Where to stay in Paris
Paris hotels, B&Bs, apartment rentals, and other places to spend the night
Paris has more than 78,000 hotel rooms, so you're sure to find something.
Finding a quality room in a desirable location and in your price bracket—now that's the tricky part.
This city is full of overblown, over-priced hotels and flea-bag dives even the scruffiest backpackers would turn up a nose at.
Stick with me, though, and I'll help you find something that meets your needs, including some great budget hideaways.
Good luck, and don't worry. I've had some of my best stays in Paris in small, fourth-floor walk-ups with unforgettable views across the rooftops.
- St-Germain-des-Prés (5)
- Marais (5)
- Eiffel Tower (4)
- Bois de Boulogne (2)
- Hôtel de Ville (2)
- Louvre (1)
- Bastille (1)
- Elysées (1)
- Montemarte (1)
- Île-de-France (1)
A moderately-priced, utterly French hotel in the Marais district
An elegant luxury hotel like a country castle in the city in the Marais district
A residence hotel of serviced apartments between the Champs de Mars and the Luxembourg Gardens
A bed and breakfast with the promised view of the Eiffel Tower
Efficiency studios just a few hundred meters from the Eiffel Tower
A luxury hotel—perhaps the luxury hotel—in Paris near the Étoile
A campground by the Seine in the heart of Paris
A contemporary luxury hotel on the Île Saint-Louis in central Paris
A serviceable hotel with great rates and a five-star location 2 blocks from the Louvre
Chic modern serviced apartments a block behind Sacre-Coeur in Montmartre
A four-star hotel in a 500-year-old building near the gardens of Fontainebleau
A campground by the Seine in the heart of Paris
A bed and breakfast with the promised view of the Eiffel Tower
Efficiency studios just a few hundred meters from the Eiffel Tower
A moderately-priced, utterly French hotel in the Marais district
A residence hotel of serviced apartments between the Champs de Mars and the Luxembourg Gardens
Chic modern serviced apartments a block behind Sacre-Coeur in Montmartre
A four-star hotel in a 500-year-old building near the gardens of Fontainebleau
A serviceable hotel with great rates and a five-star location 2 blocks from the Louvre
An elegant luxury hotel like a country castle in the city in the Marais district
A contemporary luxury hotel on the Île Saint-Louis in central Paris
A luxury hotel—perhaps the luxury hotel—in Paris near the Étoile
Appartements (rental flats and short-term tourist lets of apartments) in Paris can offer substantial savings, especially for four or more
A résidence hôtelière (serviced flat) combines the space and freedom (and kitchenette) of an apartment with some hotel-like serviced (front desk, housekeeping, etc.)
Auberges de jeunesse (hostels) and other fun, cheap shared dorm lodgings in Paris from €19 per person
Camping and campgrounds (terrains de camping) are a cheap way to spend the night in Paris
An elegant luxury hotel like a country castle in the city in the Marais district
A contemporary luxury hotel on the Île Saint-Louis in central Paris
A luxury hotel—perhaps the luxury hotel—in Paris near the Étoile
A résidence hôtelière (serviced flat) combines the space and freedom (and kitchenette) of an apartment with some hotel-like serviced (front desk, housekeeping, etc.)
A moderately-priced, utterly French hotel in the Marais district
A residence hotel of serviced apartments between the Champs de Mars and the Luxembourg Gardens
Chic modern serviced apartments a block behind Sacre-Coeur in Montmartre
A four-star hotel in a 500-year-old building near the gardens of Fontainebleau
A campground by the Seine in the heart of Paris
A bed and breakfast with the promised view of the Eiffel Tower
Efficiency studios just a few hundred meters from the Eiffel Tower
A serviceable hotel with great rates and a five-star location 2 blocks from the Louvre
Appartements (rental flats and short-term tourist lets of apartments) in Paris can offer substantial savings, especially for four or more
Auberges de jeunesse (hostels) and other fun, cheap shared dorm lodgings in Paris from €19 per person
Camping and campgrounds (terrains de camping) are a cheap way to spend the night in Paris
A moderately-priced, utterly French hotel in the Marais district
A four-star hotel in a 500-year-old building near the gardens of Fontainebleau
An elegant luxury hotel like a country castle in the city in the Marais district
A contemporary luxury hotel on the Île Saint-Louis in central Paris
A luxury hotel—perhaps the luxury hotel—in Paris near the Étoile
A serviceable hotel with great rates and a five-star location 2 blocks from the Louvre
Appartements (rental flats and short-term tourist lets of apartments) in Paris can offer substantial savings, especially for four or more
A residence hotel of serviced apartments between the Champs de Mars and the Luxembourg Gardens
Chic modern serviced apartments a block behind Sacre-Coeur in Montmartre
Efficiency studios just a few hundred meters from the Eiffel Tower
A résidence hôtelière (serviced flat) combines the space and freedom (and kitchenette) of an apartment with some hotel-like serviced (front desk, housekeeping, etc.)
