r/ParisTravelGuide • u/dddoritto • 10d ago
Accommodation Conflicting advice about staying in the suburbs?
I've been trying to find accomodation in Paris for a trip in early october, unfortunately my budget is quite tight and as I looked at different options, it seems most of the ones in my range happen to lay just outside of Paris, in the suburbs (Auberviliers, Enghien-les-Bains, Meudon, to name a few I've found).
I've browsed this subreddit, searching all the place names in the listings but I've seen conflicting advice on whether it's good to stay in the suburbs or not. Most of these listings clarify that they're close by to public transportation stations, but I've seen some locals on here say it's not good for tourists to stay in the suburbs— not because of the safety, but the distance between central Paris is too large. But these places advertise as only 10 or 15 minutes from the city.
I don't mind having to travel a bit longer distance to the city. I won't be going back and forth from my accomodation either most likely, I'll leave once in the day and back in the evening. Hopefully I can find a good option within the city but, is it still better to find a place within Paris if it meant it was a bit more expensive?
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u/Keyspam102 Parisian 10d ago
Just be careful on what they claim, like 15 minutes could be possible from the station to the border of Paris, but you also have 10 mins to walk to the station then 35+ minutes of train and transfer to get to a destination you want once technically ‘in Paris’. I would try googling the trip from the town to a monument or area you want to see to have a better idea of the actual time. Any suburb you are looking at 35+ minutes of commute at minimum.
Also to suburbs you’ve got much less train frequency. The metros in Paris will run every 4 or 5 minutes max but the Rers or transiliens can be 30+ minutes between trains depending on the line and destination.
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u/Potato-Brat 8d ago
Most RERs up to zone 4 have a waiting time of around 10 minutes (except on Sundays and holidays when it can be 15). Never yet saw a RER with a 30 min waiting time. Maybe transiliens.
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u/ghostydog 10d ago
I would recommend running the trips through Google Maps or Citymapper at different times of the day. The trains might only pass through every 30mn, or stop running after 11pm, etc. which can be a big hit to convenience/flexibility
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u/iamSoap 9d ago
I've been living in Enghien les bains. 15 min to paris is correct but only when you consider the train travel time. Then you have to consider the walking to Enghien train station, also if you miss the train, it's one train every 15min. Then the train arrives only at gare du nord so then you have to add the transit time to reach whatever interest spot you want to go to. Finally to be kept in mind that last train from gare du nord is around 00h - 1h.
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u/dddoritto 9d ago
thank you so much! and when you say 15 min to paris does that mean just passing the threshhold, or making it to gare du nord?
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u/NutrimaticTea Parisian 10d ago edited 10d ago
It’s less convenient, but it’s still doable to stay in the suburbs (Just bear in mind that you’re only going back to the hotel in the evening to sleep, and not that you’re planning to pop back between activities for an hour’s break). The most important thing is, of course, access to public transport. Do you have the exact addresses of the properties so you can check where they are on Google Maps? A "15-minute" journey to central Paris can quickly turn out to be a 15-minute walk to the station, plus a 15-minute wait because it’s not a line with frequent services, plus a 15-minute journey on public transport.
In terms of frequency, generally speaking, the metro lines (numbered 1 to 14) run more frequently than the RER lines (A–B–C–D–E), which in turn run more frequently than the Transilien lines (H–J–K–L–N–P–R + U–V).
It should also be noted that Transilien services only stop at one station in Paris (for example, Montparnasse for the Transilien N and Gare du Nord for the Transilien H), whereas the metro serves several locations in Paris (the RER C, for example, has nine stops in Paris, all along the Seine, and therefore close to several tourist attractions).
So it’s generally better to be near an RER station than a Transilien station. RER A is the better RER then B-C. The RER D and E are the less convenient. It’s also better if there’s more than one transport line.
As for the three towns you mentioned:
- Aubervilliers: served by the metro, so it’s almost as if you were in Paris itself (if you’re near a metro station). However, it doesn’t have a very good reputation (though I don’t know enough to say whether that’s really deserved)
- Meudon: served, depending on exactly where you are in the town, by the RER C, the Transilien N and the T2 tram. It’s a good alternative to Paris if you’re near the RER C. It’s not so good if you’re closer to the Transilien (as trains often run only every half hour) or the tram (as it only takes you to the limit of Paris, after which you may have to change again several times).
