With the exquisite selection of hotels in Paris, booking the right room can be just as central to your trip away as the restaurants, cafes or attractions you are visiting. It is far more than just a place to sleep – but that’s what makes picking the right one all the more difficult. Palaces, manoirs and rooftop terrasses every which way you look. New openings saturate the market, each claiming to be bigger and better than the last, meanwhile, some 40 million tourists flock to Paris each year, many of whom you’ll have to contend with when looking to book the best room in town.

As if the arrondissement wasn’t already hard enough to pick — should you stay in fashionable Saint-Germain-des-Pres, chic Le Marais or edgy, distinctly un-Parisian Belleville — there’s the Michelin ‘key’ ranking system to contend with.

Whether it's a new name on the scene or an establishment as ingrained into Paris’s fabric as a classic tweed Chanel skirt suit, we have rounded up the best Paris hotels, whether your budget affords champagne or chocolat chaud.

For the best family-friendly, boutique and affordable hotels in Paris, see our other guides.

At a glance

If you were going to make a movie about an idyllic Parisian life, it would likely be at Hôtel Dame des Arts, where sipping a cocktail at their rooftop bar while overlooking the spires of Notre-Dame, the towers of Saint-Sulpice and the zinc rooftops of the Haussmann buildings. It’s a shame that on screen you’d miss the hotel’s heady signature scent, which perfumes the whole building.

Address: 4 Rue Danton, 75006 Paris

Highlights: Views of the city

Distance from airport: 36.7km

Distance from train station: One minute walk to Saint-Michel Notre-Dame

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If Gatsby did Paris… Opened in the 1930, there’s an old-world glamour to the Hotel Lancaster, with its decadent chandeliers and grand entrance hall, where horses and carriages would have once arrived. It entertained some of the biggest stars of the silver screen, including Humphrey Bogart, Clark Gable and Elizabeth Taylor. Other than the legacy and sheer splendour of the building, the CopperBay bar alone is enough to warrant a visit, with cocktails so elaborate they’ll dominate your holiday conversation.

Address: 7 Rue de Berri, 75008 Paris

Highlights: Best for drinks

Distance from airport: 27.5km

Distance from train station: Three-minute walk to George V station

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Paris hotels aren’t usually synonymous with space; generally they make Harry Potter’s cupboard under the stairs look roomy. Hotel Rochechouart, with its high ceilings, is a welcome exception, especially for the price. The space in even the smallest rooms (16 square metres) has been so well utilised that they look airy, and the suites go up to 34 square metres. But why spend time in your room at all? The view from the rooftop over the Sacré-Cœur is too mesmerising.

Address: 55 Blvd Marguerite de Rochechouart, 75009 Paris

Highlights: Views of the city

Distance from airport: 23km

Distance from train station: Three-minute walk to Anvers station

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Ironically, for a city that attracts backpackers from far and wide, there’s a lack of decent backpacker hostels in Paris. The People hostel group fills the void, and no quartier satisfies the backpacker holy trinity of great food and drink, great street art and rock bottom prices quite like Belleville. The dormitories are well-designed, with opaque curtains, charging sockets and shelves.

Address: 59 Bd de Belleville, 75011 Paris

Highlights: Best for travellers on a budget

Distance from airport: 25km

Distance from train station: Two-minute walk to Couronnes

Read more: How to relax during Paris’s heatwave – from swimming in the Seine to visiting underground catacombs

The designer of Brach Paris must have had a sense of humour, as the chickens housed in a large coop on the rooftop enjoy one of the most enviable views in the city. Also on the rooftop, guests will find the kitchen garden open in the summer, where you can sip rosé on chic sunloungers while taking in the aromas of the plants. Some of the sixth- and seventh-floor suites have their own private hot tubs and views of the Eiffel Tower.

Address: 1-7 Rue Jean Richepin, 75116 Paris

Highlights: Views of the city, hot tubs

Distance from airport: 28.8km

Distance from train station: Six-minute walk to Rue de la Pompe station or six minute walk to La Muette

Price: From £550 a night

Read more: 10 best cheap hotels in Paris from under £100

If you came to Paris to eat (surely the main reason that anyone goes to France), stay at Maison Bréguet. Not only are the dishes delightfully fresh and colourful, but there’s an open kitchen to see your meal being prepared. There’s a large cocktail menu, and an indoor pool, spa and hammam in which to vegetate after indulging. At 53 rooms, it’s neither too big nor too small. Upgrading to a room with a freestanding bathtub is thoroughly worth it.

Address: 8 R. Bréguet, 75011 Paris

Highlights: Best for foodies

Distance from airport: 27km

Distance from train station: Two-minute walk to Bréguet-Sabin station

Read more: I discovered hidden views of the Eiffel Tower by exploring this lesser-known neighbourhood in Paris

There’s luxury, and then there’s the Hotel de Crillon, A Rosehood Hotel, a stone’s throw from the Tuileries Gardens. If you’ve ever wanted to know what it would be like to stay in an art gallery, or a royal palace, this one’s for you. The Beauty and the Beast ornate furniture could spring to life, and if it did, we bet it wouldn’t shut up about Bar Les Ambassadeurs. There’s so much gold gilding that it gives Versailles a run for its money.

