Paris changes you. It’s not just the butter or the way the light hits the limestone in the 11th arrondissement at 4:00 PM. It’s the rhythm. When we were staying in paris last summer, the city felt like it was exhaling after holding its breath for the 2024 Olympics. Everyone expected a permanent price hike. They expected crowds that would make the Metro unbearable. But honestly? The reality was weirder and much more nuanced than the headlines suggested.
The city was quiet. Eerily so in some spots.
If you’ve ever tried to book a flat in Le Marais, you know the drill. You scroll through dozens of listings that look like they were decorated by the same IKEA-obsessed ghost. But during our stay, the vacancy rates were actually higher than the previous year. Data from firms like AirDNA showed a significant "Olympic hangover" where hosts overleveraged their properties, expecting gold-medal payouts that never materialized. This created a strange window for travelers. We found ourselves in a city that was technically "expensive" on paper, yet desperate for actual bodies in beds.
The Logistics of Living Like a Local
Staying in a hotel is fine for a weekend, but if you're there for a month, you need a boulangerie. You need a "guy."
While we were staying in paris, our "guy" was the man at the cheese stall in Marché d'Aligre. He didn't speak much English, and my French is, frankly, embarrassing. But we had a routine. That’s the secret to the city. Paris isn't a bucket list; it's a series of habits. Most tourists make the mistake of staying in the 1st or 7th arrondissements. Big mistake. Huge. You end up surrounded by other people holding selfie sticks and paying 8 euros for a café crème that tastes like burnt rubber.
Instead, look at the 10th or the 20th.
The 10th arrondissement, specifically around Canal Saint-Martin, is where the actual soul of the city has migrated. It’s gritty. It smells like diesel and expensive perfume. It’s perfect. When you’re living there, you realize that the "Parisian Myth" is mostly sold to people who never leave the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. The real city is found in the crowded bars like Le Comptoir Général or the tiny bookstores where the owner smokes right outside the door despite the rain.
Why Timing is Everything (and Why We Got it Wrong)
We arrived in late August.
Mistake.
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August in Paris is La Rentrée—or rather, the lead-up to it. Half the city is shuttered. You’ll walk up to a beautiful bistro you found on a blog only to see a handwritten sign: Fermeture Annuelle. Closed for the month. The locals flee to the south or to Brittany, leaving the city to the ghosts and the Americans.
However, there is a silver lining. The silence is a gift. You can actually walk across the Pont Neuf without being elbowed. You can sit in the Jardin du Luxembourg and actually hear the wind in the trees instead of the constant drone of tour buses. If you’re planning a trip, the sweet spot is actually late September. The weather holds, the shops reopen, and the "back to school" energy gives the streets a frantic, intellectual buzz that is quintessentially French.
Where We Were Staying in Paris: The Housing Crisis
Let's talk about the elephant in the room: Short-term rentals are killing the city.
During the time we were staying in paris, the local government was in the middle of a massive crackdown on Airbnb. If you’re looking for a place now, you’ll notice the "Registration Number" requirement is much stricter. Mayor Anne Hidalgo has been vocal about this. The goal is to keep Parisians in Paris. It’s a noble goal, but it makes finding a legal, long-term stay a logistical nightmare for foreigners.
We opted for a "Bail Mobilité."
This is a specific type of French lease designed for stays between one and ten months. It’s a lifesaver. It’s tax-exempt for the most part, and it gives you legal protections that a standard vacation rental doesn't. If a host asks you to pay under the table or move to a different platform, run. Seriously. The French bureaucracy is a labyrinth, and you do not want to be on the wrong side of the Préfecture de Police.
The Cost Breakdown Nobody Tells You
People say Paris is expensive. They’re right. But they’re also wrong.
If you shop at the Monoprix on the Champs-Élysées, you’ll go broke. If you shop at the local marché and drink the house wine (which is usually excellent), you can live quite well on a moderate budget. While we were staying in paris, our biggest expense wasn't food or wine; it was the "convenience tax."
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- The Metro: Get a Navigo Découverte card. Don't buy single tickets. The paper tickets are being phased out anyway, and they’re a rip-off.
- Dining: Look for the Formule. A three-course lunch for 22 euros is common if you wander three blocks away from any monument.
