7 days in Paris with 3 teens
 

I'm looking for suggestions on where our family should stay in Paris. We will be there in July with our 3 teenage girls. I'd like to rent an apartment for the week, however, I'm overwhelmed by the choices. We do not need large or fancy accommodations, just the basics - clean with beds for all of us. It's more important that we're in a great, safe location with easy access to public transportation or walking distance to sites. However, budget is a concern as traveling as a family of 5 is expensive. Thank you.

This is awfully late to look for an apartment in July - as well as there being a major issue in Paris with the legality of these sublets. Most apts are not legal and the authorities are moving to take them off the market.

So if you wan to rent get onto the agents today and find out what they have that is legal that will sleep 5 people.

As for where to stay I reco the 4th, 5th and 6th - being near the center and having tons of cafes and rest for tourists. But you might be limited due to the very late date and your budget - if you tell us people may be able to make recos.

I would also start looking at hotels - preferably 2 rooms, one for you and one for the girls - so all 5 of you aren;t fighting over one bath.

Pay attention to the information about the Mayor's crackdown on vacation rentals. There have been several long threads about this on Trip Advisor, including what happens if the Mayor's agents come to call while you're in the apartment. I wouldn't mess with it.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic....html#66663617

If you were able to find a legal apartment that slept 5 people, it's highly doubtful that it would have 2 full bathrooms or 5 "real" beds, especially if you are on a tight budget. You can expect 1 full bathroom (possibly a tiny additional toilet) and sofa beds or couches, for the most part. By the time you get finished moving all the furniture around when it comes time to sleep, there won't be any room left to move around, either.

The best advice for someone who wants kitchen and laundry options is to book an apart'hotel. Citadines and Adagio are the main choices in Paris. You can request adjoining rooms and there are many different locations to choose from. Prices vary by neighborhood, but there will be something to suit every budget.

I forgot to add "sleeping lofts" - vacation rentals in Paris are famous for claiming that X number of bodies can "sleep comfortably" on what amounts to a thin foam mattress on a shelf built above the refrigerator or crammed into an alcove the size of a small closet.

that's true, a lot of smaller vacation rentals add "lofts", not sure how legal those are for the housing code. They just build some platform in a room (covering about half of it or less, which of course lowers the ceiling in that area, and put a mattress on top, and then a ladder to it.


I agree it is daunting to wade through all the rental ads when you don't know anything about the city, but there is no easy solution that others can solve that problem and do it for someone else. First, virtually any area you can find a vacation rental in will be safe, so I'd not worry about that. As for convenience, you have to look for proximity to a metro stop, mainly If you truly want to walk to tourist sites, you'd want something in arr 1-6 most likely, or parts of 8, 17, and 11. You can't walk to most things from 7. Honestly, I wouldn't worry about that issue, you can look on a map and see where things are and how far.

And, in July it can get hot and most vacation rentals don't have AC, so there is that issue. But cheaper hotels won't either (general 3* and up do, a very few 2*). Maybe I'm envisioning a lower budget than is meant, however, but with the reference to just the basics, I imagine it is meant bare minimum. In that case, you'd do better to stay in some cheaper areas where you wont' be walking to sites, it's just contradictory. Real cheap basic places aren't in the expensive, close tourist favorite arrondisements, like 4-6. The basic places there will cost a whole lot more than the same thing in say arr 9-15.

maybe you can find something last minute, though

but if you want a hotel, here is exactly what you want -- great location in the Latin Qtr, safe, family-friendly, and definitely basic. They have rooms for 5 for 175 euro in July. That wouldn't be so bad with 3 smaller kids but 3 teens are basically adults.
http://www.hotel-marignan.com/prices.html#

no AC, though, of course, at that level

The dates are very important as many hotels in Paris give discounts after 7/14. Before that, many don't. So if it's the end of the month, you can get a much better deal on some hotels, by the way.

