Hello, budget-savvy travelers!
This week, I’m going to be giving you some tips on how to do a vacation in Paris for less than you might think.
When my husband and I went to Paris in January for our honeymoon, I was pleasantly surprised at the ways we were able to make our money stretch to do everything that we wanted. If you’ve read my 6-day itinerary for Paris posts, you already know that we went all over the place. We stayed for a week and were able to pack every day full of exciting adventures without breaking the bank. But the great news is that you can, too!
Daniel and I did a significant amount of research before our trip, but we also found some surprising ways to save money once we arrived in Paris. I’ll be sharing all of those budget-friendly tips with you today along with a few other recommendations to make your trip as easy as possible!
1. Skip the fancy hotel
If you have your heart set at staying at Saint James Paris for a week, be prepared to drop at least $2200 on accommodations. If that’s out of the question, you can still get a reasonable hotel for around $1000 a week, but you have other options. Rather than spend loads of money on a small hotel room, consider booking an Air BnB instead. You can find plenty of quaint apartments with gorgeous views and great amenities for $500-$700 or less per week.
Our Air BnB had a balcony with a view of the Eiffel Tower
Many Air BnBs will offer discounts for stays of 5 days or longer, which will bring you even more savings. In my experience, you get far more for your money by booking an Air BnB apartment or studio. You may not be staying in a historic chateau, but you can have a balcony overlooking the Eiffel Tower and a full kitchen and laundry at your disposal instead.
2. Register for a week-long Metro Pass
If you’re not used to the Metro—particularly in Paris—your first instinct may be to buy day passes based on which zone you’ll be in for the day. Paris is divided into 5 zones, and it’s generally more expensive to purchase passes to zones 4 and 5. However, the single passes are far more costly than buying a week-long Metro pass (Découverte) that allows access to all the zones throughout the week.
The week-long pass should cost about 33€ per person, including the actual card and the specific photo you have to have taken for it. You may also be able to bring a small passport photo (3 cm x 2.5cm) and save 5€ and the hassle of the photo booth. Once you’re set up, you’ll be able to access all 5 zones on any public transportation you choose: train (RER), metro, bus, or tram.
The downside is that the week-long passes only function from Monday to Sunday. If you plan to arrive mid-week, your best choice may be to buy a few zone tickets. Paris by Train has some great tips and more in-depth information on making this choice and your other options.
3. Buy a Museum Pass
If you’re interested in visiting more than 5 of Paris’s famous monuments and museums, you need a Museum Pass. You can buy a pass for 2, 4, or 6 consecutive days, allowing you free entry to over 50 of the most famous sights in Paris. This includes entrance to The Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe (all the way to the top!), the Pantheon, and even the Palace of Versailles.
Most of these cost at least 12€ to enter without a pass, and you have to stand in long ticket lines. The Museum Pass an incredibly useful asset if you want to cover a lot of ground on a budget. The main disadvantage is that the pass is only good on consecutive days, so you’ll need to plan around that if you choose a short pass. A secondary downside is that the Eiffel Tower is not included as a historical monument, which seems wrong on multiple levels.
A 2-day pass is 48€, a 4-day pass is 62€, and a 6-day pass is 74€. It seems like a lot up front, but it pays for itself quickly.
Quick Sidebar:
The Paris Pass is also a popular option, but it may not be the right choice depending on what you want to see. The Paris Pass includes unlimited public transportation in zones 1-3, museum and attractions passes (10 additional places over just the museum pass), a one-day Big Bus tour, a guidebook, and coupons and discounts for specific stores.
This sounds like a ton, but it has its drawbacks. If you’re in Paris for a week, this will cost you 245€ per person, plus any transportation outside of Zones 1-3. For example, if you want to visit Versailles for a day, it would cost you an additional 17.50€ for a one-day pass to zone 5. You’ll need to consider how much you want to do in central Paris, whether the Big Bus tour is an appealing choice, and whether you really need the guidebook. If not, stick with the 107€ total for week-long museum and Metro passes.
4. Limit expensive meals
I know, I know—if you’re in France you’re probably dying to try out the cuisine on every corner. Trust me, I’ve been there! But you can really make or break your entire trip budget by how you monitor eating out. If possible, I recommend eating only one “fancy” meal per day (probably dinner), since it will likely cost you at least 15€-25€ per person for a nice meal.
But don’t think for a second that less expensive means less tasty! Paris is full of incredible bistros, cafes, patisseries, and boulangeries.
If your hotel or apartment has a fridge, take a grocery trip and stock up on fresh bread, meats, and pastries for quick breakfasts and lunches. The streets of Paris are filled with shops selling delicious goods that you’ll want to try anyway, as well as “grocery stores,” which are similar to our American convenience marts—the really tiny ones. If you stock up on groceries, you might find yourself with some leftover condiments at the end of the week, but you can have some incredible meals for just a few euros a piece. Also, make sure to stop into at least one patisserie and try some delicious and authentic French desserts!
Another option is to maximize your food options at bistros and cafes. Wherever you’re exploring for the day, you’re sure to find plenty of smaller restaurants with limited but inexpensive menus: crepes, hot dogs, kabobs, fresh sandwiches, etc. Many of these restaurants don’t even have seating, but rather serve you through a window to the sidewalk! It may seem odd at first, but the wait time is minimal, leaving you more time to explore the city.
