OK, I know you're here for the cemeteries but you have to stay somewhere, right?

Generally speaking, there are few hotels available near the three major cemeteries. So, if you are in Paris for just a few days you'll probably just want to stay at a hotel -- click the link above to get started!

If, on the other hand, you'll be spending some quality time in the city of lights then you'll most likely want to rent an apartment.You will pay less for the same place by renting long-term versus short-term (say for six months or longer versus a month or six weeks). Location is important as well: rentals in the 11th and 20th arrondissements, for example will be significantly less than the comparable space in say the 6th or 7th (the latter two being somewhat more upscale).

The good news here is that if you are in Paris to focus on the cemeteries -- unlikely I know -- then you are in luck: most rentals in the 18th (Montmartre and Saint-Vincent cemeteries) and the 20th (Pere Lachaise and Charonne cemeteries) are going to be some of the least expensive in the city.

The bad news about renting an apartment in Paris, or anywhere else in Europe for that matter, is that many of the available units are managed through rental agents and they charge a hefty commission (usually in the hundreds of Euros). And who pays those fees? That's right, YOU do. The rentee pays. Unless you have little concern about money I urge you to steer clear of the rental agents.

Back to the good news for a moment. In Paris there is a wonderful (and free) resource called FUSAC (France USA Contacts), which is where we found our apartment rental in the 5th arr. last year (and rented from the same pereson again in late 2007 in the 11th).

FUSAC is also a good source of information for job opportunities.

You can access their online classifieds by clicking here.

Another good resource in tracking down someplace to live in Paris is craigslist.