Here is another real budget hotel in the Latin Qtr, actually not far from the Marignan.
http://www.commerceparishotel.com/

There you might consider a double and triple room, you can get those for about 60-80 euro each. Again, no AC as far as I can tell but it suits all your requirements. I dont' know how old your kids are, if they are 15-19 teens, they could maybe be in a room by themself, otherwise, parents would have to split up. or hotels, you'll get much better optiosn that way, trying to find two rooms, not one for five people.
http://www.commerceparishotel.com/

Christina - there is no housing code for vacation rentals, since they are illegal and unregulated. They are not inspected for fire or safety provisions, either.

Hotels are inspected and highly-regulated and hotels and residential buildings must follow city codes - such as allowing only so many people to occupy a certain number of square meters, etc. Many vacation rentals pack in many more "bodies" than are technically allowed in a residential dwelling. The law states that only 2 people may occupy a 16 square meter apartment, and any more "bodies" would require a minimum of 9 square meters apiece.

Sorry - see no reason kids have to be more than 15 to stay in their own room. We've been traveling with DDs to europe since they were 11 and 14 and they were perfectly fine in their own room - just down the hall from ours. But I guess it depends on how mature/reliable the kids are.

If VERY naive might not want them alone - but if kids can navigate NYC by themselves no reason they can't stay in their own room in a hotel. (It's not like just a few adults trying to herd around 30 kids.)

We have never split once our kids were 'old enough'.
Old enough is up to the parents. There is no law that regulates it.
Last month we ate in a nice restaurant and sent our children back to the hotel (close by) - accompanied - in their own room, 2 floors below ours and finished our meal (it was a 7 course meal or so...).
Kids are 13 and 5 - so not only did they stay alone but we weren't even in the hotel.
We weren't denounced, nor stripped and wipped.
Maybe we should have.
Would be nice if OP came back and gave some more info/

Thank you for your posts and information. The input has been incredibly helpful. We were hoping to spend around $250/night for a rental, but that price may be unrealistic for a comfortable apartment or two hotel rooms. I have found many accommodations that appear as though they would fit our family, but I will do more research. I haven't book our flights yet, so maybe I should reconsider a trip to Paris at this time. Thanks again.

Parents will have their own ideas about age of teens alone n rooms, but some hotels may not want young teens in rooms by themself for various reasons. I imagine complaints/noise could be one. No way to know except ask the hotel, but I don't think one wants surprises at check in.

suster 28...why not you just search on airbnb ? and find your apartment !!!!????

suster28...

https://www.airbnb.com/s/Paris--Fran...ss_id=wd6vgm0e

I haven't book our flights yet, so maybe I should reconsider a trip to Paris at this time. Thanks again.

I would totally guess this is what you will do unless you are on an unlimited budget--which you aren't.

I'm not getting this--I know it is fun to sit around one night and say -"Hey, let's go to Paris". Reality check on many levels.

IF you had planned ahead, you would have been able to get a triple room for your budgeted amount probably.

If you are on a budget, it is even more important to plan plan plan. I hope you will.

Gretchen - I'm not sure what's difficult to understand or why you would even bother commenting. Nothing you said was helpful. I am well aware of the costs of flights as I have watched them over the past few weeks. My only reason for posting was to get insight regarding the various neighborhoods of Paris. I would much rather spend my money on experiencing the culture and food in Paris as opposed to fancy accommodations. My "thanks again" comment was actually a sincere thank you to the people who posted helpful information regarding areas, hotels and the illegal apartment concerns. This post was my first on social media and more than likely my last because of people like you.

If you are OK with staying in Bois de Boulogne.. However, july is pushing it, but you know that already.

you do have your own cottage however and it's a campsite

http://campingparis.fr/locatifs-camp...is-de-boulogne

I've camped there, while biking to Paris and it's lovely.

they run their own shuttle to the metro #1 terminus at Porte Maillot

Just to add, in high season, you have a cottage + that sleeps 5 very comfortably for 154 euros/night.

Then I will throw in-get two rooms in an Ibis hotel. They have triples. They are squeaky clean and have a nice breakfast room. They have helpful staff at the desk.

Agree