A rental apartment in Paris is a popular choice for visitors to Paris. They are often good value for larger families and those on a budget – an apartment in Paris can be cheaper than multiple hotel rooms for families and groups of friends, and the opportunity to cook for yourself is tempting to those travelling to Paris on a budget. But with issues with Airbnb and a few unscrupulous operators lurking on some booking platforms, how do you choose the best apartment rental sites for Paris visitors? What the things you need to consider when looking for a Paris short term rental?
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In this post we will be looking at the following popular apartment rental sites in Paris:
- booking.com
- Plum Guide
- VRBO/Stayz
- Vacation in Paris
- Paris Perfect
- Paris Attitude
- Guest Apartment Services
- One Fine Stay
- Perfectly Paris
- Apartments du Louvre
- Pepper & Paper Apartments
- Cobblestone Paris
- Citadines
- Adagio
Pros & Cons of renting a Paris apartment
A Paris apartment may be cheaper than a hotel
Especially if you are travelling in a group, an apartment may be a more budget friendly choice, rather than booking multiple hotel rooms.
The ability to prepare your own breakfasts and evening meals can also save you money.
The ability to prepare your own meals
Not just a money saver, preparing your own meals has a number of other advantages.
If you are travelling with children the ability to prepare them a familiar meal, or to eat early may be helpful in getting them settled into Paris.
Similarly, if you have dietary restrictions, or just crave something “from home” preparing a meal can be a comfort while you are travelling.
Preparing food purchased from a market or food hall. There are markets throughout Paris, all full of glorious ingredients just crying out to be cooked – by you. With an apartment, you can try something different or buy your favorites for a wonderful, authentic French meal in Paris. Most stall holders will even tell you how to cook your purchase.
Easy access to a washing machine
While they don’t all have a dryer, most Paris apartments come complete with washing machines, making them a very handy accommodation option for carry on bag packers, families, and those on long term visits. If your apartment doesn’t have a dryer (and many French homes don’t), you should be provided with a drying rack to hang your wet clothes on.
No concierge service
This is probably the biggest downside of booking an apartment – no one to recommend restaurants, book tables or help if you run into trouble or need medical assistance. Sometimes having that English speaking helper can be a comfort……..
BUT: there’s no need to worry about finding restaurants with English menus and making bookings with my Ultimate Paris Restaurant Concierge:
Your Essential Guide to Dining in Paris is here – No French Required!
While I speak French well I still know that navigating the Parisian dining scene can be overwhelming – trying to read the hand written chalkboard menus at the front of restaurants, never mind the stress of trying to make a phone call to organise a reservation. That’s why I’ve created The Ultimate Paris Restaurant Concierge.
Budgeting
Some apartment booking companies require a bond (sometimes substantial) that has to be paid up front and is not refundable until after your stay.
Fake listings and unregistered properties
All short term rentals in Paris must be registered with local authorities. Unfortunately, unregistered properties and fake listings still exist in Paris. If the owner or platform won’t provide a registration or the property seems too good for the price, step away and find something else.
Tips for choosing the right Paris apartment
Narrow down a location in central Paris first
Think about the neighbourhood you want to stay in before you dive into looking at apartments. There are so many options it’s a rabbit hole you don’t want to go down. My Paris arrondissement guide will help you decide which part of Paris will suit you best. You can find it here >>
Be prepared to step away from warning signs
No refunds and 100% payments needed at the time of booking is a red flag unless you making a very last minute booking.
On listing platforms such as bookingdotcom, VRBO and Airbnb be extremely wary of any owner or manager who wants to take your communications off the official booking platform messaging system and into a private one. These people are clearly trying to hoodwink the platform that got them the booking, and sometimes they will be trying to do the same to you. And if you do go “off platform” and have a problem with your booking, it is unlikely the platform will be able to assist.
