Approximately how much do you think it will cost per day for 3 adults in Paris based on these factors:?

Question

Were not staying in a hotel, renting an apartment, so don't factor in that cost.

We are planning to eat a cafe for breakfast, just coffee and/or pastries, snack for lunch, and a inexpensive but nice meal for dinner.

Also, please factor in one activity per day, whether it be a museum or sightseeing or something.

So, how much do you think (please list your experience in the matter as a source) this sort of a regime would cost per day?

Most complete answer gets the points :D

Answer 1

Staying in an apartment is a good choice and I would suggest you take your breakfast in your apartment.

No matter where you are staying its almost certain there will be a pastry shop or boulangerie with a block or two. Pick up some pasty the night before or send one of your party out in the morning while another makes coffee. Consider being very french and getting some good Norman butter and a jar of jam (I assume the apartment will have a refrigerator) and pick up a fresh baguette in the morning still warm from the oven. Do that and you'll bring your per person breakfast costs down to a 2 or 3 euros apiece.

Consider eating your biggest meal of the day at lunch when prices are lower. Along the rue Mouffetard in the 5th arrondissement you'll find dozens of places serving three course meals with a glass of wine for 10-12 euros. Or walk into any cafe and look for the daily special that will usually be shown on a chalk board. It will almost always be good value for the money.

In the evenings think about picking up prepared meals to take away from the omnipresent food shops specializing in such meals. You'll find most of the customers you encounter in such shops are locals. Pick up a bottle of wine at any wine shop or even grocery store, a pastry or some cheese and you'll dine well for 10-15 euros a person back at the apartment.

Paris is a city for walking and I rarely use more than 2 or 3 metro tickets a day. Buy them by the carnet of 10 and the price per ticket is 1.10 euros.

On average, if you see one major sight which requires admission per day your costs should average less than 10 euros. For example, the Musee D'Orsay costs 8 euros admission and the Louvre costs 9 euros.

Answer 2

I just spent a month in Paris and stayed in an apartment. I would suggest that you look at eating in for breakfast since you will most likely have a kitchen, and it is always less expensive to go to the markets and cook yourself. Plan about 5-6 Euros each for breakfast, then about the same for lunch if you are just snacking. A decent dinner will run anywhere between 10-20 Euros each (this can easily jump when adding alcohol or going to a nicer place). Activities can vary quite a bit so I would say at least 25 Euros each per day (based on one activity per day). So that would be 51 Euros (at the top end) each times 3 is 153 Euros per day average. I would also suggest that you use a Capital One card to pay for as much as possible since you will get a better exchange rate and they don't have an international transaction fee - which saves 1-3% per transaction. If you have an ATM card, find out from your bank if they have ATMs in Paris. This is the best way to get cash since you don't pay fees (if that is your bank policy) and you get the best exchange rate. Plan ahead as much as possible, and I would include as much walking as possible. It is the best city in the world to walk. Also, take your time when eating out. The French do, so so should you. Eating out is an experience to be enjoyed - not rushed like here in the states. This will fill more of your time and give you a true Parisian experience. Here is some more on where to go: There are the basic tourist destinations: Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Place de la Concorde, Champs Elysees, and about 20 other museums that I could run off. I would suggest that you really look at what you want to do before you get there (so you don't spend valuable time trying to figure it out when you are there). Then, map it out. Try to work in as much as you can in each day. For example, you could go see Notre Dame on the Ile de la Cite (go early in the am to avoid the crowds) then spend some time on Ile St. Louis which is the second of the two islands in the Seine. There is also a wonderful Church on the Ile de la Cite called Saint Chapell which has the bible mapped out in stained glass. It is truly exquisite. These two islands and what there is to see there could take half a day or more. I would suggest the Louvre (again go early) as a half day or more excursion. There is a wonderful restaurant in the lower lobby called the Le Grand Louvre. It is expensive, but really worth it. After the Louvre, walk down its Tuileries Gardens (you will be able to see the Arc de Triomphe in the distance). Along the way you will see the Place de la Concorde (where Marie Antoinette was executed) and then the Champs Elysees. You can end at the Arc de Triomphe. There is also a wonderful ferry that runs in the River Seine called the Batu Bus (I think that is how it is spelled). You can purchase a day or week pass and it runs around the river beginning at the Eiffel Tower making stops all along the route as it circles the two islands and goes back up to the Eiffel Tower. You can get off and on anywhere it stops (just like a bus). It is a wonderful way to see the city from the river and just get around. Start at the Eiffel Tower and get off at the Louvre or Notre Dame walk around, then get back on and stop somewhere else. I know this is a lot, and I am just scratching the surface, so be sure to plan ahead. Use a good travel book on Paris to choose what you want to see, then map it out. And don't be afraid to change the plans if you find a place you fall in love with and want to spend more time visiting. I hope this helps and have a great trip.