As more and more affordable hotels in the city transform themselves into much more expensive boutique (or worse, charmless chain) hotels, the old-fashioned, typically “Parisian” hotels of yore are becoming something of an extinct species.

Fortunately, a few classic places are still bucking the trend, offering old-world charm and trappings at relatively old-world prices.

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Paris: 8 budget hotels with old-world charm

Here are our favorite central and affordable hotels in Paris that exhibit a healthy dose of charm:

The great neighborhood views are just the tip of the charming iceberg at La Louisiane.

La Louisiane

60, rue de Seine
Neighborhood: St. Germain des Prés (6th)
Doubles from: €115

This two-star charmer is our kind of budget hotel. Packed with character (including a fabulous jazz history!), perfectly located in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, and with rates that hover around €115 year-round for a double room, La Louisiane is a true cheapo gem.

The rooms are basic, but all have private bath and most overlook the picturesque streets and rooftops. You can also add your name to the historic and artsy roster of former guests, which includes John Coltrane, Ernest Hemingway, Sartre, and Simone de Beauvoir. Read our review.

A cozy, charming lounge at Hotel Esmeralda. Photo: djddz.com

Hotel Esmeralda

4 rue Saint-Julien Le Pauvre
Neighborhood: the Latin Quarter (5th)
Doubles from: €121

One of our favorite hotels in Paris, Hotel Esmeralda oozes that old-world charm from the lobby to the guestrooms. It is situated at the banks of the Seine in a building first constructed in 1640 — talk about old-school! Wood-beamed ceilings are complemented with eccentric furnishings and antique touches to make it feel like you stepped back in time. With this being one of many old, charming Paris hotels, you should also expect smaller guestrooms and to climb lots of stairs here.

Nearby, you’ll find the iconic Shakespeare and Co. bookshop, one of the oldest outdoor markets in the city, and a convenient Metro stop. Read our review.

You will be charmed before you even reach the entrance of Hotel Chopin, hidden in a quaint shopping arcade.

Hotel Chopin

10 Boulevard Montmartre
Neighborhood: Opéra / Grands Boulevards (9th)
Doubles from: €153

Nestled inside a 19th-century shopping arcade lined with bookshops, jewelry stores, and boutiques, this two-star beauty might just have our favorite location of any hotel in Paris. A friendly and family-run place, you can feel the personal touches of the cute lobby to the grandmotherly decor in the rooms.

If you return to your room in the late evening, you might just find yourself strolling the elegant and empty halls of the arcade — an experience you won’t soon forget! Read our review.

The downstairs common areas at Bellevue et du Chariot d’Or exude an old-world elegant vibe we can’t resist.

Hotel Bellevue et du Chariot

39 Rue de Turbigo
Neighborhood: The Marais (3rd & 4th)
Doubles from: €131

Want a taste of old-world Paris elegance at an affordable rate? Welcome to this two-star old-school option that offers 59 rooms with private bathrooms along the rue de Turbigo between Republique and the Marais. Even with a renovation a few years ago that lifted it out of “student tour” quality, old fireplaces, built-in armoires, and other charmingly dated features have still been left in place.

Downstairs, the lobby, lounge, and café will quickly seduce the romantics out there, with antiques, wall candelabras, gilded mirrors, stained-glass windows and other architectural traces from the past. Read our review.

Sleep in romantic Left Bank quarters for a super cheap price at Hotel Stella.

Hotel Stella

41 Rue Mr. Le Prince
Neighborhood: St. Germain des Prés (6th)
Doubles from: €79

You can feel the shabby-chic character of this special ultra-cheapo stay from the moment you walk in. Antique touches add a touch of shabby-chic romance around every corner. The wooden beams look like they have been there forever. And it’s no wonder because the building’s history as a hotel dates back to 1748! This is easily one of the cheapest — and most interesting — accommodation options in St-Germain. Just keep in mind that this place is truly old-school: it only accepts cash payments. Read our review.

The hallways are just as enchanting as the rooms at Hotel de Nice.

Hotel de Nice

42 Bis, Rue de Rivoli
Neighborhood: The Marais (3rd & 4th)
Doubles from: €175

The Hotel de Nice, located along the rue de Rivoli at the base of the Marais, offers a fun and flamboyant take on 19th-century decor that will tickle those in search of quirky, old-world charm (especially if they have a soft spot for vintage flea market style). Modern perks include air conditioning and clean (if tight) private bathrooms bring it up to speed. While lately the rates have gone up past what we’d normally accept in cheapo range, this spot is well worth a splurge.

Thankfully, the eclectic decoration continues in the red and turquoise corridors, filled with scenes from old Paris. Read our review or check out our photo essay.

Simple, old-fashioned style combined with super cheap rates makes Tiquetonne a winner.

Hotel Tiquetonne

6 rue Tiquetonne
Neighborhood: Bourse / Montorgueil (2nd)
Doubles from: €102

Cheap, charming, and did we say cheap? The rates at the Tiquetonne are so low (we’re talking about €100 for a double with private bath, depending on the season) that you will be shocked with delight when you get the bill.