A residence hotel of serviced apartments between the Champs de Mars and the Luxembourg Gardens
Chic modern serviced apartments a block behind Sacre-Coeur in Montmartre
Efficiency studios just a few hundred meters from the Eiffel Tower
A bed and breakfast with the promised view of the Eiffel Tower
Camping and campgrounds (terrains de camping) are a cheap way to spend the night in Paris
A campground by the Seine in the heart of Paris
Auberges de jeunesse (hostels) and other fun, cheap shared dorm lodgings in Paris from €19 per person
A residence hotel of serviced apartments between the Champs de Mars and the Luxembourg Gardens
Chic modern serviced apartments a block behind Sacre-Coeur in Montmartre
A contemporary luxury hotel on the Île Saint-Louis in central Paris
A bed and breakfast with the promised view of the Eiffel Tower
Efficiency studios just a few hundred meters from the Eiffel Tower
A serviceable hotel with great rates and a five-star location 2 blocks from the Louvre
A moderately-priced, utterly French hotel in the Marais district
A four-star hotel in a 500-year-old building near the gardens of Fontainebleau
An elegant luxury hotel like a country castle in the city in the Marais district
A luxury hotel—perhaps the luxury hotel—in Paris near the Étoile
Auberges de jeunesse (hostels) and other fun, cheap shared dorm lodgings in Paris from €19 per person
Camping and campgrounds (terrains de camping) are a cheap way to spend the night in Paris
A campground by the Seine in the heart of Paris
A bed and breakfast with the promised view of the Eiffel Tower
Efficiency studios just a few hundred meters from the Eiffel Tower
An elegant luxury hotel like a country castle in the city in the Marais district
A contemporary luxury hotel on the Île Saint-Louis in central Paris
An elegant luxury hotel like a country castle in the city in the Marais district
A contemporary luxury hotel on the Île Saint-Louis in central Paris
A luxury hotel—perhaps the luxury hotel—in Paris near the Étoile
Appartements (rental flats and short-term tourist lets of apartments) in Paris can offer substantial savings, especially for four or more
Camping and campgrounds (terrains de camping) are a cheap way to spend the night in Paris
Chic modern serviced apartments a block behind Sacre-Coeur in Montmartre
A serviceable hotel with great rates and a five-star location 2 blocks from the Louvre
General Paris Lodgings tips
Go beyond hotels to B&Bs, rental apartments, farm stays—even ways to sleep for free
General France Lodgings tips
From hotel savings to better booking engines, alternative accommodations to lodging rip-offs, here is the best lodging advice around
There are dozens of hotel alternatives, from PAris apartments to country villas, farmhouse B&Bs to residences, and campgrounds to castles. Here's how to find the lot of them.
- Booking.com - We have done extensive testing, and Booking.com is hands-down the single best booking engine, with by far the largest number of hotels (and other lodging options) in all price ranges.Partner
- Agoda.com - This booking engine, once just an Asia specialist, has recently rocketed to second-best all around the world.Partner
- HotelsCombined.com - An aggregator looks at the results of all the booking engines and presents the prices it finds at each side-by-side. It's a great concept (and works well for airfares), however in our tests the actual booking engines themselves often offered better deals on more properties.Partner
- Hostelz.com - A booking engine that specailizes in hostels and cheap hotels.Partner
- Hotels.com - Since Hotels.com absorbed its Venere.com sibling, it has been performing much better in Europe than it once did.Partner
- Priceline.com - Priceline not only offers decent deals on standard hotel bookings, but also "Express Deals" in which you only get to know the hotel's star rating and neighborhood before you pay for it—but the savings can be substantial (usually 18%–20%, though occasionally much higher).Partner
- Hotwire.com - Like its competition Priceline, Hotwire offers both straightforward hotel bookings as well as "Hot Rate" deals that save you 25%–65% on hotels that you book blindly, knowing only the neighborhood and star rating before booking (and paying) for it.Partner
- Booking.com - One of the best general booking sites out there, and one of the few that includes B&Bs (filed variously under the categories of "Bed and Breakfasts," "Guesthouses," and "Inns"). By the numbers: 11,425 B&Bs in in France, including 3,971 B&Bs in Paris, 1,629 in Nice, 296 in Aix-en-Provence, 696 in Lyon.Partner
- Bedandbreakfast.com - B&B specialist listing more than 2,040 bed and breakfasts across France, with more than 100 in Paris alone, and 450 in the Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur region. User reviews help you make informed decisions.Partner
- Hotels.com - Another generalist lodging booking site with a decent representation of B&Bs: 34 in Paris, 56 in Nice.Partner
- Airbnb.com - Famous network of both official and unofficial B&Bs, homestays, room rentals, and apartment and house rentals. So many I can't even post total numbers here, but for an idea: There are more than 300 private room offerings in Central Paris for under €30 ($36) alone. The idea of someone inflating the old air mattress for you is just a metaphor. Usually, you stay in a guest bedroom, futon, or fold-out couch. Its rates are among the lowest around, averaging €46 ($55), though charging anywhere from €10 to €300 ($12 to $356) per night, with a handful charging more. Airbnb.com is less regulated than most official or online resources, and many of the places to stay are not registered with the local authorities—which helps make them cheaper, but they are not inspected, or subject to official compaints, and certainly do not pay taxes. Buyer beware.
