We decided to stay in an Airbnb in Paris rather than a hotel because there were 4 adults on our trip and we wanted to stay together and have some hangout space for down time. Hotel rooms in Paris almost never sleep more than 3 adults, and a suite was definitely out of the budget during the Olympics! Luckily there were lots of great options for Airbnbs in great locations with 2 bedrooms and ample living space. The only thing we really “sacrificed” was air conditioning, which was a big deal with the heat, but I’d still make the same decision again!

We originally had booked 2 different Airbnbs, one for the beginning of our stay and one for after we returned from Marseille. However, we decided to change just a few weeks before the trip to one single Airbnb for the full time, which allowed us to leave a lot of our things in Paris and only take backpacks to Marseille for the side trip. That actually saved us money because we were able to get a discount for staying more than a week.

That change also allowed us to move from our originally planned neighborhood of the 11th to one I’m much more familiar with, the 6th! Saint-Germain-des-Pres is where I’ve stayed on every trip to Paris now, and I really love that neighborhood. It’s more overrun with tourists now than it was back in 2014-2015, but it’s undeniably charming and perfect for being close enough to all the main sightseeing without the price tag of the areas just around the Eiffel Tower. We could walk to the Louvre and were only one stop on the RER from Pont Alexandre.

Our apartment was on a busy street that was absolutely alive in the afternoon and evenings. We had several restaurants right outside the courtyard door, a small grocery store just a few doors down, and unlimited bakeries and shops of all kinds just down the street. We also had two easily accessible metro stations, Odeon and Saint-Michel, for quick access to the metro and RER.

Speaking of the metro and RER, that was our means of transportation while in Paris. Due to the Olympics, a lot of streets were closed entirely, and you couldn’t get anywhere near the venues in a car, so metro and RER were definitely the best way to go. Paris jacked up the prices for passes during the Olympics, but it was still cheaper than paying for Ubers everywhere. The passes were 10 EUR per day per person, which isn’t cheap, and again is much higher than a usual metro pass in Paris during normal times, but it was pretty easy to buy and easy to use.

I used the metro a lot on my previous trips, but this was my first time visiting since living in Washington, DC and using the metro there almost daily. It was such a stark contrast to DC in that the trains ran flawlessly (at least to the visitor’s untrained eye) and we never waited more than a few minutes for a train. Changing lines was a breeze and didn’t cause a significant delay. I can’t say whether Paris was running more trains for the Olympics or whether this was normal, but it was excellent service. There were also multi-lingual volunteers in almost every station helping folks get to and from the venues. The metro was clean, safe, and reliable. We also rarely had to cram onto a train, because the service was so frequent. 10/10.

Our Airbnb itself was a 2 bedroom, 1 bath on the 4th (US counting) floor. There was no elevator and a steep winding set of stairs, but we managed. As I mentioned, there was no air conditioning, which is typical for most apartments in Paris. Thankfully our windows all opened onto quiet, private courtyards so we kept them wide open and used the provided fans to create airflow to keep us cool enough.

The beds were comfortable and the bathroom was huge. There was of course a silly European open shower so water went everywhere every time it was used, but apparently that’s just a normal part of life there… One fun thing was the lack of privacy in the bathroom from the courtyard. There were clear windows above the tub that gave neighbors a direct line of sight into the bathroom and shower.

The living room had a massive TV that was perfect for watching Olympics events and highlights each evening. And the dining table gave us a great space to eat and hang out. There was a Nespresso machine in the kitchen that we made use of each morning and a fridge that we stocked with drinks. Finally, the apartment had a washer/dryer combo unit that we used almost daily. It was really key after those hot, sweaty days out and about!