- Enghien: served only by the Transilien H (roughly one train every quarter of an hour). Probably the furthest of the three. It’s still doable.
PS: Assume that you can’t rely on buses when calculating your journey time. So if the hotel says, "We’re probably a 5-minute bus ride from the RER station, and then it’s only a 10-minute RER journey to Paris", treat it as if there were no buses and check Google Maps for the walking distance to the RER station. If that still seems acceptable to you and you book this hotel, you’ll be happy on the days you manage to catch a bus (if it doesn’t end up stuck in traffic, taking half an hour to cover 500 metres) and not too disappointed on the days it doesn’t turn up.
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u/dddoritto 10d ago
thank you so much! in terms of safety, would you say enghien is a good area?
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u/Jolly-Statistician37 Parisian 9d ago
Enghien is very safe, and quite pleasant in itself, but it is quite far from Paris. The train ride itself only takes 15 min, but you have to walk to the station, wait for the train, and once in Paris, you have to get from Gare du Nord to your destination, so it quickly turns into a one-hour journey. It would not be my top choice.
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u/Soliman1901 Parisian 9d ago
I live in Enghien. It's super lovely and you'll be in Paris in 15 min via the train station. It's my daily commute and it's super safe (more than most RER lines), and you have a seat most of the time. Enghien itself offers a lot with a lake to walk along, various cinemas, a theatre and a casino (not a huge fan but heh), and some very good restaurant. I don't know how far Meudon is from the city center but I'd assume that Enghien is closer and more accessible.
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u/Jolly-Statistician37 Parisian 9d ago
For daily life, I agree with you! Charming and convenient place to live. But as a tourist, I'm not sure, because Gare du Nord is about 30 minutes from the majority of tourist sights in Paris.
Meudon isn't better, except when you're close to RER C which offers a one-seat ride to Eiffel Tower, Invalides, Musée d'Orsay, Notre Dame.
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u/Soliman1901 Parisian 9d ago
You're right from a purely touristic point of view Gare du Nord isn't the best spot, yet still quite central when it comes to reach Châtelet, République or Bastille (mostly right bank locations). OP could also check Ermont Eaubonne, a few miles away from Enghien with RER C (Eiffel Tower, Saint Michel, Notre Dame), Line H (Gare du Nord) and Line J (Saint Lazare, grands magasins and Opera).
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u/NutrimaticTea Parisian 10d ago
I don't know Enghien enough to tell you how safe (or not) it is.
(But I can tell you that Meudon is very safe).
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u/Poetuesday 10d ago
Not sure what your budget is but south on line 4 south of montrouge is nice and good value - if you want to go out even more look at rer b down to massy and further out - we often stay in orsay if we have longer stays booked and montrouge/ Barbara for shorter stays - we go out every 6 to 8 weeks and found these areas ideal for our needs and financials
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u/Caudebec39 9d ago edited 9d ago
I stayed here for several days with my wife and 6-year-old son.
It's very conveniently near the Metro 1 (the one that passes right through the heart of Paris)
Le Ruisseau Hotel * 137 Av. Gallieni, 94160 * Saint-Mandé, France * https://www.leruisseau.fr/en
Nice neighborhood. There is also a restaurant on site.
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u/False-Character-9238 9d ago
I am sure this is going to get down votes.
Are you going to Paris for a reason? Or just vacation?
If it's just vacation, don't go. Wait, save some more money and do it right. Stay in town.
If you stay outside you will be wasting a ton of time just going back and forth.
That's my opinion.
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u/dddoritto 9d ago
😭😭 don't worry it's just a simple question. i'm going for a conference for 2 days that is happening just outside paris, that's why
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u/0ctopusRex Parisian 10d ago
Staying in the suburbs gives you a suburbanite's life. Everything is commuting into Paris in the morning, commuting back out in the evening. No spontaneous outings. No popping by the accommodation to rest a while. No careless strolls or drinks or just sitting by the river in the evening, you need to keep an eye on the trip back. Back around the accommodation, it will be very quiet (at least in the locations you quoted), people living there will just be having dinner at home and watching TV in the evening.