- Hostelz.com - Aggregator bringing together from many hostel and cheap hotel booking engines. If you select "Guesthouses" as the Accommodation Type you will find plenty of B&Bs in there.Partner
- Bedandbreakfast.eu - Massive database of 64,000 places to stay around France (around 2,300 in Paris alone), but it is more of a classifieds site, with each property submitting and writing its own listing, and many are not, actually, B&Bs in the traditional sense. Still, a good resource for the room hunt.
- Homeaway.com - So many places it doesn't even bother listing rentals past the first 5,000—and that's just in Paris.Partner
- Vrbo.com - VRBO stands for "Vacation Rentals By Owner," a worldwide virtual classifieds section devoted to villas, apartments, cottages, houses, and other places to lay your head from as little as $280 per week—and that's in the Latin Qurter of Paris (one of more than 5,000 flats available in the City of Light alone). Though designed to allow villa and vacation home owners to rent to the public directly—ostensibly cutting out the extra costs involved in working through a middle-man rental agency—in my experience plenty of small-fry local rental agencies use it as well (not that there's anything wrong with renting through those folks; just wanted to let you know that not every property listed is truly direct from the owner).Partner
- Booking.com - More than 36,000 apartments across France, including more than 2,250 in Paris.Partner
- Rentalo.com - Another sizeable database for one-stop shopping, with around 1,000 properties in Paris alone. They also handle everything from standard hotels to B&Bs, agriturism, and even castles.Partner
- Hotels.com - Good generalist booking engine with plenty of "Apartments" options in the filter screens for each destination.Partner
- Cobblestoneparis.com - Around 30 lovely Parisian apartments rented by expat American couple Jennifer sent Ryan. Excellent customer service.
- Interhomeusa.com - 3,829 rentals in France, of which a handful in Paris. Partner
- Villasintl.com - Around 1,876 rental homes and flats of all sizes across France, of which 556 in Paris.
- Belvilla.com - 3,350 holiday cottages across France, the vast majority villas or houses (570 in Provence, 273 on the Riviera, 150 in Normandy), with just a handful of apartments in cities.Partner
- Airbnb.com - Tens of thousands of listings—but caveat emptor. Anyone can post a listing, so trust only the ones with lots of reviews.
- Agoda.com - Good generalist booking agency with a resepctable 114 apartments available in Paris.Partner
- Milleetunparis.com - Reps about 90 apartments in Paris starting at €32 per night with a two-night minimum.
- Booking.com - Booking.com lists more than 156 hostels across France, with nearly 125 in Paris alone, complete with verified user reviews.Partner
- Hostelz.com - An aggregator shows you the rates its can find at multiple booking engines at once, so you can find the lowest price out there on hostels and other cheap accommodations.Partner
- Hostelworld.com - Booking site with hostels, cheap hotels, apartments, and B&Bs in more than 463 hostels across France, including an impressive 177 in Paris alone. Partner
- Bookhostels.com - A classic hostel booking engine, offering deals on more than 141 hostels just in Paris.Partner
- Hihostels.com - The official hostelling site, linking to all 93 official YHA hostels and bunkhouses in France. This does mean, however, it ignores the many, many excellent private hostels.
