Despite being closed for five years after a devastating fire in 2019, the scaffolding-covered Notre-Dame in Paris continued to pull the crowds to its central square and surrounding streets. Now reopen, we'll once again be able to admire the 1300s Gothic landmark's ornate façade and spire, painstakingly rebuilt by nearly a thousand artisans. In the coming months, the main square will also undergo a significant transformation, with plans to plant over 100 trees, creating a vibrant, green oasis that will redefine the area.
Situated right in the heart of the city means most star attractions are within walking distance through some of the most beautiful parts of Paris. It also means the area will once again be full of visitors. However, we've picked out 11 hotels that are quiet havens amidst the buzz of the city's most happening neighborhoods. Whether you prefer the café-lined boulevards of Saint-Germain-des-Prés or the galleries and boutiques of the Marais, here are the best hotels to stay (and eat) at near Notre-Dame, earning some of them MICHELIN Keys, our hotel equivalent of the Star for restaurants.
Hotels less than 20 minutes' walk away
1. Cheval Blanc Paris
Walking distance from Notre-Dame: 16 minutesDistinction: Three Keys
The price tag of the Cheval Blanc Paris is not for the faint of heart. But the Three-Key masterpiece is set inside the iconic Samaritaine shopping mall, and more than justifies rooms that often rise to over $2,000 per night. Start with the location, a short walk from Notre-Dame across the River Seine, and then consider the four restaurants. They include the Three-MICHELIN-Star Plénitude, Chef Arnaud Donckele’s prized digs, along with Chef Takuya Watanabe’s Hakuba, which have become some of the toughest tables to book in town but are worth planning ahead for.
Who stays here: Well-heeled travelers wanting to be in the center but with all the amenities of a very high-end resort.
Book Cheval Blanc Paris with The MICHELIN Guide →
2. Relais Christine
Walking distance from Notre-Dame: 12 minutesDistinction: One Key
Minutes from Notre-Dame, the wonderful Relais Christine is a calm spot to keep up your sleeve, one that feels more like staying at a friend’s private residence than a hotel. Notre-Dame was finished in 1345, and Relais Christine, a former 13th-century abbey set in a cobblestone courtyard, came not long after, its beamed ceilings and period architecture a nod to its world-famous neighbor. Garden suites open up to a terrace and garden, which, along with the handpicked antiques and canopy beds, adds to the French countryside feel. Relais Christine doesn’t have its own restaurant, but there are heaps of options close by like Parisian icon One-Star Tour d’Argent with a rooftop terrace for pre-dinner drinks to more traditional bistros like buzzy Allard under the Ducasse umbrella.
Who stays here: Guests who like their hotels more intimate with a countryside feel right in the thick of the Left Bank action.
Book the Relais Christine with The MICHELIN Guide →
3. Hotel Baume
Walking distance from Notre-Dame: 16 minutesThe discrete Hôtel Baume sits in the center of Saint-Germain, near the Place de l’Odéon. Designed loosely in a 1930s Art Deco style with cozy furnishings, it’s a comfortable pied à terre to come back to after a day’s sightseeing. The location is a highlight—you’re within walking distance of the Latin Quarter, Paris’ oldest neighborhood, and famous cafes like Les Deux Magots lining the Boulevard Saint-Germain—but what really stands out are the expansive private terraces overlooking the city’s classic zinc rooftops and the Italian-style Theatre de l’Odeon.
Who stays here: People who like small, cozy, under-the-radar hotels in buzzy St-Germain.
Book Hotel Baume with The MICHELIN Guide →
4. Le Grand Mazarin
Walking distance from Notre-Dame: 13 minutesDistinction: One Key
When superstar designer Martin Brudnizki, known for his cheery interiors, got his hands on Le Grand Mazarin, he transformed it into a whimsical fantasy. Inspired by Grand Siècle classicism, the hotel features embroidered canopies draped over the beds, pops of pastels and prints splashed along the walls and furniture, and a dimly lit pool carved under a domed ceiling painted with a fresco of flowers. There’s also Boubalé, the hotel restaurant, where the team plates up Eastern European-meets-Middle Eastern dishes to lively music. Steps from the River Seine in the Marais, across from well-loved local shopping haunt Le BHV department store, you’ve got some of the best shops and restaurants right outside your door.
Who stays here: Those in need of a lively bar on the fringes of the Marais.
5. SO/ Paris
Walking distance from Notre-Dame: 18 minutes
One of the handful of modern newcomers in Paris, this Right-Bank hotel is sandwiched between the Marais and Bastille and capitalizes on its former life as a high-rise, 1960s municipal building with floor-to-ceiling views over the Seine and Eiffel Tower twinkling in the distance. In fact, it probably has some of the best views of the River Seine, straddled by its many bridges. It feels very art and fashion-forward, from the French designer-crafted uniforms and hundred-plus pieces of commissioned artwork to the city’s only glass-encased rooftop club, part of the Bonnie trio, which includes a restaurant and bar spanning the top two floors of SO/ Paris.
Who stays here: The fashion week crowd, Emily in Paris fans, and those in search of dazzling views.
