Now that I have been to Paris, France, on four separate occasions, I've had the chance to stay in a wide array of accommodation types. From a campground outside the city-center to budget hostels and luxury apartments, I can easily say that I've experienced many accommodation types for multiple different price points.Out of all of the accommodation styles I've enjoyed (or endured) in the city, apartment rentals have stood out to be my favorite beyond all others. For not much more than the cost of two beds in a run-down hostel, the apartment scene in Paris offers a budget friendly option for those willing to spend just a bit more in order to receive a significant increase in quality.
Armed with a credit from our friends at FlipKey, I got the chance to try out two apartments on my recent stay in Paris. Are they worth the money over the alternative options? Let's find out.
17 Montmartre Near Les Halles - A Private, Budget Apartment
For this apartment my goal was simple. I wanted a budget accommodation that was a) not a dump b) in a great location and c) private. Generally speaking, when you put those three requirements in any accommodation type in Paris, you're talking about spending big bucks.
After scouring FlipKey for rentals, I stumbled upon this unit for about $135/night. The photos looked good enough, all of the amenities were there, and best of all it was located right next to Les Halles metro station which is the largest in all of Paris, located within walking distance of Notre Dame and the Louvre, and connects to the RER train that goes straight to the airport.
Upon arrival I was told to call the local contact who would help me find a place to put my bags down as I was arriving earlier than the scheduled check-in time. When I did he seemed to have no knowledge that I was coming early at all! The day was not starting off on the right foot.
Luckily my host figured it out on the spot and told me to go to another empty unit just a few blocks over to drop my bags off until the apartment was cleaned. This was pretty easy to do as I had been to Paris twice before and knew exactly where to go. But what was a bit shocking was that when I went to pick my bags up, a guest was trying to get the key to the unit and the host also had no record of them coming that day. Oops! Good thing I got my bags out before they got another key and entered.
At check-in I found out that the internet router was broken and there was no way the host could do anything about it- a major flaw in my book. The host told me he could bring a USB wifi dongle for me to use, and came back later that evening with one (and ended up stopping by several hours after I requested him to do so). Unfortunately the USB router was impossibly slow, and I stuck to using my phone's international data plan throughout most of the stay until the router randomly decided to start working for a few hours on my last night.
As for the apartment itself, I had no complaints otherwise. Having stayed in dozens upon dozens of rental units like this, I was thoroughly impressed with the amenities for a cozy (read: small) one bedroom. With a very comfortable bed, futon, television, washer/dryer, a small kitchenette with pots and pans, I had everything I would have wanted for a short stay.
Overall, this unit in central Paris was nice enough for the price and privacy; however, many of the negatives noted came from the management itself. It was painfully obvious that the owners juggled multiple units in the rental scene and could not keep up. Between not knowing the arrival status of guests and a broken wifi router that was not prioritized to be fixed, I ended up having to deal with a few issues that should not have happened. But if you can get past these and want a mostly quiet unit all to yourself in a great location with a budget price, this one wasn't bad.
21 Cardinal Lemoine - 3 Blocks from Notre Dame
My qualifications for this apartment were almost the same as the previous one; however, where that one had to meet a budget aspect, I wanted this one to be a bit of a splurge for my normal budget. Armed with the goal of finding a nicer apartment with a great location, I found this unit just south of Notre Dame for around $165/night.
How much does $30/night more get you in Paris? I'll give you a hint - it is a lot!
Like the previous apartment, my stay at this unit started off on the wrong foot as no one was there to greet me! I had confirmed with the host 24 hours prior that someone would be there and this, of course, did not happen even though I arrived on time. To make matters worse, the local contact's phone was turned off. Great.
After shooting an email off to the host, someone who I had no idea whether they lived in Paris or not, my wait began.
During the wait I dropped my laptop, thought it was broken, and had a bit of a mental breakdown. 45 minutes after arriving the local contact's phone was turned back on, and he informed me he was not aware I was coming in the morning and would be there 30 minutes later. Although I was furious at the time, I was quite relieved once I got inside as the apartment itself was absolutely stunning.
For just a mere $30/night more, the space of the apartment had more than doubled. I found myself with a proper living room, dining space, a decently sized kitchen, and an attached bedroom that remained quite dark even after the sun came up due to its unique arrangement away from the windows. The kitchen was fully stocked, the wifi worked beautifully, and I had no complaints past the initial check-in overall.
With just a short 10-minute walk from Notre Dame, and located in a neighborhood with a lot of affordable and delicious food options, I'm tempted to make this my go-to apartment for all future visits to Paris. Considering the hassles I had during check-in, this is truly saying something!
Fontaine des Innocents at Les Halles - Shared Accommodations
To finish off this list, I wanted to also include the apartment we visited during our previous stay in Paris when Angie and I traveled together (the above two were just me alone). By including this option, we can give another glimpse into the apartment scene that you may wish to try out on your next visit.
Our goal for this apartment rental (one year earlier-2013) had the same requirements of having a budget option with a good location as in the above units, but the only difference was that we were open to sharing the space with the tenant as a means to cut cost. We know from experience that private apartments typically mean paying a premium, so to hit our budget we were flexible with our accommodation style and opening to sharing common spaces with a host.
We ended up finding a room for approximately $105/night with a similar location to the first apartment mentioned in this article and saved roughly $30/night. (It is also worth noting this was in peak summer season whereas the previous two were in low season).
Our arrival was quite easy as the owner was waiting for us at the unit and got us settled into the room without issue. For the money we had a private room with a shared bathroom and a small living area which was restricted due to outside construction (but always quiet when we were there). The room itself was nice, but if you want more than a bed and a space for your luggage, you may want to look elsewhere.
The two best things about this apartment were the location, which was right next to the Les Halles metro and within easy walking distance of the Louvre and Notre Dame, and the owner, who we spent every evening talking to about our day and sharing glasses of wine with while talking about Paris and all things travel. I'm even friends with her on Facebook now after our brief stay as she wanted to follow our 465-day trip around the world that began in Paris.
Considering this apartment cost us just a few dollars more than two beds in the same hostel I stayed at years earlier, and had a much better location and private atmosphere, I really can't imagine considering anything else!
As far as Paris accommodations go, I'll be booking apartments from here on out.
We'd like to thank our friends at FlipKey for providing us with a credit to check out two of the apartments reviewed within this article. If you're looking for great short-term apartment rentals on your trip, check them out! As always, all opinions are our own.
