Is the18th Arrondissement safe to stay / Considering an Airbnb on Rue Vauvenargues

Have you done a Google Map Street View tour of this street and the surrounding neighborhood? If not, you should - and you should ask for the address before you commit.

The 18th arrondissement is a working class neighborhood, and if you've been to Paris before, or if this is your first visit, you won't find anything that will be remotely familiar to you. Transportation will take just a few minutes longer, though.

I would be much more concerned about renting through AirBnB in this neighborhood, since most of these apartments are rented, not owned. If you rent from someone who is illegally subletting, you risk a last-minute cancellation or could be evicted. If the price is especially low, I would be very cautious.

We just stayed in a friend's apartment near there and found it incredibly inconvenient. Our metro stop was Guy Moquet. We know Paris very well, my husband being born and raised there, so we knew where we were staying but have decided not to do it again. We had to rely on buses more than the metro. As for the neighborhood, it's safe. It has more of a mixture of French and North African cafes, shops, etc. than some other neighborhoods closer in.

It doesn't make an appreciable difference in terms of location to CDG. As has been suggested the area is not what you'll see on Paris postcards, though if you don't mind the extra transport time to popular sights and it's a good price, it could be fine. Most would choose a Central Paris location, i.e. more central that this-and it's not so much north or south of the river, but closer to it, though having said that, safety should not be an issue here, and prices are probably lower.

One thing that's critical to success in renting is selecting a unit with many positive, credible reviews. A rental with just a few good reviews is not worth the chance, imho. If a past renter mentions in their review a negative experience with, or reaction from, neighbors of the unit, this is an indicator that there is friction between them and the owner-not a good spot for you to be in. Many positive and credible reviews is what you are looking for. It is certainly possible an apartment could be pulled from the market, causing the renter a headache, it has happened and will continue to happen-so choose carefully. I have not personally heard of any visitor to the city being physically removed/evicted from an apartment-if the apartment is not a legal rental that is on the owner or the primary renter and not you. Some vacationers/renters have taken the step of making a cancel-able hotel reservation to cover them in the event their rental falls through-a bit extreme and not nice to the hotel imho, but people have done it. Prices will and should be lower in this area than closer-in.

You're served by 2 Metro lines out that way and you've got some buses, but they just take a lot longer. I don't really feel that's an easier neighborhood to get to/from CDG. Taxis charge flat rates as do the Opera bus and RER line that runs to/from CDG.

I am assuming you picked staying near the border of the peripherique because Airbnb units might be a bit less expensive out that way. But time is money and spending a lot of time on a bus or riding the Metro making multiple connections to get somewhere is sometimes not the best use of your time. If you want to stay in an area that's less expensive for lodging than the usual single digit neighborhoods, but still has very good access to multiple public transit options, I'd look in the 10th. You'll have the RER stop there to get to/from CDG, 2 major train stations (Nord & Est) if you plan any trips outside of Paris, and plenty of Metro and bus lines running through that part of the city.