Hotels in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris (Bordeaux area and Rue Montmartre)

153 rooms on Rue de la Paix, between Place Vendôme and the Opera. Breakfast is served in Café Jean, a glass-ceilinged hall that lets in light even in January, and the restaurant Pur' holds a Michelin star. The spa has a sauna, steam room and jacuzzi, but no pool, which is worth knowing in advance. Standard rooms are about 30 square meters, which is more than reasonable for Paris, but at this price I would expect a little more.

The 1917 building was once the luxury branch of La Samaritaine department store, and that's still evident in the lobby, where you'll find cast-iron elevators and wide staircases. 149 rooms, an indoor pool, a basement spa, and a rooftop from which you can see the Eiffel Tower light up at 10 a.m. Some rooms are small and the soundproofing from the street noise is not perfect, so ask for a room facing the inner courtyard. For shopping , you can go on foot, and Galeries Lafayette is eight minutes away.

64 rooms on Rue de Richelieu, a few minutes from the Louvre and Palais Royal . The in-room minibar is free and replenished daily, and there is a snack and drinks counter in the lobby open from 2pm to 2am (great if you're coming with kids). Breakfast includes cheeses, cold cuts and smoked salmon. However, be aware that the rooms are a bit on the small side, and a couple with two suitcases will feel it. The duplex rooms are suitable for families, but the spiral staircases may not be toddler-friendly.

On a side street off Rue Montreuil (just a minute's walk to the Le Hall area ) is a charming hotel with 49 rooms designed by Dorota Meiliszon. The dining room sits under a glass roof, and breakfast there is a good reason to get up. The Night Flight bar is open late and is also frequented by locals. Rooms range from 17 (a bit small for my taste) to 50 square meters (very spacious), so the difference between the categories is large. I recommend that anyone who is woken up by every little noise ask to stay on a high floor: in the lower rooms facing the street you can hear the metro at night.

47 rooms on a quiet street in the Rue Saint Anne area, one of the most important streets for Asian food (especially Japanese and Korean). In the basement there is an indoor pool, sauna and hammam for guests to use, which is rare in this category. The minibar is also free. The rooms are high-ceilinged and larger than usual in Paris. The musical decor is very colorful and not for everyone. I recommend asking for a room on the corner of the building, as it is a little larger than the others. The rest of the second arrondissement is within walking distance.

69 rooms on the Avenue de l'Opéra, some with a balcony overlooking the Opéra Garnier . The hotel is named after Edward VII (1901–1910), Prince of Wales who spent more time in Paris than in London, and the walls of the rooms are adorned with lines from poems that allude to his many Parisian lovers. The Couture Bar has a terrace overlooking the same view. The downside: The bathrooms are narrow in some rooms, and some have only one electrical outlet. Pack a power strip.

A family hotel run by the same family for three generations, and this is noticeable at reception. The trump card is the inner garden: when the weather permits, breakfast is served there, and most rooms face it. There is a sauna and a small gym at no extra charge, and the windows are soundproof. The rooms are mostly small and the design is functional and nothing more. The great cafes of the Opera district are a five-minute walk away.

It is located opposite the old building of the National Library on Rue Richelieu, hence the theme: photographs of writers on the walls and a Proust with a mustache in the lobby. 50 rooms ranging in size from 16 to 37 meters, with high ceilings, parquet floors and a marble fireplace. In the basement there is an 8 by 3.5 meter pool under stone vaults, with a hydro-massage bench. Between four and six, tea and cakes are served free of charge. The cheap rooms are really small and the shower in them is cramped, so in my opinion it is worth investing a little more and taking slightly larger rooms. The library museum will open to the general public in 2022, so this location is worth much more than it was worth a few years ago: the Oval Hall is open to everyone for free, and the museum displays about 900 treasures. The famous Galerie Vivienne passage is a few minutes' walk away.

