 |
| Le Marais house |
Since launching in 2008, Airbnb has blossomed into an enormous community
that connects travellers with unique accommodation around the world.
Similarly to the Uber generation (the worlds biggest taxi booking service that
owns no cars) with bookings from over 60 million guests, Airbnb do not own
a single property - rather they serve as a platform for hosts to advertise their
spare spaces. From quaint apartments to castles and house boats, there’s
currently over two million listings on Airbnb to choose from.
Last year, Beyond Pricing reported Paris
was most popular city on Airbnb, with
over 43,800 listings it cleared second
most popular city, New York, by over
10,000 spaces. Paris is notorious for it’s
tiny hotel rooms that are usually ac-
companied by a not-so-tiny price tag.
On Airbnb, you can rent a real Parisian
studio from as little as £20 a night, so it’s not hard to see why this platform is
so popular in the French capital. What’s
more is that staying in one of these listings will give you a much more authentic
Parisian experience than any hotel room
will.
Though it has become a great source for budget-travel, with Airbnb you don’t have to skimp on luxury either. Just £60 a night will get you a spacious Hausmannian one bed, complete with stunning traditional French windows and architecture. If you’ve got a little more to spend, £124 will get you a trendy three-person duplex in Le Marais (see top image) or for £200 per night you can stay in a 17th century Saint Germain mansion.
As you can see from the pictures, Paris- ians certainly know a thing or two about interior design, yet all retain a perfect Parisian charm that will make you feel like a local.
The Local Experience
There’s two ways to book your stay, either choose a space where you rent out the entire place, or just rent a private room within someone’s home. Bunking up with a local can be a great way to get advice on what to do and see during your stay, your Parisian host will know of the best spots you won’t nd in your guide- book.
Paris-based Airbnb host Lia Moreau
rents up to two private rooms in her
colourful apartment in La Chapelle. “I bought the apartment opposite and
knocked the wall through to make one
big apartment. I keep one side for me
and the other for my guests with a big
shared lounge and kitchen area. I always
leave a map of the area in the bedroom,
where are spotted all shops you might
need and a list of helpful information. In
the living room, I leave a “tips" book with
all of my favourite places in the area”.
Plus, you can’t get much more authentic
than sharing a space with a true Parisienne. However if you’re looking for a romantic
hideaway or shared spaces aren’t for
you, there’s still thousands of listings on Airbnb to enjoy all to yourself – just
make sure to get as many tips from your
host before or on arrival.
Though it has become a great source for budget-travel, with Airbnb you don’t have to skimp on luxury either. Just £60 a night will get you a spacious Hausmannian one bed, complete with stunning traditional French windows and architecture. If you’ve got a little more to spend, £124 will get you a trendy three-person duplex in Le Marais (see top image) or for £200 per night you can stay in a 17th century Saint Germain mansion.
As you can see from the pictures, Paris- ians certainly know a thing or two about interior design, yet all retain a perfect Parisian charm that will make you feel like a local.
The Local Experience
There’s two ways to book your stay, either choose a space where you rent out the entire place, or just rent a private room within someone’s home. Bunking up with a local can be a great way to get advice on what to do and see during your stay, your Parisian host will know of the best spots you won’t nd in your guide- book.
 |
| Lia's Apartment |
French at-mates aside, there’s plenty
more reasons using Airbnb will make
your stay more authentic. If you’ve
stayed in one, you’ll know Parisian hotels
are often located in clusters around the
busiest tourism hot-spots in the city, be it in and around the Champs Elysées
and Arc du Triomphe or by the Louvre
and Tuileries Jardins. Most apartments
on Airbnb, however, are situated in
local, residential neighbourhoods that otherwise you would have no reason for exploring.
It’s these neighbourhoods that are often filled with the best local cafés and bakeries, you’ll easily stumble upon hidden gems in the form of charming boutiques in places like Montmartre or Pigalle, for example, or great restaurants and bars in districts like Republique.
Photographer Elisabeth Kirkman, often uses Airbnb on her trips to Paris for Fashion Week, “this Paris Fashion Week season just gone was my fourth time staying in an Airbnb apartment. I don’t think I’ll go back to hotels – it’s much more homely coming pack to a pretty French apartment as opposed to a poky hotel room. Every host I’ve met has always been really friendly and helpful, and I love finding nice cafés and restaurants around the local areas.”
You’ll almost always have your own kitchen and cooking equipment when booking an Airbnb space in Paris. This too means you can live like a local, pick- ing up bread or pastries for breakfast from the local boulangerie means you’ll save on overpriced crepes and, let’s face it, it’ll be a hell of a lot nicer than the ‘continental’ crap you’ll get at a hotel.
Simply enjoying a cup of co free on the balcony whilst taking in views of your local French street can feel oh-so-Pa- risian, once you figure out how to work the damn machine of course, perhaps another tip you should get from your host. Whilst exploring the local cuisine is an absolute must, if you’re in the city for a few nights, cooking dinner in your Parisian apartment is really quite homely and again gives you a real sense of ‘living’ in Paris.
Booking Your Trip
Tens of thousands of listings in one city can be quite overwhelming, and there’s some de nite scouring involved when
it comes to finding the perfect Parisian apartment for you. There is, however, a few things you can do to make the task a little easier. Airbnb’s easy-to-use search tool will help you filter listings according to dates, price range, amenities and so on, this will narrow things down a little.
local, residential neighbourhoods that otherwise you would have no reason for exploring.
