Ah Paris! And to see the city laid out below you by day or by night is really one of the pleasures of it! The regular boulevards with their elegant Haussmann facades and the way its great landmarks are neatly ringed by roads, or perfectly planned for maximum impact from afar as well as close up...And there are lots of wonderful vantage points, the Eiffel Tower being an obvious one, but the Arc de Triomphe and the Saint-Jacques Tower too, and the clocktower of the Musée d’Orsay, and Sacré-Cœur and the hill of Montmatre also… The difficultly comes when you start looking for Paris hotels with a view! We did say that one of the beauties of Paris is the regularity and elegance of its boulevards, all about four storeys high, but that poses a problem when it comes to great views, because there aren’t that many hotels with enough height to offer expansive city views. We do have some wonderful low-rise gems to recommend though, and some hotels in positions so good they allow you to look out on landmarks close up!
The Best Hotel Views in Paris
- One of Paris’s wonderful low-rise options with a view is the Hotel Le Meurice, an ideally located hotel overlooking the Tuileries and beyond. This is one of Paris’ great "grande dame" hotels, and one of the chicest of them too, with beautiful Empire era decor and just the right amount of gold, glass and marble, and just the right sort of paintings. The restaurant has a Michelin star, the bar is Versailles themed and the Belle Etoile Suite has an amazing 360º view over Paris.
- The Hotel Brighton is almost right next door to Le Meurice, an extremely simple-yet-elegant four-star hotel on the Rue du Rivoli, directly opposite the Tuileries Gardens with views up to the Louvre and down to the Orangerie. The best views are still from the rooms at the top of the hotel, but it’s also nice to sit in the ground floor bars and restaurants and look across to the Tuileries. And the bill will be easier to look at than if you stayed at Le Meurice!
- The classic view of Paris must include the Eiffel Tower, and the Hôtel La Comtesse is offering just such a view. This 40 room Paris bolt-hole is in a beautiful 19th century Haussmann building close to the Champs de Mars, and it’s elegantly themed on French literary salons and the women who hosted them. The suites have the best views of the tower, some of the other rooms aren’t high enough.
- If you want to look out over Paris it stands to reason that you can’t stay too close to the centre of town, which is why we’ve included the Hotel de Banville in this category. It’s slightly off the beaten track in the 17th Arrondissement, in a stylish Art Deco building, but its charming upper rooms do offer views of the whole city. Each of the 38 rooms are individually decorated and designed, some bolder than others. But what’s really nice about staying here is the warm welcome you get in a hotel that’s been owned and run by the same family for almost one hundred years.
For a romantic view
- Le Relais du Louvre has a very close up view of one of Paris’s most elegant little churches, the Église St Germain-l'Auxerrois, with some of its 22 rooms looking out onto the stained glass windows and Gothic spires. This is a small hotel in a gorgeous old building, so all the rooms are different shapes and sizes, with different, charming original features — some have exposed beams, some beautiful ironwork, some floor-to-ceiling windows. All of them have an old-fashioned charm.
- The Hotel du Champ de Mars is another hotel with a very close-up view of a Paris landmark, this time the Eiffel Tower, which this hotel sits close to one of the legs of. Behind a refined townhouse facade, this 25 room hotel feels traditional, with a hint of colourful country charm.
- Outside Le Tsuba is an elegant Art Deco hotel in the leafy 17th Arrondissement, and inside it’s a more modern version of the same: fairly minimalist, with a warm palate with plenty of brass and geometric shapes. The best of the 82 rooms have views across the city to the Eiffel Tower, or the Arc de Triomphe, which is just a few streets away, along with the Champs-Elysées. Take breakfast on the terrace if you can.
Luxury Hotels with a view
- The Hôtel Grand Powers has been welcoming guests for a stylish, romantic, Parisian stay since the 1920s, and offers a particular kind of five star opulence that comes from a totally custom made decor. Everything in the 50 rooms and suites fits perfectly, and everything looks luxurious without being fussy, made of contrasting shades of marble, oak, aged brass, silk linen and plush velvet. Even the spa is made of marble. The best rooms, at the top of the hotel, have Eiffel Tower views.
- Just off the Champs-Elysées, the Hotel Balzac is a rather glamorous, opulently styled boutique townhouse hotel with 69 rooms. And an extremely elegant breakfast salon with wonderful velvet sofas, and a bar and lounge with fantastic views of the Eiffel Tower — which are shared by a number of the hotels rooms too. The restaurant has three Michelin stars.
- The 30 Napoleonic styled rooms of the Hotel des Grands Hommes are right on the doorstep of the Pantheon in Paris’s 5th Arrondissement, and offer a luxurious feeling stay with close up views of this wonderful monument. A townhouse hotel in the traditional style, the rooms have some great objets d’art and fancy wallpapers. The suites are large with a lounge space, so are practical for families too.
- If you prefer modern luxury consider Fauchon L'Hôtel, for behind its beautiful Haussmann facade its 54 guestrooms are contemporary in style, with custom made furniture and luxury fabrics in a palette or rich golds and dusky pinks, and a geometric design. The rooms on one side offer views of the Eiffel Tower, and its 8th Arrondissement location is within a short walk of the Louvre etc.. A customised gourmet bar in each room offers complimentary Fauchon edibles: buttery salt caramels, fruit jellies, chocolate truffles and - of course - champagne. And its Grand Cafe is worth a visit even if you’re not staying here.
For Eiffel Tower Views
- If you want to open the doors of your private hotel room terrace and look out on a view of the Eiffel Tower then the Shangri-La Paris is a good place to start imagining yourself. This luxurious, colonial-style hotel has been converted from several turn-of-the-century townhouses, and now offers 100 rooms and suites, an elegant pool, the beautiful L'Abeille restaurant with its two Michelin stars and a spa and gym. The decor ranges from rarities from the Orient to Paris plush, and some lovely in-between styles.
- Le Damantin is a luxurious hotel and spa in the 8th Arrondissement, close to the banks of the Seine. The ‘Luxury Rooms’ are the ones with Eiffel Tower views, but the whole hotel has a luxurious feel with modern, monochrome decor and plush details. This is a refined feeling spot with just 44 rooms, and probably qualifies for inclusion amongst our most romantic Paris hotels with Eiffel Tower views too.
- The Hotel La Bourdonnais is in the 7th Arrondissement, behind the gardens that surround the Eiffel Tower, so it’s a short distance from the tower, and some of the rooms on the top floors have tower views. There are 53 rooms to choose from, in a range of sizes and styles, but most have a modern feel, with leather headboards and contemporary lighting, but with some nice ornaments collected from all over the globe. The Hotel La Bourdonnais has family rooms and its Junior Suites and above sleep four people. There’s no restaurant but they do offer breakfast.
For great value
- The Pantheon might not be most famous landmarks in Paris, but it’s still one of the most elegant, and Les Dames du Pantheon looks directly out at it from its 35 small but chic rooms, and its elegant bar and restaurant. This is a great spot to stay in Paris, really centrally located, and ideal if you’re only here for a short time. It’s not cheap, but it’s affordable and very stylish for what you pay.
- Romantic and very beautifully decorated, the Hôtel Providence in the 10th Arrondissement overlooks Montmartre. Supremely elegant, the 18 rooms are decorated with a collection of vintage and designer pieces, with lots of House of Hackney fabrics and wallpapers. The suites have their own cocktail bars, as well as the best views, so these rooms probably qualify for the Most Romantic category too. But they’re here because they offer such good value.
Still not sure which to book?
