Knowing and visiting Paris is an experience that will change you forever. As Hemingway wrote, "If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast." From the Rive Gauche to the Rive Droite, rent apartments and walk in the steps of writers, painter, and philosophers. Even find houseboat rentals for a unique stay on the Seine. Rather than under the French flag of liberté, égalité, fraternité, Paris-based artists lived under the flag of liberté, légèreté, sensualité. No need to read heavy biographical works to understand this concept, just stay in vacation apartment rentals and walk along the steps of all American and international artists who have lived and worked in Paris-the only place in the world where inspiration comes by itself. Book cheap rentals to be inspired in the beautiful French capital city.
Visit the Louvre and Sartre's neighbourhood
On the left bank of the Seine River, visit St Germain des Près and its historical cafés such as Les Deux Magots and Le Flore, headquarters of Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Camus and Simone de Beauvoir. Rent a room in St Germain des Près and walk a few steps every morning to the Louvre and the Jardin des Tuileries (Tuileries Garden) Visit the Louvre, home to vast collections of paintings, artifacts, and sculptures. Feel like you are inside one of Henry James' pages-he felt so inspired by this museum that he wrote in front of art masterpieces and Egyptians statues.
Take a two-minute walk from your homestay and you'll find Rue Jacob and its cabarets keeping the memories of Nathalie Barney alive, so book a short-term rentals near Barney's neoclassical temple-shaped house. Close to Nathalie Barney was another iconic female genius, Gertrude Stein. She kept her door wide open to all cubism, dada and surrealist painters as a true mentor, financer, art buyer and supporter of an entire generation of artists. Her portrait by Pablo Picasso is known all over the world as well as her fights with Nathalie Barney for one or the other female lover. Discover the history, the scandals, and drama from rental homes in Paris.
What to do in Paris?
Explore the area of Montparnasse
Stay at rentals near Montparnasse. Stop by a famous cabaret or restaurant on the Boulevard du Montparnasse, where the shows for exotic dancer and secret spy Josephine Baker were staged. Have a drink at La Coupole, la Rotonde, le Jockey, le Select or a dinner at La Closerie des Lilas where Modigliani proposed to the unlucky Jeanne Hébuterne, muse and model who shared the tragical life of the Italian painter. To see a number of his works, visit the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris within the Trocadero or the Picasso Museum.####
Stroll through the artistic hub of Montmartre
If you want to feel the atmosphere of late 19th century, rent a studio and climb up to Montmartre, a large hill offering one of the best views of Paris. Pigalle which is located at the foot of Butte Montmartre (hill of Montmartre,) has not changed since the time of Picasso, Van Gogh, Degas or Matisse. Windmills, nightclubs, red light bars and clubs are still there keeping its legend alive. The Cancan was born in Pigalle, more precisely at the Moulin Rouge. Purchase a ticket for a night show at this worldwide known cabaret: yes, this is Pigalle!####
Visit Père Lachaise to see the graves of famous artists
Irish playwright, novelist, essayist, and poet Oscar Wilde died in a hotel in Paris near Rue Bonaparte, only a few steps from the banks of the Seine. He was buried in the peaceful Père Lachaise cemetery where Jim Morrison, lead singer of the American rock band The Doors, is also buried.
Explore the heart of Paris
Visit Opera, near Grands Boulevards, where most Paris theaters are located. Book a studio in the pleasant Le Marais neighborhood, with its exclusive 17th-century mansions neighboring crowded "for men only" nightclubs. Try to discover the encrypted messages hidden in the Notre Dame Cathedral. Get bewitched and inspired by its gothic beauty. Walk through the Ile Saint Louis and admire its beautiful 16th and 17th-century buildings. There you can still feel the presence of Charles Baudelaire, Théophile Gauthier and the peculiar companions of the "Club des Hashishiens" discussing literature, drugs, wine, poetry. Again and again and again, liberté, légèreté, sensualité.
Eiffel Tower and the Champs de Mars
Start with a drink at Place de l'Alma facing the Eiffel Tower. Purchase your Eiffel Tower tickets at the Crazy Horse or the Lido: after all you are in Paris, so why would you forgot its most popular treasure? Rent a Paris studio near Champs de Mars and have a picnic with a view of the iconic Eiffel Tower. If you wish to meet actors, singers, top models and showbiz stars, book Paris luxury rentals from Avenue Montaigne to Avenue George V, across the hugest display of stylists exclusive shops and television chains, cinema production companies and 6-star hotels. Have dinner on the Champs Elysées then walk along the most stunning avenue of the world: from Place de la Concorde to Place de l'Etoile, then Arc de Triomphe. End the day with a night on Bateaux Mouches, a boat tour on the Seine. Get lost looking at the mirror of lights from the Eiffel Tower sparkling in the Seine waters.