Apartments while in France

I can't help with most of these, since we normally stay in the countryside for most of our trip. But in Lyon, I'd recommend this apartment, run by Corinne Lanneluc (she and her husband live next door): http://www.urbansejour.com/appartement/lyon/lyon-3-saxe-gambetta-avenue-appartement-meuble-avec-1-chambre-location-saisonniere/1
It's small, but is in a very convenient location, right by the Saxe-Gambetta subway stop; and you can also walk into the center. She also has another apartment not far from Gare Part Dieu.

Dijon: http://www.myhomeindijon.com/

We have rented our apartment through Sabbatical, and the people who own it live the school year in Los Angeles and teach at UCLA.
So our transactions are in dollars and not through a third party. I hope we will not have a problem. This is the first time we have rented in Paris or through Sabbatical.com.
Thank you all for the suggestions on apartments.

While woeinparis is correct with regards to the rental situation in Paris, I feel it's important to note a few things so as not to cause undue stress on the part of a renter. First, the size of the Mayor's task force relative to the large volume of apartments being rented is small. There have not been very many prosecutions, and in any event, the renter would not be held liable or be put out on the street, though it could cause the unit to suddenly become unavailable just before travel. Some have made cancelable hotel reservations to deal with this possibility.

Secondly, due diligence on the part of the renter is the best way to avoid a problem rental. Renting units that have several (or many!) strong and credible positive reviews is key. Avoid any rental where a reviewer mentions neighbors giving dirty looks or being otherwise unhappy that someone else is there-this indicates a building where there is tension focused on the vacation rental.

While an apart-hotel gives some benefits, it is still essentially a hotel and has none of the uniqueness and charm of an apartment rental.

"Vacation in Paris" (vacationinparis.com) is a very reputable company with offices in New Jersey and they will mail you the keys before you leave the States. They have several properties. We stayed in a very comfy apartment in the Marais over Christmas for about $130 per night. I would think the rates for a long stay would be cheaper.

I don't have specific recommendations for the places you are planning to stay, but we've had good luck with renting through the Gites de France website - the link goes to the French site, which sometimes has more options, but there's an English site too if you prefer [just click on the flag in the upper right, and go to the UK flag]. We rented a great little house for 4 in the Loire country in the fall of 2014; we paid for the full week even though we were there for only 5 days, since that's how the rental was structured. But it was still significantly cheaper than two hotel rooms for 5 days, and lots of fun to have a home base and be able to fix our dinners and breakfasts at home.

Sounds like a great trip; happy planning!

Thanks to all for your reply's. We hope our Paris apartment works out well. We were really hoping for suggestions for other places because we think we will stick with the rental we found in Paris, it really looks better than the 50 or so we looked at on VRBO and Home away. And we are dealing with the owners who are, in fact, teachers and seem genuine.
Sabbatical homes were recommended by someone on this forum.

Jerry&Stelly,

Even though the name implies Paris rentals, Vacation In Paris http://www.vacationinparis.com has properties outside of Paris as well. They are reputable, friendly and helpful. It's probably worth your while to see what they have in the areas you've mentioned.

I am fascinated by you being experienced train & bus travelers. We are a similarly-aged couple who have always travelled by car but will be venturing into train travel this summer for the first time. I'd like to ask you some questions about your experiences and your do's and don'ts suggestions. I'll private message you with some questions if that's ok with you.

We are staying in this apartment in Antibes later this spring. The owner has been very easy to work with.

We use trains and buses exclusively now, too. Isn't it liberating?

To Bob, yes it is fine if you send a private message. And if you look at Laurel's response, we feel the same way. We have only rented a car once, when we went with another couple and it was maddening to get around with three of us in the car reading signs. We do a lot of research on bus and train connections. And it does take a lot of time, but it is well worth it to know the train schedules and the buses that you can take to get places that trains don't take you. We probably over do our planning, but it is just part of the trip.
We could have never taken the trips without good ole Rick Steve's books. He is a treasure to us.

Hi Jerry & Stelly, I mentioned the situation on Paris rentals only for others' info, I should have made that clear. Much is made of the "crackdown" on rentals there, but not much effect to most vacationers. The Sabbatical site looks great, and I'm sure it will be fine.

For an excellent B & B in Lyon, totally unique and very welcoming, check out Aux Deux Ateliers, where we stayed for three nights:

http://www.aux-deux-ateliers.com/#/welcome/3981357

In Avignon, we stayed four nights at Maison Boussingault, it was just great:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g187212-d2290093-Reviews-Maison_Boussingault-Avignon_Vaucluse_Provence.html

Have a great trip.

We have used the listed Studio for the past 13 or 14 years. Nice, safe area. Bus to Louvre 3 minutes, 8 minute walk to Metro Anvers. Bus trip to Louvre is 20 minutes. You can walk it in 30 and see Paris.
Nadine Giblin
Studio 30 sqm Paris 9e near Montmartre
E-mail : [email protected]
Website : http://locationparis9.canalblog.com

I do believe that liontrask is a troll.

Anyway - probably a good choice with Sabbatical Homes, especially if just for one month.
Generally, cities with a population of under 200.000 do not have the restrictions that Paris does.

For future reference, a new law was passed this July which will prohibit any vacation rentals in Paris from being listed on the internet until they comply with city regulations and acquire a registration number.

Beginning in mid-September 2016, the IPO addresses of vacation rentals which have not received a registration number from the city will not be accessible via the internet.

And when all is said and done all this foofing about with enforcement will not make apartments available at lower costs to locals, it will just mean that out of country owners who make it affordable to own by renting when they aren't there will sell them to Chinese or Saudi or whatever millionaires looking for places to stash their money. And they will sit empty most of the time and thus not contribute to the local butcher, baker or boutique hollowing the city even more.

Where I live in Chicago this is a real phenomenon with empty high end 'investment' apartments hollowing out the commerce and vibrancy of neighborhoods.

Thank you cexbres, it does look like pfishing, since our original post was in March.

janettravels - you don't live in Paris, and you have no frame of reference concerning what will or will not happen regarding the rental situation in Paris.
Those of us who live here are confident that most vacation rental properties will be sold to those who will actually live in them, since the new law is designed to prohibit tax evasion, and owners cannot afford to comply with city guidelines to make them legal.
A law was recently passed which outlines strict guidelines for monthly rental fees by the size of the apartment and the arrondissement where the apartment is located.
Thankfully, those who rent illegally will no longer be able to charge one month's rent for a
one-week stay.
There are a large number of vacation rentals listed for sale or for an iron-clad one-year lease on the three most popular listing websites. The rents are reasonable and legal, and they are being snapped up like "petits pains".

Hopefully this works out the way Paris city government anticipates, and actually frees up some housing for regular working people, not the other way around-we shall see. Time will tell, and it shouldn't be long now.

As for the statement "you don't live in Paris, and you have no frame of reference concerning what will or will not happen regarding the rental situation in Paris", that's just over the top. While you and your compatriots are certainly privy to some details, the rest of the world does not exist in a vacuum.

I don't think my comment was over the top at all. And if it was perceived as "elitist", just because some of us live here and others don't - perhaps that's too judgmental.

Many people insist on viewing events in Paris - or Europe, or anywhere else - through their own private filter. That's fine for them, but it has nothing to do with the situation where others live and work.

Yes, many do. And that's live and work and...vacation.

Might be too late to arrange it, but we've used homeexchange.com for two exchanges in Paris. Lovely apartments, free. It's basically a dating service for homes. It's like you're letting a friend use your place so it can't be restricted like some short term rental places might.