PARIS ---> Please help!!!?

Question

Could anyone tell my more about this hotel and area?

Hotel Abricotel

15 Rue Laly Tollendale

Paris

75019

5 mins away from the ''gare du Nord'' metro lign 2 or 5

Is thea area ok? How far is it from Central Paris to get to the sight seeing place?

I hope someone can help!

Thanks!!

----------------- or would you recommend the following hotel?

Formula 1 Hotel

Address :

29, Rue du Docteur Babinski

75018 PARIS

FRANCE

Which one is better??

Answer 1

Wow, this is my neighborhood so I know it well.  Hotel Abricotel is right on Jean Jaures and near the metro Jaures (line #5).

It is actually not close to Gare du Nord (so the comment about it being "bad" is just not true - he probably read that somewhere on the internet but it's not the case - it used to be about 10 years ago but things have changed!).

It is "gritty" and will not be as clean as your hometown but this is Paris...  This area is in eastern paris and is a youngish working-class neighborhood right next to the Canal Saint Martin.  You are very close to some fun stuff: MK2 theatre, quai de seine, quai de loire.  It's basically a pretty walkway around the canal where people hang-out, drink, eat, walk... bookstores, cinemas, bars, cafes, restaurants... It's cool!  If you walk east along the canal you'll go by theatres, bookstores, restaurants, bars, and then Parc Villete with 3 museums (museum of music, science and technology, and the conservatory of Paris!).  Also along the canal are the Peniche Opera boats and Canaux boats!  You can talk a very cool ride (part of it underground) in the Canuax boats.  Or you can catch a cool music in the Peniche Opera boats.... It is a bit gritty compared to Champs Elysees! But it is fun.  You can easily get to the touristy parts of Paris from metro station Jaures (just 2 minutes walk away) which is on line 2 & 5.  You can take line 2 all the way to Etoile (champs elysees), sacre coure, etc.  It is about 25 minutes via metro from Champs Elysees.  BEST THING: you are only 10 minutes walk from Parc Buttes Chaumont (the best park in Paris!).

Check out Belushis bar&hotel: http://www.belushis.com/ bar at the north end of Canal Saint Martin!  it just opened 2 weeks ago and is very popular with youngish parisians and expats/tourists.  There's a new hotel there also that you might prefer (as it's very new - just opened) and very cheap!  basically it's a bar and hotel in one!

The other hotel is in east 18th so not the best area in the world but not horrible either.  Positives here are that you are very close to Montmartre which is a very cool place to walk around, you're also very close to the basilica of Sacre Coeur.  You're close to a metro there too (simplon or poissonierre).   It is about 10 minutes closer to the touristy stuff but not much.

My vote would be for the on in the 19th because it's more "Paris" and less touristy.  The hotel in the 18th will be much more touristy and less of a "real" experience.

Both are very inexpensive places and won't be much but hopefully you won't be staying there too often.

Both are in fairly noisy areas as well with the on in the 19th being off the main street a bit so a bit better.  

As for the actual hotels I do not know since I've never stayed in either (since I live here) but I do know the areas as indicated above.

Have fun! But, my vote is for the Abricotel.  Pay no heed to the negative comments about this area (he must have been reading his 1970's tour guide!).

Answer 2

Both hotels are not in very good areas.

I don't think you will risk something, but you have to know, that you will be (with the 2 hotels) in popular places with a part of immigrate population.

I understand you want to be not too far from Gare du Nord, but it's not a very touristic area.

3 weeks ago, some friends of mine found a not too expensive hotel in 18th district but in a better area :

http://fr.sedipar.net/hotel/hotel-eden-m...

At Metro Jules Joffrin it's easy to go in Paris center.

Answer 3

Gare du nord is not a very good location, but it's easy access to sight seeing places (metro + RER)

as for the formula 1 hotel, stay away from it. you share showers/bathroom, that are suposedly cleaned automatically.

it's a very cheap hotel and not very clean