As a solo female backpacker and first-time traveler in Europe, I was both excited and anxious of my 5 days in Paris. I knew beforehand that it’s a big city that could get very overwhelming. Not to mention that with high demand by tourists and landmarks known by the world, Paris is considered one of the most expensive cities in the world.
But with smart trip planning, anyone can enjoy Paris. Its elegance and beauty is for all, and it’s meant to be seen by everyone. Here are some useful tips and money-saving hacks, hopefully to help anyone who plans to go to Paris soon.
A single journey ticket, called the Ticket t+, costs EUR 1.90 regardless of the number of transfers and stations you travel in Paris within 1.5 hours. If you’ll stay in Paris for a few days and will take the metro more than once, a good tip is to get the the carnet (pronounced as “kar-nay”), a type of ticket purchase where you buy 10 tickets in one transaction. It saves you money since the carnet only costs EUR 14.90 for 10 tickets, which gives 22% discount (priced at EUR 1.49 each) per ticket. There’s no expiry of the ticket but should only be used once. Also, remember to keep the ticket while in the metro for random checks by Paris Metro officials (which happened to me twice).
The tickets are sold at self-service ticketing machines, but note that only coins are accepted. With my experience, since it was my first time in Europe, I only had banknotes and no coins. I went instead to the ticketing office at the metro station who sells tickets at the same price. There, my banknotes were accepted with change and the ticketing officers speak English.
To find a metro, simply look for the “M” sign which are represented by line numbers 1-14 and 2 secondary “bis” lines, the 3b and 7b. Aside from “M” lines, however, there some stations labeled with “RER” which should not be confused with Paris Metro lines. The RER (Réseau Express Régional) consists of 5 lines (labeled in letters A-E instead of numbers) that serve Paris and its suburbs. The price of an RER ticket varies depending on the distance, but a few of the common routes are from the Charles de Gaulle (CDG) airport terminals 1-3 to Paris which costs EUR 10.30 and Paris to Disneyland which costs EUR 7.60.
Paris Metro and RER operate from 5:30AM to 12:40AM Sunday-Thursday and extends up to 1:40AM on Fridays, Saturdays and holidays.
Luckily, autumn has just kicked off when I traveled in September (which they say is the perfect time to go), so the weather was all sunny but slightly cool at 15°C to 20°C. I was able to walk for kilometers without really getting exhausted.
Making a daily itinerary by area is what I advise when traveling Paris to make the tour on foot work. Here are tourist spots that are close to each other:
Set 1: Champs-Élysées, Arc de Triomphe, Trocadero Gardens, Eiffel Tower, Champ de Mars (picnic area with Eiffel Tower view)
Set 2: Hôtel de Ville, Notre Dame Cathedral, Sainte-Chapelle, Pantheon Paris, Luxembourg Gardens
Set 3: Royal Palace, Louvre Museum, Orsay Museum (Musee d'Orsay), Tuiletries Garden, Orangerie Museum (Musee de l'Orangerie)
Set 4: Place de la Concorde, Petit Palais, Grand Palais, Pont Alexandre III, Esplanade des Invalides, Les Invalides (includes Army Museum)
Set 5: Louise Michel Square, Sacre Coeur Basilica, Place du Tertre, Moulin Rouge
As I noticed, accommodations near and with view of the Eiffel Tower (in 7th arr.) are the most expensive. Also, those hotels located within 1st-8th arrondissements (arr.) are priced higher than the rest of the districts since these places are the ones considered the “center” of Paris with several tourist attractions around.
The cheaper accommodations are located at 18th arr. which is the hilltop side of Paris called Montmartre. It has a lot of backpacker hostels and shared Airbnb apartments. It’s said to be the center of nightlife with the presence of local cabarets including the famous Moulin Rouge. The area also includes sights like the Sacré Cœur Basilica and the so-called African district called Barbès.
Also, there are days when there’s no entrance fee to selected museums for tourists, usually on first Sundays of the month. If you happen to be in the city on those days, then it isn’t bad to grab the opportunity to enter for free, considering that entrance fees to Paris attractions cost some money too.
I’ve listed some popular attractions in Paris with their respective operating time, closed days, entrance fees, and free entrance days. Note that these are subject to changes, so it’s still best to check the official website (linked below too):
To my surprise, I proved it myself that tap water is potable in Paris since it was my source of water for 5 days without upsetting my stomach or getting sick. Before leaving my accommodation, I usually filled up my water bottle from the sink, then refilled at any public fountain found in most tourist attractions like the Hotel de Ville.
Doing so saved me a few euros, considering that a small 50 cl bottled mineral water is around EUR 2 in touristy areas (and EUR 0.50 only in the supermarket). To me, the water tasted neutral and had no difference with the bottled mineral water so it’s something I can recommend if you don’t have a sensitive stomach. Not only it saves money, but it also saves the environment as it lessens consumption of plastic containers.
Paris is home of the best boulangerie (bakery), so expect quality bread there even if you just buy at a neighborhood bakery. You can simply get a baguette (long bread) or croissant (crunchy half-moon-shaped bread) at EUR 1 each, which to my surprise were enough to fill up a stomach. As an Asian, I'm so used to eating rice for a long day of travel, but after a few days in Paris, bread became a good alternative. Aside from the bakery, breads are also sold cheaper at supermarkets. Common supermarkets in Paris are Carrefour (City or Express), Franprix, and Monoprix.
