Hôtel de la Bretonnerie
22 rue Ste-Croix-de-la-Bretonnerie, 4e, Paris, 75004, FranceWhy We Like It
Who are we to say no to an impeccably kept hotel run by a welcoming staff even if it's not up to the height of fashion like the rest of the Marais? This comfy hotel is a pleasure to come home to and so reasonably priced that you'll have something left over for a shopping spree.
Fodor's Expert Review
In a 17th-century hôtel particulier (private town house) on a picturesque side street in the Marais, this small hotel, with exposed wooden beams and a traditional decor, is just a few minutes walk from the Centre Pompidou and many of Paris's great small museums. It's also in the midst of numerous bars and cafés of the rue des archives and the Rue Vieille du Temple.
You Should Know The Rue de la Bretonnerie, though a small, charming street, is also full of lively cafés and boutiques and bustling with tourists and Parisians alike. Though the hotel has double-glazed windows, if you're very sensitive to noise, you may opt to forego the charming view in front in favor of a quieter courtyard-facing room.
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Room
Choose either chambres classiques or chambres de charme; the latter are more spacious (and slightly pricier), with more elaborate furnishings like Louis XIII–style four-poster canopy beds, colorful wallpaper, and flowing curtains. A classic French breakfast is served in the vaulted cellar.
You Should Know Taller guests may want to forgo the upper floor rooms in the old "chambres de bonnes" (maid's quarters), though they are adorable, the beamed ceilings are lower, posing a slight threat to your forehead.
Bathroom
Bathrooms have been undergoing renovations, and though still in the traditional style are spacious, modern and spotlessly clean, with marble tubs and handheld showers. Some suites have double sinks.
Lobby
Exposed wooden beams and half-timbers, plush carpet and furnishings and a friendly staff to greet you all add up to an Old World coziness that's quite pleasant in this sometimes snobbish neighborhood.
Dining
A fresh buffet-style breakfast, including a machine for freshly squeezed orange juice and plenty of French viennoiserie, is served in a pleasant vaulted-stone basement dining room.
Tip The breakfast here is a good deal. Though you may be tempted to hop into one of the alluring nearby cafés for breakfast, save that for lunch or a drink.
What's Nearby
Getting Around
At this hotel, you're ideally located to take full advantage of everything the Marais has to offer, which is a lot! This picturesque area—one of Paris's old Jewish quarters and, since the 70s, the city's major gay neighborhood—is also full of great museums, both large and small, and is one of Paris's best shopping districts. You're also within an easy walk of Notre Dame and the Ile Saint-Louis, not to mention Saint-Germain-des-Prés. A five-minute walk to the Hôtel de Ville station, serving line no. 1, Paris's fastest, most central line.
Restaurants
There are a LOT of restaurants in this teeming neighborhood, but also a lot of tourist traps and second-rate dining. While you usually can't go so wrong at a café, you may have a hard time picking out the wheat from the chaff. For budget dining, you can stay with the Breton theme and head to the beloved Breizh Café (a few minutes away by foot, across the Rue Vieille du Temple from the Musée Picasso) for a sweet or savoy crêpe and a crisp artisanal cider. Or grab a superb falafel sandwich at L'As du Fallafel (also minutes away) to savor in one of the Marais's many charming little parks. For a more upscale meal, especially in summer, we love Grand Coeur for it's soaring decor and lovely terrace, and Restaurant H, a fabulous little bistro and one of the neighborhood's best kept secrets.