Apartment Rental in Paris

We just booked ours for our mid-July stay this week. The availability was still pretty good, but our first two choices were already booked. If you have your dates set, I would recommend going ahead and trying to get them booked. That way, you have better availability choices. We used airbnb and are really excited about the deal we got. I'd also recommend vrbo or vacationsinparis.

For 5-6 weeks I would start looking right now. Once things are more booked up it might be impossible to find something with that kind of availability. Another idea could be to split your time between several apartments, in order to experience different neighborhoods. Just a thought. I use vrbo.com and homeaway.com to rent apartments both here and in Europe.

Several years ago I stayed in Paris about 3 weeks. I stayed a week in a hotel and a week each in two apartments. These were all in different areas of Paris. A week is about long enough to explore a part of town and be ready to move on (for me). I spent one of my weeks in an apartment in Montmartre; that was thru VRBO. The other apartment was one recommended in the Rick Steves PARIS book and not far from rue Cler. My hotel was Hotel du Turenne, near Napoleon's Tomb and Invalides. The website you choose will give instructions on how to reserve/book. For VRBO, each owner sets their own rules within a certain framework. So read everything and compare before committing. My chief reservation about using apartments vs hotels is that often there is a large up-front deposit for the apartment and the rest is expected in CASH upon arrival. Hotels I use don't charge until one departs the hotel. Of course they collect a credit card number when the reservation is made, but no payment is made until later.

Thanks for your responsesall good info to take into consideration.

First, thank you Mary for your helpful response to my question about hotels with elevators. We've used homeaway.com successfully in Paris and elsewhere. Airbnb and vrbo are also good. So are historicrentals.com (Paris), parisaddress.com, vacationinparis.com, and others you'll no doubt find in future replies. Some owners take credit cards, others want bank transfers (expensive). Convenience and security of payment could be a factor in your choice. I'd agree that it may be hard to find a place available for 5-6 weeks even as far out as next fall, and you might consider a couple of locations so you can experience living in more than one neighborhood. You might also be able to get a better price for a longer stay, it wouldn't hurt to ask. Some places have monthly rates. Generally, the farther you get from the Seine the farther you have to go to the major sights you'll want to see, and the less you'll pay. The excellent Metro puts everything in easy reach if you can handle steps (unlike us). Other considerations: Check for an elevator if the place is on a high floor (remembering that the first floor in Europe equals the second here). Don't assume that a "king size" bed is the same as here, it's probably smaller. (For reference, a US queen is 160 cm wide, check with the owner if it matters to you.) For many on this board, 5-6 weeks in Paris would be a dream come true. Have a wonderful time!

I recommend that you start booking as soon as possible. I would prefer to stay in one location in Paris for the whole time. This will give you a chance to become a "regular" at local businesses and is rather fun. All the usual sites can be used. You should definitely get a price break for a rental of that length - sometimes you can rent for a month for the same cost as two weeks. vrbo homeaway
homeholidays Also there are lots of rental agencies for Paris apartments. Just google "paris vacation rentals" and you find lots.

We've stayed that long in Paris many times and booked our apts a year ahead. I'd start now. Personally, I wouldn't want to change locations. Too much trouble with deposits, contracts, packing, moving, and unpacking. Plus, I like to get to know the locals in the shops in the neighborhood I stay in, the longer you're in one neighborhood the better you get to know the locals.

Wow, to get 5-6 weeks availablity in one apartment I think is going to be tough at this date, September going into October is still very busy and popular season. I think you may have to split stay , while I agree it would be nice to stay in same place for whole time, but it just may not be possible at this point. I would start contacting places you are interested in and asking about availabilty first thing.

You might want to give VIP a try (here's the URL: http://www.vacationinparis.com/index.html?gclid=CJel1-fqhLcCFcuh4AodvVcAtA). We like it very much. It specializes in Paris, and has people close at hand to help you out if things go wiggy. You will have someone personally assigned to you as you search and make your plans, which is helpful. In fact, though they seem focused on shorter stays than yours will be, they can certainly help you find one that suits you. They have been very knowledgeable about some special requests we have had. Worth a try anyway.

There are lots of apartments still available even for summer. Try myparisvisit.com, as well as homeaway.com. I just booked one from parlerparisapartments.com for September.
Happy Travels!

Well there may be lots of apartments available, but available or the whole stretch of 5-6 weeks, doubt that very much, and September is actually busier then August... so I do hope you find something, and you may have to split time between a few places.

The OP asked this question 3 months ago. My guess is she has already taken care of it.

We booked through the wesite Paris Vacation Apartments and stayed at the Place des Vosges apartment. It was gorgeous and the staff were extremely helpful. The building did have an elevator. It was a teeny but still counts!

We have used this studio for the past 5 years. Has great rates. Email her to see if it is available. Nadine Giblin Studio 30 sqm Paris 9e near Montmartre E-mail : locationparis9@cogib.fr
Website : http://locationparis9.canalblog.com