Paris for a week 4/2020
 

going to spend a week in Paris hopefully mid April and see some sites and do 3 side trips to chateaus

any suggestions on reasonable (under150) rentals in central Paris to look at? just my wife and I so a studio would work or 1 BR

I've been to Paris for the last two Aprils and April in Paris is WONDERFUL!

I think this in a week is ambitious -
"do 3 side trips to chateaus"

I took a day trip out to Giverny and loved it. But with a week you have an arrival and departure day, leaving five days to explore Paris. If you are gone during three days on day trips, that leaves only two full days in Paris.

>> (under150)<<

Under 150 what? € or $ or ??

Mid April is Easter time so a very popular time to visit. Also most short term rentals in Paris are illegal. They must have the city registration # displayed to be legal so you'll need to look through properties to see which if any have availability for your dates. You may find more luck with a traditional hotel.

Advice here will depend on your interests and whether this is a first visit.

For apartments, took a look at parisbestlodge.com. We rented an apartment from Thierry, who runs that company, a few years ago and were very happy with both the apartment and the service Thierry provided. The apartment registration numbers are listed on the website. Unfortunately, the apartment we rented no longer seems to be available.

We rented last December on VRBO a property known as "St. Jacques" which is near the pantheon. It is a one-BR apartment with a nice view of the Eiffel tower. the BR anD bath are upstairs and require going up a circular stair, if that would be an issue.

Was it legal?

I’m returning to a legal apartment next year that I rented through AirBnB for my husband and me. Truthfully, I’m seeing a lot more licensed apartments on the site this year than last, so I don’t think it will be difficult to find a place. I’d recommend the apartment we rented, but there is no availability at this time.

Just do a search in the area that you’d like and the rate range. Do know that there are extra fees which AirBnB tacks on, so just be aware. I don’t know if I’m imagining things, but I’m finding rates generally a good bit higher in hotels and apartment rentals this year (we went in the fall of 2018 and will be going the same time in 2020), but April rates look generally lower than for the fall, so you should be able to find something in your price range.

I think we are all set on an apartment through VRBO #6412072 a bit out but on M11 on rue de Belleville with v3ry good reviews and good price

Why do you want to stay that far out?

Why WOULDN"t you? For one thing, it's not that "far out" unless you are intellectually hindered by thinking that all visitors to Paris must stay within a closed circle of wealthy Parisians and privileged tourists. For another, the rue de Belleville and the nearby rue de Ménilmontant and rue des Pyrenées are some of the most vibrant in all of Paris. The markets and the parks and the food - unparalleled - but you wouldn't know that if you hang out in the 6ème and think that that embodies Paris.

It's a great choice, dsevig. Don't listen to people who really don't know much about Paris except through a very narrow lens. If you need tips on what to do in the neighborhood, let me know.

Belleville is lovely. And it's not far out.

Yep. The entire area around Pyrenées. Menilmontant in its entirety. All lovely.*

It's easy to love Belleville. Just looked at the location: right in the middle of "Village Paris". The quartiers around Telegraphe and Pelleport are lovely. Make sure to walk extensively in your own neighbourhood!

Thank you for your kindness.

Going back to what I posted in #2, combined with your plans on another thread =
"We have booked a day tour to Fontainbleau and Vaux le Vicomte

trying to decide about 1/2 days to Versailles, Chantilly or Malmaison. 2 of the 3 maybe. thought about combining Chantilly and Senlis for a full day"

I would consider the transportation times needed for your plans.

You already will have commute time into "central Paris" (where you originally wanted to stay) for your 2 full days in Paris. Add on the commute times needed for your "day trips", I'd look more closely at the time it will take to get to your departure points from Paris. If you are fine with those commute times within Paris, fine. You may want to consider other locations, closer to your departure points.

You only have 2 days to explore Paris, much less the area around your chosen rental. Not a lot of time to "see the sights" in Paris. If I were you, I'd spend some time on Google Maps to see what kind of time will be involved to get to your chosen day trip departure locations. It's unclear if you are making those day trips on your own or if you are joining a tour from a central point in Paris.

I'd do the math to see if that's how you want to spend your limited time.

>>Why do you want to stay so far out?<<

I agree. We are not fans of the Belleville area (been there many times), but it certainly takes some doing to get to many of the main sites in Paris that most first to fifth-timers want to visit. Eiffel tower, Invalides, Orsay, Pl Madelene, Marais/Pl de Vosges, Jardin du Luxenbourg, Opera, Champs Elysses (architecture, not shops), Gallerie Lafayette, Printemps, Bon Marche, walks along the Seine, Tuilleries, Arc de Triomphe, Montmartre.

>> the rue de Belleville and the nearby rue de Ménilmontant and rue des Pyrenées ...... and the food - unparalleled<<

The Michelin folks don't think so. There are 6 restaurants listed in the 2018 Red Guide in the Belleville area. There are 28 in the area where we often stay in the 7th between the Invalides & Eiffel tower (similar size to the Belleville area). If Belleville was "unparalleled" - these counts should be reversed.

Stu Dudley

"You already will have commute time into "central Paris"

by #11 metro: Pyrenees - Chatelet: 15 minutes.

What about a few of the places Stu Dudley mentions in his last post?

What about the commute times to the gare/ train stations for excursions out on the majority of their days?

They originially wanted to stay in "central Paris". Now they have chosen a location that is definitely not "central" Paris. If they wanted an Untour kind of vacation, great. But they don't. They want to see the sights of Paris AND go out on day trips for the majority of their days while in Paris.

If you are representing that their commute for those sights and departure locations are 11 minutes of commute time, I disagree.

Until they tell us where they are departing from, there's no way to know. If they are taking a bus/ van trip from near the ET, they will have an extended trip just to get to that departure point. But 11 minutes? I doubt that to be the case. It may be a portion of the commute, but perhaps we should offer more realistic times to get to where they say they want to go. IMO it's more like 2 or 3 x that = one way.

Using Google Maps (public transportation) and Villa Bleu as a departure point -
ET - 53 minutes to 1 hour 17 minutes
Musee d'Orsay - 38 to 53 minutes
Madeleine - 30 to 48 minutes
Galeries Lafayette - 38 to 57 minutes
Gare Saint-Lazare - 31 to 48
Depending on how they are getting out to the chateaus for 2, 3 or 4 days of their trip, I'd stay closer to Gare Saint-Lazare if not central Paris.
Full day excursions out of the city + the commute back to their rental = very long travel days on the majority of their days "in Paris".

That may be "perfect" for some of you.
Not for me. But maybe that makes me "intellectually hindered".

The departure point for my day trip to Giverny was from near the ET. Until we know if they are taking trains on their own or taking buses out of the city we can only guess. But it doesn't take a lot of "guessing" that there is quite a bit of commute time needed from their rental to the main "sights" of Paris.