Hôtel Familia
11 rue des Écoles, 5e, Paris, 75005, France
Why We Like It
A good budget option doesn't isn't expected to be perfect. This one has its flaws, but it's friendly, clean, and very well located.
Fodor's Expert Review
Despite it budget prices, this friendly family-owned budget hotel is clean and comfy with some homey touches, like wood furniture from Brittany, vintage tapestries and prints, and hand-drawn murals. The second and fifth and sixth floors have balconies (some with nice views of Notre-Dame), and a large room that's great for families.
Tip If you don't know the fifth arrondissement, it's a gem. This is Paris's Latin Quarter (named so in medieval times when all the students spoke Latin to each other) and this well-priced hotel is very well located for exploring this well-endowed neighborhood.
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Room
Air-conditioned rooms are quite petit, put pleasantly decorated in an old-fashioned style with solid wood furniture and armoires. Though very clean, some are a bit dated and show some wear. Small balconies on the fifth or sixth floors offer café tables, nice views of Notre Dame and have the virtue of augmenting the room.
You Should Know Rooms could do with a freshening up.
Bathroom
Standard bathrooms are small but very clean and equipped with walk-in showers, a few have tubs, and all the basics.
Lobby
The small lobby is not meant for lingering, but you can have a coffee from the vending machine any time of day to enjoy in the breakfast room.
Dining
A very basic breakfast of a hot beverage, croissants, and bread is served in a daylit breakfast room overlooking the street.
What's Nearby
Getting Around
Five-minutes from Jussieu metro station that serves a cross-town line and line no. 7, which takes you to the city center or Châtelet, where you can get the RER to either airport.
This is a wonderful neighborhood in Paris’s Latin Quarter, near several universities, including the Sorbonne, museums, churches, Paris’s best gardens, the Roman arena, as well as restaurants, cafés, and open-air markets. Many important sites and monuments can be reached on foot within 5-15 minutes, including the Panthéon, the historic Jardin des Plantes, the Grande Mosquée de Paris, the Arènes de Lutèce, the wonderful rue Mouffetard market street, and, of course, Notre Dame.
Restaurants
Les Papilles cave à manger (10-minutes by foot at 30 rue Gay-Lussac) is as Parisian as it gets, reserve in advance. Le Pré Verre, also a neighborhood favorite, has good wines by the glass and a prix-fixe menu. For one of Paris's truly great views and good Middle Eastern fare, we love nearby Le Zyriab restaurant, at the top of the Musée du Monde Arabe. It's also a great spot for afternoon tea and an oriental pastry out on the terrace.
Bars
You can always grab a glass of wine at one of the many nearby cafés, but for a little nightlife, Little Bastards (a few minutes by foot from the hotel) is the Latin Quarter's newest cocktail bar, specializing in gin and infused vodkas, as well as craft cocktails. It's also open from 2 p.m. to 4 a.m. on weekends--a rarity in this quiet neighborhood. The cocktail bar at Hotel Seven also serves up some impressive cocktails, with a sort of oddball glamour, at a price much less than most hotel bars.
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