Recommended Hotels in the 1st Arrondissement of Paris (the Louvre, Les Halles and More)

Some hotels you book for a special occasion, and this is one of them. It sits on Rue de Rivoli, across from the Tuileries Garden, and if you’ve decided to splurge once on a vacation, this is where it feels justified. Alain Ducasse (born 1956) runs the kitchen, there’s a Valmont spa downstairs, and breakfast is served in a dining room that guests insist is the most beautiful in Paris. I tend to agree with them. The rooms are much bigger than usual for Paris, and from the upper floors you can see the garden stretching all the way to the Eiffel Tower. Very expensive, but you know exactly what you’re paying for.

If I had to recommend one weekend in Paris to a couple, this would be the direction. A small hotel on Rue Saint-Roch, between the Tuileries Garden and Place Vendôme, where everything is designed down to the last detail, from the staff uniforms to the key holder. A handwritten note waits in your room, and downstairs there’s a small spa with a pool, a sauna and a heated stone bench, booked for private use in 90-minute slots. I recommend booking the spa in advance, because the slots go fast. Breakfast is served from a menu rather than a buffet, and that makes a big difference.

51 suites on Rue de Richelieu, across from the Comédie-Française, each one with a real kitchenette. That sounds like a technical detail until you arrive with two kids and realize you can make breakfast in the room instead of dragging everyone out at eight in the morning. For those who do want to go down, there’s a buffet with local products, an espresso machine in the lounge around the clock, and some units even have a washing machine. The corner suites come with a wraparound balcony. Note that the rooms aren’t huge, but you’re just a few steps from the Louvre and the Palais-Royal.

The first thing you notice here is the quiet: Rue Duphot, minutes from Place Vendôme, and at night you hear nothing. The second thing is downstairs: a 15-meter indoor pool, a sauna, a hammam and a gym, all at no extra charge, which is rare in Paris. The restaurant, Le Baudelaire, holds a Michelin star, and in the morning they serve fresh regional products with a hot dish made to order. The rooms were recently renovated and are spacious, and the shopping street Rue Saint-Honoré is around the corner. I recommend going down to the spa in the evening, because it’s almost empty then.

The hotel was built for the 1900 World’s Fair on Place des Pyramides, and it has barely been touched since: original mosaics, antique furniture and a lobby that looks like the set of a period film. The Louvre is right across the street and the entrance to the Tuileries Garden is on the corner. The real ace here is the corner suites: from the window you see the garden, the Seine and the Eiffel Tower all at once. Note that the antique furniture isn’t for everyone, and if you’re looking for modern minimalism you’ll feel out of place here (small dogs, on the other hand, are welcome). I recommend not settling for an inside room, because the whole story here is the view.

Rue de Valois is one of my favorite streets in Paris: right by the Palais-Royal Garden, in the very center, and almost nobody walks down it. The building dates from the 18th century, there’s a spa, a gym and a private art gallery, and some of the suites look out on the Eiffel Tower. The staff here arranges everything, from a restaurant reservation to a birthday surprise, without you having to ask twice. The rooms aren’t huge, but they’re very quiet and tastefully designed. This is luxury you don’t need to apologize for, and I recommend asking for a room facing the garden.

On Avenue de l’Opéra, two minutes from the Palais-Royal, with interior design that’s hard to ignore: velvet, marble and dark colors. But the real story starts when you go down to the spa: a pool under a mirrored ceiling that creates the illusion of swimming forever, plus a sauna and a hammam, open from seven in the morning to eleven at night. In the evening they turn down the room and leave a little bag of herbs on the pillow. The restaurant and the bar fill up with Parisians too, and that’s always a good sign. Opéra Garnier is a short walk away, and I recommend booking the spa for the early morning hours.

21 rooms in an 18th-century building, on a small street behind the church of Saint-Germain-l’Auxerrois, right across from the Louvre. It’s a small hotel, and that’s the whole point: it feels more like a Parisian home than a hotel, and the staff remembers you after two days. Breakfast is brought to your room and it’s good. The rooms have exposed wooden beams and antique furniture, and some of them look out on the museum. Note that the rooms are small, so if you’re traveling with two big suitcases, take that into account. I recommend asking for a room on a high floor facing the church.

