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rooms – in this case 43 of them in eight basic colours. The décor is classic yet eclectic; larger rooms have tubs while smaller ones (and they are small) have showers. We love the linen panels on the windows that diffuse the light so nicely.

HÔTEL BRITANNIQUE Map Hotel €€€

01 42 33 74 59; www.hotel-britannique.fr; 20 av Victoria, 1er; s €147, d €178-205; tr €233, ste €263-306; Châtelet;

With all the plaid here and the panelled, library-like lounge, you’d be excused for thinking you’d hopped over what the French called La Manche (‘Sleeve’, or English Channel). Still, the 39-room ‘Britannic’ remains a Gallic oasis above the brouhaha of Châtelet, and the rooms on the upper floors, some of which have balconies, look straight down to a row of plane trees. It’s an excellent choice if you want to be near everything.

LE RELAIS DU LOUVRE Map Hotel €€€

01 40 41 96 42; www.relaisdulouvre.com; 19 rue des Prêtres St-Germain l’Auxerrois, 1er; s €108, d & tw €165-198, tr €212, ste €237-430; Pont Neuf;

If you are someone who likes style but in a traditional sense, choose this lovely 21-room hotel just west of the Louvre and south of the Église St-Germain l’Auxerrois. The 10 rooms facing the street and the church are on the petite side; if you are looking for something more spacious, ask for one of the five rooms ending in a ‘2’ and looking onto the garden/patio. Room 2 itself has access to the garden.

HÔTEL ST-MERRY Map Hotel €€

01 42 78 14 15; www.hotelmarais.com; 78 rue de la Verrerie, 4e; d & tw €160-230, tr €205-275, ste €335-407; Châtelet;

The interior of this 11-room hostelry, with beamed ceilings, church pews and wrought-iron candelabra, is a neogoth’s wet dream; you have to see the architectural elements of room 9 (flying buttress over the bed) and the furnishings of 12 (choir-stall bed board) to believe them. On the downside there is no lift connecting the postage-stamp lobby with the four upper floors, and it has no mod cons to speak of except for recently introduced wi-fi.

HÔTEL VIVIENNE Map Hotel €€

01 42 33 13 26; www.hotel-vivienne.com; 40 rue Vivienne, 2e; s €60-114, d & tw €75-114; Grands Boulevards;

This stylish hotel is amazingly good value for Paris. While the 45 rooms are not huge, they have all the modcons (some even boast little balconies), and the public areas are bright and cheery.

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PRICE GUIDE

The symbols below indicate the cost per night of a standard double room in high season.

€ under €70

€€ €71-160

€€€ over €160

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HÔTEL DE LILLE Map Hotel €

01 42 33 33 42; www.heoteldelille.net; 8 rue de Pélican, 1er; s €35-38, d €43-50, tr €65-75; Palais Royal-Musée du Louvre;

This old-fashioned but spotlessly clean 13-room hotel is down a quiet side street in a 17th-century building. A half-dozen of the rooms have just a washbasin and bidet (communal showers cost €3), while the rest have en suite showers. The friendly and helpful manager speaks good English.

CENTRE INTERNATIONAL DE SÉJOUR BVJ PARIS-LOUVRE Map Hostel €

01 53 00 90 90; www.bvjhotel.com; 20 rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau, 1er; per person dm €28, d €30; Louvre-Rivoli;

This modern, 200-bed hostel run by the Bureau des Voyages de la Jeunesse (Youth Travel Bureau) has doubles and bunks in a single-sex room for four to 10 people with showers down the corridor. Guests should be aged 18 to 35. Rooms are accessible from 2.30pm on the day you arrive and all day after that. There are no kitchen facilities. There is usually space in the morning, even in summer, so stop by as early as you can. All rooms are nonsmoking and internet access is available for €1 for 10 minutes. The Centre International de Séjour BVJ Paris-Quartier Latin (Map; 01 43 29 34 80; 44 rue des Bernardins, 5e; per person dm €28, s/d €42/32; Maubert Mutualité), its sister-hostel on the Left Bank, has 100 beds in singles, doubles and single-sex dorm rooms for four to 10 people. All rooms have showers and telephones, and rates include breakfast.

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MARAIS & BASTILLE

The Marais is one of the liveliest parts of the Right Bank