How To Have A Champagne Holiday In Paris On A Beer Budget

Budget Paris Travel

Paris has become one of my favourite cities, and having spent a few weekends there recently I’ve learnt some useful tips on keeping your costs down while not sacrificing on the true Parisian experience. While the city can be pricey if you demand 5 star luxury, there are many ways you can ensure you stick to your budget. Costs can quickly add up if you’re eating out every meal and visiting all the main attractions, but with some savvy planning I’ve learnt Paris doesn’t need to cost the earth. Here’s some of the ways I keep my spending down while visiting the city of love.

Free Museum Days

Most cities in Europe have a ‘free museum day’ and in Paris it’s the first Sunday of every month. As you can imagine most people are on to this budget-savvy tip, so make sure you arrive early to avoid a long queue, especially at the Louvre! Another museum not to be missed includes the Musée d’Orsay which houses the largest collection of impressionist pieces by artists such as Van Gogh and Monet in the world. You can sometimes nab some great deals on Disneyland Paris tickets too – so you can see Mickey and his friends in Europe!

Picnics

One of my favourite Paris memories is having a picnic under the Eiffel tower. We found a neighbourhood patisserie and bought some baguettes and macaroons, meat and cheese from a deli and a chilled bottle of champagne…and all up it cost us less than 20 Euros between us! It was some affordable Parisian luxury that meant a lot more than just heading to another cafe for a meal.

Budget Travel Paris

Wander The Parisian Streets

The traffic in Paris is bumper to bumper at the best of times, and this coupled with a running taxi meter does not equal a value for money holiday. For me, Paris is all about the buildings, the people and things going on at street level. Walk wherever you can and take in all that’s around you to get the most from your trip – you will also save yourself some money while you’re at it too. For the longer journeys and when your feet start to hurt, jump on the metro, where a single trip will only set you back one Euro.

Hostel vs. Hotel

Depending on your type of trip, whether it’s a romantic weekend break or as part of a round the world trip, you will probably choose to stay in either a hostel or a guesthouse, as hotels in Paris can be quite expensive (upwards of 200 Euros per night) A decent room in a hostel or cheap hotel will set you back between 20 – 50 Euros per night, and for the best deals check out sites like Hostelbookers who also include cheaper hotels as well as hostels, or if you fancy a true local experience, why not try couchsurfing?!

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Comments

  1. Thanks for the advice. Will be visiting Paris soon with a friend, and we will be on a tight budget. The picnic idea I particularly agree with, there are so many tempting food stores in France.

  2. WomanSeeksWorld says

    Hi Vicky, thanks – I hope you enjoy your trip, and the food even more! : )

  3. There is also La Nuit des Musées, when many museums are free in Paris as well as other places. This time on the evening of Saturday 14 May 2011.

  4. The Parc de la Villette runs free film screenings throughout the summer, which can be a nice break from all that sightseeing. Most are French language films, but they do have English (language or subtitles) films too.

  5. WomanSeeksWorld says

    Sounds fabulous, thanks for the tip! : )

  6. nice article about paris! in september there will be “les journees du partrimoine” and all historical pubic buildings will be free to visit!!

  7. WomanSeeksWorld says

    Thanks, and thanks for the tip on the buildings! : )

  8. Is it legal to onsume alcohol in public places in France? Some countries have quite strict laws about this. I live in London, UK, and if I cracked open a bottle of wine or a can of beer in public I could expect the police to ‘move’ me along!

  9. WomanSeeksWorld says

    Hi Mark, I was thinking the same thing, but when we were drinking in Paris under the Eiffel Tower the police actually gave us the universal ‘cheers’ salute, so we figured it was ok!

  10. Recently went to Paris on budget! This Metro app helped me out so good in Paris guys, you should check this out! Its an offline map so I saved pretty much on data and the map is so good and I saved quite a bit of cab charges with shorter routes! Just wanted to let u know! 🙂
    http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/paris-by-metro/id459403677?mt=8

  11. WomanSeeksWorld says

    Thanks Sahana! Great tip : )

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