One of the best options in the area for families. The rooms are much bigger than usual for Paris, and families of five and six really do fit here (and that’s a sentence I don’t write often). The Louvre is about seven minutes on foot and Notre-Dame about ten. There’s a private spa with a jacuzzi and a hammam you can rent by the hour, and also accessible rooms with a walk-in shower and a seat, which makes it a good option if you’re looking for an accessible hotel. Freshly squeezed orange juice in the morning, and Angelina chocolate on the pillow in the evening. A fair price in an area where a fair price is a rare thing. The hotel used to be called Maison Armance.

I stayed here in the past and enjoyed it a lot, so I’m saying this from experience: the reason to book here is the view. The building went up in the 19th century under Lord Egerton, and from Rue de Rivoli a 180-degree panorama opens up: the Louvre on the left, the Tuileries Garden in front, Place de la Concorde on the right and the Eiffel Tower in the background. Exactly the same view the fancy neighbors have, for a fraction of the price. Inside there are marble columns, antique mirrors and high ceilings. I strongly recommend not giving up on a room facing the garden, because that’s the whole difference between this hotel and any other hotel in the area.

Behind a carriage gate on Rue Cambon there’s a courtyard, and from the courtyard a small elevator goes up to the reception on the top floor. There’s no big sign and no impressive lobby, and that’s exactly the idea. The writer Stendhal (1783-1842) lived in this house, the hotel is named after one of his novels, and according to the staff you can ask for a copy. Only 23 rooms, parquet floors, crown moldings and the rooftops of Paris from the window. The Tuileries Garden is 50 meters away and Concorde station is a two-minute walk. Breakfast is served upstairs by the fireplace. I recommend asking for a room on a high floor, because that’s where the rooftop view opens up.

A hotel for people who love art but don’t want to sleep in a museum. Each floor was designed by a different artist, and on the ground floor there’s the Drawing Lab, a private art center devoted entirely to contemporary drawing. All of it on Rue de Richelieu, two minutes from the Louvre. Breakfast is good, the front desk staff is noticeably nice, and some of the bathrooms have heated floors (a small detail that matters in February). Note that the rooms aren’t big, even if they’re cleverly planned. If you’re looking for something young and not too fancy, this is it.

24 rooms on quiet Rue Saint-Roch, between the Louvre and Place Vendôme, after a thorough renovation in 2020. The reception here looks like a private living room that opens onto the kitchen, which is where breakfast is served, and it makes you feel like a guest rather than a room number. Herringbone parquet, crown moldings and careful finishes. From the upper floors you see the rooftops of Paris, and a few rooms have a balcony facing the garden. Note that the rooms are small, as in almost every hotel in this area, though they’re well used. I recommend asking for a high floor, because the rooms up there are brighter and quieter.

Only 17 rooms on Rue Croix des Petits Champs, each with different wallpaper, in a colorful retro-chic style designed like a guesthouse. There’s a wine bar and a shared lounge, and breakfast (which you can also have in your room) is a good reason to get up: walnut bread, grape bread with pistachio and coffee desserts. The hotel is right by the Palais-Royal, seven minutes from the Louvre and a few minutes from several metro stations. The rooms are compact, this is Paris, but the showers are big and the water pressure is excellent. If you’re looking for a neutral beige room you’ll feel out of place here, and if you love color you’ll enjoy it a lot.

On Rue des Pyramides, two streets from the Louvre and three minutes from Pyramides station. A classic Haussmann facade, a warm contemporary interior, and a bright terrace that’s also used for breakfast. Some rooms look out on the neighboring Saint-Roch church, and the Zen suite on the top floor has a hydromassage bathtub. What really stands out here is the staff, who greet you by name and handle every request without you having to remind them. The rooms are small, but the bathrooms are roomier than usual. I recommend asking for a room facing the church, because that side is quieter in the evening.

I stayed here in the past and really loved it. Rue Molière is quiet, between the Palais-Royal and Opéra Garnier, the building was renovated from top to bottom, and there’s a spa with a sauna and a steam room you can book for private use. While you’re downstairs, they get your room ready for the evening, turn on music and close the curtains. Breakfast changes from day to day, and coffee, drinks and pastries are free all day long. The rooms are spacious for Paris, and some have a bathtub. The price sits on the line between four and five stars, and rightly so. I recommend booking the spa when you book the room.

