Hello Everyone!

I'm a new member of the forums. First, a little back ground: My husband and I are in our late 20's, early 30's and are planning a trip to Paris over the Christmas and New Year holidays. We will be staying a little over 2 weeks. It's my first time out of the country. Our budget for accommodations is around $2000 to $2500.

Here are some of the apartments we are looking at:

http://www.vrbo.com/22269

http://www.clickappart.com/paris-loc...tail.php?id=16

http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p253307

I know next to nothing about the different arrondissements in Paris. Which is a safe one to stay in? We are hoping to immerse ourselves in the culture and don't want to stay in a touristy area. Any tips? How cold does it get in winter?

Thank you all so much for taking the time to help us out!

Best,
BurritoWoman

It can get pretty damn cold in Paris at that time of year!

I would want to be close to a metro stop. I would want an apartment with a guarantee of good heat.

If you want to stay out of the touristy areas, consider apartments in arrondisements 9-16

How long is your stay?

Stay in the central areas 1-8 generally.

apersuader65, we will be staying for 18 nights.

Also, does Paris do anything special for Christmas or New Years?

I wouldn't take apt 1 because I wouldn't want to be in that neighborhood and walk uphill. I wouldn't take the one in the 7th because the neighborhood is too touristy and the 7th is not convenient for walking around or metro stops.

The one in the 15th looks nice, but the price is a bit high, and I can't tell how close it is to a metro stop (I like lots of metro stops around). I'd keep looking.

Staying in a vacation rental in 1-8 arrondisement ups our chances of being in a touristy area eight-fold.

Out of the 3, I would only consider the Clickappart apt.

The VRBO is okay, but in the Pigalle/Montmartre neighborhood, which is a bit far out for a 1st time visitor. I think the main selling point is the balcony, but it'll be too cold in the winter for you to sit out to enjoy it anyway.

The Homeaway apt is in the 15th arr; and it's <i>tiny</i> - 20m squared. That's barely over 200 sq ft. There's not even a sofa to sit on, just a couple of plastic chairs. NO WAY.

Hmm...

Here are a few more we are considering, but I thought these were too far away from stuff to do. I guess staying close to the Tour Eiffel and whatnot means you're in a touristy area?

http://www.feelslikehomeinparis.com/frenchflair.html

http://www.clickappart.com/paris-loc...tail.php?id=29

http://www.goin2travel.com/parismontmartre.htm

P.S., the Clickappart apt is on the 3rd floor, which is US 4th floor. There's no mention of elevator on the website; if you're interested in that apt you should find out for sure. Otherwise, be prepared to walk up 4 flights of stairs every day (including w/your luggage).

yk, you are totally right about the balcony. My husband really liked that one because he said it looked warmer. I thought it looked dusty.

The Homeaway apt is tiny, yes, but its cute! And cheap! This one is, in my mind, the choice of last resort.

In your first group the only one that looked nice to me was the vrbo one.

You can view the gointotravel one in your second group on the website for the company that manages it: http://www.parisvacationapartments.c...r2bedroom.html.

If you choose that last one, I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts as we have it booked for a week next June. They have been delightful working with in the booking and give you tons of great travel planning/pointer info sheets.

As to cold, I'm from Chicago, so I would think that Paris couldn't even compare in the winter so I would consider it relatively balmy. If you are from Texas, it might be cold to you.

Also, rent the movie Amelie to determine whether you might like staying in the Montmartre area!

SuzChicago,

Why did the vrbo one look good to you? Was it the location or decor or something else?

Thanks for the website link. I emailed them about availability for some of their studios. I'll let you know what I find out.

Well -- It's a matter of taste, but it looked like it would be warm and cozy to return to in the winter. One of the apts. you gave us a link to was all white and grey and I would find that dreary on a winter day to go home to if it was cold and rainy.

Last time I was in Paris was 1989. Went by myself over Thanksgiving (last minute when I found out I could get away from work.) I stayed for awhile in a more touristy area and found it somewhat bleak. Shifted to a hotel not far from Montmartre and loved it. I loved wandering around the 18th as people lived there and it seemed lively. Plus great for people watching. Never felt like getting to the tourist sites was a haul thanks to the Metro and just enjoyed the neighborhood feel. Woman on my own -- never felt nervous in the area, but didn't take the Pigalle exit from the Metroa as it was a little seedy. Use normal city street smarts.

SuzChicago,

Turns out they are all booked for the time I want to go.

Montmarte, huh? I'll have to check it out. I definately want a neighbrhood feel. Kind of a slow paced place we can relax in, preferably with a cafe nearby. It'll be nice to people watch on a cold evening with a hot coffee and some cookies.

http://www.vrbo.com/103254

This one is in the 11th, not a touristy area, but close enough to walk to the Marais and the Bastille, and also close to metro and bus stations. The best features is its garden, which you couldn't really appreciate in the winter, but I think those big doors would let in a lot of nice light during the winter months. Reasonable cost, too. We will probably rent it next fall.

Jo

I wouldn't want to stay in Montmartre (the 18th arr.), period. It is both touristy and too hilly after a long day of stomping around, and some areas are decidedly seedy.

You have to decide whether you want "not touristy" or "not far from the sights." If you pick the latter to be close to the sights, look for apartments in 1-8 arrondisements, but apartments in the 7th are actually only close to Les Invalides, the Eiffel Tower and the Musee d'Orsay.

Try looking for apartments in arrondisement 1-4. You can find some sweet hideaways, but still be in easy reach of the core artistic heritage of historic Paris,

I think the VRBO one looks fine, though if you are interested in nightlife, IMO arr. 10, 11, 12 all have more bars/nightlife within walking distance (not that you won't find anything in that area)- note, the trains stop running before bar close. I would not stay near Eiffel if I were interested in nightlife, though, I am making the assumption that you are, maybe you don't care about that.

Also, I've sat on balcony in "cold" plenty of times - 45-55 degrees F is not THAT cold.

I would take this suggestion, now that I looked at it, apt looks nice.:

ParisJo on Sep 25, 09 at 03:58 PM

http://www.vrbo.com/103254

This one is in the 11th, not a touristy area, but close enough to walk to the Marais and the Bastille, and also close to metro and bus stations. The best features is its garden, which you couldn't really appreciate in the winter, but I think those big doors would let in a lot of nice light during the winter months. Reasonable cost, too. We will probably rent it next fall.