Hotels less than 30 minutes' walk from Notre-Dame Cathedral
6. Hotel Récamier
Walking distance from Notre-Dame: 27 minutes
If you’re looking for your own version of the movie Midnight in Paris, you couldn’t pick a better spot than Hotel Récamier. Sitting on one of Saint-Germain-des-Prés’s most scenic squares, Place St. Sulpice, the small boutique hotel melds Art Deco graphics with African-inspired touches for a look unlike anything else you’ll find in Paris. Linger over tea on the terrace in between sightseeing or make the most of the neighborhood’s café culture following the footsteps of American novelist Ernest Hemingway and French Philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre at Café de Flore and Brasserie Lipp.
Who stays here: An arty crowd that values comfort and privacy.
7. Lutetia
Walking distance from Notre-Dame: 27 minutes
Distinction: Two Keys
Paris’ grande-dame palace hotels crowd the Right Bank, but Lutetia is the sole to claim the title on the Left Bank. The Two-MICHELIN-Key hotel’s sculptured façade, marking the transition from Art Nouveau to Art Deco, is as iconic as the Bar Joséphine’s floor-to-ceiling art frescos, uncovered during the extensive renovation works the hotel underwent a few years back. Rooms, although a little more pared-back than the rest of the hotel, are comfortable and have balconies looking out onto the streets below.
The corner Brasserie Lutetia, helmed by Chef Patrick Charvet, is a favorite with the locals who come to feast on French classics like snails and sole meunière, where you’ll spot everyone from French fashion designers to musicians dining on the outdoor terrace.
Who stays here: Die-hard fans of the Left Bank and the Bon Marché department store.
8. Pavillon Faubourg Saint-Germain
Walking distance from Notre-Dame: 25 minutes
Taking over three smaller hotels in the neighborhood of Saint-Germain, the boutique Pavillon Faubourg Saint-Germain added a contemporary spin to the 19th-century buildings’ bones. Irish novelist and poet James Joyce once called the address home, and the hotel pays tribute to his book Dubliners at signature restaurant Les Parisiens, Chef Thibault Sombardier’s seasonally focused neo-brasserie, and English club-inspired bar James Joyce, where craft cocktails take on gastronomic touches with ingredients like champagne syrup and black summer truffle.
Who stays here: The literary fan who wants to follow in the footsteps of the great writers but wants comfort and a good restaurant downstairs.
Book the Pavillon Faubourg Saint-Germain with The MICHELIN Guide →
9. Le Pavillon de la Reine
Walking distance from Notre-Dame: 23 minutes
Distinction: One Key
No need to head to the Loire Valley to stay in a regal residence. The 17th-century mansion on Paris’ oldest square, Place des Vosges, is an unexpected château-like hotel hidden in the Marais. Initially intended for royalty, Le Pavillon de la Reine is as opulent as you’d expect, with plush fabric wall coverings, period furniture, and oil paintings galore. The royal treatment extends from the sumptuous, townhouse-style suites lined with Versailles parquet flooring and gold-leaf paint to gastronomic Restaurant Anne, where multi-Starred chef Mathieu Pacaud is behind the menu.
Who stays here: Fans of the Marais who want a quiet corner in what feels like a French countryside mansion.
10. Madame Rêve
Walking distance from Notre-Dame: 27 minutes
Distinction: One Key
Housed in the Haussmannian building that was once the Louvre Post Office, the hotel plays on its past life with subtle touches like mail-themed art. From Madame Rêve’s rooms and suites, you’ll have panoramic views over the entire city, but the most impressive shots are from seasonal open-air ROOF and restaurant La Plume, which frames views of Gothic spires stemming from Saint-Eustache church in its vaulted windows. From the eatery’s “sky garden,” you’ll have the chance to soak up rare, 360-degree views of the city while dining on Chef Benjamin Six’s creative cuisine that blends Japanese and French touches for unexpected spins like frog leg lollipops with shiso butter and lobster tartare with yuzu mayo and toasted brioche.
Who stays here: The fashion crowd who like to see and be seen in the ground-floor brasserie and at the rooftop cocktail bar.
Book Madame Rêve with The MICHELIN Guide →
11. Maison Proust Hotel & La Mer Spa
Walking distance from Notre-Dame: 27 minutes
Distinction: One Key
The sister spot to Pigalle’s Maison Souquet, designer Jacques Garcia brought his signature touch to this intimate spot in the heart of the Marais. Embracing the theme of Belle Epoque Parisian salons, Maison Proust is all about period paintings, antiques, and elaborate tapestries nodding to the days of the great French writer Marcel Proust. Floors are themed after his world with décor that is almost museum-like, and even the bar pays homage to him with literary-inspired cocktails crafted by legendary bartender Colin Field, previously at the Ritz’s iconic Hemingway bar.
Who stays here: Guests who want to explore the buzzy 2nd district from an intimate base with a good spa to unwind in.
Book Maison Proust Hotel & La Mer Spa with The MICHELIN Guide →
Hero image: View of the Paris skyline from the SO/ hotel. ©Joann Pai
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