Has anyone had luck with an Airbnb in Paris?

Plus a three bedroom apartment in Paris is often as expensive as (or more expensive than) 3 hotel rooms and you get the bonus of 3 bathrooms with a hotel. I am talking about rooms at places like Hotel Apollon Montparnasse not luxury hotels.

My husband and I generally always rent through Airbnb or VRBO. We've taken our adult son with us to Paris several times. The ability to have (in our case) two bedrooms and two baths or one full bath and a WC has been ideal. It's nice to have the living room to enjoy the evening together and a kitchen which we use just to refrigerate cold drinks as we don't use it to cook. Several times, though, we have purchased cheese, baguettes, pastries and had them during the day if we didn't feel like going out. In Lyon, we had an actual espresso maker that was lovely.

We like being in 18th/19th Century buildings with all the charm but modern conveniences. We like being able to greet the neighbors who live there and to give them the bottle of wine we didn't open, the food we didn't eat, etc. In some cases, we've even received Christmas gifts from them! I am sorry that there have been those bad actors who ruin it for others who love Airbnb and VRBO. We like the authenticity of a flat. We like the neighbors with whom we've had a nice, if not brief, relationship with.

You can find three-bedroom apartments in France although it might not be easy and there might only be one bathroom. We've always found it to be more economical, though. Sitting together in an actual living room and discussing the day is the cherry on top.

I almost forgot to mention that we always rent a flat with a washing machine. We pack light that way. It is the best!
I wish you luck and a wonderful time. What great parents you are. You'll be making memories of a lifetime.

It’s admittedly been some years (pre-pandemic) at this point, but the Airbnb’s I had in Paris are what kind of sold me on Airbnb in Europe. Very nice experiences. Either great spaces, great locations, or great hosts. Hotels in Paris are expensive, good ones more so. Still, the landscape has definitely changed and the monetary value of Airbnb vs hotels hasn’t held. That’s the number one complaint these days, that by the time you factor in the fees it can be almost equal. Money aside, I always enjoyed the way having your own flat made you feel like a real part of the neighborhood. Having “your own” corner cafe in the Marais versus a grand place on St. Germain is a different experience, and staying in a neighborhood just outside the city center is a nice trade off of atmosphere and price that hotels may not provide.

I’ll note that I was recently searching London for 3 beds/bedrooms and this seems to be a problematic number to accommodate. I found almost nothing for three people that did not have one of us sleeping on a couch. The next level up was of course terrifically expensive.

I have not used AirBnB, I use two local companies for my apartment stays. Cobblestone Paris, https://cobblestoneparis.com, who are mentioned in RS France books and Apartments du Louvre, https://www.apartmentsdulouvre.com. Both buildings by Apartments du Louvre have small elevators if need be.

I will be booking from one of them on my return in June 2025.

I have used Air BnB in Paris, Beaune, Arles, Lyon, Chamonix, Venice, and all over the place in the US. I have always had great experiences. I choose only Superhosts and people with many excellent reviews, the more reviews, the better. I read carefully for cancellations or angry back and forth between host and renter. I don’t book those places. You have to deal with some quirky things such as stripping the beds, putting trash in bins, and running the dishwasher before you leave. Sometimes you meet the host and sometimes you don’t. I recommend Air BnB and have already booked places for our trip next summer. I’ve never used VRBO. It just isn’t easy for me to use when I checked it out a few times.

We've booked AirBnB places in 2 different areas while we stay there for about 54 days. The problem I see with the site is that sometimes realtors get into the bookings. I try to get ones with private owners. I've also stayed with people and that's always worked. It's expensive to stay in Paris. Checking cancellation is huge! I almost got dinged for that by airbnb but the owner had no problem with the cancellation, so I was grateful. You get a discount if you rent for a month. I don't want us Americans or other countries screwing up cities by renting Airbnb so I try to be as respectful as possible. I looked at so many apartments for our trip on sites other than Airbnb and some had restrictions based on if you're a business person or a student. If you're looking for a 3 bedroom that could be problematic. With that said, staying outside the city might be a better option. Ethically, I think displacing residents is a problem worldwide.

I used to use Airbnb but had some bad experience so have done a mix of hotels and VRBOs for short term stays in Paris (and other parts of France).

VRBO is a good alternative to airbnb in my opinion as have better quality apartments.

VRBO website

Also depends how long you want to stay. Many good local options...

Here is a helpful guide on short term stays: https://theparisshortlist.com/short-term-apartment-rental-paris/

As someone brought up in a NYC apartment, I can't bear the thought of subjecting permanent resident neighbors to noisy, incompetent (lock, garbage, door slams, roller bags, passing in the hall, entry vestibule security ...) transients. People who have only lived in single-family homes all their lives tend to be mindlessly inconsiderate about multi-unit living. When you add that to the current trend of "it's all about me and my needs", it's awful.

Tim is correct. Airbnbs sound like a great deal and they can be; until an apartment in your building becomes an Airbnb. In most cases, the residents in your Airbnb building will not be particularly happy that you are there.

That, along with a very acute housing shortage in Paris, is why the government has taken steps to limit short term rentals and return as many apartments as possible back to long term rentals for residents.

An owner/occupant has the option to rent his home on Airbnb/VRBO/Le Bon Coin or some similar service for a maximum period of 120 days in Paris (90 days in Nice). With this limitation, I am not clear how an owner can become a ¨super host¨.

I lived my dream by renting an apartment in the Marais for three months. I used Honeymoon in Paris,even though I was by myself. Most wonderful, convenient, charming apartment, with room to invite friends to come and visit as well.

I've used airbnb all over Europe, including Paris. I prefer to have the space/washer/kitchen. My main preference is to book with someone who doesn't have multiple properties and I usually only book about 6-9 months in advance. I also only book with properties that have multiple reviews, no new ones.
Last time in Paris- 2021, I got an air bnb from a lovely elderly couple who uses their apartment for extra income.