Opened in 1846 as a roadside inn on Rue de la Paix, it takes its name from the Duke of Westminster, who reserved a permanent room there (his family crest is still above the door). 102 rooms, and the breakfast room, nicknamed Little Versailles, has been restored to its 1877 appearance, with mirrors and chandeliers. The Duke's Bar, English and heavy with wood, has a live pianist on some evenings. Basic rooms are 18 metres, and some interior rooms look out onto air-conditioning compressors. Ask for a room facing the street leading to Place Vendôme.

Opposite the Opéra-Comique, on a small, quiet square. The hotel is named after Charles-Simon Favart (1710–1792), who managed the Opéra-Comique, and after his wife, the actress Justine (portraits of both hang in the lobby). There are 39 rooms ranging in size from 15 to 75 meters. In the basement, under vaults, there is a heated mosaic-covered pool, a sauna and a water massage bed, and you can request the entire complex for private use. There is a bar in the lobby on a trust basis: you are served and you take notes. The cheap rooms are very small. Passage de Panorama is a five-minute walk away.

Opened in 2013 with one theme: French cinema. Each floor is dedicated to a different character: Belmondo, Lelouch, Morricone, and in the basement there is a small screening room that can be booked. There is a popcorn machine in the lobby and the reception desk is built like a movie theater. The minibar is free, and like the other hotels in the chain, they serve snacks and drinks in the lobby in the afternoon. The building sits on a busy avenue, so ask for a room on the inside. Two minutes from the Raumir-Sevastopol metro station , with lines 3 and 4. A good friend of mine and his wife lived here and really enjoyed it, so I recommend the place wholeheartedly.

Three stars, 50 rooms, some with kitchenettes and dining areas, making it a sensible solution for families who don't want to eat out three times a day. An espresso machine in every room. Opposite the hotel, at number 5, sits Harry's New York Bar, which claims paternity for the Bloody Mary. The design is simple and basic and there's nothing fancy here, but the location is great, as the Tuileries Gardens are eight minutes away, and the Opera metro station is two hundred meters away.

32 rooms on a quiet side street behind the grand boulevards ( Passage Geoffroy a few minutes away). The theme is movie stars: black and white portraits in every room, and a black and white breakfast room with an open fireplace. The buffet includes hot dishes and is open until 10:30 on weekdays, and until 11:30 on weekends. The rooms in the basic category are really small, and so are the bathrooms. If you are coming for a week I recommend that you spend a little more and book a superior room.

An 18th-century building on Rue Saint-Ciers (some of the covered passages are about a seven-minute walk away). The magnificent building was built for Étienne Rivié, advisor to Louis XV, and later served as a textile factory. 172 rooms, and the category names are very honest and playful (for example: Shoebox is a 13-square-meter room). The lobby opens onto two courtyards, where the Rivié brasserie sits, and above there is a Moroccan-inspired bar. Instead of breakfast, you hang a bag on the handle at night and in the morning you get yogurt, juice and a banana. Nice, but don't expect a grand buffet. The lobby can be noisy in the evenings, so keep that in mind.

A three-star hotel located about two hundred meters from the Opera Garnier and the metro station. 46 rooms, some of which have bathrobes and slippers, not a given in this category. Breakfast is served between seven and eleven, there is also an express version for those in a hurry, and they will even provide you with gluten-free products, if you ask in advance. The bar is open 24 hours. The elevator is small, the stairs are steep and the rooms are not large. On weekends the street is quite noisy, so it is recommended to ask for a room facing the interior.

Right behind the Palais Royal gardens , and that's the whole story: walk out the door, cross the garden, and within ten minutes you're at the Louvre. 47 rooms, and breakfast is served in a renovated hall with a glass roof and an orange tree in the middle. Seventeen euros per person, and children under 12 are free. Note that the rooms are small (most are less than 18 meters) and some face a ventilation shaft, so it's worth asking for a room with a small balcony. Galeries Lafayette and Rue Duda are five minutes away.

23 rooms on Rue Montmartre, close to Bourse station. This is one of the cheapest hotels on this page, and the logic is simple: a clean bed, working air conditioning and a 24-hour gym, without pretensions. Breakfast costs ten and a half euros per person and includes homemade jams and croissants. Clean, air-conditioned rooms.