- Fuaj.org - The official hostelling body of France. Useful for rules and links to offial HI hostels (though note that official HI hostels are usually the least interesting and most restrictive).
- Booking.com - More than 1,990 residence hotels, aparthotels, condo hotels, and townhouse suites in France.Partner
- Hotels.com - Booking engine listing about 61 apart-hotels, residences, and condo hotel accommodations in Paris alone.Partner
- Adagio-city.com - A excellent chain of residence hotels in 47 cities all across France, including 27 properties in Paris.Partner
- Sacoapartments.com - Some 46 serviced flats in 160 locations around the world, including in 46 in 11 cities and town across France.
- Citadines.com -
Major French chain of ApartHotels, with 17 properties in Paris (as well as ones in Toulouse, Marseille, Lyon, Montpellier, Strasbourg, Lille, Grenoble, Nantes, and Cannes). There are other locations thoughout Europe and Asia. One nice thing is that you can book for even just one night.
- Agoda.com - Good generalist booking agency with a resepctable 113 serviced apartments available in Paris.Partner
- Snrt.fr - The Syndicat National des Résidences de Tourisme is the French naitonal association of "tourism residences"—which means a bunch of beach and ski rental properties alongside the city apartments. The 33 in Paris barely go beyond the Citadines and Adagio properties. Search can be a bit buggy, and pricing is often wildly off (it puts the rack rate for one at €300 per night, but if you go directly to the property's site prices actually start at €56.50). Still, with 1,030 residences in 447 destinations across France (from three dozen chains), a useful place to rummage around.
- Booking.com - A whopping 83,133 cottages, villas, and rental homes across France, including 3,286 in Provence and 1,282 in Normandy.Partner
- Gites-de-france.com - Nearly 60,000 self-catering country cottages (and some farmstays) all across la belle France. This is one of the oldest, biggest, and most reputable of all the cottage rental programs in Europe.
- Vrbo.com - VRBO stands for "Vacation Rentals By Owner," a worldwide virtual classifieds section devoted to villas, apartments, cottages, houses, and other places to lay your head from as little as $280 per week—and that's in the Latin Qurter of Paris (one of more than 5,000 flats available in the City of Light alone). Though designed to allow villa and vacation home owners to rent to the public directly—ostensibly cutting out the extra costs involved in working through a middle-man rental agency—in my experience plenty of small-fry local rental agencies use it as well (not that there's anything wrong with renting through those folks; just wanted to let you know that not every property listed is truly direct from the owner).Partner
- Cottages.com - Premier organization (part of the Wyndham family) with more than 3,400 temporary homes on tap in France.
- Rentalo.com - Another sizeable database for one-stop shopping, with around 1,000 properties in Paris alone. They also handle everything from standard hotels to B&Bs, agriturism, and even castles.Partner
- Belvilla.com - 3,350 holiday cottages across France, the vast majority villas or houses (570 in Provence, 273 on the Riviera, 150 in Normandy), with just a handful of apartments in cities.Partner
- French-country-cottages.co.uk - Some 970 properties throughout France.
- Campingfrance.com - More than 9,200 campgrounds across France.
- Camping.fr - All sorts of resources—more than 7,000 campgrounds, directories, RV sales outlets, camping supply stores, etc.—all in France.
- Ffcc.fr - An association of more than 1,300 campgrounds across France. Members get 5% to 30% discounts.
- Booking.com - More than 1,250 campgrounds and "Resort village" holiday parks in France—though on this site you can book only cabins and other fixed rentals available in the campgrounds, not empty tent or RV sites.Partner
- Gites-de-france.com - Famous for cottages, this organization also lists more than 500 farms where you are welcome to pitch your tent or park your RV.
- Eurocamp.co.uk - Lists details on more than 100 lovely camping parks in France
- Camperonline.it - In Italian (though you can get an English version of the menu—though not the content), but choc-a-block with info on camping and RVing all across Europe, including hundreds of country-specific links to tons of other useful Internet resources, free sites to park your RV, and on-line camping catalogues.
- Caravanclub.co.uk - A British RV club with loads of intel on campgrounds across Europe as well.
- Campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk - A British motorhome club with links to information on camping sites across Europe
Tips
The general assumption, still holding true (but tenuously) these days, is that the Right Bank has more upscale hotels, while the bohemian Left Bank boasts more inexpensive options.
On your first visit, you'll probably want to stay pretty close to the center of town, but don't fret if the only room you can find is out in les boondocks.
The Paris Métro shortens distances dramatically; it will only take you a few minutes longer to get to the Louvre from the 16eme than from the Latin Quarter.