A side street between the Madeleine church and Place Vendôme, in the heart of the expensive shopping area, and still quiet. The rooms are spacious for Paris, especially the corner suites, and the sheets and towels are a quality you can feel. The toiletries are Diptyque, which is already a wink. The staff arranges airport transfers and restaurant reservations without making a fuss about it, and a metro station is a minute from the door. If you came to Paris for shopping, it’s hard to find a more convenient base. I recommend the corner suite, because the difference in size compared to a standard room is significant.

Yes, it’s a chain hotel. But it sits right above Châtelet-Les Halles station, where metro and RER lines meet, including the direct train to Charles de Gaulle airport, and anyone who has ever arrived in Paris with suitcases and kids knows how much that’s worth. There’s a private garden with a playground, a game room, and a crêpe station at breakfast that turns you into a hero. The rooms are big for Paris and the family suites sleep up to five. The area is busy and not the prettiest in town, but the Louvre is a ten-minute walk and Les Halles is right below you. I recommend asking for a room facing the garden.

A two-star hotel a few minutes from Place Vendôme and the Tuileries Garden, at a price that’s hard to believe in this area. 22 rooms in a white Parisian building on Rue Saint-Roch, next to the church whose facade still shows bullet marks from 13 Vendémiaire (October 1795), the day Napoleon broke up the royalist uprising. The staff lets you check in early when possible, and the bathrooms are surprisingly big. Don’t expect luxury: the furniture is simple and so is the breakfast. But the location does the work here, and I recommend asking for a room facing the courtyard.

A 17th-century building on Rue de la Sourdière, one of the quietest streets in the area, with exposed stone walls and wooden beams in the lobby. Some of the units are studios and suites with an equipped kitchenette, which makes it a good choice if you’re staying a week and don’t want to eat out three times a day. Breakfast is good, and if you’re heading out early you can ask for it as a picnic. The Tuileries Garden is 200 meters away and the Louvre is about a five-minute walk. The rooms are small but cleverly used, and I recommend that families take a suite, because the difference in price is smaller than the difference in comfort. The hotel used to be called Hôtel du Lion d’Or.

29 rooms designed by Ora-ïto (born 1977) in a retro-futuristic style: color-changing LED lighting, rain showers, Corian bathrooms and a Bluetooth speaker in every room. There’s a small cocktail bar, coffee around the clock, and a breakfast buffet whose desserts are much better than you’d expect. The street, Rue Hérold, is narrow and quiet, and the Louvre is about ten minutes on foot. Note that the rooms are small on purpose: this is a capsule, not a suite. If you’re looking for classic Paris with heavy curtains and antique furniture you’ll feel out of place here, and I recommend picking another hotel from this page.

A 17th-century building on the corner of Rue Saint-Honoré that became a hotel more than 150 years ago. Stone walls, old statues and exposed wooden beams. Only 28 rooms, air-conditioned and soundproofed, and a few of them look out on the street. The Louvre, the Tuileries Garden and the Musée d’Orsay are within walking distance, and Pyramides and Tuileries stations are close by. The price for this location is almost a joke. One warning: the stairs are narrow and spiral and the elevator is tiny, so I recommend packing light and mentioning it in your booking if you have a heavy suitcase.

Let’s be frank: you don’t come here for the design. You come here because the Louvre is five minutes away on foot and the bill doesn’t wreck your vacation. An established French chain with a clear, predictable standard: air conditioning, a kettle, a TV, and a free water machine in the lobby. Palais Royal and Louvre-Rivoli stations are a few minutes away, so the whole city is open to you. I recommend asking for a room facing the inner courtyard, because that’s where it’s really quiet. If your plan is to be out from morning to night and come back only to sleep, this works great.

The building is right by the Palais-Royal Garden and the Louvre is 400 meters away, at a price that looks like someone forgot to update it. Two stars, an old cage elevator and furniture that has seen some years, but the rooms are much bigger than usual for Paris, and there are triples and quadruples for families. Air conditioning in every room, and Palais Royal-Musée du Louvre station is 200 meters away. The staff is courteous and speaks several languages. Note that in some of the cheaper rooms the shower is shared on the floor, so I recommend confirming this with the hotel when you book so you won’t be surprised.