<< I've always dreamed of seeing Paris in the Spring time >>

May is also a spring month and the weather is likely to be a lot better. April can be cold, damp, rainy (although no one can predict the weather).

<< Hotel vs. Apartment >>

Since you've never been anywhere on your own you should stay in a hotel (especially as this is a short trip) so you can have help from hotel staff if you need it.

<< Tour vs. solo >>

I'm not sure you can find an escorted tour that only covers Paris. There are tons of bus and walking tours that cover various aspects of the city.

<< Safety >>

I never heard that the metro can be dodgey in the evening. I believe that people should cite their sources when making unfounded comments like this rather than say "I've heard" or "I've read."

<< Days of the week >>

I guess you mean airfare? You'll have to check on prices - no one can do this for you. It depends on where you're originating and time of year and the airline. Too many variables to generalize.

<< great tips for saving >>

There are tons of threads on this board about free and budget recommendations for Paris. You might get a copy of Let's Go guide book which is a great book for budget travel.

Generally budget travel is not dependent on a particular country or city. Think about ways you save money at home and apply these principles to travel as well. Read some of the postings here for budget advice.

NO reason you can't go when you want, just realize the weather can be unpredictable in April in terms of temps. BUt May is a lot rainier than April in Paris, historically.

I've been to Paris many times and have never heard that about the metro being dodgey in the evening. Where did you hear that. I think there is always some truth to that in any city real late at night, but I'm talking very late, and then more likely in dodgey, unpopulated areas (perhaps around the metro, not on it). I would suggest you not wander around Paris alone real late at night, that's all. I'm talking about after midnight. I have no desire to stay out that late myself when traveling alone, what would you be doing anyway. Sometimes if I go to the ballet, I may not be getting home until 11 pm or so and I've never noticed anything unusual on the metros or buses at that time.

The key thing is to stay in a place with good public transportation very close, that's all. I stay in hotels within a block or two of a metro stop and very near bus stops, and in areas with a some major nearby streets with a lot of night life (eg, I stay near bd Montparnasse, but certainly other areas are like that, also). I would not want to stay in an area blocks away from a metro stop and be coming home real late at night, even if odds are nothing would happen. Aside from safety, it's just a lot more convenient anyway.

I think you should book things yourself and then sign up for some local walking tours or something.

I wouldn't worry about days of the week, do whatever suits your schedule best. YOu are going to have to be there all days of the week anyway, I would guess, certainly if you stay a week or more. I wouldn't bother going to all that expense and trouble for only 5 days. I haven't noticed any difference in hotel rates by day of the week usually, not enough to plan a vacation around or to assume is true in the majority of hotels. The days of your flight would be more likely to affect that, you can easily check that yourself on airline websites.

Sounds like a wonderful trip. Don't hold yourself back because you are traveling alone.

Personally I would stay in an apartment. I find it more comfortable. Plus I like having a kitchen and having breakfast at home then heading straight out to where I'm going to do/see that day.

The only difference in price for days of the week is airfare. Tuesday, Wed, Thurs are usually cheaper.

Anyway, I agree with Christina. 5 days is not enough.

If you had 8 years of French, I think you'll be fine in an apartment, and it will save you some money.

Not much to add, but to tell you that I think it's wonderful!

Good for you. I wish more young women would have the courage to travel and see the world. I did it at 18 years old, and it changed me in a most magical and amazing way. It gave me that "I can do anything!" attitude. Believe me, once you have navigated through Europe as a young woman, you will have a newfound confidence that will last you a lifetime.

My husband and I will be in Paris the first week of April, so if you'd like to meet for coffee, let us know

To see whether it is less expensive to fly on certain days of the week, check www.kayak.com and click on "make my dates flexible".

You can look at the apartments listed in the Paris apartment thread on this message board to see if any of them meet your budget requirements. http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/paris-apartment-thread.cfm

I have not had any problems traveling on the metro after an evening out. But I will happily take a taxi at night if I am feeling tired, mostly for convenience.

There are many excellent walking tours in Paris. No need to take a tour for the entire stay, just choose the ones that interest you.

http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/solo-female-traveler-in-paris.cfm


http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/paris-hotels-left-bank-thread.cfm
&#8232;

http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/paris-hotels-right-bank-thread.cfm

Jump to the bottom of the thread and then scroll up to Dec 31,2010. In that section, I have categorized the recommended hotels, by district, and have provided websites.



