etraveladmin So, how does one go to Paris on a budget? We flew immediately from India, where we were on a shoestring budget.
We had our work cut out for us travelling from one of the world’s cheapest places to one of the world’s most costly cities. Surprisingly, Paris may be enjoyed while staying within a budget. We discovered several strategies to save money when visiting Paris.
It offers several restaurants where you may get inexpensive and acceptable food. Many of Paris’ finest attractions are even free. Traveling to this magnificent international city does not have to break the bank.
Here are some budget-friendly Paris travel tips and ideas to help you plan your vacation without breaking the bank.
1. Transportation on a Budget in Paris
To save money, we utilised public transportation around Paris. The Paris Metro is quick, efficient, and simple to use. It’s fantastic and will bring you everywhere you need to go.
A metro pass for 1-5 days of unrestricted travel starts at €14.
When purchasing a pass, you may specify which zones you want to visit. Below is a breakdown. When we visited Paris, we utilised the three-day pass, which worked perfectly. If the three-day pass ($30) is too pricey, you may mix walking and riding the metro or bus.
A ten-ticket metro bundle for 14.50 Euro. This way, you’ll only utilise three tickets in a single day.
2. The Seine – River Cruise
Transportation on a Budget in Paris To save money, we utilised public transportation around Paris. The Paris Metro is quick, efficient, and simple to use. It’s fantastic and will bring you everywhere you need to go.
A metro pass for 1-5 days of unrestricted travel starts at €14.
When purchasing a pass, you may specify which zones you want to visit. Below is a breakdown. When we visited Paris, we utilised the three-day pass, which worked perfectly. If the three-day pass ($30) is too pricey, you may mix walking and riding the metro or bus.
A ten-ticket metro bundle for 14.50 Euro. This way, you’ll only utilise three tickets in a single day.
3. Food Tips – Eating In Paris On A Budget
Our number one advice for saving money while dining out in Paris is to avoid sitting down for coffee at a restaurant. Drink it while standing at the bar. You’ll avoid the “seat fee” charged by many Paris eateries.
Sitting down to dine is frequently subject to a fee. If you’re on a tight budget, enjoy your drink or coffee at the bar. Furthermore, you will meet more people and enjoy Paris the way authentic Parisians do.
4. Don’t eat at bistros or restaurants
We also dine on patios or in coffee cafes. This is less expensive than eating inside. Outside seating is free, however if you step inside, you may be charged a fee for the pleasure of sitting inside. We had delicious meals outside for 6.50 Euros.
Paris offers fantastic restaurants, but many are pricey and will charge you extra to sit. Instead, dine at a boulangerie or patisserie outside. They came with a huge baguette sandwich, a tasty dessert of our choosing, and a drink. Either you’re an alcoholic or you’re not.
Don’t get lured into ordering an expensive Perrier when Paris restaurants always provide complimentary filtered water in a bottle.
5. Shop at the many supermarkets around town and pack your lunch
There are several picnic spots in Paris, where you can get amazing gourmet cheeses, cured meats, fresh breads, and fruit for a very affordable price. We never spent more than 10 Euros on lunch for the two of us, including champagne!
We ate like the rich, savouring superb French wine and breathtaking landscape on a shoestring budget. Paris’ parks are breathtaking.
6. Have a Picnic for Lunch
We would frequently pack a picnic and eat it at a park or along the canal. Many couples enjoy a romantic lunch in Jardin du Luxembourg. It’s a lovely way to spend some time taking in the sights and sounds of Paris. We’d go to the Carrefour for fast dinners and an excellent bottle of wine for a few of Euros, stocked up on fine meats, cheese, and bread.
Professional Traveller Tip: Always bring a corkscrew with you and have it ready so you may enjoy your own bottle of wine instead of an expensive glass at a restaurant.
Remember to keep your wine hidden and discrete. Drinking in public places is frowned upon, even yet everyone does it.
7. Menu Formule for Dinners
What is a Menu Formule?
It is a fixed-price menu for tourists in the Latin Quarter. This is a great way to save money and keep the budget down when eating dinner. It includes an appetizer, main dish, dessert, and one drink. These meals range from 9 Euro to 15 Euro.
Where to eat Cheap Menu Formule meals
- The Latin Quarter near Notre Dame and Isle de la Cité
- Montmartrenear Sacre Couer
- La Rue Clernear The Eiffel Tower all have very reasonable fixed price meals.
8. Paris Gardens Are Beautiful To Explore And They Are Free
Paris Gardens are lovely to stroll in.
Jardin du Luxembourg – As previously noted, the Jardin du Luxembourg is full with sculptures and statues. There are often free art shows hanging on the fences that encircle the area.
The Louvre Gardens are absolutely free to see and are packed with fountains. A stroll around the Louvre’s grounds is almost as spectacular as stepping inside.
9. Museums in Paris: How to Visit Them on a Budget
After Hours Museum Visits
Many museums in Paris offer free or discounted admission days and hours; you simply need to know where to search.
D’Orsay Museum On Thursdays after 4:15 p.m., the Musee D’Orsay reduces its costs to €5.50. We attended at this time since we were just interested in the Impressionists exhibition. We calculated that two hours would be more than enough time to absorb it. It was enough time to view the main attractions and get a sense of the museum. We also viewed the most of the other exhibitions at that period.
10. After Hours at the Louvre
On Wednesdays and Fridays after 6:00 p.m., the Louvre reduces its costs to 11 Euro. If all you want to see is the Mona Lisa and a few other iconic works, now is the time to go and save some money.
- If you plan on visiting the Louvre during regular hours, reserve ahead of time at skip the line for a fair self-guided tour.
- The Paris Museum Pass is a fantastic offer for 2, 4, or 6 days beginning at $77 USD if you wish to visit unlimited museums at any time.
