The 11 best hotels in Paris for budget-friendly breaks and luxury stays

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In a city with more than 1,600 hotels, choice can be overwhelming. Palaces, manoirs, a rooftop terrasse every which way you look. New openings saturate the market, each claiming to be bigger and better than the last (the number of hotels grew by more than 200 between 2022 and 2023), and some 40 million tourists flock to Paris each year.

A veritable encyclopedia of information awaits those that delve into Google reviews; in fact, booking a trip now requires the reading time of an encyclopaedia. As if the arrondissement wasn’t already hard enough to pick — should you stay in fashionable Saint-Germain-des-Pres, chic Le Marais or edgy, distinctly un-Parisian Belleville — there’s the new Michelin ‘key’ ranking system to contend with.

Whether brand-spanking new or as ingrained into Paris’s fabric as a classic tweed Chanel skirt suit, we’ve rounded up the best Parisian hotels, be your budget champagne or chocolat chaud.

Best hotels in Paris

At a glance

• Best city centre hotel: Hotel Lancaster
• Best luxury hotel: Hotel de Crillon
• Best boutique hotel: La Planque
• Best budget hotel: The People Belleville
• Best hotel with a view: Hotel Rochechouart
• Best for families: Castille
• Best for couples: Grands Voyageurs
• Best spa hotel: Maison Bréguet

1. Dame des Arts

Dame des Arts’ rooftop provides some of the most picturesque views of Parisian architecture (Ludovic Balay)

If you were going to make a movie about an idyllic Parisian life, it would likely be at Hôtel Dame des Arts, where sipping a ‘Spritz des Dames’ at their rooftop bar, the spires of Notre-Dame (scaffolding-free, even if AI had to help you with that part), the towers of Saint-Sulpice and the zinc rooftops of the Haussmann buildings formed the backdrop. It’s a shame that on screen you’d miss the hotel’s heady signature scent, which perfumes the whole building.

Address: 4 Rue Danton, 75006 Paris

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2. Hotel Lancaster

Head to Hotel Lancaster for a tipple at the CopperBay bar (Hotel Lancaster)

If Gatsby did Paris… Opened in the 1930, there’s an old-world glamour to the Hotel Lancaster, with its decadent chandeliers and grand entrance hall, where horses and carriages would have once arrived. It entertained some of the biggest stars of the silver screen, including Humphrey Bogart, Clark Gable and Elizabeth Taylor. Other than the legacy and sheer splendour of the building, the CopperBay bar alone is enough to warrant a visit, with cocktails so elaborate they’ll dominate your holiday conversation.

Address: 7 Rue de Berri, 75008 Paris

Read more: The best neighbourhoods to stay in and around Paris

3. Hotel Rochechouart

Hotel Rochechoart provides some of the best views over the Sacré-Cœur from their rooftop (Romain Ricard)

Paris hotels aren’t usually synonymous with space; generally they make Harry Potter’s cupboard under the stairs look roomy. Hotel Rochechouart, with its high ceilings, is a welcome exception, especially for the price. The space in even the smallest rooms (16 square metres) has been so well utilised that they look airy, and the suites go up to 34 square metres. But why spend time in your room at all? The view from the rooftop over the Sacré-Cœur is too mesmerising.

Address: 55 Blvd Marguerite de Rochechouart, 75009 Paris

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4. The People Belleville

Ironically for a city that attracts backpackers from far and wide, there’s a lack of decent backpacker hostels in Paris. The People hostel group fills the void, and no quartier satisfies the backpacker holy trinity of great food and drink, great street art and rock bottom prices quite like Belleville. The dormitories are well-designed, with opaque curtains, charging sockets and shelves. The views from the roof prove you don’t have to splash cash to see Paris at its most magical.

Address: 59 Bd de Belleville, 75011 Paris

Read more: Family-friendly Paris guide

5. Brach EVOK

Brach’s rooftop has many things to enjoy (Guillaumede Laubier)

The designer of this hotel must have had a sense of humour, as the chickens housed in a large coop on the rooftop enjoy one of the most enviable views in the city. So do the guests, though, with an hour of complimentary use of the rooftop hot tub included in each stay (book your time slot upon arrival). Some of the sixth- and seventh-floor suites have their own private hot tubs, barbecues and views of the Eiffel Tower.

