Although the Sorbonne area has more budget hotels than any other district in Paris (and thus provides you with the optimum chance of finding a budget room in the summer months), nevertheless, the district can’t compare in color and charm with the bustling area around the Ecole des Beaux Arts, near the Seine.
How would you now like to live la vie Baherne, and plunge into a world of art galleries and studios, palettes and beards? Walk down the Boulevard St. Germain to the breathtakingly-beautiful Eglise (church) St. Germain des Pres, and turn right on the Rue Banaparte, to the Seine. As you approach the river, you’ll pass the Rue Jacob. And if you turn right on the Rue Jacob, you’ll come to the Rue de Seine. These are the three blocks for budget hotels in this area: the Rue Bonaparte, the Rue Jacob, and the Rue de Seine. The metro stop for all three is called: St. Germain.
Five hotels on these blocks offer especial values. On the Rue Jacob, the Hotel des 2 Continents, at No. 25, is an unusually appealing, sunny place, taxes and service included; and a few feet away, the Hotel d’Isly, at No. 29, is slightly higher in price, but much better appointed, with an elevator and newly-redecorated rooms. On the Rue Bonaparte, the Hotel St. Germain des Pres , a moderate, two-star hotel, has the best location of all, just a few short steps from the Boulevard St. Germain….
On the Rue de Seine, at No. 52, the Hotel de Seine (14), has “grand lit” (double beds), twin beds, an elevator, and is just as highly recommended…. Nearby, on the Rue des Beaux Arts, which is lined with high-priced art galleries where you ought to browse but not buy, the Hotel d’Alsace, 13 Rue des Beaux Arts, is the place to which Oscar Wilde was exiled af ter his release from Reading Gaol. lt’s a quiet, peaceful hotel, with a deep, sunny stairwell running through its six stories. The Hotel de Nice on the same block is quite elegant, but too high in price.
Several other hotels in this area are almost equally as good. On the Rue Jacob, for instance, you’ll also find the elevator-equipped Hotel du Danube, 58 Rue Jacob (including breakfast, service and taxes for two) and the Hotel de Tours, 15 Rue Jacob (everything included), both in the direction of the post office as you look left, facing the street.
On the Rue de Seine, no more than 10 feet from the Boulevard St. Germain, you’ll pass the Hotel Welcome, 66 Rue de Seine, which is marvelous for younger people, wıth same rooms overlooking the Boulevard St. Germain itself, and with rates, for perfectly proper doubles. On the Rue Banaparte, only 20 yards from the Seine, the Hotel de Londres & Malaquais, 3 Rue Banaparte, is one of the better third class hotels in the area, quiet and nicely-furnished with service and taxes included.
Again on the Rue Bonaparte, but this time on the other side of Boulevard St. Germain, you’ll find the Hotel St. George, at 49 Rue Banaparte, and the Hotel Nancy, across the street at 56 Rue Bonaparte. The Nancy is nicest, breakfast included, and is highly recommended. The St. George is about as typically French as a French hotel can get: narrow, winding hallways; a red-geranium lined walkway over a patio; and attractive, buxom maids; they don’t speak English here, but you’ll get along perfectly well with sign language….
Finally, just down the street at 61 Rue Banaparte, the Hotel Bonaparte, is a turn-of-the-century-type establishment, with elegance, chic, and enormous rooms, breakfasts included. Many ladies stay here and love it; don’t be discouraged by the small and incongruous service station on one side of the street-around the corner is a lovely little square. How would I rate this confusing batch of choices? In the “higher-priced” category, the Hotel St. Germain des Pres is by far the best, followed closely by the Hotel Bonaparte, Hotel de Seine and the Hotel Alsace.
In the moderate range, the Hotel du Danube and the Hotel de Londres & Malaquais seem best to me, followed by the Hotel d’Isly and the Hotel de 2 Continents. In the rockbottom category, the Hotel Welcome and the Hotel de Tours are your best bets. if all these hotels are filled, then walk down the Boulevard St. Germain (or the parallel Rue Jacob) to the Rue Saint Peres, where a long-time favorite of students, the well-appointed Hotel de l’Academie, at #32 Rue Saint Peres, has good double rooms and its own little restaurant off the lobby. Throughout this section, inexpensive restaurants abound, and there are markets, cafes, theatres-much life. Jean-Paul Sartre lives one black from the St. Germain metro stop.
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