If you're looking for an apartment, you can try: 



www.parisbestlodge.com



www.homeaway.com



www.vrbo.com


www.airbnb.com




Happy Travels!

I am on the opposite spectrum of you age wise, a very senior woman who travels mostly solo each year to Europe for about 6 weeks
Absolutely take your trip, you will have a great experience and perhaps fall in love woth Paris the way I did on my first trip over 50 years ago.
My trips always include at least 2 weeks in Paris.
I take the metro and subways and never feel unsafe.

I always stay in an apartment because I like to be able to eat breakfast or an occasional dinner or perhaps glass of wine while relaxing and listening to some music. .
I highly recommend PARIS BEST LODGE, The owner THIERRY is a delight. Very quick to respond to any emails and any needs while in PARIS. His apartments are modest, very clean and in excellent locations.

I have stayed in several of his apartments and have always been pleased.

His RUE RIVOLI apartment in the Marais area is perfect for 1 person The location is fabulous, across the street from the metro and many buses stop within 1 or 2 blocks. Good food shopping and cafes in the immediate area.

I will be in Pais May 2013 for 16 days, if you do go in May I would love to meet up with you for a glass of wine

Oh, and I've never had any problems on the métro at night, but I don't usually take it really late at night - maybe 11 or midnight, but not past that. If you look like you know what you're doing and walk briskly and purposely, there aren't many places in the world where you'll be hassled.

Learn how to get around in Paris at www.ratp.fr. Memorize ahead of time how to get where you're going so you're not constantly looking at maps. DO have a map of Paris with you at all times so you can check things, but don't unfold it and gaze at it in a métro station or on the street. Take buses, which are often more appealing than the métro anyway, allow you to see things as you move about, and afford better security, if you're worried about that.

I second Parisbestlodge recommendation, I stayed in the Esmeralda and loved it, the location is seriously perfect , close to river, close to good metro and RER station, close to tons of shops, restaurants and cafes, walk to Notre Dame( actually from this apartment you will have direct view of ND) , walk to Louvre, Orsay, Cluny,, wonderful area .

Now, that said, for your first time I still say stay in a hotel, you don't need the whole "live like a local fantasy" and you can find a single hotel room cheaper then many apartments, even studios.. at least in central areas. I can personally recommend both the Hotel Diana and Hotel Saint Peirre ( by the Sorbonne) as perfect choices.. I stayed at both, plus Hotel Eugenie ( also recommend but price may be more then you want to pay). These places are all safe, clean, super central, have nice staff and are within your price range, IF you book well in advance.

Paris is great solo, I have been with my friends, with my kids, my honey, and by myself, and secretly I confess, by myself is still kind of the funnest!

My inclination is to tell you to stay at a hotel your first time too. But how lovely it is to have both the apartment and hotel recs here, right? I hope you get to check out the master threads. Guenmai has done a fantastic job.

Tours--
There is a really nice walking tour company (small)--Paris Walks: http://www.paris-walks.com/download-pdf.html. My youngest and I have taken two with them: St Denis and Hemingway's Paris.

There are also books of Paris walks. And Rick Steves has these nifty downloadable audio tours (free!) http://www.ricksteves.com/news/travelnews/0602/france_downloads.htm

My youngest used two Paris walks type books, and whenever she had an hour or two free from her studies, she'd go hit a neighborhood.

Another type of tour is a food tour, which I have yet to do in Paris, although I enjoy them in other cities. Just Google "Paris food tour" and you'll see listing for scads of them. I do not know of anyone personally who has taken one of them, though.

My youngest and I did, however, take a cooking class that we really enjoyed with Eric of Cook'n with Class http://www.cooknwithclass.com/. We got to shop in the market with him and then just sit around the table, drinking wine while we prepared our meal. It was a small group,most of whom were women traveling alone, living out their dreams of seeing Paris. They enjoyed exchanging stories of how and why they finally got there.

Another tour I really liked was the English tour of the old opera house, the Palais Garnier.

Anyway, enjoy it all.

Thank you so much for the wonderful suggestions! This has been so tremendously helpful and I actually began to tear up as I picturing myself there became so much more of a reality.

I am definitely going to take a cooking class and I fell in love with the apartments at parisbestlodge.com. I am still looking at some hotel options (Hotel Diana sounds very appealing considering it is my first name). Please keep the suggestions coming. I would also love to hear any of your wonderful solo Paris experiences.

