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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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