Editing Paris (section)

===<FONT COLOR="#330099">'''Couchsearch Tips'''</FONT>===


'''== Paris is one of the smallest capital in the world =='''
:
London : 1,600 km2 / Roma : 1,300 km2 / Berlin : 900 km2
and Paris.... 105 km2 !
And it is probably the first destination in the world for tourists.

That's because we, Parisians, make a strong distinction between "Paris" (105 km2 and 2.2 million inhabitants) and "la banlieue" (the suburbs, 2,700 km2 and 8.2 million inhabitants). The suburbs extends over 7 "departements", which are often refered to: it is common to hear "I live in the 93...". Departements 92, 93, and 94 constitute the "Petite couronne" (inner circle) and surround Paris itself (departement 75). Departements 77, 78, 91 and 95 constitute the "Grande couronne" (outer circle) and are made of both a part of suburbs and also a big deal of countryside. These 8 departements (Paris, Petite couronne and Grande couronne) together are the region Ile-de-France (12,000 km2 and 11,7 million inhabitants). See more (and a map) on the [http://www.iledefrance.fr/english/discover-ile-de-france/practical-info/ile-de-france-today/ Ile-de-France Region website].

CS members living in the heart of the city receive every day tons of requests.

When '''looking for a couch''' don't hesitate to ask CSers living in the suburbs!! The Parisian public transport system is one of the most efficient in Europe which means you can stay 50kms away from Paris and still make it to downtown in half an hour. Metro lines go as far as zone 2 i.e. cities bordering Paris (Saint Mandé, Vincennes, Boulogne, Courbevoie, Montreuil, etc.). Suburban members getting far less requests than central ones your chances to get positive answers will rise dramatically.
Flats are bigger, there are houses, gardens, forests, woods, castles, all this 20' from the centre ! Its cool ! And it's Parisian life too (2 million inside, 9 millions in suburb : we live together !). Many CS profiles indicate precisely how long it takes to downtown.
[[File:2381900511 3f8cf021b8.jpg|thumb|280px|right|]]

To give a rather quick example, you should search for members in '''Ile de France''' and by latest login dates. Those two criteria combined will offer you a big choice of nice members outside of Paris.

As the new couchsearch engine still doesn't work really well, we advise you to keep using the old one: http://www.couchsurfing.org/mapsurf.html?form=advanced


BASED ON EXPERIENCE TIPS (using the old couchsearch engine)

Select the advanced mode of the couchsearch

Select Maybe, yes or definitely has couch ( if the city is big, the case for Paris, try first Yes definitely )

Select Member with picture

LAST LOGIN : 3-7 days is plenty for Paris as it is a big community

Results per page : 100 (25 is selected by default)

Order by :''' NEWEST ACCOUNTS''' ( Newly joined members are always more eager to host )

dont mention the city in the field, rather select it via the menu. continent / country / region / city !

LAST AND IMPORTANT TIP :

If the city is small sized, expand your research around it.

For Paris you can easily look up for a couch 30-50 kilometers around it. Just make sure if you are unsure to have the public transportation map close by in an open tab. Here is the map ( [http://www.ratp.info/orienter/cv/carteidf.php] )