FAQs

Lodging in Paris

Parisian districts or arrondissements

Paris is divided into 20 districts called arrondissements (more here on Wikipedia). The districts are numbered from 1 to 20 in a clockwise spiral starting from the center of Paris

• 1 to 6 is the center of Paris, very touristy, and very expensive
• 7, 8, 16 and 17 are the wealthier districts with 16 being the most residential (and quiet)
• 9, 10, 11 are up-and-coming working class districts
• 12, 13, 14, 15 are residential districts (very calm, very quiet)
• 18, 19, 20 are the underprivileged districts and can sometimes be dangerous, depending on the area (sorry, this is a generalization, but it would take a long time to go into this subject in depth).

Hotels

• Like with the flights, avoid booking too early and avoid booking too late
• Booking.com = my favorite site to book hotels
  • An inexpensive hotel room = 70-100 euros per night
  • A mid-priced hotel room = 100-200 euros per night
  • An expensive hotel room = 200-300 euros per night
• Pros to booking a hotel
  • AC
  • Elevators
  • English speaking front desk
• Cons to booking a hotel
  • Must eat out a lot
  • Rooms are often small

Airbnb

• Pricing
  • Similar to the hotel, but really varies based on district and size of the apartment
• Pros to booking an airbnb
  • Cooking at home
  • More authentic experience
  • Probably more suited for families with kids
• Cons to booking an airbnb
  • Many don’t have AC and can be quite hot (avoid the upper floor apartments which can get really warm)
  • Many don’t have elevators