As an underpaid intern living in one of the top five most expensive cities in the world, I constantly feel strapped for cash. Here are my handy tips for traveling Paris at under 15 Euros a day.
My first tip is more of an confession. I am not counting the cost of my Hostel (32 Euros a night) or my bus (70 euros return) in my Paris for under 60. Four days in Paris for 220 euros isn't quite as brag worthy.
Here are my nine tips for a cheap four days in Paris;
1- The Metro
The Metro in Paris is cringe inducing 1.70 a ride however they aren't zone specific and one ticket can get you anywhere you need to go with the exception of distant neighborhoods which aren't connected by metro (see last post). Since my hostel was in Montmartre, I couldn't avoid the the metro entirely so I would take a train twice a day and do all of my own walking within the city. Avoiding the tour buses and boats saves a bundle and Paris is a walking city. I was blessed with 80 degree weather my entire trip but Ill trust Owen Wilson's advice and stay that Paris looks beautiful in the rain as well.
2- Find a hostel with free breakfast.
This is perhaps my most important tip. Not only do you not have to pay for breakfast but if your extra cheap like me you don't have to pay for any other meals! I would eat my
3-Supermarkets!
Despite my previous post the french do live in Paris and buy groceries like the rest of us. I would supplement my bread with cheese, nuts and 80 cent beer. Then I would carry around the bag all day which I blame be the questions about directions in French which would come multiple times a day. As for the location of my dunches, I found a different park each day. I enjoyed Parisian picnics on the steps of Sacre-Coeur, Champs de Mars, the gardens of the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle and the steps along the Seine. All while staying under budget!
4-One paid attraction a day.
Paris has more than enough to see without entering a single building. I wanted to see everything I could while staying withing my budget and not getting burnt out. The entirety of my first day was spent at the Louvre and the following three days where spent mostly walking with one major paid sight. I paid to enter the Pantheon, the Eiffel Tower and the Catacombs. I would advise giving the Pantheon a miss if on a budget but it was interesting to see the shrine to the republic which is now crumbling under its own weight. I was extra excited to see the Catacombs which I had read about for years. It was not only much larger and more impressive than I expected but student tickets were only 4 euros!
5-Climb the Eiffel Tower by foot you lazy git
If you pay to take the elevator to the extreme top of the Effiel Tower it costs 12.50 but if your willing to walk up the 700 stairs it only costs 5 euros. I never made it to the extreme top of the tower but I managed to catch a spectacular Paris sunset with a wait time of only 15 minutes.
6-Cemeteries
Not only are they free but they are also spectacular. Family tombs of all sorts and sizes are museums of the macab. I skipped the popular resting place of Jim Morrison instead exploring Montmarte cemetery. I had the cemetery to myself to wander alone which added to a spooky atmosphere. I have decided that I am traveling back to Paris before I die so I can get entombed under a betterthanlife statue of myself. I hope that's not too much to ask.
7-Churches
Are always free to enter in France and should be all over the world. I'm looking at you Westminster....
8-Don't do this
9-Spend when you want.
I could have spent maybe 15 euros less but I broke down for french pastries and the Louvre audio guide. As strange as this sounds I don't travel intentional cheap, I just know my limited means and whats worth a little extra money.
10- Know you'll return
planning my next trip, hopefully with a thicker wallet!
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