ) only if the hotel has wi-fi (pronounced wee-fee in French) or allows guests to use a terminal in the lobby or reception area. Some establishments (usually hostels) charge their guests an access fee for this service,