Address: 10 Pl. de la Concorde, 75008 Paris

Highlights: Luxury stay

Distance from airport: 28.3km

Distance from train station: One-minute walk to Concorde station

Price: From £1,929 a night

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8. Hôtel des Grands Voyageurs

The attention is in the details at Hotel des Grands Voyageurs. Suite rooms come equipped with vinyl record players, and rather than regular room service, you can choose from a library of over 100 records delivered to your room. The polished wood interiors make everything look a little more beautiful, as though seen through a sepia filter.

Address: 34 Rue de l'Abbé Grégoire, 75006 Paris

Highlights: Best for foodies, quirky amenities

Distance from airport: 30.7km

Distance from train station: Two-minute walk to Saint-Placide station

Price: From £209 a night

Read our full hotel review of Hôtel des Grands Voyageurs

If you’re the type that looks up a restaurant menu 24 hours in advance to mull over your meal selection, this one’s for you. Castille is all about choice. There’s a pillow menu, and a whopping 15 categories of rooms, the most luxurious of which is an 80 square metre apartment complex. The Italian influence is palpable; the hotel bursts with colour. There are family-friendly rooms and up to two under 16s (sharing with an adult) stay for free.

Address: 33-37 Rue Cambon, 75001 Paris

Highlights: Best for families, best for picky travellers

Distance from airport: 25.3km

Distance from train station: Five-minute walk to Madeleine station

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From the outside, the building is unassuming. The interior is anything but. With 70s style furniture and exposed pipes on the ceiling, a stay at Hotel Pilgrim feels like stepping into a Wes Anderson film, just in flame hues rather than pastel. In the heart of the Latin Quarter, there’s a cocktail bar, rooftop with 360-degree views over Paris, a spa, a moodily-lit indoor pool and a small gym. It’s very light: the windows in the rooms are positively enormous.

Address: 11 Rue de Poissy, 75005 Paris

Highlights: Views of the city

Distance from airport: 37km

Distance from train station: Six-minute walk to Maubert-Mutualité station

Read our full hotel review of Hotel Pilgrim

An intimate little hotel with just 35 rooms in a chic building overlooking Paris’s quintessential Haussmann rooftops, La Planque has a picture-perfect dining room and terrasse, the perfect antidote to the bustle of the 10th arrondissement. Canal St Martin’s waterside watering holes are just a five-minute walk away, though. The sheer quantity of ceramics and plants jostling for space is a millennial dream. This is a hotel which shatters the stereotype of unfriendly Parisians — the welcome couldn’t be warmer.

Address: 3 Rue Arthur Groussier 75010 Paris

Highlights: Boutique option

Distance from airport: 25.6km

Distance from train station: Three-minute walk to Goncourt station

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The hotels featured in this list have been carefully selected by The Independent's expert travel writers, each with a deep knowledge of the destinations they cover. Our contributors either live in these locations or visit frequently, ensuring a personal and informed perspective. When picking which hotels to include, they consider their own experience staying in the hotels and evaluate location, facilities, service and all the other details that make for an exceptional stay for all types of traveller.

Paris uses the euro (€).

The Parisian weather is at its best in June, when temperatures reach mid-20s maximums, there are eight hours of sunshine on average and rainfall is kept to a minimum.

The peak tourist time is the summer season, so for those who would prefer Paris a little quieter or have less of a budget to work with, it may be best to avoid June, July and August.

Choosing the neighbourhood you stay in is all about what you want to get out of your visit to Paris, be it sampling Michelin cuisine, shopping until your arms ache or touring around the city’s iconic landmarks.

For those who want to inject arts and culture into their trip, staying in Le Marais gives you instant access to the Picasso Museum, the Museum of Jewish Art and History and lively jazz clubs.

For movie fans, a stay at the frequently filmed Montmartre district will show off the setting of films such as Moulin Rouge and Amelie, while haute-couture admirers will be best placed in Saint-Germain-des-Pres from some of Paris’ first-class department stores.

If it is classic Paris you want, Ile de la Cite is home to the likes of Notre Dame, the Conciergerie and picturesque flower markets.

Paris has 16 lines and more than 300 stations on its metro system, which is a fast and more economical way of getting around the city.

The RER (Regional Express Network) also has five lines and serves Paris and the surrounding region.

The tram and the bus are also great ways to navigate the city from above ground, to take in the views as you pass through the arrondissements.

Paris can be reached directly by train from London St Pancras in just 2 hours 16 minutes on the Eurostar.

You can also drive from Folkestone to Calais, then onwards to Paris using the Eurotunnel Le Shuttle.

There are also several direct flights from UK to Paris, including Belfast, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Manchester and London, to name a few.

As well as looking on price comparison sites such as Skyscanner or Google’s travel search, check out Booking.com for a range of discounted hotels and exclusive loyalty perks.

Don’t forget to see how much it costs to book directly with a hotel, too. You may find cheaper rates on its website or by giving them a call.

We’ve also rounded up the best affordable hotels in Paris, with all of our favourites offering double rooms for €150 or less.

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