In my discussion with my parents about the possibilities of this trip, my mother said "I don't think many people have said that they regret the time they spent in Paris." From your answers, I can see that this is probably too.

Thank you again,

Diana

Given that you have had 8 years of French you should be fine, but just in case you have any remaining fear I would recommend you spend a little time chatting with a native french speaker/teacher.

I have no relationship with this organisation but the costs and ability to completely control my time when learning the basics of Italian this summer has changed my view on how I intend to take all my holidays in future. I'd try www.verbalplanet.com they offer you a skype based native speaker (whose is a trained teacher) for 45 minutes at a time. You can get the first lesson for free and they cost between Euro 15 to 20 for that period. The lesson covers the subjects you want or they can prepare course material for you and you can do homework so you progress at the speed you want.

The way I saw it was that 10 lessons was about the price of a good room for a night. But the boost in confidence was priceless.

I took a Discover Walks walking tour of Montmartre last week, and absolutely loved it. It's a "free" tour, but you are expected to tip the guide. I wish I had time to take some of the Paris Walks tours that come so highly recommended, too. I agree with the others that these walking tours are a great way to see and learn about a particular area without committing to an entire day.

Hello, I suggest taking the hop on hop off bus upon arrival. This way you can see where you want to return I the city. Walking , metro and busses are easy and as long as you are smart and aware it is safe, but up near Montmartre during the day is fine bit not in the evening.
Take the steps up to top of sacre coeur and elevator to top of montpanasse tower both views great without long lines.
Spring is spectacular, take a day trip out to moneys house and gardens by your company.
Look on viator .

Look at Viatour, but please be aware, Viatour is just a middleman agency, not a tour company themselves, they sell off other companies tours. So, that means sometimes you can find a good deal on them, ( when they buy tours in bulk they sometimes pass on a savings to you, ) BUT, more often you can buy the same tours direct from the tour operator at a better price.

A super fun tour is Fat Tire Bike Tours, look ont their website, you do not need to prebook their city day or night tour( which is good as you can check out weather and opt not to go if weather is rainy) The night bike tour is a hoot, includes a boat cruise, and for a solo girl its a fun safe way to spend an evening out! I also have taken a few of their daytrip bike tours, I recommend the one to Giverny especially since you get a taste of the french countryside as most of the ride is on an old decommisioned train line that runs along a river, very pretty.

I have never taken a walking tour, but based on everything I have ever read about them I think they sound like a great idea, I have never heard anyone complain about them!

Fat Tire also do a grand segway tour, very funny and interesting

I would recommend staying in a hotel, if you're the type of person who would like to strike up a conversation with other travelers in the breakfast room (and perhaps find touring and dining companions), chit chat and get advice from the staff, etc. It can be a bit lonely staying in an apartment.

We did 2 walks with "Paris Walks" [Hemingway's Paris and Architecture in the 16eme] and one with "Discover Walks" [Montmartre]. All were very good. You might even meet another single traveler that you "click" with and can do other things together. While waiting for the tour guide, we were talking to another couple and it turned out they were from the next town over from ours!!

As far as hotel vs. apartment. IF it were me and my first trip - I would probably go for a hotel. A bit of comfort in having others around me and the staff that can be of assistance.

IF you want a nice, reasonably priced studio in a good area - I have included a link to a very nice one. I have stayed in another apartment owned by the same person, Sylvain, who a joy to work with is very nice. Opaldog [who posts here] just stayed at the studio and like it.

http://www.paris-walks.com/
http://www.discoverwalks.com/paris-walking-tours/
http://www.vrbo.com/371220

As for the French, it really comes back to you! Don't be afraid of using it, most people will be pleased that you have tried to speak to them. They will most likely answer you in English but that little bit of effort on your part to speak to them in their own language is most appreciated.

For private tours you may want to look at Michael Osman. There are several threads here about him. We used him about 10 years ago and I have to say it was one of the best days of our trip.

You can tell him your interests and he will develope a tour just for you. We found him to be exstreamly reasonable.

I am not good at inserting links but you can do a search of his name.

I do want to comment on the HopOnOff bus notion. I hated the thing. In fact, my whole family hated the thing, probably because it's just so unnecessary. We left it after one hour--and we had two-day passes.

I think the issue was that we didn't want to see Paris from a tourist's point of view. We wanted to see it with our eyes on both the sights AND on the people who actually lived in the city.

