And you don’t want to average 160€$ a day (I recently read an article on a budget travel site that stated this as a daily average…WHAT!?) But you still want to see the sights, stay inside the city, and try Parisian cuisine.
It’s possible, my friends, and you will leave feeling more satisfied, fulfilled, and in love with the city of lights than you ever thought possible.
Don’t believe me? Read on to find out why (and I say this a lot…) Paris is one of my favourite cities (I’d say it was my favourite…but I haven’t been everywhere. Yet), and how you can travel there, see it all, live like a Parisienne, and not spend your life savings.
1. Take Advantage of Free Days/Times
The first Sunday of the month is free admission day at many museums and attractions. While this used to be an all-year event, it has recently been adjusted to exclude the popular summer season. If you are able to travel during November-March (sometimes extended from October to May), the first Sunday of the month is a valuable money-saving day.
Alternately, if you are under 26, if you live in the EU, if you are a student or a teacher (from France), unemployed, or have a disability, most museums are free or reduced.
For the most recent updates to this information, check out the Official Paris Visitor Bureau website here.
2. Food
Nobody wants to go to Paris and not indulge in famous French wine and French cuisine. But I’m sure you also don’t really want to spend 100€ per person to enjoy a meal out. The great news is, Parisians don’t want to do that either, so there are many ways around this!
Obviously, your first steps to cut out the overinflated tourist prices are to venture off the main roads and sights. If you insist on convenience, and want to eat your dinner at 7pm, at a restaurant beside the Eiffel Tower, with an English menu…there’s really nothing anyone can do to save you from this. If you venture out of the main tourist areas (this outside the first few arrondissements), you’ll find restaurants catering to locals, which means actual French cuisine, fresh, local ingredients, reasonable prices and servers who don’t hate their jobs bringing hamburgers to tourists.
If dinner is still beyond your budget, try finding a restaurant you’d like to try with a lunch time menu. Often, the food is the same (portions are smaller), or similar, and it is prepared with the same care, ingredients, and service as the dinner menu, for often half the price.
3. Accommodation
I love staying in Montmartre, in the 18th arrondissement. While it’s farther away from many central attractions, you’ll be staying in an area with beautiful sweeping views of the city, in proximity to the Sacre cœur basilica, and in a very ‘local’ area of the city. Prices are much more reasonable for everything from dinner to coffee to groceries, and there are far fewer crowds to deal with, even in the middle of summer.
The moulin rouge is at the bottom of the hill of Montmartre. The vibrant neighbourhood is home to nightclubs, bright lights, and incredible history. While sometimes considered a less desirable neighbourhood, to miss out would be to deprive yourself of some of the city’s more lively history.
The Hotel Des Arts is a small, independent hotel with well-appointed rooms, a beautiful breakfast, and is consistently below similarly priced hotels. The owner is friendly and welcoming and the hotel is easy to find, just blocks away from the Place des abbesses metro station.
If you are only in the city for a few days, you may find it worth your time to stay in the first few arrondissements. There are almost unlimited air bnb’s or VRBO listings, a number of good hostels (requiring stays of less than 7 days), and some smaller, locally-run hotels. Know that, if you’re in Paris in high season, a 3* Hotel in the 1st to 4th arrondissement will cost you an average of 150$+ per night. Hostels in the same area are between 17-60$/night and local accommodations usually start around 40$/night.
Finally, for a bare-bones budget, couch surf! Ranging from a bed in a private room, to a piece of floor in the kitchen, it’s a free place to store your bags and lay your head. Bring a small gift for your host, and when you’re able, return the favour in your hometown to future generations of backpackers.
4. Explore by Foot
Paris, like many cities, is probably best explored outside, on foot. While you can take the elevator / climb to the top of the Eiffel Tower, do you really need to, to experience the moment? No! There you are; you’ve saved yourself 30€, and a solid 3 hours spent in line.
If it’s a view you’re craving, walk to the Sacre Cœur in Montmartre and enjoy unparalleled, free views of the city at its feet.
Sure, you’ll probably want to explore a few museums and churches from the inside, but just because you are can, doesn’t mean you must.
A quick google search for free Paris walking tours will give you a excellent start to this way of exploring.
5. Take it Slow
As with any trip, the slower you travel, the cheaper your costs. Taking buses and transport instead of taxis and flights. Eating leftovers instead of dining out. Explore slowly and you’ll be surprised how cheap it can be!
Paris CAN be seen in three days. Two if you’re very fast, or you can do without a few key sights. But a) why would you want to do this? And b) for the same price, you could spend a week or more in the capital.
Stay a little further from the centre, explore on foot, take advantage of several free hours here and there and prettty soon, you’ll have explored Paris fully and will have grown to love the beautiful city of lights!
Louvre Museum
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