How can one go to Paris on the cheap?

Question

I have been obsessed with going to Paris for quite some time and I have slowly, slooooowly, been saving up money. How can I get there and have my stay there be reasonably cheap, but comfortable? Any suggestions?

Answer 1

Depends on where you're starting from.

Answer 2

you main costs will be accommodaiton, transport/travel and food......

Get a room in a hostel for the cheapest accommodaiton....you will have to share for the cheapest, but if you want to see more of Paris then thats the way to go.

You can get consession cards for the metro which can work out good, but i have heard they have changed things now for that...I got a carte orange, but not sure if thats running now...

The metro will get you around Paris....I only got it for 3 zones ( and got cuaght on a train to the airport!!! I had to pay 10or 20 euros fine!!!! so stay in the right zone!!!!

There are consession cards for the museusm...a museum pass which gets you into a range of museums including the louvre ( and if you buy it beforehand you can go in the prepaid line!!).....there are some othe museums not on the list... I'm certain the Rodin museum was not on it, but not sure about musee d'orsay...

There are some free places to go eg Notre Dame was free to get in , you can walk part of the Eiffle tower for free rather than pay for the lift....other things have a bit of a cost....but they are not massive costs.

Food....if you go to a cheap hotel they will serve you food too...not sure if hostels do that!! this means you eat big at breakfast and it lasts you longer into the day and need less during the day and then you have dinner.....if you don;t mind it takeways can be cheaper!!!

Answer 3

I'm planning to go to Paris in February too i have done a bit of research and found that traveling by eurostar and by plane are roughly the same price (around £60-£70) Per person.

I have found the cheapest method is by coach.

This is from London. (around £50)

As for accommodation you should browse lastminute.com that have great prices from 3 nights at £86!!!!

But that depends on how long you wish to go for.

I would recommend a week that way you can do as much as you like i.e shopping, sight seeing, etc.

Hope this helps

Answer 4

Ehhhh well... that may be difficult with the exchange rate being so high these days. Assuming you live in the U.S. So I'd say wait til that goes down, then go during a low season where there aren't as many tourists so you get better deals on hotels and such.

Answer 5

look up easyjet they have cheap flights

Answer 6

It depends on what you mean by "comfortable."  If you need a nice hotel, then that'll limit you.  If, however, you can deal with a cheap hotel with a bathroom down the hall (after all you only sleep there), or, better yet, a hostel, that will take a big bite out of you lodging expenses.  For hostels, check a good guidebook; I recommend Let's Go.  For cheap hotels, look in your guidebook, but also check http://www.eurocheapo.com.  There's one hotel the I've stayed at (Hotel de Rouen) that is near the Louvre, is 30 euros/night for a single with a bathroom down the hall.  Find someone to stay/travel with, and it's 18 Euros each/night.  For a nicer hotel, I'd recommend the two-star Hotel de Roubaix in the Marais (http://www.hotel-de-roubaix.com/).  Nice, but not too expensive.

I'd highly recommend getting a Carte Orange (16.30 Euros/week) for the metro.  You'll need a passport photo (which you can get in big metro/train stations like Gare du Nord), but it gives you unlimited rides on the metro/buses for a week/month, depending on which one you buy.  See http://www.ratp.fr/ for more info (in French, but some English stuff).  

For museums, I'd highly recommend getting a museum pass for however many days you'd like (2-6).  They are only good on consecutive days, but they let you skip to the front of the line at most museums, and if you are visiting a lot of places, like the Louvre, and/or Versailles, it's definitely worth it.  (http://www.parismuseumpass.com/)

Other than that, I'd recommend not eating in restaurants for lunch, but rather getting crepes or the sandwiches that shops sell.  Save your money for dinner.  A good place, though a bit pricy, is l'Auberge Bressane (http://www.auberge-bressane.com/).

If you have any other questions, feel free to email me at [e-mail].

Answer 7

Paris is a good obsession to have. Are you thinking of just a vacation or perhaps a somewhat longer stay?

As a vacation destiniation, its possible to spends a couple of weeks for a quite reasonable amount even with the dreadful exchange rate on the American dollar into euros.

At my favorite little Left Bank hotel, the St. Andre des Arts, you can get a single for 66 euros (About $100). that price includes all taxes and breakfast in the morning. (And the bathroom is ensuite and NOT down the hall).

If you eat your main meal at noon, you can take advantage of great lunch deals. Along the rue Mouffetard in the 5th arrondissement, a popular place with budget travellers, you can get a three course meal for as little as 8 euros (around $12). Pick up a sandwich or a savoury crepe for dinner from any of the multitude of places selling food to go and you can keep your daily food costs way down and still eat well.

At night, park yourself in a convivial bar or cafe, and, as the French themselves do, nurse a single drink all evening. (Try my favorite hangout, Aux Trois Mailletz, at 56 rue Galand, and sooner or later someone will chat you up and buy you another drink.)

Paris is a compact city and most sighseeing is best done on foot to begin with. Don't waste your money on the Carte Orange. It is certainly a good deal for someone who works in Paris and travels on public transport several times a day but a tourist, at least in warm weather, will be walking most of the time. Just buy a "carnet" of 10 metro tickets and use one only when you're just too footsore to continue walking. I rarely use public transport more than once or twice a day and at that rate of use the Carte Orange is not a worthwhile purchase.

The Museum pass is also a waste of money. Unless you plan to sprint thru several different museums every day it is cheaper just to pay the admission fee for the one museum you'll be seeing on any one given day.

Answer 8

Lots of great suggestions here already.

Have you checked a local or nearby university? Oftentimes the French department will have a spring break trip to Paris...you don't normally have to be a student to go. And it's quite affordable. I went a number of times with my alma mater's French dept.

Check Kayak.com for the lowest fares. Low season is usually in the winter...ending in March. Sure it's cold, but there are less tourists and airfare and hotels are cheaper then.

We stayed at the Republique Hotel. It's in a nice neighborhood, near a number of Metro stations and there are many cafes and a grocery store nearby. The staff speaks at least some English and are quite friendly.

Picnics are a good way to save money. What better place to lunch than in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower? If you're not big on breakfast, bring some cereal bars from home with you.

A Carte Orange and a Museum Pass are musts! The museum pass not only saves money, but you can waltz to the front of most lines, or at least hop into a shorter line.

The Louvre food court has a number of great places to eat. It's cheaper to eat inside a cafe rather than outside. If a waiter asks if you want a salad, keep in mind that it'll add a few Euros to your bill. It adds up quickly. Order "un carafe d'eau." Tap water. It's free, cold, and thirst-quenching. If you just order water, you'll get expensive bottled water. Stay away from soft drinks. They can be as expensive as 6 Euros. I understand that sometimes you just want a Coke...go to a grocery store...much cheaper.

All restaurants/cafes/brasseries have their menus posted outside the establishment. You can peruse the menu (and prices) and decide if you want to eat there or find something else.

Check out www.ricksteves.com. Rick Steves is a travel guru. Bring his Paris book with you...there are tours of the Louvre, Versailles, Musee d'Orsay and more inside. No need to wander around aimlessly or to pay for an expensive tour. Lots of thrifty tips on his web site, too. On the web site, he also has the tours that you can download to iTunes and then upload to your iPod. Cuts down on bulk when trekking through the halls of the Louvre.

Keep an eye on the exchange rate at Oanda.com.