How To Travel To Paris On A Budget

Seeing the iconic Eiffel Tower, Da Vinci’s masterpiece, the Mona Lisa at the Louvre, walking on the busy street that emerge out of the Champs-Élysées is a dream vacation for many. With some smart planning and research, you could indulge in this city of love and glamour without burning a huge hole in your pocket. Here are some ways to travel to Paris on a budget.

Getting there

You can snag some excellent deals as long as you book several months ahead of your trip. Planning at least six to eight months ahead can be crucial if you want to secure a good fare. When booking a flight, you should also explore airfare/hotel package deals, as these can sometimes offer significant savings. Plan to visit during season such as Fall or Winter to score better deals on airfare. Scoring on your airfare is the best way to see Paris on a budget.

The Stay

Paris is terribly expensive during peak times. avoid school holidays and weekends in spring and summer. Choose budget accommodations, plan far far up ahead. Avoid areas near Louvre, Eiffel Tower and Champs-Élysées that are tourist ridden and expensive. Try asking at the Shakespeare and Company bookshop, to arrange and stack shelves in exchange for a free bed. Try the latin quarter for student boarding rooms. 

You can also check out this list of Family Hotels in Paris under 100€

Food and travel

St Christopher’s (at Gare du Nord and Canal St-Martin) rent bicycles, serve cheap evening meals and organise excursions. In Montmartre, Plug-Inn Hostel has a kitchen for guests to cook their own meals. Cooking your own meals is the best way to save money and travel to Paris on a budget! Search online for several such similar options. Discount cards like the Paris Museum Pass, bus or boat tours and using public transport intelligently can also help immensely.  In your online bookings for a hotel, try including breakfast buffets. You can stuff yourself silly, skip lunch and nip to the local boulangerie  for a croissant or pain au chocolat (chocolate-filled pastry) for dinner with hot chocolate.

Many hotels serve simple, non fancy meals. Don’t be shy to ask for the complimentary basket of bread to be refilled when empty and order une carafe d’eau instead of bottled water.

 

Seeing museums for free

Yes this is possible. Visit the first weekend of any month when museum admission – including top sights Musée d’Orsay, Centre Pompidou, and the Louvre (October to March only) – is free. Yes, you can roam around in Paris on a budget as well! (Here are the top things to do in Paris) Or try the cheaper Paris Museum Pass is a money-saver. It covers admission to over 50 sights (the Louvre, Musée d’Orsay, Notre Dame towers, Arc de Triomphe and Château de Versailles included)

Here are some more awesome Things To Do In Paris by Travelling King

Many tourist attractions are free

Notre Dame (not the towers), Pavillon de l’Arsenal, Cimitière du Père Lachaise, Parisian street markets galore and beautiful city parks such as the Jardin du Luxembourg cost absolutely nothing to see.

Your dream of traversing the beautiful streets of Paris doesn’t have to remain just a dream! Get researching, keeping the points above in mind, and you can be sure to have a lovely vacation at the city of love, Paris on a budget!