sleeping outside Paris to save $

careful with that idea,, since the train in and out will cost alot more then staying in town and being able to use regular metro tickets or just walking,, its a bit of a time and money waste if not very careful I don't find hotels ore expensive in Paris, I mean there are some, but I rarely pay more then 100-120 euros a night ever for clean, centrally located hotels. This summmer my room had a/c , fridge, great location, cost us 98 euros.

Totally agree. When you think of how much you might save, say as an example thirty euro a night. You need to factor in cost of transportation. Then let's say you are spending minimum half hour transportation time. Is it really worth it?? We have never spent more than 100 euro a night in Paris, yes it took a lot of time to get these prices but I would rather do that and stay inside of Paris.

Thanks for the responses. If it were just my wife and I, it may not be too expensive but I will have two teenagers with us and I would prefer to have a little space between us. A four bed room seems to be a lot more than a double but I will keep looking.

For 4 people you will need either 2 double rooms or 1 quad room. I recommend you look for an apartment IN Paris. There are many one bedroom apartments with a sofa bed or 2 bedroom apartments to choose from. You will have more space to spread out, and a kitchen you can use for breakfasts or to fix meals if you would like to save money that way. I don't know how long you will be in Paris, but not all apartments require a one week minimum stay. I use vrbo.com and homeaway.com to find apartments. You rent from the owners so there can be more flexibility.

The farther from Paris, the costlier to commute into town. Rule of thumb: Comparable room + transportation will be roughly the same wherever you stay. (And that's not counting the value of your time.)

Two years ago we spent five days in Paris with our 17yo daughter. We had a 1 bedroom apartment in the 10th overlooking the canal. We had the bedroom and our daughter had a day bed in the living room. This place also had a separate dining room which gave us a bit more space. We paid about 110€ and the keys we're mailed to us before we left home. Vicki

Have you tried airbnb? My husband and I booked a spot in Montmartre with someone with great reviews for $77 a night (dollars - not euros)...and there are lots ofwell priced places on there - including apt rentals as well...but it depends on what you consider a high price... https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/70646 $103 (dollars, not euros) for 4, with a 50euro cleaning fee at the end - not sure how many days, and I just plugged in some days in Oct... https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/507658 $74 night for a whole apt...just a few examples

Definitely keep looking! The cost of tranport in and out of Paris for four will be quite expensive.
We have traveled a lot with our kids and learned a few tips: When you find a hotel that looks promising (Tripadvisor, guidebook etc.), email or call them directly. (Don't use the online booking tool.) Tell them, in simple English, that you are a family of 4, 2 adults and 2 kids, looking for family accommodation. Don't tell them what kind of room you think you wantsee what they offer. Many hotels, esp. smaller ones in old buildings, have all sorts of unusual offerings that don't show up on their websites. For example, maisonette or duplex rooms are basically double rooms with a lofted area with additional beds. Perfect for a family, more space than a quad, often tucked into an attic, and usually only a little more than the cost of a double room. These are a personal family fave. Some places also have family rooms, family apartments, connected doubles, etc. These can all be a great deal; sometimes they discount the second room if it's for kids. Just ask and see what happens. We've had super luck just by asking questions to root out the unusual. Oh, and don't use the word suite. In Europe, that just means big room, not multiple rooms like it might in the US.

If you stay in central Paris, the early risers (parents) can get out & about while the late risers (teens) can sleep in. If you were all trying to travel into town together at the same time, resentment will build. The parents couldn't head back for a quick nap, the teens couldn't stay out later, no one could beg off for an activity. By the way, central Paris is safe enough for mid to late teens to be out without you. Early teens could do nearby short outings.

Thanks to all of you for the info. Cost of transpprtation would be lessened with our Eurail passes, but time wasted is time wasted. We will be in Paris 5 days and if any of you have a suggestion on places, I am anxious to hear of them. It would be nice to spend less than 150-175 euros a day. Possible?

Since you're staying 5 nights, you might consider an apartment, as some have suggested. There are some recent posts with advice as to web sites for Paris apartments. We did that 10 years ago and it worked out really well.