Address: 1-7 Rue Jean Richepin, 75116 Paris

Read more: The alternative guide to Paris: How to enjoy the city like a local

6. Maison Breguet

Food lovers should seriously consider Maison Breguet (Maison Breguet)

If you came to Paris to eat (surely the main reason that anyone goes to France), stay at Maison Bréguet. Not only are the dishes delightfully fresh and colourful, but there’s an open kitchen to see your meal being prepared. There’s a large cocktail menu, and an indoor pool, spa and hammam in which to vegetate after indulging. At 53 rooms, it’s neither too big nor too small. Upgrading to a room with a freestanding bath tub is thoroughly worth it.

Address: 8 R. Bréguet, 75011 Paris

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7. Hotel de Crillon

Hotel de Crillon offers ornate surroundings and golden accents (Adrian Houston)

There’s luxury, and then there’s the Hotel de Crillon, a stone’s throw from the Tuileries Gardens. If you’ve ever wanted to know what it would be like to stay in an art gallery, or a royal palace, this one’s for you. The Beauty and the Beast ornate furniture could spring to life, and if it did, we bet it wouldn’t shut up about Les Ambassadeurs bar. There’s so much gold gilding that it gives Versailles a run for its money.

Address: 10 Pl. de la Concorde, 75008 Paris

Read more: Is it possible to eat out in Paris for under €20?

8. Grands Voyageurs

Hotel Grands Voyageurs’ polished wood interiors provides a luxury feel (Hotel Grands Voyageurs)

The attention is in the details. Suite rooms come equipped with vinyl record players, and rather than regular room service, you can choose from a library of over 100 records delivered to your room. The polished wood interiors make everything look a little more beautiful, as though seen through a sepia filter. The breakfast buffet is a sumptuous affair — even more so if you visit for Sunday brunch. You didn’t hear it from us, but there’s a secret bar on-site.

Address: 34 Rue de l'Abbé Grégoire, 75006 Paris

9. Castille

Castille offers a whole range of choices for travellers, with 11 different room categories (The Hotel Guru)

If you’re the type that looks up a restaurant menu 24 hours in advance to mull over your meal selection, this one’s for you. Hotel Castille is all about choice. There’s a pillow menu, and a whopping 11 categories of rooms, the most luxurious of which is an 80 square metre apartment complex. The Italian influence is palpable; the hotel bursts with colour. There are family-friendly rooms and up to two under 16s (sharing with an adult) stay for free.

Address: 33-37 Rue Cambon, 75001 Paris

10. Pilgrim Hotel

Pilmgrim Hotel marries 70s groove with sleek design (Christophe Bielsa)

From the outside, the building is unassuming. The interior is anything but. With 70s style furniture and exposed pipes on the ceiling, a stay at the Pilgrim Hotel feels like stepping into a Wes Anderson film, just in flame hues rather than pastel. In the heart of the Latin Quarter, there’s a cocktail bar, rooftop with 360 degree views over Paris, spa, a moodily-lit indoor pool and small gym. It’s very light: the windows in the rooms are positively enormous.

Address: 11 Rue de Poissy, 75005 Paris

11. La Planque

Think Paris residents aren’t friendly? La Planque’s warm welcome will prove you wrong (La Planque)

An intimate little hotel with just 35 rooms in a chic building overlooking Paris’s quintessential Haussmann rooftops, La Planque has a picture-perfect dining room and terrasse, the perfect antidote to the bustle of the 10th arrondissement. Canal St Martin’s waterside watering holes are just a five minute walk away, though. The sheer quantity of ceramics and plants jostling for space is a millennial dream. This is a hotel which shatters the stereotype of unfriendly Parisians — the welcome couldn’t be warmer.

Address: 3 Rue Arthur Groussier 75010 Paris

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