Apartment rental in paris?

Question

I'm studying abroad this year in paris and have been looking for a good way to have my family visit me. My brother came over the summer and used Parisianhome.com and had a really good experience, and my parents were thinking about using the same program...any other good reviews for parisianhome out there? My bro stayed in Montmartre, and it was more than a hostel but comparable in price to a hotel with more freedom and personality. He said he really felt like a parisian by the time he left1 So my question then is...does anyone else have a good review of parisianhome (or i guess another apartment rental service...although i really like parisianhome) in a different area of paris? Montmartre was great for my bro... but I think my parents would appreciate something a bit closer to the center of town. any tips would be great.

ps: anyone have any tips for how to deal with the french keyboards? i cant find the exclamation point1

Answer 1

For the keyboard, if you don't have to look at the keys as you're typing, you can go into Control Panel and change the setting.  

Sorry, I'm not familiar with that agency, but there are lots of apartment rental agencies in Paris.  I haven't used them because I rented an apartment from a friend of a friend.  Try typing Paris vacation rental in Google search.  

You could also check out apartment hotels.  There are Citadines all over the city.  i haven't stayed at one of their locations in Paris, but the one in Barcelona was quite nice.  

In the Latin Quarter, across from Jardin des Plantes, near Gare d'Austerlitz, there's an apartment hotel called Appart Valley.  I stayed there for a few days, and it was pretty comfortable and very convenient to the metro.  

If they decide they want a regular tourist class hotel, the Hotel Magendie in the 14th is convenient to several metro stations (Glaciere, Corvisart, and Gobelins), as well as bus 21.  I stayed there during a 2-week study abroad trip a few years ago.

Answer 2

It depends on how long you want to stay.

If you stay one week or 2, you have to rent an appartment in a agency like parisianhome. There are some others, but I don't if it's serious. And generally, these kinds of companies offer expensive flats.

If you look for something for a couple of months, you can rent through a agency, or directly to a landlord.

Anyway, it's better to be in Paris and see the flat before renting it.

There are many websites. The biggest is : www.pap.fr

(particulier à particulier), and then you don't pay fees to agency. Generally it's serious because the landlord has to pay to put an add.

About the place; I live in Montmartre too and you are right it's a very good place to live because it looks like an old village.

Of course there are many other good places in Paris, but unfortunately not very good.

To simplify, West of Paris is better then East.

The best places to live are, according to me : the latin quarter (5th and 6th Arrondissement) and close to Opera (9th).

In 8th, 16th, 7th, there are expensive flats.

In 15th and 17th there are some good places and some not so good.

In 18th around Montmartre, very good but only there.

You can write to me in private message for further informations.