Ergo, the public bus. There are public bus lines that are WONDERFUL. I can't even begin to name them. My favorite may be line #69, but then again, line #29 is more "back streetish" and I like #24 for how it skirts the Seine and...

You get the idea.

You can "play" with your possible routes on this link:
http://www.ratp.fr/plan-interactif/cartebus.php
Amazing, right?

Price for any ride, no matter how far you go on the line, is just one Metro/Bus ticket.

There are numerous threads on doing the great Paris bus lines. One of them is here:
http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/paris-self-guided-city-bus-tour.cfm

I actually wrote one awhile ago, but I can't find it. No matter--you'll figure it out.

Ooh, almost forgot--DebitNM gave you a great tip about Discover Walks. Aforesaid younger daughter doing year abroad took a couple of those too and thought they were quite good.

And I'm going to quote your mother forever: "I don't think many people have said that they regret the time they spent in Paris."

Perfect.

I've done about a dozen Paris Walks walking tours and they are all wonderful. Each walk covers either a theme or a small portion of the city so you're not overwhelmed. You can sometimes connect with other people traveling solo before and after the walks.

Another great tour is the free Notre Dame tour, given 3 times a week by church volunteers. You learn about Gothic churches and about Notre Dame specifically. Half the tour is outside the church and the second half is inside. Since the tour is free I would suggest a donation to the church.

If you post your interests you'll get more specific information on Paris.

Speaking of tours, this was a great one.

http://www.walkingthespirit.com/

I'd been going to Paris, almost annually, since 1976 when I took this walking tour in 2011. I had Ealy (?) as a guide and he was great. Since I usually stay in the 6th (rue de Seine near rue Buci/ rue Jacob), and Ealy lives a 5-minute walk away,also in the 6th, it was very easy for us to connect.

Ealy is originally from Texas and has lived in Paris a long time and has a daughter who is part French. He's in his mid-50s and is not only a very accomplished artist, but also a medical doctor. He did the artwork for the Walking The Spirits calendar and the calendar is beautiful. And he really knows his history. He's in the process of writing a history book. We talked extensively about a lot of things.

We started the tour from in front of the fountain at St.Michel. I was the only person on the first tour ( it was April, I think) and then we were two people on the second tour. Perfect. I had also booked a third tour for the next day, with another tour guide, but due to knee problems I had to cancel it. The 3rd tour was to be of the area around Chateau Rouge. I've been going up there pretty regularly for many years, but wanted to do it with a guide who not only has lived in the area for many years, but also knows the history very well.

The first tour, with Ealy, was of St.Germain, the 6th, area and we walked all over it. I already knew a lot of the history that we would be discussing as I had read Michel Fabre's book many years ago. I've known for decades the importance of the St.Germain area when connected with the history that would be discussed which is one reason that I was personally drawn to that area back around 1976.

Over the decades, I have gone to many parts of Paris and taken in the different history of the areas; French, Jewish, Asian, Arab, etc, as I like to mix things up.

Happy Travels!

What fabulous tips. I'm overwhelmed by the helpful responses.

I love the idea of the bike tours. A bike tour to Giverny sounds marvelous. I can just picture it now

I am definitely interested in taking a cooking class. I was a philosophy major so I wouldn't mind seeing where Sartre and Simone hung out. I MUST see the Notre Dame and the Sacre Coeur.

I really would like to work on my french a bit before I go. A good refresher course would be great. Anyone recommend any mp3s or audio books? (I love the idea about hiring a tutor but I'm afraid it would be too expensive.)

I am definitely a bit at war with myself with the apartment vs. hotel debate. It is so nice that I am getting both suggestions, however.

Goals for the trip:
Take a cooking class
Go to Giverny
Linger at a Paris Cafe so long that they ask me to leave (is it even possible?)
Ride a bicycle through the city
Listen to some fabulous and relaxing live music
Suggestions?

Also any suggestions for some fantastic french music to get me jazzed up for the trip?

I'm having so much fun planning and I'm not even there yet!

You will only be asked to leave a cafe if they are closing or if they are setting up for dinner.

Just don't bike with a baguette and a beret however...

...totally corny--I always play Edith Piaf to get me in the mood. My one high school French teacher used to pass out the song lyrics on Fridays (if we were good), turn on the record player, and we'd all happily belt out Ediaf at the top of our lungs.

My kids used to think I was totally nuts--but now they do the pre-trip belt-out.

