How to rent an apartment in Paris - Several tips for France travellers and a feedback about my experience staying in Paris-France.
I with my girlfriend went to Paris in August.
We had a good experience with studio apt in Marais through Paris rentals services. The windows were big, letting in a lot of light. There was also a balcony which belongs to the room. Relatively cheap and situated within a walking distance of the great monuments. That helped us to save transport costs.
We looked through web pages of dozens of agencies to rent flat in Paris and now we can tell you for sure why I stopped at Glamourpartments.
First, they have clear English descriptions and instructions. Some of the descriptions were not written by the native speakers, of course - but I didn’t care. They speak and write good English. Second - 50 percent of the rental price is paid upon arrival (NOT 30/60/90 days before it ). Third, is that a lot of flats were available for my staying in Paris. Glamour apartments accepts credit cards and you can pay in U.S. dollars. We can pay the rental fee by the credit card and a security deposit can be paid in cash. It was returned as we didn’t broke anything on the check-out.
We sent sms to the agency mobile number +33698765775 to confirmed that we were in the taxi on the way to the apartment. When we came to the apartment the girl from the agency was waiting for us in front of the entrance to make a check-in. They even gave us a bottle of vine as a present!Then, the next day, the girl from the agency called us to see that we were ok.
If you’re going to travel Paris, here are my several tips for you:
1. Always check the 3-day forecast at your destination on the internet. You never know when it’s going to get really cold.
2. Avoid wearing tennis shoes (Nikes etc.) because it tells everyone you’re a tourist. Black shoes are a necessity if you want to go into most nightclubs. Also, bring along black pants and try to avoid jeans. The Parisian women dress with style and if you don’t approximate a little bit of it yourself, you’ll feel under dressed and dowdy. Bring along some scarves, costume jewelry and forget your jeans and white athletic shoes.
3. Buy a weekly Metro pass for 16.80 Euros!!! Weekly passes are available for unlimited travel in zones 1-2 (the most you will likely need that covers all quarters of Paris) beginning on Mondays through Sundays. You will need to get a pass called Carte Orange in order to buy a weekly subway ticket. Bring an extra passport sized photo of yourself, or use one of the many photo booths available at Metro stations, and then ask for a Carte Orange at the kiosk.
4. Buy a museum pass! If you want to visit as many world-class museums as you can in 2, 4 or 6 days, get the convenience of a museum pass. Ticket are available may be bought online at the website of the Paris Tourism Office. If you prefer to visit galleries at a more leisurely pace, admission is in fact very affordable - anywhere from 9-20 Euros per ticket. (PS If you’re in Paris the first Sunday of the month, many museums have free admission.)
5. Traveling in and around France? Consider a Rail Europe rail pass. You need to buy a Rail Europe pass in advance of your trip while you are still in North America. There are many advantages to traveling by train, (but also keep in mind Europe’s own budget airlines make air travel very affordable.)
6. Save on bank fees, use traveler’s checks. Instead of relying on ATMs in Europe which can charge high fees for withdrawals, consider the safety of bringing traveler’s checks on your trip. There’s an American Express center in the tourist heart of the city in the 8th arrondissement that will cash your (American Express) traveler’s checks without any fees. They speak English there, as well as at least 10 other languages.
Hope you’ll enjoy the City of love – Paris. I want to recommend the Glamourapartments if you looking for flat rental services! I have spent unforgettable vacation in Paris!