To me, the 20th arrondissement is “Paris for advanced users.” I once lived here (near the Alexandre Dumas metro station) and really enjoyed its neighborly feel and its friendly prices. It isn’t the classic arrondissement for the average tourist, and that’s exactly its charm.
The big advantage here is price: you’ll find hotels at much saner prices than in the center. The second advantage is authenticity: a fascinating mix of old villages that the city swallowed up, lively street art in Belleville and, of course, Père Lachaise Cemetery, one of the most beautiful and moving green spaces in Paris. If you want to feel like a local and keep costs down, the 20th is an excellent choice.
🏆 The Francophile’s top picks (TL;DR)
Recommended three-star hotels
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Hôtel Piapia
This hotel opened in December 2021 on Rue des Maraîchers, in the east of the arrondissement. It has thirty rooms in seven categories, from a small single to a family room for five, and the whole design is built around a space and planets theme. On weekends the PiaPia Room turns into a playroom for kids, there’s a garden and a terrace, and you can have breakfast brought to your room. Keep in mind that this is already the eastern edge of Paris and not a tourist area, but Porte de Vincennes station on Line 1 takes you to the Louvre without changing lines, and you’re very close to the Bois de Vincennes. I especially recommend this hotel for families, because a room for five at this price is hard to find in Paris.
- Family rooms for up to five people
- Garden, terrace and a playroom for kids
- Far from the city center
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Hotel Terre Neuve
Just seventeen rooms on Rue Terre Neuve, a quiet street of low houses between Place de la Nation and Père Lachaise. The building was completely renovated and opened as a hotel in June 2017. Every room has air conditioning, a minibar and a coffee tray, and the front desk is staffed around the clock. Breakfast costs 12 euros and is served from 7 to 10. The real drawback here is that there’s no elevator and you reach the rooms by the stairs, but two ground-floor rooms are available on request. If you’re hauling a heavy suitcase or find stairs hard, I recommend asking for them when you book, because by check-in they’re usually taken.
- A small, quiet hotel with a 24-hour front desk
- Air conditioning, minibar and coffee tray in every room
- No elevator in the building
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Hotel Scarlett
A building that stood abandoned for years on Rue Jouye-Rouve, at the foot of the Parc de Belleville, was rebuilt as a thirty-room hotel by architect Delphine Vendel. Original works by Dutch photographer Tonny Baars hang on the ground floor, and there’s a library, a bar and a terrace. The rooms kept their original floor-to-ceiling windows, but they’re fairly small, and the continental breakfast is nice, but don’t expect a lavish buffet. The Parc des Buttes-Chaumont starts about five minutes’ walk away, and in my opinion it makes for one of the loveliest breakfasts in Paris if you take your croissant there.
- A designer building at the foot of the Parc de Belleville
- Library, bar and terrace for guests
- The rooms are fairly small
All the hotels you liked in the 20th are booked?
It happens… but the 20th is big and has plenty more bargains. Use the map below: enter your dates and you’ll see in real time which hotels and apartments are available in the area.
Still undecided? Here are a few more ideas:
- For a wider list, show me available hotels in the 20th.
- Want to feel at home? Try a vacation apartment in the 20th.
- If you’ve decided it’s too far out for you, go back to the recommended hotels in Paris page and pick another arrondissement.
- For the full picture of where to stay in the city, read my guide on where to stay in Paris.