Do not book any apartment on any platform if you cannot obtain information regarding the registration details for the apartment, or the type of lease you will be asked to enter into if required. Platforms who offer longer term rentals should be very upfront about who is eligible to rent the apartment (some are limited to restricted purposes, such as students enrolled in Parisian educational institutions or people travelling to Paris for work. Evidence of your eligibility will be requested). Platforms such as Plum Guide include registration numbers and any special requirements for the lease in their listings.
If you have a confirmed booking and the owner or platform will not give you the address, step away.
Are you planning a trip to France? My France Travel Planning Facebook group is a vibrant and friendly group where you can ask questions, learn from others and get great advice. You can join here >>
Be clear about your must haves
Elevators and air conditioners are not a given in Paris. Kitchens don’t necessarily have cook tops and ovens. Beds may be sofa beds or futons. Dryers are not common in French properties, although sometimes washer-dryer combos are provided. If there is no dryer you should be provided with a drying rack which can be set up in your bathroom (or laundry if it is separate). Cleaning and fresh linen may be up to you. bookingdotcom can be quite convenient here, as you can filter your searches for some appliances and amenities.
Regardless of your must haves, I have come up with a printable checklist of things to consider before you book that you can download free here:
Understand the cleaning and linen arrangements
Most property managers will expect you to empty the rubbish and wash the dishes on your departure. If you are staying longer than a few nights, be very clear about the arrangements for new towels and bed linens.
Check the location carefully
Regardless of where they are in Paris, not all apartments are located in an ideal setting. Don’t just understand the neighbourhood, but be clear where in the neighbourhood it is located. Owners will be quick to tell you the building is on a quiet street with little traffic, but won’t tell you it backs onto a busy trainline, or is just off a major thoroughfare.
We recently had a member in the Facebook group ask about the location of the apartment she had found. Her dream was an apartment in the romantic leafy lanes of Montmartre. The apartment she had found was perfect for her family – including two young children. It was very disappointing to tell her that her Montmartre dream apartment was just off Boulevard de Clichy. Not only was it very close to the Moulin Rouge (ie noisy at night), it was also conveniently located to a number of sex shops and adult entertainment venues they would have needed to walk past every day. Not the Paris experience she was hoping to give her children, nor her Montmartre dream…….
So if you don’t know the city or the neighbourhood you are considering, how to do avoid these types of disappointments?
Firstly, if you are looking in a particular neighborhood, don’t assume that every property in that neighborhood is located in the picture perfect, quintessential corner of that neighborhood. Even expensive neighborhoods have loading docks that may be active at all hours, may have noisy above ground train lines (particularly the very expensive seventh and sixteenth arrondissements) and will have laneways that are unfortunately used as toilets or even worse.
If an apartment is significantly cheaper than other similar apartments in the neighbourhood, do your research. Is “close to night life” code for located above a popular bar? Is it on or near a market street such as rue Cler or rue Mouftard where delivery vans start before 7am every morning? Does “adjacent to **insert name of current Instagram must visit**” mean you will be battling hordes of visitors armed with selfie sticks and red dresses at all hours?
Here is also where Google maps is your absolute friend. While checking the location is best before you book, many platforms will not give you the exact address until you make a booking. Assuming you can get a refund on any deposit you have paid (see my list of red flags above), check the location on Google maps as soon as you can access the address. Look on the map for things like access to the Metro as well as shops and restaurants. You should be looking for small supermarkets (Carrefour and Franprix are common chains in Paris), good quality shops and restaurants, rather than rows of kebab houses and take aways, and discount stores. Use the Google street view function to check out the surrounding streets, and be sure they meet your requirements.
If you don’t have the exact address you can try screen shotting any exterior photographs of the building or streetscape and then search for the location on Google Lens.
Finally, talk to the property owner or manager before you make a booking. Reputable companies will often tell you anything you need to know before you book listed in the description of the property, including proximity to loading docks and other noisy things to be aware of. Honest owners and managers want your business and want you to be happy in their property, so should be honest and be willing to answer your questions. If you cannot satisfy yourself that the location is acceptable to you, don’t be afraid to walk away.
