Paris On A Budget – 8 Tips So You Won’t Break The Bank

Some travelers considering a trip to Paris may hesitate – thinking that it might be too expensive. And Paris is definitely not cheap. But a visit to Paris doesn’t need to wipe out your travel savings. Regular readers know that I am a frugal traveler. And I always seek to minimize our travel expenses without diminishing our overall travel experience. We recently spent 5 days exploring Paris, and I’ve visited a few other times over the years. Here’s a look at all I’ve learned about visiting Paris on a budget.

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Stay in A Suburb

Lodging is one of the biggest expenses when visiting Paris. Even 3-star hotels in central Paris can easily exceed $200 nightly. And those rooms are small….really small. We generally use Airbnb for our travel lodging needs – especially since we typically stay in a city longer than the average traveler. But Airbnb prices in Paris are some the highest I’ve come across in our European travels too.

A good solution for those looking to visit Paris on a budget is this – stay in a Paris suburb. Since greater Paris is connected by an excellent transportation system, you can save a lot of money if you use it and stay outside the center.

For our own time in Paris, we stayed at an Airbnb apartment in a suburb called Vincennes. And we loved it!

The streets, the shops, and the buildings in Vincennes were every bit as charming as central Paris. But our neighborhood was not overrun by tourists. In fact, I didn’t see very many at all. It truly had a local feel.

Our apartment was significantly larger than the average central Paris hotel room…

And the RER suburban train station was less than a block away from our lodging. From there, we could get to Notre-Dame Cathedral (in the very center of Paris) in only about 20 minutes.

Hotels will also be less expensive outside of central Paris. And staying in a suburb did not detract from our Paris experience whatsoever. It truly is one of the very best ways to visit Paris on a budget.

And, you might even discover some hidden gems if you stay outside the center. For example, I’d never heard of the Chateau de Vincennes prior to staying in Vincennes, but it was located only a few blocks from our apartment. This amazing site was the medieval home to the French Royalty before they moved to Versailles. It’s certainly one of the most underrated sites in Paris – rarely visited by most tourists. The site’s 16th-century Gothic church called the Sainte-Chapelle de Vincennes is unforgettable! And during our visit, we had it to ourselves!

Use Public Transportation

Paris is a big city. And the majority of its most popular tourist sites are fairly spread out. So unlike some of the other European capitals we’ve visited (like Madrid), it’s not really practical to walk everywhere.

But it’s easy to get around Paris on a budget. The Paris public transportation system will get you everywhere you want to go. We used the Paris Metro and RER trains on a daily basis. The system is easy to navigate on Google Maps and it’s safe (as long as you take the usual pickpocket precautions.)

You can purchase tickets for the Metro and RER via easy-to-use machines located at all the stations. Or if you have an iPhone, you can purchase them within your Apple Wallet App (using what is called a Navigo Card.) This is what I did and it was extremely easy and convenient. My iPhone then functioned as my ticket as I passed through the various gates. (Here’s a helpful tutorial on how to do that.)

While Uber is available in Paris, it’s fairly expensive. Even short rides generally cost around 12-15 Euros. Compare that to 2.50 Euro for a Metro ticket and you can see that you’ll likely save significant money by sticking to public transportation.

And what about transportation from Charles de Gaulle Airport? CDG is connected to central Paris by the RER suburban train. And again, this is significantly less expensive than taxi or Uber. At the time of our visit, the airport ticket cost 13 Euros. It allows for connections to other RER or Metro lines on the same trip. And you can purchase this particular ticket with your iPhone too – if you appreciate that sort of convenience.

I did check Uber on the morning of our departure and our ride would have cost 45 Euros. It would have cost significantly more had we been staying in south Paris. So if you are getting around Paris on a budget, definitely use the RER for your airport transportation.

Order The Daily Lunch Specials

While you could certainly spend a fortune eating at restaurants in Paris, you can also eat very well in Paris on a budget. The #1 way to do this is by taking advantage of the daily lunch special offered by many Paris restaurants called the Menu Midi.

Lunch is the most important meal of the day in France, and a 3-course lunch is typical. The menu midi features a selection of entrees (starters), plats (mains), and desserts.

If you examine the board in the photo above (from a restaurant in the Latin Quarter called Cèpe & Figue ), you’ll see that for 23 Euros you can make one selection from all three categories. Or you can opt for two courses and pay 18 Euros. You can generally find these menus posted on a board outside of restaurants. This is the ideal way to eat a nice lunch in Paris on a budget.