We stayed in Paris for three nights this past July in an apartment for 4 (1BR+couch in the living room). It was quite nice, clean and comfortable, though like all Paris apartments - smallish. It was near the Bastille, about a 20 minute walk to Notre Dame. The cost was 110 euros/night. We also stayed in another apartment for a week in Paris in 2009 just a 2 minute walk to Notre Dame. That was about 120 euros/night. Unfortunately, both now are no longer listed as for rent. But there are literally hundreds of others. Most Paris apartments require a week stay, but maybe 1/4 of them are more flexible. Just ask. They will work with you. You can PM me for links if you wish, but a Google search will lead you to at least a half-dozen agencies to choose from. I'm a penny pincher myself, always traveling with our children, but no matter what the price, I would never give up the chance to stay IN the city - able to walk almost anywhere at any time of day. It's priceless.

Ok. Despite what most of the posters are saying, it can be cheaper to stay outside of Paris and commute for a family of 4. You can rent an apartment in a nice area of Fontainebleau that is close to a bus stopfor only 350€/week. Using the Navigo Decouverte, it's only 160€/week for the family of 4 to get transportation (M - Sunday). That's a total of only 510€/week that includes all transportation and lodging. You can even get to Versailles with that pass (although it will take a long time). Now, I'm not recommending staying in Fontainebleau when Paris is your main destination, because you are looking at an hour commute (you could cut it down by 20 minutes by staying right by the train station). But this does illustrate where it can be a significant savings versus staying in Paris.

You will be in Paris! I can't imagine spending a whole lot of time in the room...plus, it is so nice to be able to go back to the room for an hour or so after a long sightseeing day to freshen up before an evening in Paris. If there is any way you can stay in the city I don't think you will regret it.

I second the apartment advice, it would be perfect for your situation with the kids, and you can find something centrally located well within your price range.

Timhotel Jardins des Plantes has quad rooms. Its very central but rooms are small aparently. They have air condtioning which apparently works well, nice for summer stays and harder to find in apartments.
On flip side apartments let you save money on food. Dinas outlined a good cheap alternative, but seriously two hours a day commuting, no thanks!

How much does 5 days times 4 people of rail pass daily cost equal? Surely a huge amount?

We've stayed in this apartment three different times for a total of two and half months in 2007,2009 and 2010. It is 120 euro per night plus 50 euro cleaning, less for longer stay. It is close to everything and major sightseeing except for the Eiffel tower but reachable easily by metro. It's a good sized apartment with great owner - read the reviews.

"Cost of transpprtation would be lessened with our Eurail passes" If you are using Eurail passes for 5 days of commuting into Paris, then you are wasting a lot of money on passes. Whatever you save staying out of town will be offset by the costs for your passes. I agree with the others, stay in an apartment in the city near a Metro stop. That leaves pretty much the whole city to choose from. And skip the Eurail passes altogether.

The biggest down side to staying in another town, besides the "commute," is that, assuming it's Paris you want to see, each day you'll be arriving in Paris with a commitment to spending the entire day in the city w/o having a place to go back to and unwind or relax, if only for an hour or 2. Not that spending an entire day in Paris is difficult, but it's nice to have a base nearby as an option. We've rented apartments in the centers of Paris, Lyon, and Annecy, and while we rarely spent a lot of time in the apartment during the day, we would also rarely have a day where we never returned to the apartment at some point during the day, if only to drop off groceries, have lunch, a glass (or 3) of wine.

Ralph, the reasons most people aren't answering her question of what town to stay in is that it just doesn't make sense, with Jan's budget, to stay outside of Paris, since she can easily afford an apartment in the city and not have to deal with the commute.

What about a compromise. The double digit areas? 14th, 16th etc...more "budget hotels" then the 1st to 7th and still on the metro. I know there are budget options like Ibis for example.

I had another thought. Last trio I did the market day at St. Germaine in Laye (sorry for any spelling issues). Cute little suburb town on the RER so not too bad a commute