10 Budget-Friendly Ways to Explore Paris
Paris can be visited on a budget of 100 to 225 euros per day. Key strategies include traveling during winter or early spring, booking early, and choosing neighborhoods like Bastille, Montparnasse, or the 13th arrondissement over central tourist areas. Accommodation options range from hostels to short-term apartment rentals. The Navigo Easy card offers cheap metro access, while Vélib' bikes provide an alternative. Eating prix fixe menus, picnicking with baguettes and cheese from markets like Rue Cler or Rue Mouffetard, and using the Too Good to Go app reduce food costs. Free attractions include municipal museums (Musée Carnavalet, Petit Palais, Musée d'Art Moderne), parks, churches, and cemeteries. First Sundays offer free museum entry. The Marché aux Puces de Saint-Ouen and other flea markets provide affordable shopping. App-based electric scooters were discontinued in September 2023.
Key facts
- Daily budget ranges from 100 to 225 euros.
- Low season for room rates is winter and early spring.
- Bastille, Montparnasse, and the 13th arrondissement offer cheaper accommodation.
- Navigo Easy card costs 2 euros; carnets provide 10 rides at a discount.
- Vélib' bike-share has over 20,000 bikes across 1,500 stations.
- Electric scooters were discontinued in September 2023.
- Prix fixe menus and plat du jour are budget-friendly dining options.
- Free municipal museums include Musée Carnavalet, Petit Palais, and Musée d'Art Moderne.
Entities
Institutions
- Louvre
- Musée d'Orsay
- Sainte-Chapelle
- Musée National Picasso
- Musée Rodin
- Musée Carnavalet
- Petit Palais
- Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris
- Too Good to Go
- RATP
- Vélib'
- Marché aux Puces de Saint-Ouen
- Marché d'Aligre
- Marché aux Puces de la Porte de Vanves
- Marché Georges Brassens
- Marché des Enfants Rouges
- Marché Raspail
- Marché Biologique des Batignolles
- Marché Biologique Brancusi
- Marché Biologique Place du Père Chaillet
- Lonely Planet
Locations
- Paris
- France
- Champs-Élysées
- Bastille
- Montparnasse
- 13th arrondissement
- Louvre
- Eiffel Tower
- Seine
- Canal St-Martin
- Rue Cler
- Rue Montorgueil
- Rue Mouffetard
- Latin Quarter
- Marais
- Trocadéro
- Pont de Bir Hakeim
- Pont St-Louis
- Père Lachaise cemetery
- Tuileries
- Luxembourg Gardens
- Bois de Boulogne
- Bois de Vincennes
- Marché aux Puces de Saint-Ouen
- Marché d'Aligre
- Marché aux Puces de la Porte de Vanves
- Marché Georges Brassens
- Marché des Enfants Rouges
- Marché Raspail
- Marché Biologique des Batignolles
- Marché Biologique Brancusi
- Marché Biologique Place du Père Chaillet
Sources
- Quartz —