Recommended Hotels in the 11th Arrondissement of Paris (Bastille and Oberkampf)

A former industrial building at 8 Rue Bréguet, turned into a boutique hotel with about fifty rooms. On the ground floor, the restaurant sits under a large glass roof, next to a terrace and a living plant wall, and the basement holds a heated pool, a sauna, a hammam and a gym. There are also connecting rooms for families, rooms with a private terrace, and an entire three-bedroom house with its own garden. Bréguet-Sabin station is about a five-minute walk away, and from there it’s another ten minutes to Place de la Bastille. Keep in mind that the bathrooms are modest for the price, and some have a tub with a high side. I recommend upgrading to a junior suite if there are three of you, because the sofa bed there is truly comfortable and not a compromise.

Maison Boutet was built in 1926 as a trading house for precious woods, became a chocolate factory in the 1940s, and today is a hotel of eighty rooms and suites on Rue Faidherbe. The furniture was designed by students of the École Boulle, and the Codage spa has a pool heated to 29°C (84°F) under a glass roof, with blue and white enamel tiles, a sauna, a hammam and a gym. Eight suites have a green terrace with a view over the rooftops. That said, the relaxation area is small, with one sauna cabin and one hammam cabin, and more than five people in the pool already feels crowded. I recommend heading down to the spa as soon as it opens at 7:00 a.m., and setting aside one morning for the Marais, which starts a few minutes away.

Fifty-four rooms on Rue de Malte, a quiet street between Place de la République and Oberkampf. Downstairs there’s a sauna, a hammam and a gym open around the clock, the lobby has free coffee and water all day, and breakfast (an organic buffet) can be eaten in the lounge or brought to your room. The rooms are air-conditioned and soundproofed, and Oberkampf station is about 260 meters (850 feet) away, with lines 5 and 9. Keep in mind that the rooms are small, even by Paris standards. I recommend spending a bit more on a Deluxe room, because the extra square meters make a real difference on a stay of more than three nights.

A Haussmann building from 1866 that became a hotel as early as 1890, standing right on Place de la République and protected as a historic monument. The hotel was renovated from top to bottom in 2019. It has 328 rooms, a gym open around the clock, and inside, a 1,200-square-meter (about 13,000-square-foot) courtyard, one of the largest in central Paris, which becomes a terrace restaurant in summer. Five metro lines run under the square, so you can reach almost anywhere without changing trains. Keep in mind that this is the square where Parisians traditionally gather to demonstrate, so on a day when a demonstration is planned, it’s best to keep your distance. I recommend asking for a room facing the courtyard rather than the square, because it’s completely quiet there.

Only forty-six rooms on Rue Rampon, designed by Jean-Philippe Nuel in black and white with photographs by street artists. Breakfast includes a fresh-squeezed orange juice machine, smoked salmon and scrambled eggs, the bathrooms are stocked with L’Occitane products, and downstairs there’s a sauna for eight and a gym with a treadmill, a rowing machine and a punching bag. Some rooms have a small balcony. Keep in mind that there’s no parking here, and the nearest garage is the Alhambra on Rue de Malte. I recommend asking for a room with a balcony when you book, because those are the first to go.

Behind a modest facade on Rue Amelot hide seven historic buildings around a private garden courtyard, one of the largest in Paris, and one of them was once a workshop of Gustave Eiffel (1832-1923). The decor mixes Art Deco with Philippe Starck, some rooms have a kitchenette, and there’s a spa, a sauna and a private cinema for eight. Saint-Sébastien-Froissart station on line 8 is about 120 meters away, and from there it’s a ten-minute walk to Place des Vosges. Keep in mind that the rooms differ a lot from one another, and those facing the courtyard can be noisy in the evening when the restaurant is full. I recommend asking for a room in the Eiffel building.

A former textile factory on Rue de la Folie-Méricourt: four floors, thirty-three rooms, exposed brick walls and huge workshop windows. The lobby has an honesty bar, tea time with madeleines, and an organic breakfast buffet. In the basement there’s a hammam you can book privately, plus a gym. Saint-Ambroise station is about 350 meters away. Keep in mind that some rooms are small even by Paris standards, and the wine bar next door can be heard in the evening. I recommend asking for the duplex on the top floor, which offers the best space for the price here. It’s worth looking through the attractions in the 11th arrondissement before you go.

