I have 2 options for an apt rental. Need input to the area. For the apt which I like a little better, it will be rented through mycityflat.com. does anyone have any experience with them? The address is
26 rue Dussoubs 75002 Paris -
The metro station can either be Etienne
Marcel or Réaumur Sébastopol (on ligne 4)
How close is this apt to the metro. How is the area and is it walkable to any major attractions?
The second is 54 rue des Gravilliers 75003 Paris, rented by specialaprtments.com
closest metro are Arts et Métiers and Rambuteau. Same question as the previous apt.
Any input regarding the 2 apts will be greatly appreciated! Thanks everyone! Cant wait to see Paris!!


The arrondissement is the 2nd one. You can check the location by typing the address ()

I don't know the locations, but there are a couple things you can do to help figure things out.

Find out the address or metro stop of a few sights. Then go to http://www.mappy.com and enter a pedestrian itinerary between where you're staying and those sights. That will tell you how far you'll have to walk.

Also, go to http://www.pagesjaunes.fr/pj.cgi?faire=faq&lang=en . On the right, choose the option Discover photos of cities and select Paris. Enter the address of your apartment and "walk" around the neighborhood to see what it looks like.

I don't know those agencies, and not choosing on anything but location, I would choose the one at 26 rue Dussoubs myself.

That is a great location -- right near rue Montorgueil market street, near the trendy shops around Etienne Marcel and there are some small clubs and theaters around there. Also, you have better metro access there because you have two lines to choose from whereas the other apt. is only near one line (both A&M and Rambuteau are on the same line but E Marcel is line 4, which goes right across the river and stops on the Cite island and then right to the Latin Qtr and St Germain).

Also, it is near a covered passage and some good shopping. I have always found the area around Arts & Metier metro to be a bit dull, myself, although it would be okay, also. I just would prefer rue Dussoubs.

That apt. is only about two blocks for either metro stop, it's about right in the middle. You can walk to some tourist attractions from there, but no real reason. YOu could walk to the Louvre pretty easily, for example, the Pompidou center, and Forum des Halles shopping center.

The two apartments are only about 6 blocks apart, one on either side of Blvd de Sebastopol, but I agree with Christine that I would prefer proximity to rue Montorgeuil.

By the way, your link to the second apartment is incorrect since you omitted the "a" in apartments. That agency has a rental very near rue Montorgeuil as well, on rue St-Sauveur, but it seems more expensive than the one on rue Dussouds.

For what it's worth, I'll be renting an apartment just off rue Montorgeuil for a month this spring.

Thanks for your reply. But my agent made a mistake and gave me a wrong apt address ( hm....I am a little suspicious...) But the actual address is 39 rue de Cléry 75004 Paris – métro Sentier)
This is in Arron 4 - the Marais...from the little I know, it seems like a nice arron. to be in..
Any comments again will be very very appreciated. You all have been great!

What do you mean "your agent"? Do you mean the agent of the apartment rental agency, or do you have your own personal travel agent finding things for you? If so, they aren't doing a very good job if this is the information they are giving you.

Okay, mycityflat.com does indeed have an apt. on rue Dussoubs, it says so. So which apt. are you replacing with rue Clery?

Anyway, rue Clery is NOT in the 4th arrondisement and it is not in the Marais, so your agent is not telling you the truth somewhere. It is in the 2nd, as is the Sentier metro stop. The address 39 rue de Clery 75004 is a false address. Rue de Clery runs SW from the Strasbourg St-Denis metro stop to rue Montmartre. So, if it is near Sentier metro, I would still choose that location, I guess. It's not as convenient to various metro stops, though.


There are some good food shops on rue Montmartre, and that club, and it is still very close to Montorgueil, but it's not as good for transportation as the other.
Here is the website of a small club with a variety of types of live music just about a block or so from there, Sentier des Halles
http://www.sentierdeshalles.fr/

There is an access map on there that will show you where Clery is, actually, it's right near that club.

Christina et al

the agent is of the mycityflat
and I will be renting the apt below:

http://www.mycityflat.com/Etape-2/23_Clery

I hope this is a good location...I am a little wary now because the agent of mycityflat seems to be supplying us with wrong information

The neighborhood is okay.

It sounds just like the agent doesn't live in Paris and isn't that familiar with it, that's all. They just made a mistake in the postal code, and a Parisian resident wouldn't do that -- they would know Sentier isn't in 75004.

The website says it is in proximity to the Marais, so that is okay. I think you just assumed it was in the Marais because you thought it was 75004, but if the agent told you that, then they really don't know Paris or are deliberately kind of lying. The ad doesn't say that, though, so I think not.

It seems a little expensive to me for a rather basic-looking apartment, but maybe that's what you have to pay nowadays. Also, the information isn't that complete -- like it doesn't give square footage and doesn't show photos of some important things.

Are you in a bind because you need something at the last minute or something? I just think you could look around a little more to compare rates.

I couldn't see any apartment on specialapartments.com on rue des Gravilliers, although that's a nice website. They show one very close to the other location you are talking about (the studio on St Saveur), and it seems to be cheaper than mycityflat.com (isn't that one at least 143 euro a night)?

Some agencies just have to check with an owner to see if something is already taken, so that's not unusual if that's what is happening, but it sounds like mycityflat told you that you had the apartment and then changed it? Well, they don't know addresses and I think the rate is too high.

Thanks Christina
They did lower the rate and offer it to us at 95 euro/night for 4 person. Which I thought was better than staying at a hotel. I did realize afterwards that there are plenty of other apts in better areas at equivalent pricing. We just decided to go to Paris and will be there on April 1st, so we needed to get the accomodations squared away. Next time, I will know better! Thanks so much for all your help. I hope this apt doesnt turn out to disappoint me!

It is tough when you try to book an apartment at the last minute. But I think 95 euro is a lot better than what I was looking at as the price (143 euro), so it's probably worth that much. I didn't think it was big enough for 4 people, but if you are happy, that's good.

I hope you have a good time. The area should be okay and I hope the apartment is, also. At least you will be in a pretty convenient location. Be sure to go to Sentier des Halles!