Paris on the cheap - 2024-25

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Budget accommodation	Budget travel	General tips

 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.....

One thing is certain, and that is that it's worthwhile booking things up well in advance. Travel tickets, hotels, and even - if you plan to visit lots of things and don't want to waste hours queuing to get in to the main museums and monuments, a visitor pass.

  Leaving everything until last minute, or even until you reach Paris, will be more expensive, may be very frustrating, and will cost more.
     
     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.

Budget accommodation in Paris  

Staying in central 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.
P If you come to Paris by car, parking will be a major extra cost. Few central Paris hotels have their own parking facilities, and those that do tend to be at the higher end of the price range.


Staying in the suburbs of Paris: Advantages: hotels and hostels will on the whole be cheaper, and hotel rooms may be bigger.
P Hotels in the suburbs tend to have parking space, often free.
If you choose a hotel or hostel 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 Première Classe or Formule 1.  Check out Paris hostels too.
    Or check out this interactive outer Paris hotel map  that only lists independent hotels with parking, often free, and within easy walk of a train or RER rapid transit station for central Paris.
     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.

Budget travel round Paris - 2024

•      Buy a book of metro/bus tickets for use in central Paris .Paper carnet tickets have been phased out, but carnets and tickets can be downloaded to your phone.  For more on this see below under "Do".  
  Alternatively,  walk or  use the Velib bike hire system.
•      Buy a Paris Visite transport pass Zones 1-3 + a Paris Museum pass for two days, which will cost  24.30 € + 55 € - total 79.30 €uros (Jan  2024 price), which is less than the  cost of the Paris City Pass... but with less scope..
•  However, the Paris City Pass (special 5% off with About-France.com - quote code aboutfrance) , which is the cheapest of the all-in Paris passses (starting at 109.90€ for two days - adult rate), does include some other attractions, such as a Seine cruise, and is a good buy if it is important to save time and get a lot in to a short stay in Paris.
• Hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus pass  The Open-Tour /Cityrama service, has a choice of hop-on hop-off passes from 45 € for one day or 59€ for two days, and covers three different routes (plus optional Batobus service on the Seine).
•      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 at the start of 2024 costs 23€ (children 13€) , and a 2-day pass costs 27 € per adult.  Tickets from Batobus or from Tiquets

What to see and do in Paris:  
      If your budget is limited, visit the Paris for Free page. Even the Louvre is free, if you know when to go or - in many cases - if you are under 26 !

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 80 €uros a night, and hostel accommodation even cheaper... though difficult at peak periods
• Use ordinary public transport - IMPORTANT. As from 02 Jan 2025, a single metro/RER/train trip, including changes, anywhere within greater Paris (except the airports) will cost just €2.50.  A day's Navigo Jour pass for the metro/RER/trains will cost € 12.50. A day's Paris Visite pass, including airports and all forms of public transport, will cost €29.90.
     Until then,  buy yourself  or yourselves a "carnet" of T- tickets usable in Zones 1-3  (Paris city) with no time limit. . IMPORTANT  Paper tickets are being phased out and carnets are no longer on sale. For journeys within Paris tourists are advised to buy a rechargeable Navigo Easy pass (cost 2€)  which can then be loaded with e-tickets (including an e-carnet) in ticket machines in most stations. But take care. Each traveller needs an individual Navigo Easy pass; you can't run the same pass twice through the ticket reader to let two people through.
• 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, including the Petit Palais just off the Champs elysées, with its Monets and impressionists and more. Many major museums are free on the first Sunday of each month. 
• Eat your main meal at midday - when many restaurants offer a full meal for less than 15 €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 customers 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 9 €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 go to the top of the Eiffel tower: the views are already pretty spectacular from the second level (see Eiffel tower ticket prices)
• 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.

Click here for Paris tourist attractions info :  Notre Dame, the Louvre, Montmartre, Moulin Rouge, and much more.  Or see the Eiffel tower info page,

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