• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

This is a friendly though slightly frayed place in the centre of the Latin Quarter. It’s popular with a slightly older crowd than when it opened as Paris’ first independent hostel some two decades ago. The hostel rooms are shut tight between 11am and 4pm but reception stays open and there is no curfew. Beds are in cramped rooms with washbasins, and accommodate three to 10 people. In summer, the best way to get a bed is to stop by at about 8am. Internet access costs €2 for 30 minutes.

Return to beginning of chapter

ST-GERMAIN, ODÉON & LUXEMBOURG

St-Germain des Prés is a delightful area to stay and offers some excellent midrange hotels. The three-star hotels in this area are around St-Germain des Prés. Not surprisingly in this well-heeled quartier, there is a serious shortage of budget accommodation, but what you will find is competitively priced.

RELAIS CHRISTINE Map Hotel €€€

01 40 51 60 80; www.relais-christine.com; 3 rue Christine, 6e; s & d €370-460, ste from €540; Odéon;

Part of the Small Luxury Hotels (SLH) association, the Relais Christine is a beautiful property housed in what was once a Catholic college. Special features include an unforgettable courtyard entrance off a quiet street with a garden behind it, as well as a spa and fitness centre built in and around an original 13th-century cellar. The 51 rooms are spacious and (unusual for a hotel of this category) the décor is more modern than classic.

LA VILLA Map Boutique Hotel €€€

01 43 26 60 00; www.villa-saintgermain.com; 29 rue Jacob, 6e; s & d €265-335, ste €445; St-Germain des Prés;

This 31-room hotel helped set what has become almost a standard of the Parisian accommodation scene: small, minimalist, boutique. Fabrics, lighting and soft furnishings are all of the utmost quality and taste. Rooms are refreshingly modern (with a preference for chocolate browns, purples and burgundies) but subtly designed. Bathrooms are small but shimmering, and the lobby, with its popular bar, is large and bright.

RÉSIDENCE LE RÉGENT Map Serviced Apartment €€€

01 56 24 19 21; www.residence-le-regent.com; 28 rue Monsieur le Prince, 5e; studio €265-295, 2-room apt €315-460, 3-room apt €525-610, 4-room apt 620-725; Odéon;

This stunner of a résidence, on a quiet street of the Latin Quarter, has 16 superb apartments all looking onto a peaceful inner courtyard. They range in size from studios for two people to a four-room duplex apartment for a family of six. All have fully equipped kitchenettes (did we spot a potato peeler?) and dining areas.

L’HÔTEL Map Boutique Hotel €€€

01 44 41 99 00; www.l-hotel.com; 13 rue des Beaux Arts, 6e; s & d €255-640, ste €540-740; St-Germain des Prés;

With 20 rooms and a location tucked away in a quiet quayside street, this award-winning hostelry with the most minimal of names is the stuff of romance, Parisian myths and urban legends. Rock- and film-star patrons alike fight to sleep in room 16 where Oscar Wilde died in 1900 and now decorated with a peacock motif, or in the Art Deco room (No 36) of legendary dancer Mistinguett, with its huge mirrored bed. Rooms lead off a large circular atrium. Other features include a fantastic bar and restaurant under a glass canopy and, in the ancient cellar, a very modern swimming pool. Rates vary widely according to the seasons.

HÔTEL LE CLOS MÉDICIS Map Hotel €€€

01 43 29 10 80; www.closmedicis.com; 56 rue Monsieur le Prince, 6e; s €165, d & tw €205-255, tr €290, ste €490; Luxembourg;

Someone has taken an 18th-century building and pushed it into the 21st century, with tasteful greys, blacks and burgundies in the 38 bedrooms. History stays for the most part in the lobby, with its antique furnishings, convivial bar and, in winter, open fireplace. The inner courtyard is a delight for drinks and/or breakfast in the warmer months.

HÔTEL D’ANGLETERRE Map Hotel €€€

01 42 60 34 72; www.hotel-dangleterre.com; 44 rue Jacob, 6e; s €100-255, d €200-265, ste €285-320; St-Germain des Prés;

The ‘England Hotel’ is a beautiful 27-room property