Listing platforms
Websites such as Airbnb, bookingdotcom and VRBO (branded as Stayz in Australia and bookabach in New Zealand) operate as listing platforms. Any owner or property manager can list a property with little, if any, involvement of the platform. The properties are not inspected and you need to make your own enquiries as to the veracity of anything stated on the listing.
Check locations carefully before booking, as sometimes properties listed on these platforms are in the suburbs, rather than in central Paris. Assume that any property more than 30mins from Notre Dame (the official centre of Paris) is in the suburbs. If you have access to the address, check it has a central Paris postcode (starting with 75), and if the property location is described by a name you have not come across in your planning (such as the Marais, St Germain, Latin Quarter) look that location up and check it is in central Paris and is a neighbourhood you are comfortable with.
France Travel Planning travel tip
On bookingdotcom I am aware of people booking apartments that don’t exist when they turn up having paid their money and thinking they had a confirmed booking. Airbnb was infamous at one point for listing unregistered properties in Paris, resulting in late notice cancellations when the local authorities shut the illegal rentals down.
So how do you avoid booking a fake or illegal rental apartment in Paris?
- Check there is a registration number visible on the listing
- On bookingdotcom check how long the property has been on the website, and only book properties that have many, many reviews (there is no absolute number, but obviously the more, the better). While a new booking with only a handful of reviews does not necessarily mean there is a problem with the property, understand that it lacks “social proof” of being as it should be
- Only book Superhost properties on Airbnb and from Premier Hosts on VRBO. These hosts have demonstrated over time that they provide a quality experience (and haven’t misrepresented the property).
Managed rental companies
While everyone rushes to Airbnb, VRBO or bookingdotcom, my favorite Paris apartment booking agencies are managed rental companies. These companies represent and manage the properties they list and usually require the properties to meet certain criteria. In the case of Plum Guide, all properties are inspected and must meet certain standards prior to being accepted, whereas other companies such as Paris Perfect own and operate many of their properties, and developed the properties they don’t own.
Along with Vacation in Paris, Plum Guide and Paris Perfect are my preferred Paris apartment booking platforms. Their property descriptions are detailed, and they are very upfront about the good and bad points of the apartment and its location. The other thing I really like about them is that it is very easy to contact them before you book, so you can ask questions.
You can research Plum Guide Paris apartments here >>
Vacation in Paris tends to be a more budget friendly option (although non-American readers should note they charge in US dollars), Plum Guide is very good quality with extensive listings in central Paris, and upmarket nearby suburbs, and Paris Perfect is uniformly upmarket, with extremely well equipped and located apartments. They also price in US dollars.
Other managed rental companies that have been recommended within the France Travel Planning Facebook group (but which I have no direct experience of) are:
Paris Attitude (good for longer term rentals)
Aparthotels
Aparthotels are a great choice if you are nervous to go it alone in Paris, or are looking for something with all the amenities of an apartment, but with the convenience of a hotel reception and concierge services.
What is an Aparthotel? An aparthotel is like a hotel, but rather than rooms or suites, the accommodation is in self contained apartments. Apartment sizes vary from small studios up to multi-bedroom offerings perfect for families or groups of friends. As a bare minimum they will include small kitchenettes and shared laundry facilities, although fully equipped kitchens and washing machines in the apartment are available in some buildings. They normally have 24hour receptions, and will often have public lounge areas. Some even have breakfast rooms.
Popular Paris aparthotel brands are Adagio (part of the Accor group) and Citadines, but if you look at the offerings on bookingdotcom, smaller aparthotels (usually just one at one location) are available.
You can find Adagio aparthotels here >>
You can find Citadines aparthotels here >>
Are you a Paris apartment owner or manager, with your own website for your apartments? I’d love to hear from you if you would like to be considered for listing in this post. Reach out to me on chieffrugalista@frugalfirstclasstravel.com and let’s discuss!
Plan your trip to Paris here
The Ultimate Paris Address Book includes 500 places to sleep, eat, shop and see. Arranged in a convenient arrondissement by arrondissement style, The Ultimate Paris Address Book is like a concierge on your phone.
Last update on 2026-10-15 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
