Overview
Ah Paris, we love you so. Paris is an absolute gem. Probably written about more than any other city than NYC, Paris remains as a bucket list item for almost every traveler and any proper Euro Trip just wouldn’t be complete without a stop in the City of Lights. Its long boulevards, rod iron adorned town houses and historical sites are just too alluring; its food, art and culture a marvel to behold.
While we can argue that the image of Paris is romanticized a bit, the city is truly extraordinary and has a wonderful and unique vibe. Parisians are not nearly as snooty as people say they are and the city really captures a time and feel of years long gone. While we advocate everyone should go to Paris, we want you to be prepared for the challenges that it poses.
The problem is, cheap travel in Paris is hard.
It’s big, expensive and confusing; we admit that. That’s why we are here to supply you with all the tools you need to conquer this extraordinary place. Bon Voyage!
Is it Cheap
No! Paris is probably one of the most expensive cities you can visit anywhere in the world, but fret not. We have come up with a long list of things you can do to avoid spending your whole backpacker budget in one place and have fun while doing it. Hostels will generally run around 30-50 Euros per night and a meal at a restaurant around 15-20. Fast food is very similar to that of other European cities and stores are reasonable.
WE SAY A GOOD BUDGET FOR PARIS IS: 60-70 Euros per day including hostel.
Arc D’Triomphe
Musee Louvre
Notre Dame Cathedral
Sacre-Coeur
What To Do
As a budget travel company and one geared to ensuring that you get unique experiences without spending all your money, Paris is a tough one for us. As you may or may not know, Paris is the most visited tourist destination in the world, making most of the attractions overpriced and incredibly crowded. On any stay in Paris you will be confronted with the choice between wasting hours of your time and handfuls of your hard earned cash on overcrowded and frankly overhyped attractions.
Yes, you should see the Eiffel Tower and the Arc De Triumph. Yes, the Louvre is incredibly impressive and that boat cruise down the Seine is picturesque. All we are saying is that if you are going to commit time to these places, do your research to avoid lines and often times, buy your tickets ahead of time (Many attractions including the Louvre, Versailles and various other museums let you buy tickets directly from their website, allowing you to skip the ridiculous lines during high tourist season.)
If your budget in this case is not big enough to sustain the average Paris Sight Seeing List, we hope our recommendations below will help you have a blast during your time in the City of Lights.
Go Museum Crawling on the First Sunday of Each Month
One of the best things about Paris is its absolutely diverse and abundant museum scene and luckily for you, the city makes all public museums free on the first Sunday of every month. Check out Centre Pompidou for a great view of the city and its amazing modern art display. If you are looking for something more classic, Musee D’Orsay is a great alternative to the Louvre.
Catch an epic sunset on the stairs of the Sacre-Couer
The Sacre-Couer sits at the highest point of Montmatre, the bohemian neighborhood of Paris in its 9th district. Tourists and locals alike ascend the stairs to enjoy easily the best and most encompassing view of Paris. The interior of the church is also a site to be seen and is a true testament to French architectural prowess. As the sun sets over Paris, you will be enchanted my local artist and musicians welcoming the evening under the front of the church. While this spot is also a perfect place to enjoy a cheap bottle of wine, don’t worry if you forgot one as there are always friendly guys selling cheap beers until the wee hours of the morning.
See the modern side of Paris at La Defense
If you get on line 1 of the Paris metro headed west, you will be taken to La Defense, an expansive new building complex that shows off Paris’s modern side. From this side of the city you can see an epic view of the traffic leading up to the Arc D’Triomphe as well as a miraculous local architectural display. As you stroll down Avenue de La Defense you will finish at the Arc De La Defense, another excellent spot to enjoy a sunset and crack open a cold one.
Take a stroll down the Seine and Have Some Drinks the Parisian way
Since drinking and bar culture is an incredibly expensive event in Paris, many of its youth take to the streets with friends to celebrate the Parisian way. If you walk along the Seine to the East from the Notre Dame, you will find tons of people sitting out and enjoying the cool Parisian evening with drinks, music and friends. This is a perfect place to pre-drink before walking just a bit farther to the club district we will discuss below.
What To Eat
As far as budget travel is concerned, Paris is a tricky city to keep the food costs low. An average dish at a restaurant will run you around 15 Euros and a beer anywhere between 6-10. To combat this, we recommend buying food at the plentiful grocery stores on the exterior of the 1st and 2nd districts.
If you do have a bit of spending money and want to sample the local Parisian fare, we recommend taking your cash to patisseries/boulangeries (bakeries) and French bistros. Generally, the costs at bistros are reasonable, with most dishes only around 8 to 10 Euros per meal.
The Boulangerie is as essential to the French identity than the Eiffel Tower is and you will find these Parisian staples at seemingly every street corner.
The baked goods hit list to try in Paris is as follows:
Croissant Amande : A typical croissant dough with a hint of almond extract, baked until golden brown.
Flan Normale: A sweet egg custard cake
Baguette: The traditional French bread that goes so well with everything. Make sure to buy one fresh out of the oven!
Palmier: A thin and buttery heart shaped cookie
Classic French Bistro Dishes to Sample on your stay in Paris:
Duck Confit: Generally, a duck leg cooked in its own fat over a long period of time. Its decadent and truly French.
Steak Tartare: Raw beef flavored with oil, mustard, capers and fresh egg yolk. A French bistro classic.
Escargot: Snails served in a butter and garlic sauce. Don’t get freaked out, they are actually really good!
Boeuf Bourguignon: A beef stew made of brisket cut beef in red wine sauce, this classic dish is typically served alongside mashed potatoes.
Crepe Sucre/Sale: The sweet or savory crepe is the most notable street food of Paris and something you can be sure to find all over the city. A traditional sweet crepe is normally filled with lemon and sugar. A traditional savory crepe is filled with cheese, ham, egg or tuna.
Transportation
Transportation in Paris is much like the rest of Europe, offering a subway and efficient bus line that connects the entire city hassle free. While transportation is readily available and easy to use, it is quite expensive, as one ride costs over 2 Euros. If you are in Paris for a longer period of time, we recommend getting the “pack of 10’ ticket bundle which lowers the per ride price to 1.80 Euro.
Be advised that if you come in through Charles De Gaulle airport, the train to Gare Du Nord, one of the larger central stations in Paris is a flat rate fee of around 12 Euros one way. There are slow trains and fast trains into Paris; the cost stays the same. The slow train will take around one hour whereas the fast can get you into the city in around 45 minutes. You can fly to Orly as well, but it's just about the same price to get to the city using the Orly bus.
If you fly to Paris via Paris-Beauvais airport through Ryan Air, the bus to Paris will cost 20 Euros one way and take around an hour and a half to arrive at Porte Maillot west of the city center.
Where To Stay
If you have ever thought about using couchsurfing before, Paris is the largest community in the world and a great place to try it. Hostels in the city are often times quite expensive for what you are getting and don’t have the best locations.
Airbnb is also a good way to experience true Parisian life, although not cheap either.
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