Thirty-four rooms inside a 19th-century furniture factory that sits not on a street but on Passage Beslay. At the heart of the hotel is a garden courtyard with maple trees, and most rooms face it, so the nights really are quiet. A few rooms on the ground floor open straight onto the garden terrace. There’s a bar overlooking the patio, a gym with rowing machines, a restaurant with an open kitchen, and massages on request. Parmentier station (line 3) and Saint-Ambroise station (line 9) are each three minutes away, and breakfast is served from 7:00 to 10:30 a.m. Keep in mind that the bathrooms are small and the shower tends to splash onto the floor. I recommend asking for a low-floor room with access to the garden, because that’s exactly what makes this place special.

Forty-seven rooms on Rue Pétion, a quiet side street off Boulevard Voltaire. Voltaire station on line 9 is right around the corner, but the real magic here is the stop for bus 69, a two-minute walk away. That line crosses Paris through the Marais, past the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay, all the way to the Eiffel Tower, and turns any metro ride into a city tour. Room service is based on the menu of Le Bec Salé, the restaurant next door. Children up to age three eat free and children from three to eleven pay half price, and pets are welcome too. Keep in mind that the rooms are small and better suited to three or four nights than to a full week.

Thirty-seven rooms on Boulevard Beaumarchais, in a hotel once called Hôtel Original and renamed after a renovation. Walk down the stairs into a stone-vaulted cellar and you’ll find a flotarium, a flotation pool with a very high salt concentration inspired by the Dead Sea, alongside a sauna and a treatment room. Every stay includes fifty minutes of private use of the area, between 10:00 a.m. and 8:30 p.m., and booking ahead is highly recommended. The breakfast pastries come from a neighborhood baker named Yohann. Bastille station is 150 meters away, and a three-minute walk also takes you to Place des Vosges and the Musée Picasso. Keep in mind that the rooms are small, there’s no parking, and pets are not accepted. I recommend asking for a room facing the courtyard, because the boulevard itself is busy.

Forty-four rooms on Boulevard du Temple, at the northern edge of the Marais, between Place de la République and the Cirque d’Hiver Bouglione, the winter circus built in 1852. The hotel is named after Edith Clark, a parachutist who is said to have jumped and landed on the circus roof, and the whole interior plays with the world of the circus without sliding into kitsch. There’s a small spa with a hammam, a sauna and a gym, two accessible rooms, and a spacious lobby that’s pleasant to sit in. The Centre Pompidou is about a fifteen-minute walk away. Keep in mind that the sixth-floor rooms can only be reached by stairs from the fifth floor, and breakfast is fairly basic for a 4-star hotel. I recommend asking for a room with a Parisian balcony, because the extra cost is small and the view is worth it.

The hotel sits on Rue de Charonne, on the grounds of a 17th-century convent, in the heart of the Faubourg Saint-Antoine, which for generations was the quarter of carpenters and furniture makers in Paris. Christian Lacroix (b. 1951) designed each of the five floors separately: the first is made of raw and recycled materials, the second is dressed in colorful velvet and thick carpets, and the top floor winks at the 1950s of the legendary Balajo club on nearby Rue de Lappe. There’s a gym open around the clock and a sauna you can book privately. Keep in mind that the rooms are small. I recommend asking for a high-floor room facing the courtyard, because the lower floors pick up the street noise.

This hotel used to be called Hôtel Beaumarchais, and the new name marks a renovation that turned it into one of the most pleasant addresses at the southern end of Rue Oberkampf. There are only 31 rooms, with English-style wallpaper and colorful cement tiles, and the basement holds a small spa with a hammam and a Jacuzzi, which is not a given in a hotel this size. The breakfast buffet is served from 7:00 to 11:00 a.m. and includes croissants, fresh bread, Mariage Frères tea and fresh-squeezed juice. The Marais is a few minutes’ walk away. That said, the basic rooms are quite small, starting at 11 square meters (about 120 square feet), so I recommend upgrading to a higher category if you’re staying more than three nights.

The hotel opened in 2019 on Rue de la Roquette, and getting to your room is half the experience: you walk into a cocktail bar that doubles as the reception desk, push a bookcase that hides a door, and climb a spiral staircase to six floors with only sixteen rooms. The beds stand on raised wooden platforms, some rooms look straight out at the July Column on the square while the others face the quiet Passage du Cheval Blanc, and the triple glazing does its job. Keep in mind that there’s no elevator at all, so the place is less suited to anyone who has trouble with stairs or arrives with heavy suitcases. I recommend taking a triple room if there are three of you, because it spans the full width of the building.

