78, Rue De La Verrerie, 75004 Paris

Hôtel Le Presbytère

Name: Hôtel Le Presbytère
Address: 78, Rue De La Verrerie, Paris, 75004, FR
Price range: 237 EUR
Rating: 4.6

Hotel 3-star in Paris

Presentation

Hôtel Le Presbytère occupies the former presbytery of Saint-Merry Church, right in the Marais, at the end of a pedestrian street that already cuts out the noise of the city before you even reach the door. The building dates from the 17th century and has been listed as a Historic Monument since 1974, a status that explains almost everything you will discover inside.

Pushing open the door, you do not step into a standard lobby. You first climb a stone spiral staircase before even seeing a room. Cut stone runs along the walls, the oak framework remains exposed, and certain elements of Flamboyant Gothic architecture, borrowed from the neighboring church, make their way into the rooms. Room 202, nicknamed the Dome, even preserves two original flying buttresses.

Eleven rooms in all. The number has its downside: availability fills up quickly, especially in spring, and it is best to book well in advance if you hope for a room on the upper floors. But it also has its charm. No endless corridors, no feeling of a giant hotel ship, just eleven rooms, each with its own geometry.

As you go up the floors, you notice that nothing looks the same from one door to the next. A queen-size bed here, an old bathtub there, a window framing the Saint-Jacques Tower farther on. The so-called superior rooms, more spacious than the classic ones, overlook the street and its comings and goings. The bathrooms retain Horus fixtures, and the courtesy tray includes a Nespresso machine, a detail that matters at seven in the morning when you are not yet thinking clearly.

A word about the staircase, since it comes up in almost every discussion about this hotel: because the building is listed, no elevator has ever been installed. Staff carry the luggage up on arrival, all the way to the top floor if needed, which helps a great deal. But it is best to know this before booking if stairs are a real problem: the property is not accessible to people with reduced mobility.

On the ground floor, breakfast is available as an option, served in the room between 7:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. or in the dining room for those who prefer to go downstairs. Bread, pastries, eggs made to order, a bit of charcuterie and cheese: enough to keep you going to Notre-Dame or the Louvre, both less than fifteen minutes away on foot.

The neighborhood is not visited, it is crossed. The Centre Pompidou faces the hotel. Saint-Merry Church, meanwhile, is just behind it, with one of the most prestigious organs in Paris. Place des Vosges can be reached on foot under its arcades, with a possible detour to the Victor Hugo Museum.

One tip for the evening: the Hestia restaurant is a ten-minute walk away. Few tables, so it is best to call the day before to reserve.

Summary of a few positive reviews read online

Hôtel de Ville metro station is a three-minute walk away. We walked to Notre-Dame and the Louvre, never taking the метро during our stay.
Superior room booked after reading that the standard ones were small. Good size, view of the lively street, clean and well-designed bathroom.
No elevator, spiral stone staircase, but someone from reception carried our bags up to the top floor without us asking.
Beams, exposed stone, 17th-century atmosphere right down to the corridors. You can tell this is not a hotel like the others in the neighborhood.
Decent continental breakfast, fresh bread and good coffee, served early in the morning. Nothing extraordinary but enough to start the day.
Nespresso machine in the room, handy in the morning before heading out to walk around the Marais.