Recommended hotels in the 13th arrondissement of Paris (Chinatown, Place d'Italie, Butte Aux Cailles)

A 1903 Haussmannian building on Boulevard Saint-Marcel, with forty-two rooms redesigned in four color themes. What makes it unique: a wellness wing included in the room rate, with a sauna and an experiential shower, and you can book an hour at reception. The gym is open 24 hours a day, there is a Nespresso machine in every room and a bottle of water waiting at reception. Rue Moffatt and the Botanical Garden are about a ten-minute walk away. Note that breakfast is an additional charge and there is no parking at the hotel. I recommend asking for a room on a high floor, as some of them offer a view of the Eiffel Tower.

It's not exactly a hotel but a guesthouse: just five rooms, in a 1920s private house on Rue de la Fontaine à Mulard, in the south of the district. There's a library room with coffee and tea, a terrace, and a made-to-order breakfast of cold cuts, fresh fruit salad, juices, and French pastries for about 11 euros. Parc Monceau and the International Campus are a six-minute walk away, and the RER B Cite Université station, which goes directly to Charles de Gaulle, is about half a mile away. Note that there's no 24-hour reception and that five rooms are booked up quickly. I recommend booking months in advance.

Fifty rooms on Rue Edouard Manet, a quiet street three minutes' walk from Place d'Italie. The entrance floor has a glassed-in winter garden, a library and a lounge bar that serves wine and cheese in the evening, which is just what you want after a day of walking. The rooms are soundproofed and allergen-free, with an espresso machine and tea tray. Buffet breakfast is around 19 euros and is served until 11 at weekends. Place d'Italie is the junction of lines 5, 6 and 7. Note that the rooms are not large. I recommend asking for a room on the garden side, as this is the quietest part of the building.

The first floating hotel in Paris, anchored at the Quai d'Austerlitz: two catamaran bellies connected by a glass bridge, fifty-four rooms and four suites, including a small pool on the deck that is open only to guests. The bar and restaurant overlook the Seine through huge windows, breakfast starts at six-thirty and lasts until noon, and there is brunch on weekends. There is also an adjacent marina from which you can rent a private boat for a cruise on the river. Note that the hotel moves slightly on the water, so those who suffer from seasickness should give up, and that the quay is very lively on summer nights. I recommend asking for a room on the side facing the left bank.

Eighty-eight rooms on Boulevard Vincent Auriol, with a design that pays homage to literature, in keeping with its grand neighbor: the Bibliothèque Nationale François Mitterrand. The bar and restaurant La Page are open from 6:30 a.m. to 1 a.m., and there are three options for breakfast: buffet, in-room, or quick coffee and pastry at the bar. Children under 12 eat breakfast for free. The Quai de la Gare station on line 6 is right in front of the hotel. Please note that the rooms are 14 to 17 meters. I recommend asking for a Privilege room with a balcony.

On a shady avenue of plane trees, a hundred meters from the Place d’Italie, behind a high facade lies what looks more like a villa than a hotel. The hotel was renovated in 2022 and has 60 rooms, interior gardens and a roof terrace on the third floor on which stand classical statues. My favorite detail here: the works hanging in the rooms were made by students of the École Estienne school located in the neighborhood, and there is also a series of photographs dedicated to the Gobelin Manufactory, the hotel’s historic neighbor. Breakfast is brunch-style with organic products and sprouts grown in the garden. However, the triple rooms are cramped for three people, so families should take two rooms.

Forty-one rooms on Rue Jean Colly, in the heart of Paris' Asian quarter, within walking distance of some of the city's best Chinese and Vietnamese restaurants. There's a rooftop terrace with a view, air-conditioning and a minibar in the rooms, and there are rooms for three and four. You can ask for an electrical adapter and luggage scale at reception, and for families there's a cot, stroller, high chair and bottle warmer. The Olympiades station on line 14, which takes you directly to the Chatelet and Gare de Lyon, is a four-minute walk away. Note that there is no restaurant in the hotel. I recommend going up to the terrace at sunset, because that's the most beautiful thing there is here.

