BB

We are planning a trip to France with a week in Paris. Are thinking about renting an apartment vs. hotel. Any suggestions/comments? Also, any advice on what areas are safe and 'family oriented' would be appreciated. <BR>Thanks!

Rex

The answer most often cited here is www.citadines.com - - with tons of locations in Paris. I have never stayed with them, but you will find many citations here under this name. <BR> <BR>

Catherine

Our trip is Easter week with a rental (6 people) in the 17th arr. The internet offers a number of rental companies that showed pix, floorplans, prices and availability; try chezvous.com, apartment-living.com, paris-sleeps.com, barclay-web.com, drawbridgetoeurope.com, forparis.com, vacationspot.com <BR>There was a range of terms for rental but all seem reasonable; references should confirm reliability. Have fun!

StCirq

This month's Gourmet magazine, which is a special feature on Paris, recommends Chez Vous for Paris rentals. So do many people on other message boards. As far as good neighborhoods for families, it depends on whether you want to be in the thick of things or have a quiet haven to retreat to at night - or something in between. For the first, the Latin Quarter or Concorde areas would be good; for the second, I'd recommend the 7me or even 16me (though it's a bit far out) and parts of the Marais; and for the third, St-Germain or Montparnasse or parts of Montmartre.

elvira

For my stay in Paris, I used <BR>http://www.albany.net/~nracnyfr/parisapt.html

Jane

We are leaving for Paris in two weeks and have rented an apt there in the Marais district. We used a site that someone suggested on the board - www.drawbridgetoeurope.com. The apt looks very nice and it is reasonably priced (we're paying about $900 for the week -one bedroom with a pull-out sofa). <BR> <BR>So far the service has been great. The people have been very helpful and quick to respond to questions. I don't know when you are going but I will post my experiences when I get back. <BR> <BR>We travel often with our son (now 12 but we started travelling in Europe with him when he was about 7). Apts are definitely the way to go. You get a lot more space and a kitchen. The kitchen is very important with kids, I think. We hit the supermarket or local store right away and stock up on breakfast-type food and snacks. Milk. This has been VERY helpful. <BR> <BR>We have come to like apts so much that we will probably use them even when we are empty-nesters. <BR> <BR>I think the Marais district in Paris is supposed to be pretty lively and quite convenient to sites and restaurants. I'll let you know what I think when we get back.

BB

Thank you all for the responses. This is a first for us - we were able to stay with a family when my wife and I went last time (15 yrs ago!). We now want to share the 'Paris' experience with our 12 yr old son and 10 yr old daughter. Sounds like an apartment is the way to go. We'll be there the first week of July so I'm sure we better get booking on this. I've tried some of the web sites mentioned and now have some new ones to check out. Sounds like the 4th, 6th and 7th arrond. are the best areas to try for? <BR> <BR>Thanks again for all the feedback.