Five Best: Parisian pieds a terre

The ultimate in Parisian style, this apartment is on the first floor of a traditional building in St-Germain-des-Prés and sleeps eight. Managed by the California-based company Chez Vous, it features floor-to-ceiling windows, parquet floors, antique furniture, elaborate chandeliers and silk drapes and up-to-the-minute amenities.

There are four bedrooms, a living-room, a top-notch kitchen and two bathrooms with pretty tiled floors.

Reine Marguerite, 15 rue du Pré-aux-Clercs, Paris 7e (00 1 415 331 2535; www.chezvous.com). Rental from $880 (£488) a night.

Bâteau Simpatico

If you've always fancied living on the Left Bank, you couldn't get closer to it than this houseboat, moored at the Port de Suffren. Built in Holland in 1916, it was used as a cargo carrier before being converted into a houseboat in the early 1970s and finally docking in Paris. While the back half of the boat is occupied by the owners, the front is rented out to parties of between two and four. There's a double bedroom, a shower room, a kitchen, a charming wood-panelled living area, and a chic deck for when the weather's fine. There's also a boat-bus stop nearby for easy access to the city sights.

Bâteau Simpatico, Port de Suffren, Paris 7e (00 33 1 4753 0279; www.quai48parisvacation.com). Rental from €1,820 (£1,300) a week.

Pigalle

This top-floor flat sleeps two (three if you count the sofa-bed). With white walls, bare floorboards, a shiny new bathroom and an eclectic mix of furniture, what it lacks in space it makes up for in charm. The apartment is located in the historic Abbesses area of the city, where much of the film Amélie was set. While it is quite a trek from the banks of the Seine, it is gloriously close to the Sacré-Coeur and Montmartre. And being on the sixth floor, there are great rooftop views across the city. The catch? That lofty setting. With no lift, it's suitable only for the very fittest of visitors.

Pigalle 2, 6 rue Houdon, Paris 18e (00 33 6 30 65 46 23; www.parissweethome.com). Rental from €480 (£343) a week.

Garnier

Entering this sunny one-bedroom apartment (it sleeps four if the dining-room is turned into a second bedroom) is like stepping into a Parisian salon. Managed by Pad-a-Terre, it's a nice mix of period style (parquet floors, grand fireplaces) and contemporary comfort (natty bathroom, neutral bedlinen). The kitchen is small and no-frills, but being in Paris, you're unlikely to starve. It's close to the Opéra Garnier, in the arty ninth arrondissement, and just knowing that Delacroix, George Sand and Renoir once lived nearby adds to the romance.

Garnier, 43 rue St-Georges, Paris 9e (00 33 62 304 0916; www.pad-a-terre.com). From €900 (£643) a week.

Sancerre

For those who don't feel they're in Paris unless they can see the Eiffel Tower through the window, this large, smart apartment features 180-degree views from its wraparound balcony. With two bedrooms and bathrooms, it sleeps four, with space for two more on a sofa-bed. And its location is as classy as its decor: a three-minute stroll to the river, 10 to the boutiques and restaurants of Avenue George V, and just a block from the tower.

Sancerre, rue St-Dominique, Paris 7e (020-7938 2939; www.parisperfect.com). Rental from $2,723 (£1,512) per week.