If you are planning to stay in Paris for more than two weeks, you may want to consider some options for lodging and transportation other than hotels and rental cars.
Car Leases
You can lease a car if you plan on staying for several months, but you need to make your arrangements before leaving the U.S. You are, in effect, buying a car for a time period and reselling it to the leasing company. The beauty of this program is that when you arrive at the airport, you pick up a new car. You receive a carte grise that you carry at all times (it's comparable to the car title). Car insurance is included in your rate. For the past several years, we've used the Peugeot-Sodexa Company. It works in conjunction with Kemwel in the U.S.
I suggest leasing a car that uses diesel fuel – more expensive but it pays off if you plan on driving often or for long distances. Diesel, or gazole (as opposed to sans plomb, unleaded), is available at most filling stations. You can pick up your car at Charles de Gaulle airport or at the Peugeot-Sodexa's main office at 115, avenue de L'Arche in Courbevoie (La Defense). Most people opt for the airport, unless you plan arriving in Paris by train.
Kemwel
Tel: 1-800-678-0678
Tel: (207)842-2285
39 Commercial Street
PO Box 7006
Portland, Maine 04112-7006
Lodging
Although I haven't had personal experience with renting apartments for long-term stays, some sites you may want to check out – www.fusac.com, www.paristay.com, www.rentalfrance.com, www.nyhabitat-vacation.com. There are many more Paris apartment rental sites, so do a thorough search. Some sites do not appear to have home offices in Paris.
Paristay will soon be updating its site to include customer testimonials and more detailed booking instructions. Although they do have a Paris home office, all apartment bookings are handled over the internet, via mobile phone or at the apartment Paris, France. Rentalfrance has a Paris office phone number which they'll provide for you upon request. They also feature customer testimonials on their site.
Phone numbers beginning with 06 are mobile phone numbers. 01 numbers are office or home numbers located in the Paris area.
Some rental apartment agencies provide weekly cleaning services and linens and this is more expensive.
Fusac puts out a monthly free magazine which you can pick up in some of the Anglophone Paris hangouts, cafés, restaurants and English-language bookstores. Its information should be up-to-date. Other local papers that advertise apartment rentals include Figaro newspaper or the weekly newspaper PAP (De Particulier a Particulier i.e: Person to Person).
Normally, you will be asked for a security deposit called a caution equivalent to two-months rent – first month's rent in advance (and a commission if you're working through an agency). The VAT or TVA (Value Added Tax) will usually be included in the quoted price. The amount of security deposit can vary because there is no legal limit on the security deposit. However, a normal maximum is two month's rent. The entire deposit should be returned to you at the end of your lease – if you haven't torn the place apart, stained the carpets and broken the Ming vase.
If you're skittish about dealing with apartment rental ads from unknown entities, another option are hotel residences such as Citadines, which provide kitchen facilities. The only problem here is the cost – probably higher and less cozy. On the other hand, some Citadines (i.e. Maine-Montparnasse) do have adjacent parking. If you plan on having a car while in Paris, you'll definitely want to check out the parking arrangements before committing to an apartment.
Also consider, after parking, proximity to public transport – can make a big difference. Paris winters and spring are windy and wet. Is there an open market, grocery store, such as Champion in the neighborhood? Are there pressing, blanchisserie, or self-service washing machines nearby?
If possible, visit the neighborhood in the evening. Is there street activity or does the neighborhood close down after business hours? You end up spending more time in your neighborhood than elsewhere, so be sure you can find local restaurants, theaters or cafés close by.
Are you a night person or an easily-disturbed sleeper? Don't come to Paris to sleep! On a business or pleasure trip? Does the apartment windows have double vitree, double glass windows? If your apartment is located on the Rez-de-Chausee, first, or second floor and the windows face a busy street, you may get no sleep. Is there an elevator? Ground floor is called Rez-de-Chausee. First floor is actually the second floor in American terminology.
Documents
If you plan on staying longer than three months, you'll need to apply for a carte de sejour, long-term visa. It's a year-long residency, studying French, for example. Consult your closest French Consulate to request an application or long-term visa forms. Have all documentation before the appointment such as birth certificate, marriage certificate, bank statements assuring that you have sufficient means to live in France, proof of health insurance, statement from your doctor that you are in good health, statement indicating you have no police record, chest x-ray from a consulate-approved doctor and plenty of passport-size photos.
Live off your hard-earned resources and contribute to the French TVA (sales tax on all the items you buy). A non-resident working in France presents another kettle of fish. France has a great social services system for which its residents pay dearly. Unemployment is high. The French do not like foreigners working on French soil, entering their strapped social services. That being said, the work situation is a Catch 22. You need working papers to get a job and to get working papers, you need an employer who wants you badly enough to arrange for the working papers.
WICE at 20, Boulevard Montparnasse sometimes offers lectures on long term visas. Visas are a very complex subject for which the only advice I can offer is have patience.
Health Issues
You should not have any problems finding good health care. Check with your U.S. Health Insurance provider for overseas coverage. You will have to pay for any treatments and then be reimbursed by your U.S. provider upon return.
There are options for short or long term insurance to foreigners who do not qualify for French social services. For minor health problems, your local pharmacist can answer many questions. At least one of the attending pharmacists speaks some English, particularly in touristy neighborhoods. The pharmacist can suggest a variety of OTCsm and has a referral list of neighborhood doctors. Often you can make an appointment with a doctor on the same day. Paris has a number of excellent hospitals and clinics. There is also the American Hospital in Neuilly.
For more information about health insurance, read Health Care in Paris, A joint Venture by Health Network International and WICE. The guide costs 10 Euros and can be purchased at WICE, 20 Boulevard Montparnasse, Metro, Duroc.
Paris Blues
Day-to-day living during a long-term stay is not the same as a two-week vacation. Paris can be a stressful city (any Parisian will tell you). You may experience culture shock – something that may unexpectedly creep up on you, long after you think you've adjusted to speaking another language and adapting to different customs. You're not alone. Read Camara Laye's L'Enfant Noir. If you wake up one day and everything seems to be going wrong, wait it out. The next day will be better.
Chris Card Fuller blogs more about France in: Paris and Beyond