I have read some where that you can work out how far away a hotel is located by the numbers on the post code but still don%26#39;t understand how this works!
We are looking to stay in a hostel in paris and wish to stay in the city centre (walking distance from main attractions) and not in the outskirts as i%26#39;m scared of ending up in a dodgy place!
I have being looking at the Aloha hostel. Its address is:
Aloha hostels 1, rue Borrom��e 75015 Paris
Is this central? Every website I look at say their hostel is central but how central is central !??
would appreciate any advice! first time in france too!!
thanks!
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Paris is divided into 20 so-called arrondissements, whereas arrondissement 1 (postal code 75001) is the most central. Consider 1-9 pretty much central.
The farther you get out of the center, the higher the postal codes (basically 75010 to 75020). Similar system as in London with the difference that there, you%26#39;ll have an indication of the direction (like W1, W2, etc.).
See Pairs arrondissements here:
www.welcometoparis.it/quartieri.uk.html
The 15th is the largest arrondissement (to my knowledge). If you stay right at the border to the 6th or the 7th, it can be considered central, but still, you won%26#39;t be able to walk to all sites. Not sure where exactly that particular hostel is, sorry.
But be assured, the city center is pretty walkable, wherever you decide to stay.
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The trick to getting an approximate idea where a particular address in Paris is located is understanding the way the city is divided into 20 districts or arrondissements. The post code will tell you which arrondissement a particular address is in. All Paris addresses have a post code in the form 750XX. The last two digits are the arrondissement number. Thus your hostel is in the 15th arrondissement.
The arrondissements are roughly in the form of a clockwise spiral, beginning with the 1st which is where the Louvre is located. Basically the %26quot;central%26quot; arrondissements are the the 1st through the 8th, i.e. post codes 75001 through 75008.
It would be a stretch to call your hostel %26quot;central%26quot;. If you are looking for a place that is within walking distance of *most* major attractions, you probably want to stay in the 1st through the 6th arrondissements.
Wherever you stay, though, some places will be a bit of a walk to get to. The Eiffel Tower, for example, is on the western edge of the 7th arrondissement, while the Arc de Triomphe is on the western edge of the 8th. The Sacre Coeur is on the southern edge of the 18th.
Paris is a very compact city, however, especially compared to somewhere like London, and it is also very %26quot;walkable%26quot;. And the metro is very efficient and relatively inexpensive. And all the %26quot;main attractions%26quot; are within an area that is no more than 4 miles from west to east and 3 miles from north to south.
You probably need to get a good street map of Paris, which you are going to need anyway, so you can figure out where things are, and how a particular hostel address fits in to the picture. In the meantime, this site
http://www.pagesjaunes.fr/pj.cgi?lang=en
will allow you to find the location of any address within its neighborhood. You can use it to find the location of the hostel you mention, but you will still need a general map. There is a link at the top left of this page to several online maps of Paris which you probably want to take a look at. They will do temporarily, but you will still need a street map when you get to Paris.
Hope this long ramble helps you - and others with the same kinds of questions...
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The central Paris postcodes are by arrondissement (district) 1 to 20 . The hostel is in the 15th. The districts start at the area covering the Ile de la Citie (Notre Dame, Le Conciergerie, Ste Chapelle) and the area immediately north of that from the Seine (right bank). The 2nd is a smallish area north of the 1st and they then go in a snail shell pattern to the east and then south to the 3rd and 4th (the Marais and the Ile St Louis) all on the %26quot;right bank%26quot; then south of the Seine to the left bank to the 5th and 6th (Latin Quarter and St Germaine) and the 7th (near the Eiffel Tower)
The snail then goes across to the left bank (north) again to the toney 8th then down market to the 9th and 10th and then the more trendy 11th and 12th across to the south of the Seine again to the boring to quite ok 13th (ok near the 5th) and then Montparnasse - the 14th - the large not particularly central but residential 15th - where the hostel you mention is located. From here, the toney 16th is across the Seine to the west and north in the right bank, followed by the 17th - a mix of classy around the Parc Monceau and the roughish towards the 18th, which includes mainly the rather nice (except near Place Clichy) 18th with Montmartre and then the infradig or up and coming (depending on your view) outer 19th and 20th that include Menilmontant %26amp; Belleville working class areas. Outside that is purgatory.
The hostel is just north west of Montparnasse and while not in walking distance to Notre Dame, not far by Metro and perfectly safe.
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Faux -
I enjoyed your quickie guide to the arrondissements of Paris. Hope you won%26#39;t mind if I make a small correction to your excellent description....
Most of the Ile de la Cite is in the 4th arrondissement, including Notre Dame. Only the part downstream of the Pont St. Michel and the Blvd du Palais is in the 1st arrondissement. So, basically the Palais de Justice, Conciergerie and Sainte Chapelle are in the 1st, while everything upstream of them is in the 4th.
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You can tour the area in pictures at: http://photos.mappy.com/
Click Paris and then type-in the address of the hostel. Change the address (number) and you can tour the street.
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Thanks loads for that advice! its finally clear to me now! Will hopefully try and get one a little more central but we will use the fab metro if not!
Thanks again x
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