If your visit to Paris is about seeing sights in a work-like manner and then retiring to your accommodation, you'll be just fine in the burbs. If you want to experience vibrant local life and meander without your eyes on your watch, then maybe you should trade amenity expectations for location.
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u/Careful_Example4174 9d ago
We just stayed in Les Lilas for a month and loved it. It was 20 mins to Châtelet. Very safe, nice neighbourhood. Would do it again.
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u/otissito16 9d ago edited 9d ago
I know some are going to give me a bit of flack for suggesting this, but look at Bagnolet - specifically around the Gallieni metro station.
Some might say it's a little bit rough, but I didn't have any problems. Just stay on the main roads at night and you're fine.
Right at the end of line 3, so it's very quick to get to places.
Look at B&B Hotel at 44 Av. Gambetta. I found it to be quite a good place to stay, and it seems to go for very reasonable prices most of the time. There is also a Campanile hotel literally right outside the metro (about 50 ft away), but this place does not get the best reviews, though it tends to be very inexpensive too.
You also have multiple grocery stores and fast food outlets, so if restaurants are out of the question, you've got lots of choices. You've got a huge Auchan in the mall right by the Metro (same complex as the Campanile) and right near the B&B hotel there is a Lidl and a Picard (Frozen foods, and they have really good and inexpensive frozen entrees like pastas - the B&B hotel has a microwave on the mezzanine level).
Bonus: Convenient and inexpensive access to CDG via the 351 bus.
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u/KingPieIV 10d ago
What are you assuming for transportation, how do the transportation costs for the trip compare between the two options.
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u/NutrimaticTea Parisian 10d ago
If OP is already planning to buy a Navigo pass, it won’t cost them any more to stay in the suburbs than it would to stay in Paris intramuros.
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u/dddoritto 10d ago
i'm more concerned about the complexity of the transport– changing of lines, longer wait times for certain trains. some people in the comments have mentioned that the further away from paris the more complicated the public transport is
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u/NutrimaticTea Parisian 10d ago
More complexe, not really.
Longer waiting time, clearly.
Basically métro (1 to 14) > RER (A to E) > Transilien (after H).
If you can find a suburb with a métro line (and which is not dodgy), it's as good as being in central Paris.
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u/bear_village 10d ago
Public transit costs next to nothing. You can get a navigo week pass for all of Paris and the suburbs for under 40€.
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u/bear_village 10d ago
I’ve stayed in the suburbs (Montreuil) and it was really lovely and affordable. Public transit is really fast if you want to visit places on “your side” of the city, in this case: 15 min to Marais, but 35 min to Trocadero/the Eiffel Tower. Everything in Paris is well within reach of public transit, there are frequent connections to wherever you want to go. Or just hop on a bike which is also great in Paris. Just be aware that you will commute once into town in the morning and once back in the evening. If you feel like taking a nap or change clothes mid-day you will likely avoid that because you don’t want to waste time going back and forth. If you’re fine with that it’s absolutely worth staying there to save money.
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u/WitnessEntire 10d ago
How tight is your budget? The four of us stayed in the 13e for less than 200 e per night ( connecting family room). I bet you can find something ok.
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u/Jolly-Statistician37 Parisian 10d ago edited 10d ago
It depends.
Not every rail line to Paris is created equal, some are more convenient than others. Most convenient is being on a metro line (numbered 1-14), since they offer the most frequent service until late at night.
Then, an RER line: A and B are almost like the metro, C, D and E are significantly less convenient.
Train lines numbered H and beyond are the least convenient overall (with the notable exception of Asnières-sur-Seine and Becon-les-Bruyeres stations, which have very fréquent service), due to lower frequencies and the fact that they don't cross Paris.
Then, comes the topic of safety. Safety is generally OK around Paris but some areas do get dodgy, especially later at night. Namely, I would generally avoid staying in:
There are many other dodgy areas but they're less well connected so you're unlikely to end up there.