Hello!
I am planning a trip to Paris with my 21 year old daughter. We would like to take courses at the Sorbonne--the Cours de Civilisation that runs July 6-31. We will be renting an apartment. The people at the Sorbonne gave me several possible locations for classes, including Estrapade, Raspail, rue d'Ecoles...all, they say, within 15 min. of one another on foot.
I am 52 but pretty laid back. We would like to walk to our classes as much as possible. I am considering apartments in the 5th and 6th arondissements, but many are expensive. I wish I could spend 2K for the month (dollars), but it kind of looks like reality may be closer to 3K. And does anyone have experience with the Sorbonne thing? Would it be better to be in the 5th where all the students are, for my daughter, or would the 6th be OK? Any and all suggestions/information welcome.

The 5th around the Sorbonne and the 6th are pricey neighborhoods. If you're looking to economize I would recommend the southern part of the 5th or the 14th. There was recently a thread here on an apartment in the 14th and lots of folks supported the poster to take it. If the apt is near a metro stop and line convenient to the Sorbonne it should be easy to get to class.

As far as walking, I'm sure you'll get in lots of that in the evenings and the weeks that you don't have class.

You'll find students in both the 5th and 6th hanging around the cafes, clubs, and movie theatres, among other places.

Paris is fairly expensive (as are other major cities). If you're stretching your budget with apartment rentals in the 5th and 6th I would look elsewhere and use the rest of the budget for some great dining/cafe experiences. You'll also get a nicer apartment for less money if you go away from the 5th or 6th.

There's also a Paris apartment thread in the top 100 (right now) that has some good recommendations.

Here's the link to the apartment in the 14th thread.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35154527

Thank you Adrienne, you're a gem. It seems obvious, but for some reason I needed someone else to suggest it!

My daughter just returned from one year at the Sorbonne, and took the same course, although two full sememsters. We stayed in the 6th, and it was either a medium walk, or a short bus ride. The 5th was just too packed with students/tourists for our tastes. We had several friends come and visit for a month or two at a time, and all found apartments in the 6th for approx $2-3K per month.
I would look at vrbo.com for a one month furnished rental (1 br) for a month. With the economy the way it is, I have a feeling you will find something nice in your price range.

I dont personally like the Raspail street location, but hey thats me.

Intex,
I am looking right now in that price range, and there are some possibilities. I stayed in the 5th a long, long time ago and attended the Sorbonne, and it didn't seem too busy at that time, but then I was young and I'm sure things have changed.
Thanks for the encouragement.