Off the top of my head, other examples of other types of French music:
Éric Satie
Debussy
Georges Bizet (although we always think of "Carmen" as Spanish)
Jacques Offenbach (born in Germany, but spent most of time in France and of course! "Can Can"!!!)
Chopin (Polish but spent his most productive writing years in Paris)
Maurice Ravel
Michel Jean Legrand
Charles Trenet
Tino Rossi
Maurice Chevalier
Jean Sablon
Charles Dumont
Line Renaud
Gilbert Becaud
Dalida
Gloria Lasso
Jean Ferret
Georges Brassens
Delphine

Youngest could send you current pop artists and rappers if you want to know those. But quite frankly, walk into any department store in Paris and most likely within the hour, you'll hear Michael Jackson. I kid you not.

For brushing up on your French, there are lots of options, including:

http://www.conversationexchange.com/
www.travlang.com (might be too simplistic for you)
BBC online courses
News in Slow French (google it)

Charles Aznavour
Yves Montand

To fine tune your ear for French, you should watch Amelie a few times without the subtitles.

Then listen to French radio podcasts.
http://www.franceinter.fr/podcasts

Not that I'm trying to persuade you to go with the apartment, but I forgot to mention another reason I like to stay at an apartment is I love to go to the markets and try to food when I don't feel like sitting in a hotel by myself.

If you do want to find people to spend a bit of time with try couchsurfing. I'm not suggesting you stay at people's houses, just because usually you can find group events and outings. Or you can try onvasortir.

There is a group called Franglish that organizes events in bars around Paris where English speakers spend the evening interacting with French speakers in order to improve their language skills. It sounds sort of like speed dating. You spend fifteen minutes with a French speaker, half the time speaking in French and half in English. Then you spend fifteen minutes with another French speaker, and so on. I read about this on Fodor's and am hoping to give it a try myself.

http://www.franglish.eu/

I also took a cooking class with Constance, which included shopping in the markets. It was a wonderful experience and a great way to meet people. http://www.cookingwithclass.com/

I recommend the following bike tour, which was the highlight of my trip to Paris: http://www.bikeabouttours.com/ I did not want to take a bike tour, but fortunately, my husband insisted!

YOu might want some music a bit more contemporary than the above suggestions.

Try Zaz, Les Nubians, Keren Ann, Camille, Olivia Ruiz. A bit older but I like them a lot and they are still singing -- Francis Cabrel and Maxime le Forestier. Actually, I kind of like Carla Bruni's CDs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-F_9fgtEKYg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HT1tJSJzZWo
http://www.kerenann.com/


I don't find an apartment that exciting myself, but it's funny because someone said they like it so they can buy food and cook it in the apt. That's one reason I don't like them, I don't want to hole up in an apt when traveling, I want to be out and about in Paris, eating in a cafe with others. I can cook and stay in at home.

I didn't say I want to "hole myself up in an apartment". LOL

When traveling alone, I don't always like to have to eat all my meals by myself at a restaurant. A week of eating in restaurants every day alone can be annoying, plus I find it's just too much food.

And I said I actually enjoy visiting the food markets to buy perishable food items like great bread and cheese, pastries, pates and cold cuts, fresh fruit and veg, etc. At least with an apartment it gives me the choice. If I were traveling only a few days, an apartment wouldn't necessarily be my choice as they can be more of a PITA to check in and out of.

But as always everyone has their own way preferences. It's just as easy to hole oneself up in a hotel if that is ones inclination.

I see people say things like that here, about not wanting an apartment because they don't want to shop and cook, and I just have to shake my head. Why would you have to shop and cook in an apartment any more than you would in a hotel?

Christina said:

<<That's one reason I don't like them, I don't want to hole up in an apt when traveling, I want to be out and about in Paris, eating in a cafe with others. I can cook and stay in at home.>>

This makes NO SENSE to me. What a ridiculous statement.

Is someone forcing you to stay in your apartment the entire time? Forcing you to cook?

As Lucy said, apartments are wonderful for the fact that you have a CHOICE. It's so nice to take advantage of the amazing markets, fresh bread, cheese, pastries etc..

Lovely to wake up, make coffee and have a lovely pastry. Or make a picnic and take to the park..

Also, not all of us have the kind of $$ to spend eating out at cafes and restaurants twice a day. Having an apartment, you can do both and still have delicious food, not having to scrimp and eat cheap nasty takeaway every day.

