Creative Commons licensePhoto by flickr user trix0r

It is possible to stay in Paris and not pay the earth, but don't expect too much from your budget hotel. Many of them won't have power showers, sound proofing, air conditioning or double glazing. Bear this in mind if you are visiting in high summer, when Paris can be stifling and the streets noisy, with cafe tables outside and street cleaning in the early morning. Most of the following hotels are simple, friendly and family run; many are on the Rive Gauche in St-Germain and the Latin Quarter. Two further hotels that still have their devoted followers but are very tired these days are the Nesle (www.hoteldenesle.com) and the Esmeralda (no website; tel 0033 1 43 54 19 20). Another similar establishment we should mention is the Eldorado (www.eldoradohotel.fr). For these and all our recommendations, you should try to book well in advance, and ask for the better rooms if you can. The order by which the hotels are listed bears no reflection on our preference.

Written by Leonie Glass