It’s these neighbourhoods that are often filled with the best local cafés and bakeries, you’ll easily stumble upon hidden gems in the form of charming boutiques in places like Montmartre or Pigalle, for example, or great restaurants and bars in districts like Republique.
Photographer Elisabeth Kirkman, often uses Airbnb on her trips to Paris for Fashion Week, “this Paris Fashion Week season just gone was my fourth time staying in an Airbnb apartment. I don’t think I’ll go back to hotels – it’s much more homely coming pack to a pretty French apartment as opposed to a poky hotel room. Every host I’ve met has always been really friendly and helpful, and I love finding nice cafés and restaurants around the local areas.”
You’ll almost always have your own kitchen and cooking equipment when booking an Airbnb space in Paris. This too means you can live like a local, pick- ing up bread or pastries for breakfast from the local boulangerie means you’ll save on overpriced crepes and, let’s face it, it’ll be a hell of a lot nicer than the ‘continental’ crap you’ll get at a hotel.
Simply enjoying a cup of co free on the balcony whilst taking in views of your local French street can feel oh-so-Pa- risian, once you figure out how to work the damn machine of course, perhaps another tip you should get from your host. Whilst exploring the local cuisine is an absolute must, if you’re in the city for a few nights, cooking dinner in your Parisian apartment is really quite homely and again gives you a real sense of ‘living’ in Paris.
 |
| Saint Germain mansion |
Tens of thousands of listings in one city can be quite overwhelming, and there’s some de nite scouring involved when
it comes to finding the perfect Parisian apartment for you. There is, however, a few things you can do to make the task a little easier. Airbnb’s easy-to-use search tool will help you filter listings according to dates, price range, amenities and so on, this will narrow things down a little.
Next up is choosing your neighbour-
hood/ district, again Airbnb can help
with this. If you’ve found a few you like
the look of, scroll down to the map part of their page for a description on
the area. They keep it brief, but a few
choice words will help you decide if it’s
the kind of place you’re looking for.
For example, Airbnb describes Le Marais as “Scenes form a Woody Allen lm” along with “LGBTQ, Bohemian, Art Galleries, Fashion”and La Chapelle as “Tasty treats from around the world” with words “Ex- otic, Multicultural, Crowded, Market”, giving you a short but e ective synopsis of the area and how appropriate it may be for you. They’ll also tell you if the area is ‘Touristy’, so for something a little more authentic, you’ll know to avoid those spots.
From here, you can then use their search tool to zoom in on your desired area where it will then give you all relevant spaces in that specific location. Another tip for sussing out the area would be to take a peak at the address on Google’s street view - this will give you a real-life look at what to expect in the area and just how local it is.
Message your host. Airbnb’s messaging feature is easy to use on your laptop, tablet or phone and notices you as a social sharing app would. You’ll also get an email and text with every new message so you won’t miss anything important. Here you can con rm dates, ask any questions to the host, from whether you can have your fashion week invitations posted there for example, or the nearest metro stations and airport connections. A good host will be promt to respond and making contact before your trip is a good way to get to know them first.
A good host will also have good reviews. When you think you’ve found your perfect place, take a good read through the reviews to make sure it definitely is perfect. Fellow travellers are here able to warn you of any problems with the accommodation or host (things to watch out for: communication errors, funny smells and area safety, for example). And as this is a community, it works both ways, you too will get a review of your stay as a guest that future hosts can see.
This travel site has revolutionised the way we travel, connecting not only people to places but to other like minded people. Download the app, have a browse through the endless Parisian places. Live like a local and see which one will be your home away from home next time you visit Pairs for an authentic, memorable experience.
Images courtesy of Airbnb
For example, Airbnb describes Le Marais as “Scenes form a Woody Allen lm” along with “LGBTQ, Bohemian, Art Galleries, Fashion”and La Chapelle as “Tasty treats from around the world” with words “Ex- otic, Multicultural, Crowded, Market”, giving you a short but e ective synopsis of the area and how appropriate it may be for you. They’ll also tell you if the area is ‘Touristy’, so for something a little more authentic, you’ll know to avoid those spots.
From here, you can then use their search tool to zoom in on your desired area where it will then give you all relevant spaces in that specific location. Another tip for sussing out the area would be to take a peak at the address on Google’s street view - this will give you a real-life look at what to expect in the area and just how local it is.
Message your host. Airbnb’s messaging feature is easy to use on your laptop, tablet or phone and notices you as a social sharing app would. You’ll also get an email and text with every new message so you won’t miss anything important. Here you can con rm dates, ask any questions to the host, from whether you can have your fashion week invitations posted there for example, or the nearest metro stations and airport connections. A good host will be promt to respond and making contact before your trip is a good way to get to know them first.
A good host will also have good reviews. When you think you’ve found your perfect place, take a good read through the reviews to make sure it definitely is perfect. Fellow travellers are here able to warn you of any problems with the accommodation or host (things to watch out for: communication errors, funny smells and area safety, for example). And as this is a community, it works both ways, you too will get a review of your stay as a guest that future hosts can see.
This travel site has revolutionised the way we travel, connecting not only people to places but to other like minded people. Download the app, have a browse through the endless Parisian places. Live like a local and see which one will be your home away from home next time you visit Pairs for an authentic, memorable experience.
Images courtesy of Airbnb
Post a Comment