After researching AirBNBs in Paris and getting discouraged by steep prices and undesirable locations, we scored the best apartment we’ve ever stayed in on a European vacation. (We’ve enjoyed wonderful hotels and rental houses, but as far as metropolitan places go, this apartment takes the cake.) We took a chance on a suburb east of the city but still close enough to the Metro so we didn’t have to drive anywhere.
To help you understand where Vincennes is, check out the map below. I’ve highlighted the Bois de Vincennes, a large green space with a zoo and castle that’s incorporated into the 12th Arrondissement. The suburb of Vincennes is directly north of that green space, where the yellow star is.
Friends, we saved HUNDREDS of dollars by staying outside of the busy, most popular arrondissements, and since there was a Metro stop two blocks away from the apartment, it was easy to get everywhere we wanted to go.
The apartment was on the fifth floor, not the attic apartment, but the one right below it.
The view was stunning. To the right of the apartment, you can see the Château de Vincennes, which is incorporated into the 12th arrondissement.
Aïda, our host, decorated the place beautifully (click here to view the listing on AirBNB).
Though the kitchen was small and we all had to share one bathroom, we still had plenty of space to relax, sleep, and eat well.
We were so grateful to have an elevator! (It was very small, so we made the kids take the stairs. Ha!)
Directly across from the apartment is a pâtisserie with everything you could want in a French bakery. Take note of how clean the streets are, by the way. We were impressed with how clean and safe the area was, not to mention all the cafe and restaurant options, shops, grocery stores, and other places we needed or wanted to visit.
Despite how ready I was to fly home, I didn’t want to leave Vincennes. We could’ve stayed a full week in Paris taking the Metro back and forth, exploring different parts of the city but always returning to this beautiful little suburb.
For the fourth time, we chose to stay just outside a big city and it paid off big time. (Three previous times: Kingston-Upon-Thames instead of London, Antibes instead of Nice, and Hésingue instead of Basel.)