I never stay in a hotel if I'm anywhere for more than a few days.

Regarding the music: I went to a performance of Vivaldi's Four Seasons at Sainte-Chapelle when I was in Paris last week, and it was a highlight of our trip. The concert is about an hour, and it's a beautiful setting. I think this would be a treat even if you don't love classical music.

Nikki, so if you don't need or want to shop and cook, why stay in an apartment, they are NOT all bigger then a hotel room, and many hotels have mini fridges ( the ones I take always do) so you can still store food and snacks( like I always do) and more hotel rooms in the budget-moderate category have a/c then apartments in that range, and I consider that very important for those visiting in summer.


i do not find hotels cost more money at all, I can still eat in and save money, and have snacks,, plus beds made and fresh towels every day, love it.

"A week of eating in restaurants every day alone can be annoying, plus I find it's just too much food. And I said I actually enjoy visiting the food markets to buy perishable food items like great bread and cheese, pastries, pates and cold cuts, fresh fruit and veg, etc. At least with an apartment it gives me the choice."

Eating in a restaurant everyday can indeed be annoying, although I don't mind eating alone.

The main reason that I rent apartments on vacation is to not have to be a slave to restaurants, restaurant food, restaurant prices, and restaurant reservations. The thought of having to eat meals daily, at a restaurant, is just not my definition of a vacation. I don't want to be on such a fixed schedule where I have to wonder where I'm going to eat daily and then at dinner time have to deal with restaurant reservations.

Plus, in the mornings, I like to sleep in late and then get up and have breakfast in my night clothes while reading the paper and watching TV. I usually sleep past the hours of when breakfast is served in hotels. After all, it is a vacation and I'm not dragging out of bed just to make hotel breakfast hours.

I do eat lunch out when in Paris as I've eaten at my regular restaurant since the 1980s and I sometimes throw in a few other restaurants if I'm in the mood. And my Parisian friend and I sometimes go out to a restaurant or two. But, there are times that I go over to his place or he comes over to my place and we cook together and eat together which is really nice. But, I usually eat alone which is fine.

After being out all day, it's nice to come "home" and have a home-cooked meal. And just because one rents an apartment doesn't mean that one has to cook. I don't get that logic at all. Rent the apartment and eat out if that's what one wants.

Another reason that I rent apartments is that I have found it much quieter than staying in hotels and more private and I've also always had more than double the space in an apartment and many times for the same price, or less, than the cost of a claustrophobic hotel room.

"As Lucy said, apartments are wonderful for the fact that you have a CHOICE. It's so nice to take advantage of the amazing markets, fresh bread, cheese, pastries etc..
Lovely to wake up, make coffee and have a lovely pastry. Or make a picnic and take to the park."

I agree. It's about choice.

Happy Travels!

"But as always everyone has their own way preferences. It's just as easy to hole oneself up in a hotel if that is ones inclination."

True. Everyone has his or her own preferences. We don't all travel in the same way.

Back in the days, when I stayed in hotels, and prior to 2008, before the no-smoking laws in restaurants went into effect, I either had to get to a restaurant when it first opened and try to eat before the place became smoke filled or I'd get take out food and take it back to my hotel room and eat. And since I usually travel during the season when rain/cold is common, it's not like I could always sit outside at restaurants/cafes.

I have never had a room with a fridge in a hotel room in over three decades of going to Paris, so I've never been able to stock up on food items or store leftover take-out food.

After my Japanese friends sold their small, family-run restaurant, and decided to move back to Japan, I then decided that I needed to start looking for an apartment. For many of the years that they were in Paris, I would just go there and eat with them almost daily. I didn't have to worry so much about meal times as I could basically go by, at any time, knock on their restaurant door and they'd unlock it and let me in. Then, we'd go to the family room and eat. I'm not such a foodie when in Paris. I eat because I have to not because I'm into the food. Now, in other places in the world, it's another story; like Singapore and Bangkok where I eat too much. Smiles.

Happy Travels!

Solo travel is great,but you might like to connect while in Paris.I found a walking tour company named Context Travel.They have walking tours and other group activities for small groups,usually 6 people.Check their website.We took advantage of 2 different walking tours in Rome,they are on time and quite informative.The leader of the group is an expert,teacher,lecturer,historian in whatever the subject matter is,not just a tour guide.

Enjoy.

Maybe you will post your pictures from your trip.