Besides, most repeat visitors to the city find themselves increasingly drawn away from the tourist center in favor of a more authentic Parisian neighborhood.
Of course, you can also find that authenticity as close in as the Marais or St-Germain-des-Prés, but usually at a price.
There is an entire page devoted to money-saving hotel tips, but in brief they are:
- Know where the cheap hotels are in Paris (Montmartre; near train stations; etc.) » more
- Know your travel seasons
- Shop around
- Look into lodging alternatives
- Learn to share the bathroom
- Avoid paying for breakfast
- Get a quad rather than two doubles
- Double beds sometimescost less than two singles
- Be sure you get price quotes with taxes included
- Ask for the least expensive room
- Bargain
- Offer to pay cash
You will notice that all hotels, B&Bs, and other lodgingds (as well as sights and restaurants) on this site have a ReidsFrance.com star designation from ☆☆☆ to ★★★.
This merely indicates that I feel these accommodations offer a little something that makes them special (or extra-special, or extra-extra special, etc.).
These star ratings are entirely based on personal opinion, and have nothing to do with the official French hotel ratings—which have more to do with quantifiable amenities such as minibars, and not the intangibles that make a hotel truly stand out, like a combination of great location, friendly owners, nice style, and low prices.
In general, a pricier place to stay has to impress me that it is worth the added expense.
This is why I give ★★★ to some (official) "two-star" hotels or B&Bs that happen to provide amazing value for the money—and similarly have ranked a few (official) "four-star" properties just (★★☆).
Accommodations rates vary wildly—even at the same hotel or B&B—depending on type of room, number of people in it, and the season.
That's why here at ReidsFrance.com we simply provde a general price range indicating the rough rate you should expect to pay for a standard double room in mid-season.
There are three price ranges, giving you a sense of which lodgings are budget, which are moderate, and which are splurges:
€ | under €100 |
€€ | €100–€200 |
€€€ | over €200 |
Useful French for lodging
English (anglais) | French (français) | Pro-nun-cee-YAY-shun |
Where is? | Où est? | ou EH |
...a hotel | un hôtel | ehn OH-tel |
...a B&B | une chambre d'hôte | ooun SHAHM-bruh DOH-t |
...a rental room | une chambre de location | ooun SHAHM-bruh de lo-kah-SION |
...an apartment for rent | un appartement | ehn ah-part-teh-MOHN |
...a farm stay | un agrotourisme or un gîte |
ehn ah-grow-tour-EES-muh |
...a hostel | une auberge de jeunesse | ooun oh-BEAR-dzh de szou-NESS |
How much is...? | Combien coute? | coam-bee-YEHN koot |
a single room | une chambre pour une personne or une chambre simple |
ooun SHAUM-bra pour oou-n pair-SOHN or ooun SHAUM-bra SAHM-pluh |
double room for single use [will often be offered if singles are unavailable] | une chambre double | ooun SHAUM-bra DOO-bluh |
a double room with two beds | une chambre twin or une chambre double avec un duex lits |
ooun SHAUM-bra TWEEN or ooun SHAUM-bra DOO-bluh ah-VEHK ehn grahn lee |
a double room with one big bed | une chambre double | ooun SHAUM-bra DOO-bluh |
triple room | une chambre triple | ooun SHAUM-bra TREE-pluh |
with private bathroom | avec salle de bain | ah-VEHK sal de bah |
without private bathroom | sans salle de bain | SAHN sal de bah |
for one night | pour un soir | pour ehn swa |
for two nights | pour deux soirs | pour douh swa |
for three nights | pour trois soirs | pour twa swa |
Is breakfast included? | C'est compris le petit déjeuner? | say coam-PREE luh p'TEE day-zhuh-NAY |
Is there WiFi? | Y'a t'il du WiFi? | yah-teel doo WHY-fy? |
May I see the room? | Puis-je voir la chambre? | PWEE-zhuh vwah lah SHAWM-bra |
That's too much | C'est trop | say troh |