- Coffee: Drink it at the bar (au comptoir). It’s literally half the price of sitting at a table.
Misconceptions About the "Rude" Parisian
Honestly, the "rude Parisian" trope is tired. It’s mostly a misunderstanding of etiquette.
In the US or UK, we value "service with a smile." In Paris, they value "discretion and efficiency." If you walk into a shop and don’t say "Bonjour, Madame" or "Bonjour, Monsieur", you have basically insulted their mother. You are a guest in their space. When we were staying in paris, we realized that the moment you lead with a polite greeting and an attempt at the language, the "rudeness" evaporates.
It’s about the "social contract."
I remember a specific afternoon at a bakery near Place de la République. A tourist was shouting her order in English, getting frustrated that the baker wasn't moving fast enough. The baker just stared. When I stepped up and used my broken, melodic-but-terrible French, I got a smile and the best pain au chocolat of my life.
It wasn't because I was special. It was because I followed the rules.
The Transit Reality Check
The Metro is a miracle and a nightmare.
It smells like a basement. It’s hot. But it is the most efficient nervous system in the world. While we were staying in paris, we used the RER C to get out to Versailles and the Line 1 to hit the major museums. But the real pro tip? Use the buses.
Line 69 is basically a free tour of the city. It hits the Louvre, the Bastille, and Père Lachaise. You get to see the city instead of being stuck in a tunnel. Just watch your pockets. Pickpockets in Paris aren't violent; they’re artists. They’ll have your phone before you even realize you’ve been bumped.
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Safety and the "No-Go Zones"
There’s a lot of talk online about "no-go zones" in Paris, particularly in the northern suburbs like Saint-Denis.
Let’s be clear: As a traveler, you have no reason to be in those areas unless you’re going to the Stade de France. Even then, it’s fine during the day. The city itself is remarkably safe compared to major American hubs. We walked home at 2:00 AM through the 11th and 19th arrondissements frequently.
The biggest danger isn't crime; it's the electric scooters.
They are silent. They are everywhere. And the people riding them have a death wish. Since the city banned rental e-scooters, the situation has improved, but the private ones still zoom onto sidewalks with zero warning. Keep your head on a swivel.
The Cultural Shift of 2026
By the time you read this in 2026, the city will have evolved again. The massive renovations of the Gare du Nord are mostly complete. The Seine is—theoretically—clean enough to swim in, though I’d still think twice before taking a gulp.
When we were staying in paris, the buzz was all about the "15-minute city." This is the urban planning concept where everything you need (work, groceries, parks) is within a 15-minute walk. It’s working. More streets are pedestrianized every month. The Rue de Rivoli is now a bike highway. If you haven't been to Paris in five years, you won't recognize the traffic patterns. It’s quieter, greener, and much more breathable.
Final Thoughts on Your Own Stay
If you are planning to stay in Paris, stop over-planning.
The best moments we had weren't at the Louvre. They were sitting on the edge of the Canal Saint-Martin with a 5-euro bottle of rosé and a bag of chips, watching the sunset with hundreds of other people doing the exact same thing. That’s the "real" Paris. It’s not a museum. It’s a living, breathing, slightly grumpy, incredibly beautiful city that demands you slow down.
Actionable Steps for Your Paris Stay:
- Secure a Bail Mobilité: If staying over 30 days, look for platforms like Paris Attitude or MorningCroissant that specialize in legal, mid-term leases to avoid the Airbnb legal gray areas.
- Learn the "Bonjour" Rule: Never, ever start a conversation without it. This single word determines whether your interaction will be pleasant or a struggle.
- Download 'Citymapper': It is infinitely better than Google Maps for navigating the complex RER and Metro overlays. It even tells you which carriage to get in to be closest to your exit.
- Validate Your Tickets: If using paper tickets (while they last), always keep them until you exit the station. "Les contrôleurs" (inspectors) are everywhere, and they don't care if you're a tourist; they will fine you on the spot if you've lost your stub.
- Ditch the 'Top 10' Lists: Spend one full day just picking a direction and walking. The 13th arrondissement’s Chinatown or the hilly streets of Butte-aux-Cailles offer a glimpse of a Paris that feels like a village, far removed from the Haussmann uniformity of the center.