The French rarely to to dinner before 8 pm, more commonly at 9 pm, especially on weekends.>

None of the many French I know eat as late as 9 pm - boom as soon as they get home from work they eat - usually by 8pm. Weekends they tend to eat earlier even IME of many many meals at many many French houses.

Thanks so much everyone! I've strolled around the neighborhood using Google Street view and I think we will like it just fine. I've just booked the apartment so now can concentrate on planning the fun part of the trip.

Thanks for the info on meal times. Later meals suit us fine as we never have dinner until at least 8 pm so it looks like we will fit right in! and having the apartment means we can also do simple meals at home.

I'll look into a few other on-line language learning apps. I can usually figure out sufficient words when reading a simple sentence but am totally befuddled by the spoken language. I do use News in Slow Spanish and find that it is pretty good for a listening review but I'm not nearly at that level in French. At breakfast this morning we were quizzing each other on French words and I was amazed at what my 94 year old father remembered from his short visits to France when he was in the Navy after WWII.

I've also found a wonderful smart tv app that has videos on all the sights in France along with excellent tips for travelers in Paris and France. I've had it on the kitchen tv during todays cooking extravaganza in preparation for our holiday celebrations.

Thanks for all your help. I appreciate all the help you have provided and will look forward to more tips that will help me plan our trip.

http://www.designmom.com/2014/03/french-food-habits/

When you hear “French people don't snack” what that means is French people — like the entire country! — eat at specific times and only at specific times. Breakfast around 8:00 AM. Lunch at noon. Dinner at 7:00 or 8:00 in the evening.

7-8 is the time I've seen not as late as 9pm unless circumstances dictate.

These are common French folk - fancy restaurants for a night out are I think later but very few French folk IME - average French folk go out for dinner except for very special occasions.

We're talking about Paris, a major cosmopolitan city which your site mentions as being perhaps different than the country and where the OP will be. On the snacking when my daughter lived in Paris she always mentioned the no snacking. What I have noticed over the years is more and more people walking and snacking, so perhaps that is changing, again at least in Paris.

Glad you're set with an apt. Be interested to know what News in Slow Spanish is.

With coffee around 10:30 am or 11:00, they might have a small, plain biscuit but never more than two!

I have stayed in all arrondissements.
As a rule avoid being close to a 'porte'.
Stay more in.
19 and 20 have nice places but ugly ones too.
10 is not my fav and 15 16 can be boring.
I esp like 18. But it is me.

Ps. We say 'les toilettes in France but 'la toilette' in most of Belgium.
You thought it was easy ��