Paris is a big city. But not that big. Most people want to stay within Paris proper, which means within the 20 districts (the arrondissements) that make up the central city. (Click on the map to the side to view the districts, numbered faintly on the map.)

For better or worse, Anglophone enclaves tend to be found in the 4th (Marais), the 6th, and the 15th arrondissements. There are also plenty of rentals available in the 3rd, 5th, 10th, 11th, 14th, and 18th. The other arrondissements have some rentals, but may be too central (the 1st or 2nd), too remote (the outer reaches of the 17th or of the 13th), or too ethnically mixed (19th, 20th) for some renters. (Hey, I'm not making judgments! I love the more remote arrondissements -- they feel connected to real life. But that's not everybody's thing, I guess.)

In general, you should insist on seeing pictures of the apartment, and you should check out the address (for example, using Google Earth – or even viewing a picture of the building in the French yellow pages (www.pages-jaunes.fr). Lodging on very busy streets may be noisy, and some very central locations may have limited access to affordable markets. (On the other hand, they may provide great access to museums and other tourist destinations, so weigh your options.)

It is highly desirable to be within a couple of minutes of a métro station. The RATP (transit authority) provides a free pdf map showing transit routes and streets, and you can download it here.

How big is big?

Paris apartments are not measured in square feet, but in square meters. One square meter is 10.7 square feet, so if you measure in feet, you are pretty safe just multiplying by ten. For example, a 40 m2 (square meter) apartment is a little over 400 square feet.

Apartments tend to be compact Paris (as in most large cities). The following sizes are a good rule of thumb:

• Studio: 16-25 m2
• 1 BR: 20-45 m2
• 2 BR: 45-80 m2
• 3 BR: 70-100 m2

There is nothing sacred about these sizes, but if you see a 2 bedroom apartment at 35 m2, you can be pretty sure the second BR has you sleeping vertically; conversely a 1 bedroom that measures 60 m2 will be palatial by Parisian standards.

How much is too much?

This is a subjective question, worthy of a subjective answer. As elsewhere, prices are determined largely by what the market will bear. Lots depends on location, size, and quality, but here are a few indicators:

For very short-term rentals (a few days to a couple of weeks), you should expect a range of:

• Studio: 100-200 euros/night
• 1 Bedroom: 150-250 euros/night
• 2 Bedroom: 200-300 euros/night

Note that this is very rough: some rooms can go for as little as 75 euros/night; some luxury apartments may cost many hundreds per night.

Medium- to long-term rentals (usually two months to 1 year):

• Studio: 700-1000 euros/month
• 1 Bedroom: 1200-2500 euros/month
• 2 Bedroom: 1700-4000 euros/month

Again, the range is vaste. Lower prices will generally be had by finding person-to-person ads (see “Classifieds” in the Listings.)

How late is too late?

With rental agencies, it is best to try to line up your housing at least a couple of months before departure. Person-to-person rentals (via the Classifieds) will often require less lead time; in fact, classified ads tend to appear only weeks before a property becomes available for rental.

The longer your stay, the better it is to plan ahead — keeping in mind that the French rental market uses relatively little lead time. Also, the pickier you are about size (two or three bedrooms can be very hard to find), the earlier you should start your search.

If you like to live dangerously, you can also hunt through the rental agency sites at the last

minute; some offer special promotions on properties that are not booked.