"Nikki, so if you don't need or want to shop and cook, why stay in an apartment, they are NOT all bigger then a hotel room..."

For me it is mostly about the space and the comfort. But also about the privacy. I have never stayed in an apartment that wasn't substantially more spacious than a hotel room and with much more comfortable seating.

Besides, I didn't say I didn't need or want to cook, I just said nobody is forced to do that when they have an apartment any more than they are when they have a hotel room.

This is not to say that I am necessarily recommending an apartment for the original poster in this thread or for anybody else. There are all sorts of factors to weigh when making the choice.

<<This is not to say that I am necessarily recommending an apartment for the original poster in this thread or for anybody else. There are all sorts of factors to weigh when making the choice.>>

Exactly. I was just giving my experience and my point of view. Diana can take it all in, process it and make her decision based on what works for her.

What ever she chooses I'm still a bit jealous!

"For me it is mostly about the space and the comfort. But also about the privacy. I have never stayed in an apartment that wasn't substantially more spacious than a hotel room and with much more comfortable seating"

I've had the same experience. As for the apartments that I've stayed in, they have been 40-50 square meters and the hotel rooms, since 1976, have all been around 12-15 square meters.

I just looked up one of the hotels where I used to stay and out of curiosity checked out the prices for Spring, and the prices are 132€/160€/180€. for a room. However, the price of one of the apartments that I have rented, and less than a 10-minute walk from the hotel, is $189. a night. That apartment is a two-story loft and 40 square meters. But, the loft area is built like an enclosed second story, not a traditional open loft style. And the apartment has a full bathroom next to the bedroom and a half bathroom downstairs; toilet and sink. Plus, there's a pull-out sofa bed in the living room, next to the kitchen area.

One of the other hotels where I stayed, for 9 years of trips, is next door to the building of my favorite rental apartment ( a different one from the above-mentioned one) and the rooms at the hotel are pricing out at 168€ and 185€. The hotel room is very small, but the apartment is probably around 45 square meters and has two bathrooms; one with toilet,sink, and big shower and the other with sink, bathtub and shower. Plus, there's a nice kitchen space, a living room with two sofas, a dining area with a round table and four dining chairs, and three walk-in closets, Wi-Fi, big-screen TV, and free phone calls to the U.S. I last paid $200. a night for that apartment in 2011.

Both apartments and both hotels, that I'm referring to, are in the heart of the 6th.

Happy Travels!

Some people really love renting vacatin apts and others (like me) don't see the big attraction. It is a lot of trouble and more unpredictable than a hotel, that's one problem. The deposits, cancellation policies, etc., are the reason it is more trouble, as well as the arrival and leave-taking process.

I can really see it for families, however, as hotels can be expensive when you start trying to get space for a lot of people (or very small). However, if you are alone, you really don't need much space and actually, I've been in plenty of hotels that had rooms larger than 12 m2. I don't stay in expensive boutique hotels in St Germain, though, or the Marais, and apts are generally more expensive for a single person than a hotel, for the same quality of amenities.

Apts are usually bigger, though, but I disagree that they usually have more comfortable seating (or bathrooms, or beds, etc.). In fact, that's one reason I am not enamored with vacation rental apts, they are often furnished as cheaply as the owner can get away with, and without any regard for comfort of a person. Specifically, they rarely really have any comfortable chairs (such as a comfy armchair) and many do not have any decent reading lights. I've noticed those two things as I really look for good lighting.

So if you don't really want to cook, there isn't a big compelling reason to have an apt for many people when on vacation. I have some hotels I've stayed in in Paris and know, and so I know the quality of their rooms and their size, and they can be more comfortable than many cheap vacation apts. If you are out to spend hundreds of euros a day on an apt, yeah, you can get something nicer.

A little off the other advice but since you are interested in a cooking class I thought you may be interested in this store.
http://www.e-dehillerin.fr/index.php
Supposedly Julia Child shopped there frequently when she lived in Paris. They have her picture behind the counter. They also filmed a small part of the Julie/Julia movie there.
I had a blast squeezing between the isles and looking at all of their things. The basement is great too. I even called my sister in the US, waking her at 4am, to see what she wanted me to bring back for her.
We found Paris to be very expensive. This store had some very surprisingly reasonable prices. I bought many bakers souvenirs for my baking family members.
We don't speak French at all and were very impressed with outselves as we made our way around this beautiful, welcoming city.
Have a wonderful time!!