However, the best part is the old-world atmosphere that exudes from every nook and cranny. From the tiny elevator and winding staircase to the old-fashioned room key, the Tiquetonne is a true throwback, right down to the prices. The location, a quick walk north of Les Halles in the very center of Paris, is an extra bonus. Rooms on the top floors have lovely views of the hip street out front or Sacre Coeur out the back. Read our full review.

Wake up to this charming view at a charming price at Grand Hotel des Balcons.

Hotel des Balcons

3 rue Casimir Delavigne
Neighborhood: St. Germain des Prés (6th)
Doubles from: €149

Art Nouveau touches in the lobby add charm to this two-star budget sleep near the Boulevard St-Michel and Luxembourg Gardens, but the real draw is — you guessed it — the balconies. Of the 49 rooms, 30 of them have balconies that open out onto the street. Ask for one of these when you reserve, so you can linger in your room as you watch the city stroll by. Looking beautiful of course! Read our review.

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Today, deputy mayor Bruno Julliard announced that glass panels will replace the grills that are currently weighed down by hundreds of thousands of padlocks. The mayor’s office experimented with the transparent panels last April while encouraging tourists to express their love with a selfie instead of the locks.

The bridge, the first to be entirely cleaned of the locks, will be closed in early June while the love locks are removed. “At the beginning it was a fun and marginal trend but now it has become unacceptable,” he said on the bridge on June 1, 2015, citing safety and aesthetic concerns.

Julliard insisted, however that Paris will remain a romantic capital. “We want Paris to stay a city of love, but it can stay that way without love locks.”

The locks added hundreds of thousands of pounds to the bridge’s weight. Photo: Bryan Pirolli

Other cities locked up

The love locks had become a thorn in the side of Mayor Anne Hidalgo, who has been vocal about addressing the problem. As in many other cities, couples lock their padlocks to bridges and monuments, symbolizing their union. Recently, cities like Melbourne and New York have removed locks from their bridges, and now Paris will join them.

Julliard hopes that the stance will help other cities fight against destruction of cultural sites, like the Americans who recently carved their initials into Rome’s Coliseum or the student who destroyed a statue in Milan while taking a selfie. “This is not just a trend in Paris. Other cities will thank us and find ways to let people show their love and respect heritage sites,” he said.

Paris fights back

While many find the recent tradition romantic, many Parisians have spoken out against the locks, especially as the added weight began to damage the 19^th century Pont des Arts across the Seine River. At the end of May, graffiti-covered wooden panels have been placed over detaching fences along the bridge.

Graffiti panels were added to the bridge months ago but that didn’t stop the influx of more locks. Photo: Bryan Pirolli

The decision to renovate the bridge is hailed as a success, notably by those behind the “No Love Locks” campaign. Lisa Anselmo and Lisa Taylor Huff, US natives who launched the campaign, are ecstatic that City Hall is taking concrete action.

“One person’s message of love should never come at the expense of someone else’s heritage,” Anselmo said. She is hoping to help educate travelers about responsible tourism, because, as she put it, “It’s everybody’s business to care about world heritage.”

She said that love locks are a symptom of a bigger problem. “Do we really think we can just go to somebody else’s country and just vandalize a heritage site and then be up in arms when they move to protect their own landmarks?” she said.

Taking one last look at the love locks on Pont des Arts. Photo: Bryan Pirolli

Many curious tourists flocked to the bridge on Sunday to catch a final glimpse of the Pont des Arts with its locks.

Emma and Craig Morehouse came to put one of the last love locks on the bridge. “We put it on, but knew it’d be cut,” Emma said. “I can see why they are cutting them off, but I guess it won’t be here for our kids to see,” Craig said.

Sarah Dobson from New Zealand was not entirely for the lock cutting, though understands the concerns. “I like the concept but the reality is different. I’m glad I got to see it,” she said. Meanwhile her travel companion, Emma Jane, supports the decision. “They think they’re doing something meaningful and romantic but they aren’t thinking of the consequences,” she said.

Julliard explained that temporary panels designed by four international street artists will be placed on the bridge through the autumn, when the glass panels will all be installed. The Pont de l’Archevêché, behind Notre Dame, will also receive new glass panels as its locks are removed.

Pont des Arts on June 1, 2015 after all of the locks have been removed. Photo: Bryan Pirolli

As for the over 100,000 pounds of discarded metal Julliard said that some will be recycled, while artists have proposed using portions for various projects. In the meantime the cut locks will be stockpiled in a warehouse.

And as for other monuments and bridges popular among couples, the deputy mayor said he will continue working on the problem, removing locks as they are added as well as stopping vendors from selling locks in Paris’s tourist boutiques.

Anselmo is excited about City Hall’s commitment to preserving its cultural heritage sites and is hopeful. “Paris has paved the way as a leader,” she said, “a world class city putting down the law and saying no, you can’t come here and vandalize our heritage.”

The post Paris: Say au revoir to the love locks on Pont des Arts appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.