tuscanlifeedit

I'm searching for an apartment in Paris, and feeling a little frustrated. I think my conditions are limiting my choices:

We need two real bedrooms, are only there for four nights, and I don't want more than one flight of stairs without an elevator. And of course, we have a low budget.

I keep finding things in Montmartre, but I have never really considered staying there. We've stayed in the Marais and the 6th and 7th, but I'm wondering if branching out will be good or not. I don't really feel like I "know" Montmartre.

Here is a link to the apartment we are considering:

http://www.frenchyrentals.com/apartm...einkerque.html

I would love feedback on the location, and I would appreciate any other recommendations. This place is offering 4 nights at 640 euros.

I hate to place us in an inconvenient area, as we only have 4 nights. It's not a big deal for my husband and I, as we have spent time in central Paris, but the friend we are traveling with has only been once before, and it was at least 10 years ago.

I'm not familiar with outer arrondisements, and could use your help.

Cowboy1968

Personally, I like to stay in Montmartre, but so far only in smaller hotels which were located on pretty quiet side streets.
Rue Steinkerque, where your apartment is located, would be a bit to busy or loud for my taste, though. It is sort of the gateway to Sacre Coeur and the butte for many tourists who arrive via metro Anvers.
You can use Google maps, and "walk up" Steinkerque using Streetview. While the somewhat miserable weather when the photos were taken adds an unfair bias, I think you get my point when you take a virtual look around.

kerouac

The apartment is high enough so that the noise of the crowds walking to Sacré Cœur probably wouldn't be a problem, but the street itself is nothing but souvenir shops and snack bars. It is not the best place to discover the charm of Montmartre.

In a year or two, the city is going to completely redo rue de Steinkerque, so the situation might change at that time.

yestravel

Last trip we stayed in the 11th for the first time and really liked the area. It's maybe a 5-10 minute walk from where we have stayed in the 3rd or 4th. Don't have a 2 bedroom apt to recommend, but you might check out the 11th.

PatrickLondon

I was thinking about the 11th too, since I do a regular home exchange with someone who lives there. I'm sure someone here posted a fairly ecstatic review of an apartment they had on a ground-floor courtyard off the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine, a bit nearer Bastille than the flat I stay in, but I'm damned if I can remember who - or if it would have been big enough for your budget.

As an area it's fine - good transport links, Marché Aligre round the corner, plenty of places to eat and nightlife within walking distance (though, depending on the apartment, not necessarily close enough to disturb your sleep), and still predominantly residential rather than tourist-oriented.

tuscanlifeedit

These are exactly the type of helpful comments I was hoping for. Thank you all so much.

My next search is in the 11th.

What do folks think about the 9th?

Christina

I have stayed in the 9th several times, but as with any arrondisement, just mentioning the entire arrondisement isn't that specific as the ambience varies drastically over it. This is true in many arrondisements. I like staying around the St Georges metro stop. I find roughtly the upper half of the 9th to be a pleasant residential area, and around rue des Martyrs. I would never want to stay in the bottom part right around the border, and I don't find things as convenient or pleasant in the eastern side of the 9th, either. That is roughly speaking, it's hard to describe every area I like and the parts I don't, but things are kind of spread apart and not as cozy a neighborhood feel around rue Lamartine or the east side of Chateaudun, for example, to me. Some major business routes, too.

I've always stayed between Trinite church and place Toudouze, but there are a lot of good restaurants and bars in-between those and between St Lazare and Blanche metro.

PalenQ

Montmartre is more isolated I think from main Parisian sites - there is no metro up on top I think so it's either the bus or the stairs or the short funicular down to Paris and the metro below. Not a big deal but a bit more time consuming - especially for folk who like to return to their accommodations for a rest during the day.

It would not be my favorite locale.