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Paris-Pas-Cher: Tips on Moving Apartments, Storage Units, and Rental Vehicles

Rachel Whiteread house
© Rachel Whiteread / Photo Sue Emerod

Planning to backpack around Europe this summer but need a place to store your stuff? None of the friends you made have enough space to mind them? (Well, you picked the wrong ones then.)

Today Paris-Pas-Cher will help you with this list of cheap storage units and options to rent cars and vans if you’re planning to move.

UNE PIÈCE EN PLUS

Gare du Nord-Lafayette
12, Rue de Rocroy
75010, Paris.
Mon-Fri: 7am-8pm
Sat-Sun: 9am-5pm

Place d’Italie
20-22, Rue Barrault
75013, Paris.

Le Marais
74 Rue Vieille du Temple
75003, Paris.

Convention
159, Rue Blomet
75015, Paris.

Pyrénées
57, Rue des Pyrénées
75020, Paris.

See website for more locations. You have to request a quote depending on how much space you need but they’re very professional and present in most arrondissements. With a location right next to school, this is the easiest option for PCA students.

SHURGARD

Gare de l’Est
21-23, Rue Eugène Varlin
75010, Paris.

Porte de Clignancourt
96, Rue des Poissonniers
75018, Paris.

Nation
21, Rue de Toul
75011, Paris.

Porte de Pantin
169, Avenue Jean Jaurès
75019, Paris.

Porte de Châtillon
95, Avenue Pierre Brossolette
92120, Montrouge.

Porte de Charenton
10, rue Camille Mouquet
94220, Charenton.

Shurgard has more locations around Paris but those are the closest ones. In some of those storage units, the first month only costs 1€! Don’t hesitate to share a storage unit with other PCA students to spend as little as possible.

You can also ask your current landlord if you can store your belongings in their basement for a while, they often say yes if they have space and it won’t cost you anything.

The apartment Gustave Eiffel built for himself at the top of the Eiffel Tower… why not move there?

ALLOFRET

Allofret offers delivery and transport services, drivers included! It’s ideal if you’re trying to move houses and you don’t have a car nor a license. If you’re friendly enough, they’ll even help you carry the boxes to your new place!

AUTOLIB’

The city of Paris has put a number of electric cars around the city you can rent for a day or less. All you need to do is register for free on their website and you can take out a car whenever you want. It costs 6,33€ for twenty minutes and that can save you both time and money if you have a driver’s license.

DRIVING IN FRANCE

If you’re from the European Union, you can use your driver’s license without worry. If you’re not from the European Union, your driver’s license is valid if you carry a notarized translation with you for one year, then you’ll have to change it to a French driver’s license at your local police station. You can also get an international driving permit in your home country before moving to Paris.

Need cardboard boxes?
Paris-Pas-Cher’s advice is to walk down Rue des Gravilliers in the 3rd arrondissement at around 6/7pm. This is a street where there are a lot of whole sale shops that frequently discard good condition (and definitely reusable) cardboard boxes.

Getting rid of clothes?
Bring your clothes to shops like H&M and &Other Stories where they will give you a gift certificate for every 5 items you donate.

Furniture or stuff you don’t want?
Take advantage of the PCA closed facebook group and post your offers. Someone’s junk is another’s treasure! Also, you can post your things on sites like pap.fr and leboncoin.fr.
If you have art supplies, equipment, books etc, you can also reach out to your Department Chair to see if they may know of people who’ll buy it off you.