- It entitles you to admission to 60 museums and monuments, including the Louvre Museum, the Orsay Museum, the Centre Pompidou, and the Arc de Triomphe.
11. Free Museum Admission
All museums are free for those under the age of 25 who are EU citizens. Every month on the first Sunday, numerous museums and attractions provide free admission.
The following museums participate in the free first Sundays of each month:
- Louvre
- Picasso Museum
- Rodin Museum
- Orsay MuseumFree admission to city museums
12. Among the free city museums are:
You don’t have to visit only the major museums in Paris; the city museums are also full of important and intriguing pieces of art, and they’re free! Our tour guide advised us to check for the coat of arms above the entrance to locate a local museum. There are over 20 museums in Paris, and one method to tell them apart is to look for the coat of arms above the door.
Musée Carnavalet
- Petit Palais
- Maison de Balzac
- Museum of Modern Art
- Hugo Vicotr Hugo Mansion
13. Free Tour of Paris Landmarks
Paris is a vibrant art city, and merely wandering through its streets is an experience in and of itself. You don’t have to pay to enter every renowned Paris attraction to enjoy them.
- The Eiffel Tower is magnificent enough to see from any of the city’s various vantage points.
- Unless you travel upwards to see the city, the Arc Du Triomphe is free to visit.
- The Champs Elysees is a remarkable location in and of itself. Walking down the street people-watching and window-shopping leads right to the Arc du Triomphe.
- The Louvre and the Jardin du Luxembourg both have stunning gardens with works of art dispersed throughout.
14. For Free Paris Views
Montmartre
If you don’t want to pay to go up the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, or Montparnasse Tower, go to Sacre Coeur in Montmartre for a fantastic perspective of Paris from above. It’s a great place to observe street performers and get lost in the narrow streets.
There are various views of Paris from this hilltop, but hanging out on Montmartre’s stairs is a must-do while visiting the city. You may also visit the Basilica Sacre Coeur for free. While Notre Dame is being restored, this is an excellent church to visit.
Pompidou Centre for Modern Art
It’s a great place to watch street performers and visit the rooftop bar with your entrance ticket to enjoy views of Paris. It’s a cheap supper with spectacular views.
15. Paris Catacombs
If you’re looking for something different to do in Paris, go to the Catacombs. They’re just 8€ to enter, but it’s a 45-minute tour that’s both intriguing and scary. I do not recommend scheduling this excursion in advance or through an internet booking agent.
It’s less expensive to enter on your own, and you don’t need a tour to enjoy it. Headsets are available to help you navigate the tunnels. The only reason I would book ahead of time is if you only have a limited amount of time in Paris and want to bypass the wait. The Catacombs may become very busy. However, skip the queue tickets cost $39 CAD ($29 USD), so whether you want to pay the extra charge depends on how much time you have.
16. Free WiFi and Low-Cost Coffee
We were ashamed to enter a McDonald’s in Paris at first, but then we discovered that even the locals went there.
They serve excellent McCafés, and a nice cappuccino is less expensive here than at a restaurant. You may even order it to go to enjoy while exploring the streets of Paris. You don’t have to pay to sit down and have a coffee at a McDonald’s, and you may use the restrooms for free. We also stop at McDonald’s to take use of the free WiFi.
17. Cemeteries in Paris
The Paris cemeteries are a terrific way to spend a day and are absolutely free.
Why should you go to a cemetery in Paris?
Because there are many ornate graves. The most renowned cemetery is Pere Lachaise, which contains the tombs of Jim Morrison and Oscar Wilde, but there are two more famous and free cemeteries to visit in Paris: Montmartre and Montparnasse Cemeteries.
Parisians who are famous Cemeteries include the following:
- Jim Morrison – Père Lachaise Cemetery
- Pere Lachaise Cemetery – Oscar Wilde
- Montmartre Cemetery – Alexander Dumas
- Montmartre Cemetery – Edgar Degas
- Montparnasse Cemetery – Jean-Paul Sartre
- Montparnasse Cemetery – Samuel Beckett
18. Paris Free Walking Tours
Free City tours gather in Montmartre and the Latin Quarter and are offered by various companies. Local Greeters is a popular free walking tour. In addition, every day at St. Michel in the Latin Quarter and Montmartre, you may participate in a free walking tour of Paris.
We’ve gone on a few free walking tours and have always learned a lot from the guides. It is entirely up to you whether or not to tip at the end. We normally contribute between €5 and €10 USD. In the Latin Quarter and Montmartre, there is even a free bar crawl. You can get a free tour of the trendiest sites in town if you tip your guide and buy a drink.
19. Purchase Low-Cost Flights to Paris
You may obtain cheap flights to Paris if you book ahead of time and have a flexible schedule. When buying tickets, we utilise Skyscanner and check three to five days ahead of our ideal trip dates. If you are flexible, you can save a lot of money. Simply click the arrows to view the rates for various dates.
For more information, go to Skyscanner flights. We also have a whole section dedicated to affordable travel that will provide you with further booking options.
20. Excellent Paris Travel Resources
Paris – Lonely Planet For all destinations and locales, we rely on Lonely Planet. You may get ebooks, apps, or city guides, depending on your needs.
Paris with Rick Steves – Nobody knows Europe like Rick Steves, and he provides excellent Paris travel advice.
Packing Tips for Europe – We provide packing advice for European trips to Paris and beyond.
Paris Museum Pass – Museums are well-known in Paris. Get the museum pass for priority access to 60 institutions.
Paris Tourist Office – We always prefer to go to a destination’s official tourism website. Paris tourism provides a wealth of relevant city information.
Attractions and Museums in Paris Museums, attractions, and shows are closed on certain days of the year.
