The Best 2-Star & 4-Star Hotel In Paris
Great Hotel Stays For Visiting Paris (2026)
This May (2026), my parents and I traveled to France primarily for the purpose of visiting Our Lady of Lourdes in the south of France. We had a direct flight from LAX to Paris and planned to take the high-speed train from Paris to Lourdes. Since I was traveling with my 80+-year-old parents, I had to ensure we had time to rest in Paris and adjust to the time change before continuing on to Lourdes.
Hotel du Printemps: The Case for a Good 2-Star Hotel
Up until recently (in my 30's!), I stayed in hostels when traveling in Europe but recently decided it was time to upgrade. My new thing is staying in 2-star hotels.
Two-star hotels have small rooms but that’s actually the reality in most cosmopolitan cities around the world, only because real estate is so expensive and limited (think NYC). A good two-star hotel — like any hotel — will be clean, have friendly service, and provide an overall comfortable stay. Also, in case you are wondering: it’s not a hostel-type situation where you are sharing bathrooms!
There are two Hotel du Printemps in Paris. The one we stayed at is in the 12th district of Paris, near the Nation metro stop (80, boulevard de Picpus). Hotel du Printemps Paris is not centrally located near the tourist attractions but that actually ended up being a wonderful thing because you felt you were in more of an authentic Parisian neighborhood and there is so much to do in that area!
For an extra 15 euros, we were able to check in early (mid-day) upon our arrival (so appreciated when it’s a long flight!). Our room was on the second floor, accommodated my mom, dad and me super well, and had AC (a crucial thing during a heat wave). There were also blackout curtains and…. absolute silence! I’ve never slept in such a quiet hotel room considering what that Paris is such a bustling town.
We stayed at Hotel du Printemps four nights and were very efficient at sightseeing throughout Paris. One of my top favorite things was the outdoor market near the hotel on Saturday. It was on Cr de Vincennes and stretched for blocks on end. It’s also nicely shaded and there is an amazing variety of everything: clothes, flowers, pastries, fruit, and ready-to-eat food.
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I bought some cute, fashionable clothes, gifts for family back home, and at the end, my parents and I bought rotisserie chicken from one of the stands to eat in the outdoor courtyard of the hotel. It was divine — exactly what I love to do when traveling!
Other things near Hotel du Printemps:
- A fantastic self-serve laundromat also on Cr de Vincennes
- An Aldi store not to far from there (great place to shop for cookies and chocolates— a great gift for back home. And also, anything you might have forgotten or need, like water bottles!).
- Shopping: We went to Printemps Nation (there’s a Uniqlo at the very top) and Monoprix which are big box stores but you can also get some good things there.
- Bakery, right outside on the corner with amazing pastries. But for coffee, go to The Krusaal which is right across the street.
- Numerous dining options including a Burger King nearby (yes, we had fries and an ice cream there because fast-food abroad is so much better) and my favorite restaurant in the area: Le 12 Eme Cru.
Hôtel de la Rue de Lille Paris: A Fantastic 4-Star Hotel
After visiting Lourdes, we spent two nights in Paris again before our flight back home. I am a big fan — and user — of the the Chase Sapphire card. Though pricey (fees are now about $800/year), the card offers tons of rewards which I make sure to take advantage of. The Sapphire card is great for traveling and because I had points, I was able to use them towards a nearly free stay at Hôtel de la Rue de Lille.
This hotel is in the 6th district and one block over from the Musee d’Orsay. It’s a boutique hotel with only a few rooms and we were told that travelers repeatedly come back to this hotel — I can see why because the service, rooms, and location are incredible. For this stay, we were on the second floor in a junior suite which had the main bedroom and a small seating area with a TV and pullout bed (perfect for me!). There were only two rooms on the floor and our room didn’t face the street so it was also super quiet.
The nearest laundromat was a bit far away — in the posh Saint Germain area and quite hectic inside — but there’s plenty of highlights here to note as well:
- Our favorite restaurant was Cafe de l’Empire. This area of Paris is more bougie and restaurants can be expensive. Cafe de l’Empire is both non-pretentious AND serves delicious foods. We ended up going two times for dinner and both nights I ordered the same thing: duck with an aperol spritz.
- Right across from Cafe de l’Empire is an Eric Kayser bakery. Every Eric Kayser I’ve been to serves nothing but delicious pastries. I’m so glad we went there on our last morning before heading to the airport!
- We did our souvenir shopping at the nearby Monoprix, which is a two-story grocery store. Nothing like getting a delicious box of cookies for 2 euros!
- For mass, we went to Eglise Saint Thomas d’Aquin on Saturday evening. I walked by there earlier in the day and it wasn’t open so I wasn’t sure if there’d be evening mass but alas, there was and it was beautiful. It seems the church is kept closed and only opened for mass. I also recommend Our Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal which is conveniently near La Grande Epicerie de Paris.
- Visiting the Musee d’Orsay can be very hectic but if you are traveling with someone who has difficulty walking, you can request to use the accessibility line which allows you to go right inside. The collections are incredible and includes Van Gogh’s Starry Night!
A great big thanks to these two hotels for their incredible hospitality and service. We hope to return someday and highly recommend them to our traveler friends. Merci beaucoup!
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