Fifty-seven rooms on Rue de l'Espérance, in the heart of Butte aux Cayes , the neighborhood that looks and feels like a small village within Paris. The rooms are modern with wooden floors, some with a fridge and balcony, and there are rooms for four and two suites. There is a garden and a private terrace, a lounge bar, and extra-long beds, which will appeal to the taller among us. Breakfast is buffet or continental in the room. Corvisart station on line 6 and Place d'Italie with three lines are a short walk away. Note that the rooms are small. I recommend asking for a room with a balcony overlooking the garden.

Seventy-two rooms on Rue Barrault, in a hotel whose design brings the neighborhood's street art inside: frescoes on each floor with Parisian monuments and figures, and a food truck at the entrance. Breakfast is included in the room price, and the lobby has a lounge area open all day with free coffee, tea, and sweets. There is a bar with a foosball table and a children's area, as well as bike rentals. The Corbusier stop on line 6 is a two-minute walk away. Note that the street goes up a hill, which is inconvenient with heavy luggage, and that the bathrooms are small. I recommend taking a taxi to the door on the day of arrival.

Fifty-seven rooms on Rue Véronèse, behind a classical façade with ornate balconies. This is a simple but well-located chain hotel: a four-minute walk from Place d'Italie with lines 5, 6 and 7, and five minutes from Geneva. Each room has air conditioning, a kettle and eco-friendly toiletries, there are connecting rooms, and children stay free. Buffet breakfast is around 15 euros, and reception is staffed 24 hours a day. On the entrance floor there is a computer station for guests to use and a seating area with a TV. Note that the rooms are around twelve metres and the furniture is quite standard. I recommend it to those who want a cheap, well-connected base and are not looking for character.

Seventy rooms, two minutes walk from Place d'Italie station, one of the most convenient metro junctions in Paris with three lines. The rooms are designed around a music theme, all air-conditioned with a kettle and a bathtub, and some are connected to families. On the entrance floor there is a bar called Le Colisée and three meeting rooms, and there is a private car park with a direct lift to the hotel, which saves a lot of headache for those arriving by car. Breakfast costs around 15 euros, the reception is manned around the clock and all floors are accessible by lift. Note that the rooms are functional and not exciting. I recommend informing in advance if you are arriving after 8 pm.

Vanessa Scoffier, a former fashion stylist, bought the building on Rue des Gobelins and renovated it herself, without an interior designer. She spent months picking out the furniture one by one at flea markets, and the 32 rooms are all completely different: floral wallpaper, cement tiles, herringbone parquet and headboards that were once wardrobe doors. She calls this style broc'n'roll. Breakfast is served under a glass roof in the style of an artist's workshop, and in the summer in the inner courtyard, and includes pastries, organic granola and cold cuts. Rue Moffatt is a five-minute walk away. There is no restaurant here, though, so lunch and dinner will have to be planned outside.

This building was a 19th-century cabaret called ‘Madame Gregoire’s Cabaret’, which was frequented by Victor Hugo, Stobrien, Lamartine and the chansonnier Berenger, who even wrote a song about the owner. On the wall of the restaurant’s lower floor hangs a huge fresco of everyone sitting around a table. The place has been run by the Basque Laborde family since 1962, and the restaurant, Auberge Etchegorry, serves Basque and southwestern cuisine under a ceiling hung with pork sausages and strings of peppers. The hotel itself is small, with just 17 rooms, all of which open onto a 250-meter private garden, and breakfast is served in the Auberge. However, the restaurant is closed on Sundays and Mondays, so if you’re arriving on a weekend, you might want to plan your dinner accordingly.

Fifty-seven rooms in a 19th-century building on Rue Philippe de Champaigne, fifty meters from the Place d'Italie metro station. The name refers to the tapestry factory in the neighborhood, and for the interior design they chose a line they call contemporary colonial: putty lamps, cabinets in the shape of a gendarme hat, and sparkling fabrics. The rooms on the seventh floor overlook the rooftops of Paris, and one of them has a view of the Eiffel Tower. The breakfast buffet is served from seven to ten thirty, with gluten-free and lactose-free options. Families here have a stroller, high chair, bottle warmer, and games. However, the standard rooms are small, so it's worth considering a higher category.