Today I got an email that touches on a subject I’ve been asked about often, so I thought I’d share the response with all of you:
“Heather, My husband and I are taking a 7 day trip to Paris in September. We want to rent an apartment, but I am have no idea what area to rent in. Everything looks nice online, but you don’t know if it’s in the worst area of town. I know that you would be able to help.”
The apartment agencies listed in the Paris Accommodation section normally only list apartments in the central, safe, tourist-friendly neighborhoods like the Islands (1st, 4th arrondissements), the Louvre/Palais Royal (1st), the Marais (3rd,4th), the Latin Quarter (5th), St-Germain-des-Prés (6th), Invalides/Eiffel Tower (7th), Opéra/Grands Boulevards (9th) and Montmartre (18th). There are less interesting, less central, less pretty areas of Paris, but as far as “bad” areas of town, you wouldn’t see any reputable agencies renting out apartments in those areas, such as between the train tracks on the east end of the 18th arrondissement (I would not put my mother in a hotel anywhere east of Montmartre). There are some areas of the 9th that are not pretty, seedy sex shops around Pigalle, and some around the rue St-Denis in the 2nd. I wouldn’t stay in any of the outer edges of the north or east Paris, but I don’t think there are any areas on the Left Bank or the 8th or 16th that I would say are “dangerous”, just some areas that are not very interesting or are too far from public transportation.
This is becoming a long answer, because sometimes it really depends on the exact street, how close it is to the metro and shops, etc, and it’s more important to be cautious when you’re renting direct from an owner on a site like Craig’s List or from FUSAC. But as I said, you pretty much can’t go wrong with anything in the first 8 arrondissements, and legitimate apartment rental agencies wouldn’t even list apartments outside safe areas, so don’t stress too much!