I was fortunate enough to head over to beautiful Paris for the April Bank holiday weekend with the other half. You'll be able to find a whole blog post about what we got up to *HERE* - It includes everything we got up to over the 3 day trip with photos of all the AMAZING views and places we were able to visit.
This blog post will describe how we managed to get the most out of our short stay - and offer some tips and recommendations to how you could too!
-------------------------------------------------
So you're
thinking of heading to Paris for a few days, but want to fit in as many
sightseeing stops and visit the best attractions without breaking the bank? Fear
not; although Paris can be expensive, you can get the most of it if you just
scratch beneath the surface.
Firstly, shop around for the best flights and accommodation deals! The less money you spend getting to Paris, the more you have to spend in Paris. Browse comparison websites such as Kayak or Icelolly. We booked ours using Expedia.
Expedia did everything for us! It found the cheapest flights to Paris, and offered us a fantastic list of hotels that we could filter out.
We flew from LHR to ORY. LHR is easy to get to using any of the bus services such as Megabus or National Express. Megabus can be booked in advance for £5 a seat! We opted to drive and used PurpleParking for only £42 - and I used Quidco so also received 10% cashback.
We chose our flights for April 28th-May 1st, and stayed in the 4* Hotel Mercure Paris Montmartre Sacre Coeur for a total price of £215 each. Meaning our trip cost £572 over all for the both of us.
You can find hotel's starting from £40 a night based on 2 sharing on Tripadvisor - It's easy to get the price lower than £500.
----------------------------------------
Now, on
to the main event. What can you do in Paris on a tight budget?
Paris, as a whole is an expensive place - but there are so many things you can do to make your money last!
Paris, as a whole is an expensive place - but there are so many things you can do to make your money last!
There are
a number of famous attractions you can visit completely free for all ages!
1. Basilica Sacré-Coeur
1. Basilica Sacré-Coeur
One of Paris' most captivating sights, many people like to view the
elegant and prominent architecture from the foot of the 300 steps beneath. The
building itself is located on the highest point of Paris - which offers a
breathtaking panorama view of the city.
We entered the attraction walking from Montmartre itself rather than getting the metro, by doing this we were able to wonder through the quaint village and visit a lovely artist area full of wonderful paintings. If you would like to visit from the Metro station, please be aware of the sellers as you approach - Keep everything close!
2. The Cathedral of Notre Dame.
We entered the attraction walking from Montmartre itself rather than getting the metro, by doing this we were able to wonder through the quaint village and visit a lovely artist area full of wonderful paintings. If you would like to visit from the Metro station, please be aware of the sellers as you approach - Keep everything close!
2. The Cathedral of Notre Dame.
Many of us know about The Cathedral of Notre Dame from the well known Disney movie we all loved as a child (I know I did).
It's a fantastic piece of French History boasting remarkable Gothic architecture. The towers of the cathedral stand tall and proud over the ever-changing bustling city landscape. The beautifully crafted figures on the entrance to the building will transport you back in time, not to mention the stunning artwork and detailing inside. You'll also find a number of facts about the Cathedral inside, such as the building timeline - starting from 1163! It was a long project!
As it's one of Paris' main tourist attractions, be prepared to queue. To avoid the line simply turn up early in the morning, or later in the evening. It's definitely worth the wait though!
3.
Montmartre Cemetery
Now I
understand this can sound pretty morbid, but if you find yourself in the
Montmartre area, head to the Cemetery. I promise you would have never seen
anything like it. It may look like a scene to the world’s scariest horror film,
but it really was a great experience. It's home to a number of celebrities
including Alexandre Dumas (The writer of The Three Musketeers) and world famous
actress Dalida (her grave/tribute was beautiful).
The cemetery was home to thousands of graves, including the super elaborate tombs with up to 16 family members buried inside.
Honestly, it's not as weird and spooky as it seems. It also makes a for a peaceful retreat from the crowded tourist areas and it's something different to do in your spare time.
The cemetery was home to thousands of graves, including the super elaborate tombs with up to 16 family members buried inside.
Honestly, it's not as weird and spooky as it seems. It also makes a for a peaceful retreat from the crowded tourist areas and it's something different to do in your spare time.
4. Jardin de Tuileries
Please take full advantage of
this beautiful garden! If you walk from Place de la Concorde through the garden
you'll arrive at the entrance for the Louvre Museum. It's a stunning 20 minute
walk with plenty of cafes to enjoy some food.
But it's also the perfect location to take full advantage of a homemade picnic in the sun! The park has plenty of seats and benches to use for free during the good weather and the fountain is a lovely spot to settle down before you visit the huge museum!
We went to our local shop to buy our picnic in order to save money for our big night ahead - Ham and Brie Baguettes with crisps, tomatoes, chocolate and a bottle of wine. Small but just enough for us, and can easily be purchased for less than 10 euro. We had enough Brie for 3 days!