Also, Fodors has a nice free app for several cities. Paris is one of them.
http://www.fodors.com/mobile-apps/

"I don't stay in expensive boutique hotels in St Germain, though, or the Marais, and apts are generally more expensive for a single person than a hotel, for the same quality of amenities."

As for the districts of Paris that I remember staying in, it's been the 1st/4th/ 5th/6th/7th/9th/10th and 19th and probably a few other ones. As for hotels, they were all zero star ones, from the beginning, although now some have been transformed into 1 or 2 star ones and as for room size, all of the ones that I've stayed in have been around the same size, except for one hotel located in the 1st, which had a pretty decent amount of space. One of my parents booked that one way back many years ago.

"If you are out to spend hundreds of euros a day on an apt, yeah, you can get something nicer."

I've never spent hundreds of euros a day to get a nice apartment. I wonder how much the above posters have spent. The most I have spent is $1,600 for 8 days, as I pay in dollars and thus don't have to deal with rates of exchange.

Happy Travels!

I've never spent hundreds of euros on any place I've ever stayed in my life. I shouldn't say that though. Because, now you all know I'm either poor or cheap or both!

OMG! Why can't we edit???

I meant "I've never spend hundreds of Euros _a night_"

AS lot of people do, though, for the nicer ones, I see their posts on here all the time (spend hundreds of euros a night).

<<That's one reason I don't like them, I don't want to hole up in an apt when traveling, I want to be out and about in Paris, eating in a cafe with others. I can cook and stay in at home.>>
This makes NO SENSE to me. What a ridiculous statement.
Is someone forcing you to stay in your apartment the entire time? Forcing you to cook? >>

My statement is not ridiculous and makes perfect sense as I was expressing my personal tastes and opinions. No one is forcing me to do anything which is why I don't. My point is that if the main reason to get an apt is to buy food and eat in, that would not apply to me (and many others, I suspect). Of course it makes sense to say that when I go to Paris, I do not want to stay in or cook in, I prefer to be out, because I do.

As for all the money restaurants take, I could counter with the same argument as above on apartments. I don't spend a lot on eating out at all in Paris, in fact, for one person, it can be cheaper to eat out than buy stuff to eat in if you are cooking from scratch. Some people just don't like going out, I do.

I have never stayed in a hotel that didn't have a fridge in the room, no, thats not true, one didn't but room was 78 euros a night, can't expect much for that, but great location, and air condtioning, try getting an apartment with a/c in St Germain, for 78 euros a night.

I have also never every paid more then 189 euros a night for a hotel, and that was ONCE , I usually pay between 90-120 euros a night.

I have only stayed in one apartment, it was nice, but it did not have a couch or sofa for extra sitting.

<Some people just don't like going out, I do.>

Eating in part of the time does not equal "not liking to go out". Why you keep saying stuff like that is really beyond me.

I'm sure if one spent hundreds of Euros per night, the hotel may even have room service were one could eat in. Since when did eating in or not wanting to eat every meal for a week in a restaurant mean someone is 'holing up" or "doesn't like to go out"? Judgmental much?

One can also go out and not eat a meal. I'm sure if we put our heads together we could think a few things to do.

Of course you can express your personal opinion. In fact, I thought that's what forums like this were for. You are, however, expressing your personal opinion and tastes by knocking those of others, which is of course also your choice. I just wouldn't be surprised when others reply.

Anyway, I hope Diana has a wonderful trip what ever she decides.

When traveling alone, I eat evening meals in my hotel room quite often (after a trip to the supermarket). Generally, I have been out all day since early morning and am ready for a well deserved rest with some time in the bathtub and in front of the television. Frankly, I do not know much about the nightlife of most cities.

Please don't look for the English language channels if you watch television -- try to figure out what the French watch on TF1, France 2 and France 3, among others...

French tv can be hilarious, specially liked the badly dubbed in french sitcoms from the 80s, lol I think I watched Battlestar Galactica in French..

And when you speak French better, you often realize that it is the poorly acted original version that was ridiculous.

hi! its nice to know that there are brave woman like us, im also planinng to travel europe particularly amsterdam and france this june... its so nice reading post here.. ive learned alot..

I LOVE hotels. If i was staying a month (which I would like to do one day) THEN i'd rent an apartment.

Going to Paris! I did rent an apartment. Decided to go for the daring and see what happens. Thank you everyone for all your fantastic feedback!