A final cheap but rather sad option is “American” fast food. You’ll find plenty of McDonald’s, Subways, and even Five Guys restaurants throughout the city. If you’re wary of the French cuisine, you can try some American classics with French twists to them. This option will keep you closer to 5€ per person, and you know (almost) exactly what you’ll get.
5. Collect souvenir coins
One of the most critical budget points on any vacation is the souvenir budget. Obviously, food and shelter have to come first, but what about all the cool stuff you find? It can be tough to monitor this, especially when you visit so many beautiful places and you want to commemorate each one. You could limit yourself to something minuscule like a souvenir postcard at each stop, but I recommend the souvenir coins.
Many of the monuments and museums have dispensers similar to the pressed pennies you’ll find around America. However, instead of getting a gross, flat penny, you pay 2€ to receive a beautiful gold-colored medallion with an image of the monument stamped on it. According to Monnaie de Paris’s website, over 400 locations across France offer these souvenir medallions. These make incredibly easy and inexpensive souvenirs, and they look great as a collection.
Another plus-side to the coins is that they make a cool display item without taking up a ton of space in your home. I came back with several souvenirs that I don’t actually have a place for or don’t get to enjoy as much as I hoped, but the coins look perfect in a shadowbox on a bookshelf.
6. Monitor flights to Paris
Flights to Paris are murder to any budget. But they might not be as expensive as you expect. If I search for flights to Paris right now, my options pop up in the $1200 per person range, which is normal. However, if you keep an eye on flights through sights like Expedia, you may luck out with tickets for nearly half that price.
We monitored our flight options for several months before purchasing and were able to snag round-trip tickets for closer to $700 per person. Obviously, you may not be so lucky, but I highly encourage you to not jump on the first available tickets you find. Do your research, start a Google flight tracker for updates, and be patient!
7. Use your credit card
If you’ve ever traveled abroad, you know that when you convert your money into foreign currency, you have to pay a fee. Depending on where you go, this fee can be nearly 10% of the amount you’re converting.
If you have to have cash (and in Paris it is smart to have some), exchange your money at your bank or credit union before your trip. Do not do it at the airport! It’s best to do this in advance to avoid the outrageous conversion fees they’ll charge you there.
But don’t go crazy with the euros. If your credit card is internationally compatible, take advantage of it! It’s very likely that your card will only charge you a minimal percentage fee for international transactions that gives you far more for your money than exchanging cash. Your card’s fees will vary by brand, but personally, this is your best option for paying in Paris. Most shops accept Visa, and it’s easier to tuck away a credit card from pick-pockets than it is a full wallet.
If you want to look into it further, WalletHub has a pretty detailed article on conversion rates and credit card use abroad that you might find helpful.
I hope that you find these tips helpful in planning your own Paris dream-vacation! If you have questions, feel free to ask in the comments, and I’ll do my best to answer based on my experience!
As always, thanks for reading and happy adventuring!
If you haven’t read my Best of Paris in a Week series, check it out for a full 6-day itinerary of Paris!
These are super helpful tips, thank you! I’ve been to other cities and countries throughout Europe, but have never visited Paris and would love to do so. The view from your Airbnb is amazing, and saving money is always a plus (so we can go on even more vacations)! 🙂
I hope you’re able to have a Paris vacation soon! It’s an amazing city!
Paris is on my bucket list. These are all great tips!
Have you had any luck flying into a nearby (ish) city and traveling to Paris from there? I wouldn’t mind adding another city/country to my list!
Hi Holly,
I’ve only tried getting to Paris from one airport, but I hope to go back soon and try visiting several cities and countries by train. From what I’ve heard and read, it’s fairly easy to do that if you want to see more than one area 🙂
Great tips! I’m a huge proponent of searching options that AREN’T hotels – way better value for money in most cases! Metro pass is a great idea too. And I think tracking flights is one of my part-time jobs hahaha!
Amazing job on this article! I am ready to take a trip to Paris right now. I am especially excited to know that you found an AirBnb with a view of the Eiffel Tower.
Robyn,
If you do your research, you should be able to find several! We actually had another one picked out that fell through, but it had an even better view right from the bed!
It’s surprisingly easy to find cheap eats that are still amazing and delicious in Paris. You’ve got great tips!
Great tips. I’m a big fan of staying in apartments – helps with limiting those fancy meals out too. And taking public transit – great way to see the city. Sounds like you had a great honeymoon! Congratulations.
Thank you for these very helpful tips! Paris is definitely on my bucklist and the view looks breathe-taking.
Thank you for these very helpful tips! Paris is definitely on my bucket list and the view looks breathe-taking.
Wow these are some awesome tips! I reallyyy want to go to Paris but of course the immediate thought is how expensive it is so love that you have put something together to help us ease our wallets a bit lol
Very helpful tips!!! Thanks for sharing. I went to Paris when I was less than 25 years old so I could enter most of the museums for free, that’s save me lots of money…..it’s a beautiful city, hope to come back there.
What a wonderful and very detailed guide! Traveling to Paris is like a dream to me. Thanks for sharing
The museum and metro passes are super helpful because you never know what you are getting into when you travel to different countries. Americans have to be careful using credit cards on international travel. Some cards have high foreign exchange fees. Discover card doesn’t have any, so consider using Discover if you have one of their cards.
Great point, Adam. Travelers should always do their research first. We found out that ours only had a 3% upcharge, so it was a nice option compared to the 10% cash exchange. But had I know about Discover, we would have used that one instead! Thanks for sharing!