Paris Arrondisements
 

I am moving to Paris in July and I am not getting enough information from my employer about where to live. I am looking for a neighborhood that is lively at night, not necessarily trendy though, and close to the #10 metro line, although this is not mandatory. Does anyone have any suggestions? The 15e satisfies the metro line requirement but I am not sure about the area. Also, I really can't afford more than 800 euro for a studio. Help!! Thanks.

Kassisita - here's a link to arrondisement info posted quite a while ago. There was also an update which I'll try to find.

http://fodors.com/forums/pgMessages....numresponses=1

adrienne

Wow! Thanks. Very helpful, Adrienne.

I rented an apt. once in the 15th right near place Charles Michels on the no. 10 line. It was a nice middle-class residential area, but I don't think I'd call it lively at night. Not sure what you mean by that, though. If you just want a restaurant or cafe that may be open, it has those, but it isn't an area where people go out for the nightlife. I don't think a lot of the cheaper residential areas are immediately lively at night, that seems more in the central big boulevard areas, at least within central Paris although I know the Left Bank more. I stayed down near Cite Universitaire once and it wasn't lively at night around there, either.

I can think of some areas that might be described that way (Montmartre, Belleville, Menilmontant, Charonne), but they wouldn't be convenient for you.

I don't know if you can get something for that price, but I'd suggest the area around rue Daguerre perhaps, or the 14th in general near bd Montparnasse where it is lively. The area towards Daguerre or Denfert Rochereau might be more within that price range.

Another suggestion would be someplace in the 5th around Censier or Place Monge metro. That would be more lively and perhaps that price range is possible (I'm not sure on that), or around bd Port Royal at the bottom. That isn't near the no. 10 metro, of course. However, Jussieu and Cardinal Lemoine areas are stops on no. 10 and I think they might be sort of lively at night, at least Cardinal Lemoine. I don't know the Jussieu area that well, but I know it's near one branch of the university and is a lower cost area than the expensive parts of the Left Bank, so I thought perhaps it would work.

Hmmm, yeah, I'd agree with Christina. Looks like the #10 crosses the 5th, 6th, 7th, & 15th arrondissements which are all rather trendy except for the 15th. Although probably parts of the 5th are less expensive and it is a very lively area at night.

If you are a U.S. citizen, have you contacted the Embassy for help?

You are moving to Paris and can only afford 800 Euro per month for a studio? What company are you going to work for?

I would recommend finding a temporary place to stay and do your own, first-hand, searching.

When you have a minute, could you tell us how you got to be so lucky :)

Hi,
It's true that the line 10 crosses some of the more expensive areas of Paris, but you should be able to find something in the 5th arrondissement within your price range that would suit your needs. 800 euros is a decent budget for a small place, although the more central you want to be, the more you'll have to pay!!

I don't know how long you will be living in Paris, nor how you plan to go about renting a place to live... but bear in mind that Paris landlords and agencies will expect your monthly net salary (B4 tax) to be equal to three (or even four) times the monthly rent. This seriously reduced my options when seeking a place because when I first moved to Paris, although I was happy to pay more to find a nice place, it wasn't acceptable to Paris landlords! The other thing you might want to bear in mind is that Paris landlords (or agencies) will ask for a heck of a lot of documents, including ID and proof of revenues, references from previous landlords and so on. Don't be surprised if they expect you to show them your payslips and work contract, and give them your bank details - it's standard practice. You will probably also be expected to have a guarantor - someone prepared to back you up and pay the rent if you default. The reason for this is that French law makes it extremely difficult for non-paying tenants to be evicted (and it's impossible in the winter) so landlords will do everything they can to make sure their tenants are reliable and have sufficient funds.
If you need any more advice or info (links, addresses, tips) on appartment-hunting in Paris, then let me know.