Renting an apartment in Paris

We've stayed in apartments on previous visits to Paris, and we're sold on them for stays of more than a few days. There are numerous agencies offering rentals, either directly or by connecting you with individual owners. Because the city is reportedly "cracking down" on individual rentals, you might want to focus on websites like Historic Rentals, Paris Best Lodge, Vacation in Paris, and others you'll soon hear about from other posters. Sites like Homeaway, VRBO, and Airbnb connect you with individual owners so may be riskier if the "crackdown" is serious enough. But we've had good experiences with both types, in Paris and elsewhere.

Besides an equipped kitchen, an apartment is likely to have a washer-dryer, useful books and maps, and more room to spread out. It's likelier to be in a neighborhood where real people, not just tourists, can be found. But you have to rendezvous with someone to get the key, you may need help figuring out how the appliances work (which can be a fun adventure), you'll need to pay upfront, perhaps with an advance deposit, and there's no desk clerk or concierge to help with stuff.

Looking at listings, remember that the French "first" floor is our second. Look for an elevator if you're much higher up, unless you like lots of stairs. Anything that sleeps two people might be called a "king size" bed even if we'd call it a "full" or "double" (FYI our "queen size" is 160 cm wide). Give it a try!

Hi, We have rented a few apartments in Paris thru parisaddress.com
We rented an apartment 2 blocks from Notre Dame for a month. It is a wonderful location near metro, markets, bus stops and is extremely well located. We have been in Paris several times and this is our favorite part of the city. We stayed in the Latin Quarter. Parisaddress was great and we have had no complaints with working with their company. Rick Steves Paris book helped us plan our visit and it was great. We plan on returning to Paris again and again. Good luck. Our unit had a lovely bathroom, a separate commode, a real bed, 35 sq meter so not huge, but safe and a great setting. It was on 2nd floor, which is actually 3rd with no elevator. Do not hesitate to use this company or to contact me.
Kathy

We've used Vacation in Paris twice and loved it! The nice thing about them is that they send you the key before you leave home, so you just walk up to your apartment and let yourself in. In our experience, the pictures on their website (www.vacationinparis.com) are very accurate. I think you'd love staying in an apartment!

See what Vacation in Paris still has available for that time. If you want to be in the 18th perfectly paris and feels like home in paris are both agencies we have used more than once and always had superb luck with.

With stomach issues, you really do need an apartment. Even if you eat out once a day, being able to have food in the house, be able to eat lightly some nights, or even to eat breakfast and snacks makes life easier. I have stomach issues and could not travel for long stretches as we do without apartments.

Having an apartment is the way to go. I've rentedvapts all over Europe and have always had excellent experiences. We love having the option of eating
"in" when we wish to do so. we always have fruit cheese bread etc for snacks and I love having the kitchen for a quick bowl of cereal in the morning when I'm trying to get out to go sightseeing. one of the benefits of having a kitchen is that you can sneak into a little grocery store buy a few things, even a box of pasta and some fresh mushrooms and tomatoes with a little bit of cheese, and you can make yourself an easy lovely dinner which can help on your budget. It's also terrific to actually go into a grocery and feel like you are really living there rather than just staying in a hotel.

We use vrbo.com. it has a great screening mechanism so that you can sort by location and then by other options if you wish. I always have the following on my "required" list: washer/dryer wifi, and I book only places with lots off photos (no futons!) And at least 10 reviews. Read every single review, not just the ratings but the actual comments.

Sometimes another guest's 5 star rating is based on something that would not appeal to you. Example "this was such a great apartment with tons of clubs/bars just steps away. ". when I see this I think of noise and a lot of foot traffic, and as I am NOT about to go out clubbing until all hours of the morning, this sort of 5 star review would give me the hint that this might not be the right place for me. With a situation where a traveler has to be selective about food, I think an apt would be ideal. Have fun!

You might want to search (search box above) the several discussions that been had here in the last month or two re Paris apartments and the Mayor of Paris' crackdown on illegal apartments.
Know before you go.

