PARIS There’s no shortage of rental apartments in Paris, but you can spend a lot of time combing through lists of pokey places in out-of-the-way arrondissements. Which is why we love Paris Hideaways. Run by an ex-Montrealer who moved across the pond, their selection sticks to the most popular and loveliest neighbourhoods, and everything from a palatial two-bedroom near the Champs Elysées to a studio apartment in the Marais is well decorated, with recently renovated bathroom and galley kitchen. For example, the Bilboquet, a spacious studio with a pull-out sofa in trendy Montorgeuil is just €73 a night and comes with three-metre-high French windows looking onto a quiet Parisian street. Like a good-sized hotel room, the Rendez-Vous has a full bed and small breakfast table and chairs under a stunning beamed ceiling, and goes for just €57 a night. Prices do go up from there, but the more expensive properties are fantasy inducing. Most offer nightly rentals, though rates drop if you stay a week or more. www.parisvac.com

ROME  Can’t decide if you want to experience la dolce vita near the Spanish Steps, the trendy neighbourhood of Trastevere or Saint Peter’s Cathedral? Spend some time on Rental in Rome’s website where you can browse nearly 500 apartments and penthouses all close to Rome’s most popular attractions. Renting a self-catering apartment can save you as much as 50 percent off your nightly stay in the Eternal City. For €65 a night, two people can stay in the third-floor renovated Itaca Balcony apartment in the Marconi area, a few minutes away from historical Trastevere. You have a living room, a small dining area, a double bedroom, a fully equipped kitchen, a bathroom with shower and two balconies. It also comes with air conditioning, TV and stereo. The site covers all budgets — under €100, between €100 to €200 and, if you really want to splurge, over €200. www.rentalinrome.com

LONDON  Renting a flat in London may run you just as dear as a hotel room but you can seriously save by preparing your own meals and remaining your own domestic sovereign in any of London’s central areas. Price Apartments has pulled together a list of great self-catering apartments around town. For £76 ($155) nightly, you can stay in Aston’s one-bedroom pads on posh Rosary Gardens, a quiet residential street in South Kensington near the Victoria & Albert Museum. The apartments sleep up to four, all have been renovated and are spotless. All come with bathrooms and kitchenettes as well as phones and satellite TV. Pay more and you get a designer room with a hairdryer, bathrobes, marble showers, iron, safe and trouser press. www.priceapts.co.uk