Our Parisian home swap
"Firstly, we weren't sure about going to a big city with young children (ages two and four) but it turned out to be an amazing family holiday. On arrival, Anne's apartment was jaw-droppingly gorgeous. And absolutely huge too, much bigger than we expected from the photos. "
Anne’s apartment where Aisling and family enjoyed a week’s home swap in Paris (Source: Love Home Swap)
"The location of the apartment was in Montmartre, a two-minute walk from Rue des Martyrs which is a Parisian street famous for its small food stores and some stylish boutiques. Each morning, my partner Fergus would walk to Rue des Martyrs and stock up on some fresh croissants and pastries from a beautiful artisan bakery. Our apartment was seconds away from two convenient metro stops, so we did excursions each day. "
Ailsing’s kids enjoying a picnic on the balcony of their home swap (Source: Aisling Cullen)
What we got up to
On the first day, we walked to the Moulin Rouge (about 15 minutes from our home swap) and took Le Petit Train with the kids up to Sacre Coeur. The area was awash with tourists, but it was wonderful to see the famous Place de Tertre, a bustling square of restaurants and artists showing their works and of course seeing Sacre Coeur itself.
Enjoying their tour outside the Moulin Rouge (Source: Aisling Cullen)
And of course, we went for a day out to see the Eiffel Tower - no trip to Paris would be complete without that!
Enjoying the sights of Paris (Source: Aisling Cullen)
Space for all the family
Because we had so much space in the apartment, my father joined us for three nights which is probably something we would never have been able to do should we have booked a hotel. And of course, he was an invaluable babysitter for one night!
Aisling and her father enjoying Paris (Source: Aisling Cullen)
Less spent on accomodation, more to spend in the evenings
The night he babysat, myself and my partner went for a drink in the Hemmingway Bar in the Ritz Hotel. The Ritz was dripping with decadence and opulence... and the bar bill in the Hemmingway matched the hotel's unabated luxury (€30 per drink!!). But it was a wonderful experience. For dinner, we went to Jaja in the Marais, a stylish bistro with a courtyard serving modern French cuisine. I highly recommend it.
Another evening, we went to Jardin des Tuileries where there was a fun fair with roller coasters and rides set amongst the stunning gardens. Our children had a blast on some of the kiddy rides, but the highlight has to be the ferris wheel giving us panoramic views of Paris as the sun was setting.
Enjoying the views from their home swap (Source: Aisling Cullen)
On our final day we went to Van Gogh light exhibition at L'Atelier des Lumieres, an immersive experience of art projections and music compilations. It was superb to absorb the art in this way and the kids enjoyed it too.
We loved our first experience with Love Home Swap and we can't wait to do more. We will definitely look to Love Home Swap rather than booking a hotel in the future. I have also had great experiences hosting so this service really works for us as a family.
Tips for securing a swap in Paris?
Paris is a great option for swappers to find a place in August. We got a good few responses because many Parisians leave their homes that month so there is lots of availability.
How to get started home swapping
Interested in getting started home swapping? Build your own profile and start our free trial today. Or if you’d like to chat more, get in touch with our team – we’d love to help. Want to share your home swap story? Tag us using the hashtag #welovehomeswap on social for the chance to be featured on our blog
