Apartments in Paris

There are many services to use: Airbnb.com, FlipKey.com, or VRBO.com are 3 I have used extensively. I recommend an apartment found on VRBO near the Nord station and Montmartre: VRBO Property 1030363. The owner is so helpful and does have lower weekly rates. Just read the reviews; they will help you not go wrong.

Parisbestlodge is a wonderful company .. reliable and reputable. and what you see is what you get with them .. I have stayed in two of their apartments.. ,my friend has rented two.. and I have been inside another 3 ( one as we befriended the lady in apartment below us.. and the other two as Thierry let me see them when they were being cleaned in between rentals) Clean and well stocked.
He only rents for 7 days.. other companies sometimes charge a surcharge for shorter rentals and price better by week.

However.. at this short notice.. you may not get any vacancies in Parisbestlodge rentals. he is so well liked and reputable that most of his stuff is rented out year after year by word of mouth and repeat visitors.. but try anyways.. just contact him and ask if he has anything available for your dates .

Several years ago we stayed in the Rue du Chateau apartment on this website and liked it, though as a third-floor walkup it wouldn't work for us now. (Remember, Europe's "second" floor is our third.) That rental agency was easy to work with, I think they accepted our credit card and actually mailed the key to us before we left home. Not all payment arrangements are that convenient.

Generally, I'd say an apartment is a better value than a hotel for stays longer than a few days. You lose the desk clerk or concierge to help you with things, but you gain space, a kitchen, often laundry, and a sense of being in more of a "real" neighborhood. But there's lots of variation -- some high-end apartments cost a lot more than budget hotels, and vice versa.

There has been discussion on this board and others about a "crackdown" by Paris authorities on short-term rentals. I haven't seen any posts by people who lost money or apartments this way, but it might be wiser to focus on agencies like historicrentals.com, parisbestlodge, vacationsinparis, and others you'll soon hear about, where you're paying an agency rather than the individual owner (as with homeaway, vrbo, airbnb).

And I agree that it's none too soon to line up your late-summer apartment.

I just booked a 1 bedroom apt in Marais for an April trip with airbnb. get on their website and start contacting the hosts whose place you might be interested.

We rented an apartment thru Vaction in Paris for our stay in Paris. I really enjoyed our stay there.

http://www.vacationinparis.com/listing/56/eiffel-hideaway-one-bedroom

Thanks to everyone for the great suggestions! It's terrific to know someone who has actually stayed in particular apartments. I will check all your suggestions out and get something arranged asap.

I have booked through Cobblestone Paris twice and have been very satisfied (www.cobblestoneparisrentals.com). I've rented a studio "La Belle du Marais," which was very small, I think for 2 people, but was fine for one, and most recently Le Passage du Marais, which is a one-bedroom.

Personally, in Paris I think (and many will agree with me) that you would be better off renting through an agency (Cobblestone, Paris Best Lodge, Vacation in Paris, etc.) rather than a listing service (Airbnb, VRBO, Homeaway). There have been incidences where apartments booked through listing services suddenly become unavailable, leaving the renter in the lurch at the last minute. While there are no guarantees going through an agency, this would be less likely to happen.

Whatever you do, be sure to do your homework, such as read reviews and contact the agent or owner. Also, remember that in France the ground floor is not included in the floor count, so if you think an apartment listed as being on the 2nd floor without an elevator would be okay, you need to know that it is actually on the 3rd floor the way we count them in the US. That might be a climb after a day of museum going and sightseeing. Also, in late summer (August?) air conditioning would be a plus.

For Paris, I have used Vacationinparis.com twice on separate visits and have been very happy. They're US based so you can actually phone them and speak with someone and they can help you navigate your choices and even give you suggestions on what is available. This is the flat my kids and I stayed in: http://www.vacationinparis.com/listing/254/cobblestone-delight-st-germain-one-bedroom

I took my 6 year old granddaughter and daughter and stayed two blocks from The Eiffel Tower. We stayed with a company called Paris Perfect. I would highly recommend them the apartment we stayed at was called Chablis and had wonderful views of the Eiffel Tower well worth the cost. Very safe area

I have not used Paris Perfect, and I've heard it's a little pricey, but it looks like they offer great apartments. http://www.parisperfect.com/

We have stayed in the apartment that Joel mentioned through vacation in paris #56. I stayed there once with my granddaughter and then again with my husband. It is in a good location for cafes, metro, easy walk to Eiffel tower. We enjoyed fixing our coffee in the morning and going to the corner for pastries to enjoy before heading out for the day. We will definitely stay here again when we get back to Paris. Dealing with vacations in paris was easy and we really liked having the keys to apartment before we left home. Good luck and enjoy your trip.

We have stayed at this studio for the past 9 or 10 years. It has everything you need to live like a local. It is very reasonable also.

Nadine Giblin
Studio 30 sqm Paris 9e near Montmartre
E-mail : locationparis9@cogib.fr
Website : http://locationparis9.canalblog.com

Try VRBO/ 362819. It is in the Marais on Rue Francs Bourgeois. It is steps from Place des Vosges. There is a Monoprix on Rue de Rivoli and plenty of specialty cheese, chocolate, salmon and other shops. Very convenient for Métro and the 69 (or is that 96) bus to the Eiffel Tower.

Also a market near Hôtel de Ville and an excellent one Marché d'Aligre a bit of a walk away.

If you are going with airbnb, there are thousands available or course, but I've been looking for our upcoming trip at the end of Sept and when I'm going thru the calendars, a lot of folks are already booked up thru July/Aug even into Sept...so your options will dwindle the longer you wait (with airbnb, anyway). I'm hoping to book our flight by the end of the week, and will def book up Paris asap even tho it's 5 months out.

I found one last week in the St Germain area that seems perfect for us. Things are getting booked, that's for sure, so I went ahead and got it. We're super excited about it!

Who did you go through if you don't mind me asking? Im looking at going the rental route instead of a hotel for my next visit in May 2016.
Enjoy your trip.

I went through Airbnb - a friend who lives in Paris says she uses it often in France and has had wonderful apartments. Of course there is the issue of the crackdowns on rentals like these in quite a few cities, but Airbnb has ways to help the renter if there is a problem. The host doesn't get paid until 24 hours after check-in so that helps too.