Paris: the city of love, one of the fashion capitals of the world, endless amounts of patisseries filled with a vast variety of breads and pastries, and home of the Eiffel Tower. The French capital is one of the biggest tourist destinations in the world and with all of these elements, there is no doubt why. However, one of the drawbacks is its extortionate prices. Paris itself can be extremely expensive, and once you factor in the cost of getting there and then a place to stay for a few days you can say goodbye to any money you had in your bank account. But does it have to be as expensive as people make it out to be? I recently went there with a friend for a week and managed to spend very little money – therefore proving that Paris can be done on a budget and here are a few tips on how to do it:
Travel – getting there and back
Forget fancy flights, or a nice two hour journey on the Eurostar, if you want to do it cheap there is only one way: coach (or should I say bus). The student lifeline, that is the Megabus, not only makes journeys all around the country but can also take you to Paris. If you are quick enough, it can be for as little as £2 – and that’s a return too! The only negative to this is that you have to spend 9 hours on a coach and get on a ferry too. I hate coaches as I get travel sick just looking at one and as for ferries, they are my worst nightmare. One terrible experience, resulting in myself and the majority of passengers being sick has put me off for life. So, as you can imagine, the thought of having to go through this journey filled me with dread. However, it wasn’t actually as bad as I anticipated it to be. Just have a fully charged iPod, a friend that you can have a good old chat and gossip with, a few magazines and plenty of food and you’re good to go.
Accommodation
There’s no getting away from the fact that this is going to be the most expensive part of your trip. Having said this, there are some ways to cut the cost: when looking for your accommodation, look in areas outside the centre of Paris as these are far cheaper. Also, now is not the time to be fussy about how nice the hotel is; just think your university bedroom or house will probably be in a worse state than these. The saying ‘you get what you pay for’ is apt here, but so what if your hotel isn’t the nicest or in the best area? You will only be sleeping there, so just suck it up and go for the cheapest. I do advise though, no matter how nice or indeed, bad your hotel is, never leave any valuables in your room. Take them all with you as they are more likely to get stolen from hotels here than from your person.
Travel – getting around Paris
The best way to get around Paris is the metro, not dissimilar to London tubes. It is incredibly easy to use and is surprisingly cheap too. To get a single anywhere it will only cost you €1.70 and for a day ticket, which I highly recommend getting for full days spent there, it will cost you a reasonable €6.40 which gives you access to all stations around Paris for the entire day, for as many journeys as you like. If you are spending longer, there are also deals for 3-day tickets or week passes which work out slightly cheaper than getting a daily ticket each day. However, this is not the only way to get around Paris cheaply. If you are feeling brave with bundles of energy to burn and a good sense of direction, feel free to walk. This will obviously take longer but if you have plenty of time, it will save a lot of money and think of all those calories from all the French pastries being burnt off.
Food
If you are like me, it is very easy to save money on food, as I am frankly one of the fussiest people anyone can meet. However, as I doubt anyone is quite as weird as myself, you will still need to eat and I’m sure want to sample some of the delicious, so I am told, French cuisine. There is a way you can still do this without it having to cost an arm and a leg. If you do not mind not eating out at a restaurant every night, then make a trip to a big supermarket and stock up on food for however long you are staying. But, you can still set aside some money to at least eat at a restaurant one or two times. There are some nice little places that do not cost quite as much as your weekly rent so it is still possible to treat yourself now and again.
Seeing the sights
The majority of the tourist attractions are free, and even some of the ones that people have to pay for like the Arc de Triumph and the Louvre are free for EU citizens between the ages of 16-24. So don’t forget to have your passport with you so you can get the best deals. The Eiffel Tower turned out to be the most expensive, but even with this there are ways to cut the cost. If you are up for the challenge, it is far cheaper to walk up to the second floor and then buy a separate ticket for the lift to take you to the top.
These are only a few ways to cut the cost, but as I have shown, this city break doesn’t have to break the bank. So if you are thinking of a cheap getaway, forget what others have told you, and think of Paris!
Image Sources:
1, 3 and 5: Author’s own.
2: http://pleasedopardonmyfrench.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/how-to-travel-europe-for-diddly-squat.html
4: Rachel West