How To Plan A Month In Paris
How To Plan A Month In Paris
Staying for a month in Paris is a dream and one we were able to accomplish this summer with proper planning. Today I am sharing how to plan a month in Paris, so you can make this dream happen.
This has been something we have thought about for years and are so grateful and thankful for the memorable experience.
In case you’re wondering how we did this with work. I work on the blog full-time and am able to be remote. My husband is also remote and received approval to do this while in Paris.
Which Month To Stay In Paris
Deciding which month to stay in Paris is critical and played a big part in our decision factor. The summer worked best for us due to school schedules but we couldn’t go until July due to other summer commitments.
Next time, we would prefer to go from the middle of June through the middle of July for several reasons. The weather is better in June than in July, however, we were very blessed with amazing weather during the month of July.
There aren’t as many tourists yet during the month of June and still plenty of locals. By the end of our month in July, Paris seemed very empty. All the Parisians leave for their own vacations during July and especially in August. The city is empty and doesn’t feel normal without a bunch of Parisians around.
Kids in Paris do not get out of school until the first of July, so all the summer camps do not start until this time as well.
What Kind Of Budget Is Available For A Month In Paris
Obviously, budget is a big factor to consider as well. You will need to budget not only for your apartment but also for food, entertainment, shopping, and day or weekend trips outside of Paris.
Paris is the kind of city where it’s easy to get sucked into sitting down at a café for afternoon wine or evening apéro, so always plan more than what you think you are going to spend on food and dining out.
You can do Paris on any kind of budget but I would say keep in mind things you don’t plan on budgeting for. We ended up needing to buy an additional fan for our apartment, then we bought other random things like house shoes and extra socks, and of course, we shopped.
Also, keep in mind you will need to buy things for the apartment as well. Toilet paper, laundry detergent, hand soap, etc.. if these things aren’t provided or you run out. All of these items can add up so make sure to budget for these as well.
Decide Which Arroindissement You Want To Stay
Since we were already familiar with Paris, we knew specific areas in which we preferred to stay for the month. We also knew areas we didn’t want to stay in for the month and we preferred not to stay on the Right Bank.
For us, being close to Luxembourg, our favorite cafés like Les Deux Magots, and Le Bonaparte were also important. This is also a central location to other places we like to visit as well. Easy access to the Louvre, Museé d’Orsay, the Tuileries.
Decide what things you want to do, what you want to see, and where you think you would feel most comfortable. Also, keep in mind the correlation between where you are staying and how long it will take to walk or ride to specific places.
Reach Out To Find An Apartment
Finding an apartment is the other big hurdle to figure out when trying to stay a month in Paris. I reached out to several people on social media I knew who lived in Paris to ask them if they had any connections.
We were lucky enough to find an apartment through a friend of a friend. Sometimes, this is the best way to find your apartment in Paris.
There are several agencies you can go through but obviously, those come with a higher price. You can check out Paris Perfect, Haven In, VRBO, the and Plum Guide to see what they have to offer.
You just want to make sure wherever you are renting from, it’s a reliable source and will provide assistance if needed during the month’s stay.
What To Do For Kids For The Month
Once we found our apartment, the other big item I needed to do was find something for London, our 10-year-old daughter to do during the month. I knew after a certain period of time she would be tired of going to museums or hanging out with us every day.
She needed kids her own age to play with and interact during the month. I ended up putting her in camp at the American School of Paris because it was an English-speaking camp, and she didn’t speak French. I was given the option of other camps for the month but they were all for French-speaking children, so I opted for the ASP.
London went to camp for two weeks which was a benefit for all of us. The rest of the time, we took a few weekend trips and made our way around Paris.
The city offers plenty to do with kids, it’s just a matter of how old your children are and what they want to do. I do suggest pushing them outside of their comfort zones and trying new things, eating new things, and seeing new things.
Start Making Appropriate Reservations
Everyone’s agenda will be different when staying in Paris for the month. We did not want to schedule in advance a lot of dining reservations because we wanted to see where the day would take us.
However, if there are certain restaurants you must eat in during your stay then I highly suggest making reservations before you go.
Also, if you are doing day or weekend trips of any kind and need hotel reservations or train tickets, you will also want to get those ahead of time as well.
During the month we also did two tours with Fat Bike Tours, a day trip to Claude Monet’s House and a nighttime bike tour around Paris. I made both of those tour reservations before we arrived for the month.
Transportation
If you plan on riding the metro during your month stay you will want to buy the Navigo for a month, it’s around 84 euros. We did this the second day we were there and it paid for itself within a week.
It’s a card you will use to access riding on the metro and it’s a big advantage not having to buy a new metro ticket for every ride.
We also used G7 several times to schedule taxi rides when we needed to be somewhere specific at a certain time, like the airport or train station.
Before You Go
Obviously, before going to Paris for a month there are a lot of things to do at home. Make sure passports are up to date, mail is stopped, pets are taken care of, and phone plans are up to date for international travel.
Also, don’t forget to pack adaptors and other essentials you may need. Of course, you can buy anything you might forget.
Staying for a month in Paris can be easier than it seems with the proper planning ahead of time. This was absolutely one of the best experiences and months for all of us and one we plan on doing again.
I’ve been waiting for you to post about the details of planning your month in Paris! However, I was really hoping you would provide more specifics about the costs, particularly around lodging. I get that you were able to avoid going through an agency to rent your apartment, but for those of us who dream of a trip like this, some actual numbers would have been helpful.
Are there things you packed for a month-long stay that you wouldn’t pack for a week-long stay (besides the amount of clothes)? I know you bought beauty/personal items once you got there. Thanks!