Where to stay in Paris is a tough question to answer because there are so many fabulous places.
One of the best ways to start deciding is choosing which district you’d like to be in. Paris has twenty districts to choose from so to keep it from becoming cumbersome you should probably divide your choices into the two most popular areas, the right and left banks. Then whittle it down to districts based on the hotel or inn that best suits you in a specific district.
The right and left banks refer to the right and left side of the Seine River which flows through central Paris roughly dividing it in half. The Seine flows westward which means when referring to the left bank one usually means the southern half of Paris and the right, the northern portion of the city.
These directions will be handy when deciding where to stay when visiting Paris. While the two banks make up a essential whole, they differ from each other in significant ways.
The left bank is for you if you like fashion, art, or the Bohemian lifestyle. It is the embodiment of Parisian popular culture and provides a great variety of interesting stores, historical markers, shops, trendy people and architecture. In Paris there is a great selection of exciting hotels, bed and breakfasts and inns, and some are affordably priced.
The right bank, however, is the epitome of high-society sophistication that usually goes hand-in-hand with Paris. It also happens to be the business section of the city, in which you will discover the L’Arc de Triomphe and Champs Elysees. It is considered very metropolitan and the neighborhoods are very affluent and beautiful with contrasting architecture from classical to very modern.
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