How to Find a Short-Term Apartment Rental in Paris

The first time you journeyed to Paris, France, it may have been an adventure to stay in a hostel or a luxury to languish at a four-star hotel on your honeymoon. On the second trip, however, it may make more sense to save your money for the important things and find an apartment for more comfortable or more moderately priced accomodations.

Things You'll Need

• French Dictionaries
• French Phrase Books
• Internet Access
• Travel Services
• Computers

Instructions

1. Decide where you want to stay in Paris. The city is divided into sections, called arrondisements, and also between the Left and Right Banks, so you may want to look at a map when determining a central location from which you want to operate.

2. Determine what kind of sleeping arrangements you will need. There are many studio apartments available in Paris at reasonable prices, but if you want a bedroom separate from the rest of the apartment, you can expect to pay a higher rate.

3. Get on the Internet and look at some of the apartment locator services for Paris, such Locaflat or ParisNet. These services often have pictures, floor plans and rates for available apartments in Paris that may aid you in making a decision.

4. Talk with a travel agent about renting an apartment in Paris. This will give you an idea if the rates you are seeing on the Internet are within reason and also what parts of the city may be cleaner or safer than others.

5. Ask any friends who have stayed in Paris what part of the city they would recommend if this does happen to be your first trip to the city. Those with firsthand experience can often give tips not found in travel brochures, and they will be far more familiar with your tastes than a travel agent.

6. Pick out several apartments and contact either the listing agent or the individual with the flat to let about rates, lengths of stay, conditions of rental and availability. Many apartments in Paris are not available for less than seven days and some have restrictions about how many people many stay in one apartment, so you will want to check out all these details before agreeing to a rental.

7. Find out what amenities and conveniences are included in the price of the rental. Most apartments have a fully equipped kitchen, microwave, TV and dishwasher, but some may also include heating and air conditioning, cable, hair dryer and a courtyard or terrace.

8. Ask for and check any references the apartment owner is willing to give you before giving a deposit. Also make certain to get a receipt for your deposit or at least a letter of acknowledgement stating the apartment owner has received your money and your reservation is guaranteed.

9. Double-check your reservation and all the arrangements at least a week in advance of your departure time. If something goes wrong, this will allow you time to find other accomodations if necessary.

Tips & Warnings

• Rent for more than seven days if possible to drive down your rate. Discounts are often offered as the length of your stay increases, this is especially true once your length of stay exceeds 2 to 3 weeks.

• Go ahead and rent near the Paris sights you want to see. Rates do not drop that dramatically as you get away from the city center, and you will find cab fares expensive and metro ticket sellers not fluent in anything but French most of the time.

• Plan to visit Paris during the off-season, between the beginning of November and the end of March. Rate specials are usually offered during the off-season to help those who depend on rentals for income get through the slow season.

• Expect smaller rooms and beds than are typical in American hotel rooms. This has nothing to do with the quality of the accomodations, but for your comfort, you may want to pay attention to the square footage of the apartment you are considering renting.

• Don't agree to stay anywhere site unseen. What is described in an advertisement as an 18th century stone building could turn out to be a dilapidated tenement with few redeeming qualities.