Paris Lodging on a Budget

For Paris budget lodging, I would highly suggest renting an apartment. You'll have much more room than you would in any but a five star hotel, with the added benefit of a kitchen with a refrigerator and stove. If you shop around carefully, you can find a beautiful one bedroom apartment in the heart of historic Paris for under $100 a night. The apartment we usually stay in has a dvd player, a vcr, a stereo, and a library of dvd's, cd's and vcr tapes. How many hotel rooms can boast that? And keep in mind, that the first floor is the second floor to us - ground floor is the first floor, taken up by shops.

Having a kitchen will allow you to keep simple food on hand for snacking, and it's wonderful to get up in the morning, prepare your own fresh coffee, and sit on your balcony and watch the sun rise over Paris, while still in your pajamas. Another benefit of having your own apartment is that most include a washer and dryer, so that means you can travel very lightly and do a quick load of laundry one evening, midway through your trip. It's easy enough to come home to change for dinner, toss your your laundry in the washer, and when you return from dinner, toss it in the dryer.

Staying in an apartment affords you with the real feeling of living like a Parisian. You can reside for a week or two in a real Parisian neighborhood, where the women are pushing their baby trams, neighbors are mingling, and you get to know the owner of the neighborhood market right down the street. It's a little bit of a slower, more relaxing pace than staying in a typical hotel.

However, if you prefer to stay in a hotel, the choices seem to be endless. There are one star, budget hotels, all the way up to five star luxury hotels. One thing I will say about Paris, is that it's very different from cities in the U.S. There are no "bad" areas; there are no areas too far away from the major sights. The Metro allows you to travel within the city quite quickly. An advantage to staying in a hotel is that there will always be staff available to assist you.

Keep in mind that if you rent an apartment, you will pay in advance, and most apartment owners will require a refundable deposit. Hotels operate the same as here in the U.S. You can make a reservation, give a credit card for a guarantee, and then you'll pay by credit card at the hotel.

You'll need to decide if you want to be on the left bank or the right bank of the Seine in Paris. The two sections have a very different feel. I can't recommend one over the other; it depends on what you're looking for. The right bank is more elegant and sophisticated, while the left bank is more bohemian and free-spirited.

Apartments tend to book early, and hotels are difficult to book during high season, or during events such as Fashion Week. We booked our apartment for our stay during Fashion Week in January, and Fashion week is in September! Planning ahead can be essential to getting exactly the lodging that you want.

Back to Top