Here’s a look at my lunch at Cèpe & Figue – which also happened to be my favorite meal in Paris. It was an amazing price for the quality. And it would be practically impossible to find anything like it for the same price in the US. (Some restaurants will also offer a similar menu at dinnertime, but it will almost always cost more.)

First, a lightly poached egg atop a pea & mint puree, fresh peas, and fried onions…

Then a version of Beef Bourguignon with croquettes of melt-in-your-mouth beef, mashed potatoes, mustard, and a rich mushroom sauce….

And for dessert…a Pistachio Crème Brûlée.

As you can see, eating great food in Paris does not need to break the bank!

Take Advantage Of All The Cheap Eats

Plus, you can also eat in Paris on a budget by taking advantage of all the city’s many cheap eats options. After all, you don’t always have to eat in a Paris restaurant to find great food.

You can find sandwiches for less than 10 Euros all over town…

Crepes are another popular option. You can eat crepes like those in the photo below at sit down creperies for around 8-12 Euros.

Or street-side crepes for even less….

Plus, you should visit one of the city’s many outdoor markets at least once (more on that below), and you’ll find cheap takeaway food there as well…

So even if you are visiting Paris on a budget, you should still be able to eat quite happily.

Manage Your Museum Costs

Now let’s start talking about seeing all the great sites in Paris on a budget. And I’ll start first with Museums. After all, The Louvre is the city’s most-visited site (and the most-visited museum in the world).

First of all, I don’t think The Louvre is terribly expensive. While it is the costliest museum in Paris, the current admission price is only 22 Euros. This price is on par with many of the other great museums of Europe.

But I also don’t think that visiting The Louvre is essential. It’s incredibly crowded and the huge collection is quite overwhelming. It would take weeks to see it all. So if you are on a tight budget, and if seeing the Mona Lisa isn’t near the top of your wish list, you really could consider skipping The Louvre.

I have always preferred the Musée d’Orsay to The Louvre anyway. Its size is much easier to manage, it isn’t quite as crowded, and it speaks to my own art tastes much more. Musée d’Orsay has the world’s greatest collection of French Impressionism. And I don’t think it gets much better than standing in front of a Van Gogh or Monet in person. Plus the admission price is a very reasonable 16 Euro.

You should also know that there are a handful of museums in Paris that are free! Foremost is the Petit Palais. It features a diverse collection of art, and the building’s Beaux-Arts architecture is quite stunning.

Another surprising free museum option in Paris is the Museum of Modern Art. I’ve never had enough time to visit during my various trips to Paris over the years, but online photos look impressive for a free museum.

You’ll also want to know that both Musée d’Orsay and The Louvre do have one free entry day per month. For The Louvre, it is the first Friday evening of each month. For Orsay, it’s the first full Sunday of each month. You do need to book ahead on each museum’s website. But if it works out for your schedule, then that’s clearly a great option for seeing Paris on a budget.

So What About The Eiffel Tower?

Can you visit the most iconic structure in Paris on a budget? Yes! But not if you want to scale the famed tower. Taking the elevator to the top of the Eiffel Tower is the most expensive tourist ticket in Paris and currently costs 36 Euros. Even if you only go to the second floor via the lift, you’ll pay 23 Euros. And if you want to save money and climb the 674 stairs to the second floor…you’ll still pay 14.50 Euros for that exhausting privilege.

I personally think the Eiffel Tower is best enjoyed from the ground (and this has nothing to do with my fear of heights.) I’ve been up a couple of times over the decades. But I’m just not sure it’s worth the excessive cost or the long lines. I think the views are just OK.

It’s always seems more special to simply take in the Tower’s picturesque majesty from the adjoining park called the Champ de Mars….

Or while strolling the nearby Siene…

And for those quintessential Paris views…you won’t pay anything.

Notre-Dame Won’t Cost You Anything Either

The second most iconic structure in Paris is certainly the Notre-Dame Cathedral. I still remember the awe I experienced the first time I entered this famed church 30 years ago. And while it is still undergoing extensive exterior renovation after that horrible fire, the inside is now restored and open to the public. And if you are visiting Paris on a budget, you’ll be very pleased. Entering Notre-Dame is free!

The Cathedral recommends that you book free time-entry tickets via its own website. These are made available each day for the same day. While there is a separate “non-reserved” line, the reserved line is faster. However, I found the Cathedral’s website very glitchy and struggled to book anything at all. Ultimately I gave up and we decided to take our chances with the non-reserved line.

