Maps and Hotels in Paris

This text has been prepared for the WWW5 Workshop on Virtual Environments and the WWW workshop. I am not a tourist office so if some bloody search engine spits out this page don't send me email about missing information :). Will take only comments from workshop participants !

Conference Hotels are mostly expensive but are quality. Most of them are not downtown Paris. Book with them if you get the funding or/and if you don't plan to see Paris by night. Else get something downtown and sleep in a bad bed, but have fun after the conference. Cheap hotels are below 300FF/night (about $60). You can get below 200FF if you hunt some. Still cheaper, you can consider going to a Hostel (about 100 to 120FF/night). They are ok, just check opening hours and "lock out" periods.

The Idea

You need to know the following:

The conference is at the Defense which can be reached either with Subway #1 or faster RER #A train. Best idea is finding a Hotel near Chatelaine/Les Halles station. This is a very central location in Paris and it is only 10-15 minutes from the Conference by RER !
If you want to be near another Metro/RER Station check out the Hotels page and click on "Station Métro" or "Station RER".
Now download this subway map (190K *.jpg). I added arrows for the 2 locations (La Defense and Chatelaine/Les Halles)
Paris is organized in "arrondissements" (which show in ZIP codes) and they are numbered "clock-and snail wise", starting from the center (look at this map to get the picture). If you want to navigate in Paris, you need to understand that "arrondissement" term and have an idea where they are ! Anyhow, go for one of those areas:
- 75001 is right bank of the River, up/left from the island in the Seine river in the middle of Paris. This is the area where many government buildings and Champs Elysees are)
- 75002 is right bank, up/left on the map (further away than 1er, again taking the Island as reference)
- 75003 is right bank, up/right on the map (somewhat further away than 4e)
- 75004 is right bank, up/right on the map (i.e. The Centre Geogres Pompidou is there)
- 75005 is left bank, "down" (the tourist quartier Latin")
- 75006 is left bank, "down"/left
If you want to stay closer to the conference, find something in 8eme. Anyhow remember that the trick is to be near a Metro Station that connects well to #1 or #A line. So "near" and "far" is not measured by kilometers.

Note: right bank (except 3e and 4e) is supposed to be right wing and bourgeois, left bank supposed to be left-wing and bohemian:). Tho that ain't really true. All Paris has become pretty chic except for some little place left.

The algorithm

Either find a hotel yourself and call it up or use the services of:

the Paris Tourist Information Office: (+33 1) 49 52 53 54 - Fax: (+33 1) 49 52 53 00.
the Centrale de Réservations for youth hostels and budget hotels: Tel:+33 1 43 57 02 60 - Fax: 40 21 79 92.

Totally random pick of Hotels in probably good locations (I'd go for one in 6e, 4e or 1er arrondissement).

1er arrond: ROUEN(de) -- VALLEE(De la) in famous Rue St-Denis where love is for sale.
6e arrond: SAINT ANDRE DES ARTS (in quartier latin, very good location near Odeon, noisy but nice, would be my pick, i.e. court room) --- DELHY's (Good location near quartier Latin, near RER, but don't know it).
5e arrond: ALLIES (Des) (somewhat further away, but cheap (135-295FF) and close to the blue RER #B line (change in Les Halles)). -- CENTRAL(Le) -- LUSSAC, 5e similar as ALIIES, but walking distance to quartier Latin.
Again, consider checking out the Foyers and Hostels page.
Now, if you travel on high budget go for the Novotel in the > 700FF list.

Resources:

Start browsing from the Tourist Office Navigation Page (but this thing is slow, so be prepared to do something else at the same time).
Interactive Metro Map of the Paris Subway system.
Cheap 1 * Hotels - a subpage of the Hotels page.
Interactive Monuments Map. Also shows the arrondissments
Hotels < 500 FF suggested by the WWW conference organizers. Note that none is downtown. Good if you want to concentrate on the event!

D.K.S.