PARIS ON A LIMITED BUDGET - How to do more for less
PARIS, like any big city, can be an expensive place for visitors. The cost of living is higher in Paris than in other parts of France, and generally speaking the same is true of hotels and places to stay – though not necessarily for restuarants. Here are some tips and useful information to help you stretch your pounds, dollars or euros as far as they will go.....
Before booking your trip to Paris, before booking a hotel, the first thing to do is to decide if you want to stay in the city (and as Paris is a living European city, there are plenty of residential quarters and plenty of hotels throughout Paris "intra-muros"), or in the suburbs. You may even decide that it is in your interest to stay well outside Paris, and come in on a fast train for the day.
Where to stay in Paris
Staying in Paris: Advantages: access, time. If you are young and energetic, or even not-so-young and energetic, you can walk to and between a lot of the Paris tourist attractions. You'll save the cost of public transport, and the time and cost of commuting into the city. You'll also see a lot more of the city, as long as your eyes aren't glued to the sidewalk or pavement.
Disadvantages: hotels near the tourist areas are generally quite expensive; cheaper hotels are often in less attractive areas of the city, far from the tourist sights and attractions, or else on the edge. And if you come to Paris by car, parking will be a major extra cost.
Staying in the suburbs of Paris: Advantages: hotels will on the whole be cheaper, and hotel rooms may be bigger. If you choose a hotel that is near a train station, access to central Paris can be relatively easy and quick. Check out hotels in the south east and south west suburbs. There are many suburban hotels belonging to the cheap budget chains such as Formule 1, Etap or others, and these generally have parking space.
Disadvantages: check that the cheaper room cost is not offset by the extra travelling costs - though remember that it is advisable not to take your car into Paris. Also, if you stay outside Paris, you'll have less time to enjoy Paris by night.
How to travel round Paris:
- Buy a book of metro/bus tickets for use in central Paris - unless you prefer to walk or take use the Velib bike hire system.
- Buy a Paris Visite transport pass + a Paris Museum pass for two days will cost 44 €uros, much less than the 85 € cost of the Paris Pass. The Paris Pass does however include some other attractions, such as use of a sightseeing bus
- Hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus pass for les Cars Rouges, open-top guided tour buses linking nine major sites; a two-day pass costs just 22 €., and can be bought on the bus. An alternative is Cityrama, where a 2-day hop-on hop-off pass costs 32 €, and covers four different routes.
- The "Batobus" and travel on the Seine. The Batobus are river buses that go up and down the Seine from the Eiffel tower to the quai de Montebello (near Notre Dame). There are 8 stops in all. A day pass in 2008 costs 12 €, and a 5-day pass costs 17 € per adult.
What to see and do in Paris:
If your budget is limited, visit the Paris for Free section on the Paris tourist attractions page. Even the Louvre is free, if you know when to go !
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General Budget Paris tips:
The dos and don'ts to make your dollars or euros or pounds go a bit further......
Do.....
- Book your hotel in advance so you have time to get a good rate. It is possible to find a two-star hotel or a one-star hotel double room for under 70 €uros a night. Click here to book hotels at special discounted rates
 - Use ordinary public transport - and buy yourself or yourselves a "carnet" of tickets.
- Visit the great free attractions of Paris - Notre Dame cathedral, Montmartre, the banks of the Seine, wander along the Champs Elysées and more. There are also free museums and more, and some major museums are free on the first Sunday of each month. See the Paris tourist attractions page..
- Eat your main meal at midday - when many restaurants offer a full meal for less than 12 €uros; Chinese and Vietnamese restaurants are particularly good value. Take something simpler in the evening.
- Pay by credit card or in cash that you get from an ATM (check your own bank's charges for foreign transactions)
- Check out the list of free concerts in parks and churches, specially in summer.
- View Paris from on high by touring round the "metro aérien", the elevated metro (particularly lines 2 and 6) which circles round inner Paris, above the boulevards, at second story level. A normal ticket is all that is needed.
- Drink at the bar. Many Parisian cafés charge less for cutomers who stand at the bar than for those who get served at a table.
- Use the Velib bike hire system - but take care. Use it correctly, and it will just cost 1 € a day.
Don't....
- Don't take a coffee or a beer at a pavement café on the Champs Elysées, or any other tourist trap.
- Don't take breakfast in your hotel, unless they are charging less than 6 €uros. go to the nearest café; most cafés offer a light breakfast.
- Don't eat in glitzy boulevard restaurants in the evening;
- Don't use taxis for short trips
- Don't try to exchange foreign cash or travellers cheques - not even in banks. But if you have to, avoid changing small sums, as the commission is often a flat rate.
- Don't try to find a hotel when you arrive. Book one in advance.
- Don't use the Velib bike hire system unless you realise how it works.
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Click here for Paris tourist attractions guide : Eiffel tower, Notre Dame, the Louvre, Montmartre, Moulin Rouge, and much more
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