And that line was very intimidating when we arrived. It weaved back and forth several times in front of the Cathedral and then extended all the way into the adjacent street.

But I’d read ahead of time that it was a fast-moving line, and indeed it was. It took all of 10 minutes before we entered the church. So don’t let that line intimidate you. You don’t want to miss entering Notre-Dame!

So Many Other Great Free Things To Do

One of the great things about Paris is that there really are a lots of free things to do. Not just Notre-Dame. Experiencing Paris on a budget is, in fact, quite easy. Here’s a quick look several other free things you should consider when visiting Paris.

Stroll the Siene

This iconic river cuts through the very heart of Paris and features a plethora of riverside walkways just begging for a stroll. Alternatively, you could take one of many different touristic river cruises along the Siene – though you’ll pay for those. I’ve done both during various visits, and for me, a slow scenic stroll is the hands-down winner. And undoubtedly the best option if you are visiting Paris on a budget.

Visit the Père Lachaise Cemetery

This is the largest cemetery in Paris and reportedly the most-visited cemetery in the world. As I’ve mentioned many times on this blog, we love visiting cemeteries when we travel (like this one in Buenos Aires). They are usually so very interesting – historical, creepy, and picturesque all at the same time. And Père Lachaise Cemetery ticks all those boxes. Plus lots of famous people are buried there.

The cemetery is massive and you’ll never have time to cover the whole thing – nor do you need to. But like many tourists, we made it point to seek out Jim Morrison’s grave and also the grave of Fryderyk Chopin (as a bookend to discovering his entombed heart in Warsaw Poland). Conveniently famous graves are marked on Google Maps.

Find The Covered Passageways

These are glass-roofed shopping arcades from the 19th century which cut through several city blocks in the heart of Paris – not far from the Opera House. They are equal parts charming and historic. Inside you’ll find restaurants, boutique shops, and even a hotel and a museum. We ate lunch on a rainy day inside one of the more well-known passageways called Passage des Panoramas.

Here’s a nice summary of the 7 Most Beautiful Covered Passageways in Paris that I personally used to help guide our passageway exploration.

Go To A Market

Paris is bursting with outdoor markets. If you want to really get a taste of local life in Paris, then you really should wander through at least one of these. These markets (called Marche in French) are a very important part of the local food scene and many Parisiens still do their regular shopping there. You’ll see all kinds of fresh fruits and vegetables, many many different kinds of cheese, butchers selling freshly cut meat, fresh-baked bread, and so much more. And as I mentioned earlier in this post, the markets can be a great place to grab a cheap bite.

Most markets are only open a few days weekly and generally close in the early afternoon. But the 80 markets throughout the city alternate days of the week, so you can always find an open market. And they are conveniently marked on Google Maps too – just type “best marche” into the search bar. Alternatively, here’s a local’s take on the best markets to visit.

Check Out Galeries Lafayette

Galeries Lafayette is a department store across from the Opera House. Since it’s an upscale department store, shopping at Galeries Lafayette probably isn’t ideal if you are visiting Paris on a budget. But you should absolutely go inside and check it out. It’s considered one of the most beautiful department stores in the world. You’ll find that it really is a piece of art unto itself with its brightly colored Art-Nouveau design and an absolutely amazing glass roof.

Also, be sure to make your way to the top floor where you will find access to the Galeries’ rooftop viewing area. It’s one of the best views in Paris. And unlike the Eiffel Tower’s viewing platforms, this one is free!

Other Very Popular Freebies

Also, keep in mind that this isn’t an exhaustive list of all the free things to do in Paris. We simply didn’t have time during our recent 5 days in Paris to do them all.

Other popular options include watching the sunset from the steps at Sacré-Coeur. This is one of the very most popular things to do in Paris, but is always packed with tourists (so I’ve only done it once). 

Or hanging out in one of the city’s 421 parks (yes 421 !!) These include the famed Jardin du Luxembourg and the Tuileries Garden (next to The Louvre)

Final Thoughts

So clearly, visiting Paris on a budget is not difficult at all. You could, in fact, fill multiple days in Paris with only free activities and still have a fantastic time. But also, you shouldn’t have any difficulty seeing some of the best paid sites in Paris, and eating great food in Paris, without breaking the bank. Don’t let concern about cost prevent you from traveling to this great city.

If you would more advice about traveling in France, then check be sure to check out these posts:

Taking The Train From Paris To Lyon – All You Need To Know

The 8 Most Essential Things To Do In Lyon France

A Week in Provence – The Luberon, The Rhône, & Cassis