We will both be retired in about 5 years. One of our dreams is to live a few months in Paris. We own a modest home in Sonoma County, California so we thought it might be possible to have a long-term (4-6 months) house exchange with someone with a flat in Paris. Has anyone had any experience with this arrangement?

Hi Wm, I believe to legally stay more then 90 days in France you need to acquire a Visa. And I believe the same of visitors from France that are going to stay more then 90 days in the US, they also will legally need to acquire a Visa.

LoveItaly is right - tourists can't stay more than 90 days in the Schengen zone in any 6 month period. So w/o getting visas, the most you could stay in Paris (or much of Western Europe) is 90 days.

And the other family would also need US visas. Besides the visa issue - I'd also think long term trades would be difficult.

Why not just think about renting a flat in Paris for a couple of months. Vacation/short term rentals usually have reduced rates when you rent for a month or more.

It's true you would need non-tourist visas - but that might be possible given the circumstances.

If there are any universities near you you might find a trade with French faculty on sabbatical or exchange. But I think it more likely that you could do a rental with university staff in Paris - since the chances of such an exact exchange seem slim.

And if you want to do this - realize that getting such a visa is not automatic and can be very a very lengthy process.

If you guys are retiring and do not need to work, then you can apply for a non-lucrative visa, meaning that you have permission to live in a country for longer than the normal 90 days, but may not work. It is not nearly as hard to get as a working permit, though you do have to prove you have sufficient funds to support yourself while abroad, as well as health insurance.

House exchanges are tricky because you basically need a situational mirror image of yourself to make it work. That said, getting a long-term rental in Paris is not particularly difficult. Nytraveler said just what I would: find a University professor and rent that apartment. Or any apartment, for that matter, as long asyou check it out first.

If you are concerned about money, you need to check out prices and whatnot and figure out how to make the rental break even. For example, let's say that you find a nice apartment to rent for 1500€ per month utilities included (Paris is expensive, so that is a pretty low estimate depending on area). How much do you spend per month on your home in the US? How much of that are you not spending because you are in Paris (phones, internet, cable, etc)? Are you breaking even? Perhaps!

As you are in Sonoma County, you can play the wine card, which could get you places you wouldn't normally get in Paris. What if there is a Parisian sommelier that wants to visit Sonoma? Perhaps intern there? You would have a lot more options if you found a compelling reason to get someone into your home for a few months. For example, if there are nearby vinyards, talk to them and see if they can offer any kind of unique experience for your renter. That would be much more appealing.

Hi Wm
I'd suggest home exchanges - you could always organise a couple of back-to-back exchanges, so that each Parisian family wouldn't have to be prepared to spend as long in your area, as you want to spend in total in Paris. We've been doing exchanges for several years now, and the whole process has worked extremely well for us.
Happy travels, Di