Apartment in Paris

I use vrbo.com (Vacation Rental By Owner) to book apartments both in Europe and in the U.S. Don't be afraid to try to negotiate the price with the owners. August is generally a less expensive month. Paris is divided into arrondissments (areas) that are numbered. I think that the best, most central areas are the 4th, 5th, and 6th arrondissments. You will be within walking distance of most of the major sites and they are lively areas that your children will like. Have a great trip!!

I've used Paris Perfect and absolutely love their gorgeous, spacious apartments with views of the Eiffel Tower in the 7th arr.; however, their rates may not be considered "modest." www.parisperfect.com

http://www.airbnb.com/rooms/45661 You may like this place...I love Air B&B!

you can google apat in paris and there will be plenty websites. i used one of them and it works fine, so i guess any one of them will do. you shouldn't pay before you arrive (i don't remember if i gave my credit card number to the website to reserve), but i met the owner at the place and he gave me the key and i paid all at once in cash. When I leave I put the key on the table and lock the door for him so it's very easy. my place was in marias just 1 block behind the science museum (very small but worth a look if u into it, and a good place to buy museum pass since there is no line). it's a pretty good area about 2 blocks from a metro stop and grocery stores on the street. typically your room have a kitchen you can use but likely you'll eat out a lot. whatever your website of choice you should see plenty pics of the place, you can find it on the map, and possibly a contact email or phone number. when I rented the owner gave me his phone number and email addr so I was able to ask direction before I fly in.

We've used lodgis.com for several apartments for the past ten years, with and without our children in tow. The apartment photos are very explicit and the process is clear. They have both English and French websites and calculate in either dollars or euros.

VacationInParis.com is very reputable and the easiest one to deal with. It's an American co. and you can pay with a cc. Most other companies you have to wire a large sum of money to them ahead of time and bring a large amount of Euros with you for the remainder.

Forgot... There's another American co. based in Sausalito that is also excellent, but very expensive, ChezVous. com.

http://www.bed-and-breakfast-in-paris.com/Dicillin.php?ob=c0299900001std1000

I have been searching apartments for the past few days. Try TripAdvisor.com. There are lots of apartments lists with reviews. I finally settled on an apartment in the Latin Quarter with Vacation in Paris, which was very easy to work with . And they got good reviews. The apartment key will be sent to you before you leave the USA. #28 Sorbonne one bedroom. 530 sq ft. Full size bed and sofa bed. Has a balcony. Building has elevator. $170/night. For "modest" prices, you might have to get away from the big tourist areas near the Effel Tower, Arc de Triomph, Marais, etc. Just like in any real estate, you pay for the location. Less expensive for 4 people may be in the 12th, 15th, 17th. The Pere Lachaise area might be good for you. It's easy to get around Paris on the subway, so a little out of the way is really not a big concern. An apartment that you might like on vacationinparis.com is #79 Vieux. It was my second choice. $190/night for 4. Has a queen bed and a large pull sleeper. 500 sq ft, which is consider big by Paris standard. On the 2nd fl with elevator. Near Les Halles. My third choice was #232 Romantic Pere Lachaise one bedroom. $185/night for 4. 510 sq ft. King bed and fold down queen. 5th fl with elevator. Most one bedroom apartments have a sleep sofa in the living room with one bathroom for 4 people. I found one with 1 1/2 bath. It was already booked for July, 2012!

We found a good apartment in the 14th, near the gare Montparnasse and Montparnasse Cemetery. Metro makes it easy to get all over the place. We found it through Homeaway.com, which has many listings and which we've also used in other cities with good results. It was also listed on historicrentals.com. I agree with Susan about the 4th-5th-6th, but you'll pay more for the convenience and/or get a smaller place. When you look at an apartment website, make sure it tells you (or find out from the owner) what floor (etage) it's on and whether there's an elevator (ascenseur). Our Montparnasse place was a third-floor walk-up, which was OK for us but wouldn't be for everyone (your sons would have no problem, n'est-ce pas?). Remember that the first floor in France would be the second in US, etc. Owners usually provide this information on the website to avoid misunderstandings later. Also, you should know that European bed sizes tend to be smaller than ours, and descriptions aren't standardized. What we'd call a queen bed might be called a king there. Best to verify widths if this matters to you -- a US queen size is 105 cm wide. Have a good time!

Iron, I would also recommend Vacationinparis.com

Thank you all so much!- We have many leads now and a good number of choices. I'll let you know how it'll turned out.
Irina

Last summer our family of four (like you, mom, dad and two teen sons) rented Vacations in Paris #129 in the St. Germain area. It has a bedroom with a double bed, and in the living room both a fold-out double couch and a second fold-out twin. Excellent area. It may not be available at this late date but if it is and you have any questions feel free to send me a private message.

My wife & I and another couple rented an apartment in Paris for 12 nights this May. It is "out of the way" in the 15e but about 2 blocks from the metro and therefore about 10 minutes from the heart of Paris. It was 2 bedrooms, 2 full baths, a washer/dryer (came in really handy) and was in a condo complex. The best was that in the basement there was a full supermarket which was so convenient and saved money on breakfast & some dinners. The owner is an American who lives in France and he made it very easy for transactions and made certain that everything went well. It's # 78242 on VRBO.com

When we rent apts in the EU we usually use VRBO and Homelidays.com. (We use VRBO for apt rentals in the states. also) Our one bedroom Paris apt was at the top of the 15th, about 1 block from one metro, and three from another, and was only $90EU nite back in 2009, thru Homelidays. You could lean out the window! and see the Eiffel tower. We walked to the tower and to the Rue Clair for dinner and dessert. It was in a quiet neighborhood with lots of shops and restaurants nearby. (use Google Street View and go up and down the street where you might rent. If it is on a main street cross it off your list.), Make sure that your apt has a local landlord or agent, who can help you if you have any problems. By all means, know what floor it is on, and if it has an elevator.

We use Iloveparisapartments.com as we like to stay in the 6th arrondissement, and they have several in that area.