Thirty rooms spread over 1,000 square meters on Rue Moret, a quiet street off Oberkampf. It’s one of the few places in this category with a hammam and a treatment room, and the rooms have triple glazing and hypoallergenic mattresses, and some have heated bathroom floors and a private terrace. The lobby has free coffee, tea and water all day long. Metro lines 2, 3 and 11 are a few minutes away, and if you simply walk down Rue Oberkampf you’ll reach the Marais in about fifteen minutes. Keep in mind that the elevator is tiny and fits two people with one suitcase. I recommend coming down to breakfast before 8:00 a.m., because after that it’s hard to find a table.

Thirty-five rooms on Rue Amelot, a quiet side street that runs parallel to the busy Boulevard Beaumarchais. My favorite detail here is the breakfast room, preserved from the late 18th century, with a small lounge with a library next to it and an inner courtyard to sit in. Chemin Vert station is about 150 meters from the door, and line 8 takes you straight to the Opéra Garnier and the big department stores, which makes the hotel a particularly handy base for a shopping day. Place de la Bastille is a six-minute walk and Place des Vosges less than ten. Keep in mind that the rooms are small and the soundproofing between rooms isn’t perfect. I recommend asking for a Superior room facing the courtyard, because the extra cost is small and you’ll notice the quiet right away.

Thirty-one rooms, one of them accessible, on Rue de la Folie-Méricourt. The name honors the métallos, the metalworkers who were the professional and political backbone of the 11th arrondissement in the 19th century, and that’s exactly the history that explains why this area looks different from the rest of Paris. The hotel is independent, built with eco-friendly materials, and has a ground-floor lounge that’s pleasant to work in. Oberkampf station is about 300 meters away, and the area around it is packed with cafés and bistros. Keep in mind that the rooms are very small, some don’t even have a wardrobe, and there’s no coffee and tea kit in the room.

Thirty-two rooms in a Haussmann building on Rue du Grand Prieuré, redecorated in warm shades of brown, orange and taupe, with thick carpets, floor-to-ceiling windows and headboards made of large photographs of Paris. Oberkampf station, with two lines, is 270 meters away, and Place de la République, with five more lines, is 440 meters away, so almost any destination in the city is reachable without changing trains. The Canal Saint-Martin is a few minutes’ walk away. Keep in mind that only the Superior rooms have air conditioning. I recommend asking for a room on the courtyard side.

A building from 1890 on Boulevard Richard-Lenoir with only 27 rooms, divided into four categories: Classique, Confort, Privilège and connecting rooms for families. The last renovation was in 2014, and the hotel is still holding up nicely. The detail I love most here actually happens outside: on Tuesday and Friday mornings, the Marché Popincourt sets up right in front of the entrance, one of the least touristy street markets in the city. Oberkampf metro station is about a two-minute walk away. That said, the rooms are small even by Paris standards, so if you’re arriving with large suitcases, it’s worth booking a roomier category in advance.

36 rooms on Boulevard Richard-Lenoir, about 200 meters from Bréguet-Sabin station and about a five-minute walk from Place de la Bastille. The lovely detail here is what lies beneath your feet: the green boulevard in front of the building was laid over the covered Canal Saint-Martin, so you’re sleeping a few meters from a canal that flows without your ever seeing it. The lobby has a lounge with a library, and breakfast includes pastries baked on site. Some top-floor rooms have a small balcony. Place des Vosges is about a fifteen-minute walk. That said, the hotel is older and some rooms need refreshing, so I recommend spending a little more and booking a Superior room.

The hotel opened in 2015 on Rue de Charonne, and it’s a tribute from top to bottom to the Surrealist game Exquisite Corpse (Cadavre Exquis), the game in which each player adds a part to the work without seeing what came before. The artist Julie Gauthron designed the 42 rooms with second-hand furniture, and every room has a piece created in exactly that way by several artists. Breakfast is a buffet of organic, locally made French products. The surroundings are excellent: Septime and Clamato are within walking distance, and Père Lachaise is about fifteen minutes away. That said, the rooms really are small, between 10 and 12 square meters, so I recommend considering a higher category if you’re coming for a week.

Eighteen rooms on Rue de la Roquette, the same street as Oh la la, just a few numbers up. It’s a compact, no-frills hotel that doesn’t pretend to be more than it is, and yet every room has air conditioning, a kettle with coffee and tea, and a safe, and some rooms also have a small balcony. The ground floor has a lobby bar and a continental breakfast. Bastille station is a few minutes away, Bréguet-Sabin is a ten-minute walk, and Gare de Lyon station is 800 meters away, which makes it especially handy if you’re continuing from there to the south of France. The Musée Carnavalet is about a fifteen-minute walk. Keep in mind that Rue de la Roquette is a nightlife street, and on weekends the evenings here are lively. I recommend asking for a high-floor room facing the courtyard.