Originally Posted by Kate_Canuck

Mr Canuck and I spent 2 1/2 summers in Paris and managed to get by without air conditioning in our apartment (and I had no a/c at work, either). I was worried about it at first, because, as you can tell from my FT name, I'm Canadian and more accustomed to moderate temperatures than hot temperatures.

It was very hot from time to time, but I quickly realized that, although a/c makes things easier, it's not essential in Paris. I simply adjusted to the temperature by taking a few steps to keep cool. A cool shower in the morning (actually warm to start and as cold as I could stand it at the end), when I got home from work and before bed if necessary make a huge difference. A few strategically placed fans make it possible to sleep. Open the windows and close the blinds when the sun is shining directly through.

I also found that because I wasn't moving back and forth between super-cold, air conditioned environments to hot environments (because there is very little a/c in France), my sense of the temperature and adjustment to hotter temperatures was much easier than I expected.

The bottom line is that, while I think you may want to consider the availability of a/c in deciding which apartment to choose: 1) don't let a lack of a/c be the deciding factor in your search (but do ask about cross-ventilation and availability of fans); and 2) if you choose an apartment that is advertised as having a/c, don't expect super-cool temperatures. The a/c unit will take the edge off the heat but it's likely to be a room unit that doesn't produce an environment anything like what you would expect to have in the US.