After our first trip to Paris when we stayed in a hotel, we now stay in apartments. In October 2014 we stayed at http://www.vrbo.com/467733. It was very well equipped and comfortable. The location is close to metro stations, Gare de Lyon, the river, and is just over the border from the Marais (4th Arrondissment). It couldn't have been easier to rent and the price was very good. I highly recommend it.

We used Escalea Apartments on our last stay. Nice apartment on St Germain, professional people to deal with.

I've seen plenty of discussion about a crackdown on short-term rentals, including the suggestion that the city is dispatching extra officials to enforce supposed regulations. My own research this winter turned up several familiar agencies now offering only monthly or longer rentals. But there has been a dearth of actual testimony about scheduled rentals being cancelled at the last minute or startled visitors being evicted by bureaucratic SWAT teams. Has anyone on this forum personally encountered this well-publicized campaign?

If your looking for a reputable agency try "Paris Best Lodge". I am renting a studio in Saint Germain and could not be happier with the location and the price. We are also going in October and reserved our apartment in January, the good ones go fast.
My Husband also has special dietary needs and having protein available at all times is really important and the key to him having a good day is getting a high protein breakfast so if I can make a breakfast sandwich for him each morning, we are good to go...I can live on bread all day long!

An apartment is a great way to go. We rented a two bedroom in St. Germain from http://www.parisvacationapartments.com/
last December and had a wonderful experience. It had a washer and dryer so we were able to pack less and carry our luggage on the plane. This company was great to work with and will assign you a person that will meet you at the apartment to go over everything, give travel suggestions and give you their phone number in case of emergencies. We go to France every year and will do an apartment from now on. Have Fun!

We originally had reservations at Hotel Champ du Mars in October, but after investigating apartment rentals, we went with Parishome2000 and have rented their new family flat. Slim has been great to work with so far, so we are excited about this. We love the idea of being able to spread out, have a kitchen for my partner's eating issues, plus we love being in the Rue Cler area. The price is just slightly higher than the hotel.
Thanks to everyone for their thoughts and suggestions!

You have a selection of great replies. Yes, there is a crack-down. We are renting in the Marais using airbnb. We have used some French rental organizations. And my experience was...$1000 for the rental, $150 for the agency, $50 for insurance, and then a $40 cleaning service. The insurance threw me as it was 14 pages long and all in French legalese with no translation available on line. Airbnb has been expensive. Riskier? We have run into no problems either way.

ALWAYS rent a place where they have pictures of the tiolet/shower room(s). Their kitchens are smashingly modern and easy to cook in. The wash areas can be a bit funky.
wayne iNWI

Bryan,

We've used www.parisattitude.com in the past and will be staying with them again this July. The apartment we had in 2010 in the 8th was fantastic and we'll be staying in the 2nd this time. I cannot recommend them highly enough. They always were quick to respond and answer any questions we had. After the first time staying in apartments in Europe, we only do that now and have rented apartments in Vienna and Florence as well. This summer we'll be staying in Barcelona, London and Amsterdam in apartments we've rented through Airbnb. I prefer the payment method of Airbnb since you can pay with a credit card in full in advance and don't have to wire Euros before you leave. We'll see what the experience of staying in Airbnb apartments is, but I would highly recommend the experience in general!!

Parisbestlodge! Have used them twice and have met folks who have used them more then half a dozen times! They are reputable, the apartments are clean, well kept and stocked, most importantly the photos are exactly what you get, no funny business with wide angle lenses!
The terms are easy to deal with too, no huge payment up front etc! Nu

I am using Airbnb for a trip this summer. Should I be concerned about the Mayor's crackdown? I'm traveling by myself and this thread concerns me.

We were in Paris January 11 - 15 and stayed at the Best Western Louvre...Perfect!! with a grocery market around corner and the LOURVE as well! Stayed at the Best Western Opera January 17 - 19. Centrally located and 2 grocery markets around corner. Easy subway to Jim Morrison grave cheap taxi to Moulin Rouge!