Three Months in Paris
I'm a 59-year-old woman who is retiring soon and I'd like to spend three months in Paris (I'm aware of the Schengen restrictions) studying at the Alliance Francaise. I already speak the language fairly well.
My question: what would be the best and most economical way to house myself (solo) for three months? I feel I'm too old for student accommodations, which I think are pretty hard to come by, anyway. Could I rent an apartment? Does anyone have any ideas?
Gwen
Los Angeles 10/15/12
Send Private Message
Absolutely. Rent a furnished apartment. I "met" a woman on this board who is currently in the middle of three months in Paris after retirement. She happened to rent the same apartment where my husband and I spent a week last spring. I'm thinking it was about euro 1800-1900/month. Look at VRBO.com and Homeaway.com. You'll probably find that looking a little way out from the tourist center will get you more for your money (i.e., maybe 13th or 14th arrondisement). Happy planning!
I know who Janet is speaking of and she's having a great time. I've spent a lot of time in Paris, also went to the Alliance (a hundred years ago), and it's so much fun to live there. I'd also recommend parisbestlodge.com and vip.com.
We've used parisattitude.com to rent 2 apts and were happy with them. They're a little more complicated when it comes to payment than the 2 above though.
We stayed in Paris for work for 6 months in 2007 and found our apartment on Sabbaticalhomes.com.
Although not on the subject of your question, here are two sites that could be of interest since you already have a good grasp of the language:
the Sorbonne has lectures and courses for retired people
http://www.paris-sorbonne.fr/nos-formations/l-universite-inter-ages/onglet-1-3312
There are also lectures at the Louvre:
http://www.louvre.fr/conferences-et-colloques?nrppage=15
and short series of courses in the galleries, an hour or two a week for 5 week cycles. I had membership in a few museums, which allowed me unlimited access.
Thanks for the great suggestions!
You should also look into Vacations in Paris. They are a NJ based company and you pay in US dollars and they send you the key before your trip. I have an apartment booked through them for June 2013. I've heard great things about them. A coworker recently stayed in one of their apartments and they had no issues.
You're making me want to spend a month or more in Paris soon. I've been there every year for the past 10 years. I rented a couple of small, inexpensive studio apartments a few years ago. I felt isolated, since there was nobody to greet me at the door and I was alone mostly. If you're at school part of the day, isolation in your lodgings may not matter.
I would try to find a place thru airbnb.com first, then I'd look for long-term apartment rentals. Studio apartments can feel fairly cramped if spending a lot of time there. If you're gone most of the time, it may not matter. If you can find lodging within walking distance of your school, that would be a plus.
vip.com which I recommended above is Vacation in Paris.
It's my understanding that Vacation in Paris doesn't do longer term rentals...