Is there a cheaper one? | Avez-vous une chambre bon marché? | ah-veh VOO ooun SHAWM-bra bone mar-SHAY |
Basic phrases in French
English (anglais) | French (français) | pro-nun-see-YAY-shun |
thank you | merci | mair-SEE |
please | s'il vous plaît | seel-vou-PLAY |
yes | oui | wee |
no | non | no |
Do you speak English? | Parlez-vous anglais? | par-lay-VOU on-GLAY |
I don't understand | Je ne comprende pas | zhuh nuh COHM-prohnd pah |
I'm sorry | Je suis desolée | zhuh swee day-zoh-LAY |
How much does it cost? | Combien coute? | coam-bee-YEHN koot |
That's too much | C'est trop | say troh |
Good day | Bonjour | bohn-SZOURH |
Good evening | Bon soir | bohn SWAH |
Good night | Bon nuit | bohn NWEE |
Goodbye | Au revoir | oh-ruh-VWAH |
Excuse me (to get attention) | Excusez-moi | eh-skooze-ay-MWA |
Excuse me (to get past someone) | Pardon | pah-rRDOHN |
Where is? | Où est? | ou eh |
...the bathroom | la toilette | lah twah-LET |
...train station | la gare | lah gahr |
Days, months, and other calendar items in French
English (anglais) | French (français) | Pro-nun-cee-YAY-shun |
When is it open? | Quand est-il ouvert? | coan eh-TEEL oo-VAIR |
When does it close? | Quand est l'heure de fermeture? | coan eh lure duh fair-mah-TOUR |
At what time... | à quelle heure... | ah kell uhre |
Yesterday | hier | ee-AIR |
Today | aujoud'hui | ow-zhuhr-DWEE |
Tomorrow | demain | duh-MEHN |
Day after tomorrow | après demain | ah-PRAY duh-MEHN |
a day | un jour | ooun zhuhr |
Monday | Lundí | luhn-DEE |
Tuesday | Maredí | mar-DEE |
Wednesday | Mercredi | mair-cray-DEE |
Thursday | Jeudi | zhuh-DEE |
Friday | Vendredi | vawn-druh-DEE |
Saturday | Samedi | saam-DEE |
Sunday | Dimanche | DEE-maansh |
a month | un mois | ooun mwa |
January | janvier | zhan-vee-YAIR |
February | février | feh-vree-YAIR |
March | mars | mahr |
April | avril | ah-VREEL |
May | mai | may |
June | juin | zhuh-WAH |
July | juillet | zhuh-LYAY |
August | août | ah-WOOT |
September | septembre | sep-TUHM-bruh |
October | octobre | ok-TOE-bruh |
November | novembre | noh-VAUM-bruh |
December | décembre | day-SAHM-bruh |
Numbers in French
English (anglais) | French (français) | Pro-nun-cee-YAY-shun |
1 | un | ehn |
2 | deux | douh |
3 | trois | twa |
4 | quatre | KAH-truh |
5 | cinq | sank |
6 | six | sees |
7 | sept | sehp |
8 | huit | hwhee |
9 | neuf | nuhf |
10 | dix | dees |
11 | onze | ownz |
12 | douze | dooz |
13 | treize | trehz |
14 | quatorze | kah-TOHRZ |
15 | quinze | cans |
16 | seize | sez |
17 | dix-sept | dee-SEP |
18 | dix-huit | dee-SWEE |
19 | dix-neuf | dee-SNEUHF |
20 | vingt | vahn |
21* | vingt et un * | vahnt eh UHN |
22* | vingt deux * | vahn douh |
23* | vingt trois * | vahn twa |
30 | trente | truhnt |
40 | quarante | kah-RAHNT |
50 | cinquante | sahn-KAHNT |
60 | soixante | swaa-SAHNT |
70 | soixante-dix ‡ | swa-sahnt-DEES |
80 | quatre-vents ‡ | kat-tra-VAHN |
90 | quatre-vents-dix ‡ | kat-tra-vanht-DEES |
100 | cent | sant |
1,000 | mille | meel |
5,000 | cinq mille | sank meel |
10,000 | dix mille | dees meel |
* You can form any number between 20 and 99 just like the examples for 21, 22, and 23. For x2–x9, just say the tens-place number (trente for 30, quarante for 40, etc.), then the ones-place number (35 is trente cinq; 66 is soixsante six). The only excpetion is for 21, 31, 41, etc. For x1, say the tens-place number followed by "...et un" (trente et un, quarante et un, etc.).
‡ Yes, the French count very strangely once they get past 69. Rather than some version of "seventy,' they instead say "sixy-ten" (followed by "sixty-eleven," "sixty-twelve,' etc. up to "sixty-nineteen.") And then, just to keep things interesting, they chenge it up again and, for 80, say 'four twenties"—which always make me thinks of blackbirds baked in a pie for some reason. Ninety becomes "four-twenties-ten" and so on up to "four-nineties-ninteen" for 99, which is quite a mouthful: quartre-vingts-dix-neuf.