But it's also the perfect location to take full advantage of a homemade picnic in the sun! The park has plenty of seats and benches to use for free during the good weather and the fountain is a lovely spot to settle down before you visit the huge museum!
We went to our local shop to buy our picnic in order to save money for our big night ahead - Ham and Brie Baguettes with crisps, tomatoes, chocolate and a bottle of wine. Small but just enough for us, and can easily be purchased for less than 10 euro. We had enough Brie for 3 days!
--------------------------------------------
In addition to the free attractions I spoke about above, Paris are very
giving to their under 'younger' generation. With a number of places offering
discounted (or even free!) entrance fees for those under 25.
5. The Louvre Museum.
After your walk through Jardin de Tuileries - you'll arrive at the Louvre! The most visited art museum in the world! You'll spot the famous glass pyramid entrance straight away. It's a pretty impressive and memorable building and has some truly remarkable exhibits. We went on the Saturday, so the queue looked intimidating but it was something we both really wanted to do so we stuck it out - and were surprised at how soon we actually got into the building. Due to recent events, Paris is on high alert so security is of course top priority, so everyone entering the building is security checked which results in waiting. However it took hardly any time at all.
Even better, when we went to buy our tickets we were informed that because we were under 25 we were allowed into the exhibits completely free of charge! (YAY! More free things!). It really is as easy as showing your driving license/passport and voila!
The Louvre was one of my favourite attractions in Paris and I'd recommend it to everybody. I fell in love with Napoleon III apartments. #Housegoals.
6. Eiffel Tower
Of course, the biggy couldn't be missed off my little list of things to
do. It's kind of hard to forget about and for good reason! The Eiffel Tower's
structure is amazing as it stands alone - but the views from the top are
spectacular and show just how enormous Paris actually is!
Now if you're brave and fancy a cheap challenge, you can walk up to the second floor of the Eiffel Tower for free. (It's a lot of steps, you've been warned)
But again, Thanks to Frances under 25 discount, you are offered a lower entrance price if you'd like to take the lift. Now we got the lift to the very top, at 14 Euros each it may seem a bit steep but I assure you it's worth it.
Now if you're brave and fancy a cheap challenge, you can walk up to the second floor of the Eiffel Tower for free. (It's a lot of steps, you've been warned)
But again, Thanks to Frances under 25 discount, you are offered a lower entrance price if you'd like to take the lift. Now we got the lift to the very top, at 14 Euros each it may seem a bit steep but I assure you it's worth it.
I'd suggest going in the evening, due to it being so popular the queue
is something else. You have to queue for security, queue to collect your
tickets and then queue to get onto a lift. It takes a life time. We went in the
rain on a Sunday at around 8pm and I think our waiting time was only around 15
minutes to get onto the lifts. Much better than what we would have experienced
in the sunshine on Saturday.
We managed to get up while it was still light enough to see everything, but by the time we reached the bottom the Eiffel Tower was lit up. A site we'll never forget!
We managed to get up while it was still light enough to see everything, but by the time we reached the bottom the Eiffel Tower was lit up. A site we'll never forget!
---------------------------------------------
7. Jazz Clubs
In addition to all of this, Michael and I are huge fans of live music, and Jazz specifically for Michael. Both of us agreed that our Jazz Club night out was our favorite part of the whole trip.
Now, we started splashing the cash a bit here compared to our other outings. We were able to buy the cheaper rate tickets again as we're under 25 to view a show at Duc De Lombards. One of Paris' best jazz clubs, if not the best. Located only a 2 minute walk from Chatelet's metro it's easily accessible.
We paid 23 euro each, for our front row seats to see Manchester based Jazz musician Matthew Halsall and his band, along with LA Jazz singer Dwight Trible. *give them a Youtube*
The atmosphere was electric, and the good vibes were contagious, everyone loved the music and the band connected with the crowd all night. Drinks were pretty expensive, at 29 euro for the cheapest bottle of time.
You can always pre drink before you leave, we picked up bottles of rose for 2.75 euro at our local super market.
---------------------------------------------------------------
8. Restaurant Dinner Cruise
For a boat trip, three course meal and a bottle of wine I'd consider it to be a very good price! We booked the more expensive seats so that increased our price by 10 euro, and included the bottle of red wine that also upped our bill - It can be done for less!
If I remember rightly it was 39 Euro for just the meals, your best bet is to book online before hand as it fills up quickly.
The boat took you up and down The Seine, meaning you were able to see all the sites on both sides of the river. Including the Eiffel Tower and the original Statue of Liberty!
The service was amazing, they could cater for any additional dietary
needs (I'm a vegetarian and nothing was too much hassle for them). The staff
were polite and informative and the boat played some beautiful music that
worked as a romantic soundtrack to the evening. The cruise itself lasts just
under an hour and a half and I personally think it's totally worth the money!