Aside from bread, Paris also boasts its expertise in pastry. You'd probably find a patisserie (dessert or cake shop) on every block with all the artistically baked cakes, tarts, and other desserts. You should try eating a macaron or a crepe at least once!
But with smart trip planning, anyone can enjoy Paris. Its elegance and beauty is for all, and it’s meant to be seen by everyone. Here are some useful tips and money-saving hacks, hopefully to help anyone who plans to go to Paris soon.
Treat the metro as your friend
The Paris Metro is one of the biggest metro lines in the world with a total of 16 lines with 300 stations. I applaud the accessibility and tourist-friendliness of the metros in Paris. Most tourist spots have at least 2-3 nearby stations and even if you get an accommodation away from the tourist spots, you can easily get to the center in minutes. Just make sure to carry a map with you because the numerous stations could get really overwhelming.A single journey ticket, called the Ticket t+, costs EUR 1.90 regardless of the number of transfers and stations you travel in Paris within 1.5 hours. If you’ll stay in Paris for a few days and will take the metro more than once, a good tip is to get the the carnet (pronounced as “kar-nay”), a type of ticket purchase where you buy 10 tickets in one transaction. It saves you money since the carnet only costs EUR 14.90 for 10 tickets, which gives 22% discount (priced at EUR 1.49 each) per ticket. There’s no expiry of the ticket but should only be used once. Also, remember to keep the ticket while in the metro for random checks by Paris Metro officials (which happened to me twice).
The tickets are sold at self-service ticketing machines, but note that only coins are accepted. With my experience, since it was my first time in Europe, I only had banknotes and no coins. I went instead to the ticketing office at the metro station who sells tickets at the same price. There, my banknotes were accepted with change and the ticketing officers speak English.
To find a metro, simply look for the “M” sign which are represented by line numbers 1-14 and 2 secondary “bis” lines, the 3b and 7b. Aside from “M” lines, however, there some stations labeled with “RER” which should not be confused with Paris Metro lines. The RER (Réseau Express Régional) consists of 5 lines (labeled in letters A-E instead of numbers) that serve Paris and its suburbs. The price of an RER ticket varies depending on the distance, but a few of the common routes are from the Charles de Gaulle (CDG) airport terminals 1-3 to Paris which costs EUR 10.30 and Paris to Disneyland which costs EUR 7.60.
Paris Metro and RER operate from 5:30AM to 12:40AM Sunday-Thursday and extends up to 1:40AM on Fridays, Saturdays and holidays.
Treat walking as your best friend
The metro may be your friend in Paris, but walking will be your best friend there. Paris is a very beautiful city to walk on, especially that it’s surrounded by the Seine River. Walking works both as a hack to save cash and a healthy way to explore the city too. Just make sure to wear comfortable shoes.Luckily, autumn has just kicked off when I traveled in September (which they say is the perfect time to go), so the weather was all sunny but slightly cool at 15°C to 20°C. I was able to walk for kilometers without really getting exhausted.
Making a daily itinerary by area is what I advise when traveling Paris to make the tour on foot work. Here are tourist spots that are close to each other:
Set 1: Champs-Élysées, Arc de Triomphe, Trocadero Gardens, Eiffel Tower, Champ de Mars (picnic area with Eiffel Tower view)
Set 2: Hôtel de Ville, Notre Dame Cathedral, Sainte-Chapelle, Pantheon Paris, Luxembourg Gardens
Set 3: Royal Palace, Louvre Museum, Orsay Museum (Musee d'Orsay), Tuiletries Garden, Orangerie Museum (Musee de l'Orangerie)
Set 4: Place de la Concorde, Petit Palais, Grand Palais, Pont Alexandre III, Esplanade des Invalides, Les Invalides (includes Army Museum)
Set 5: Louise Michel Square, Sacre Coeur Basilica, Place du Tertre, Moulin Rouge
Get an accommodation outside main attractions
I say this straightforward: Accommodation is really expensive in Paris. Of all the cities I’ve traveled, my accommodation in Paris was the most expensive despite booking in advance and staying outside the center.As I noticed, accommodations near and with view of the Eiffel Tower (in 7th arr.) are the most expensive. Also, those hotels located within 1st-8th arrondissements (arr.) are priced higher than the rest of the districts since these places are the ones considered the “center” of Paris with several tourist attractions around.
The cheaper accommodations are located at 18th arr. which is the hilltop side of Paris called Montmartre. It has a lot of backpacker hostels and shared Airbnb apartments. It’s said to be the center of nightlife with the presence of local cabarets including the famous Moulin Rouge. The area also includes sights like the Sacré Cœur Basilica and the so-called African district called Barbès.
Buy tickets online and check free entrance days
When in Paris, always expect a crowd. There’s usually a ticket counter line and a security check line. To at least get away with the first line, I suggest to buy tickets online. In that way, you save hours in queue. As said, the line could take 30 minutes to hours especially during summer.Also, there are days when there’s no entrance fee to selected museums for tourists, usually on first Sundays of the month. If you happen to be in the city on those days, then it isn’t bad to grab the opportunity to enter for free, considering that entrance fees to Paris attractions cost some money too.
I’ve listed some popular attractions in Paris with their respective operating time, closed days, entrance fees, and free entrance days. Note that these are subject to changes, so it’s still best to check the official website (linked below too):
Attraction name | Operating days and hours | Closed days | Entrance fee | When is it free entry to tourists? |
Louvre Museum | Mon, Thu, Sat, Sun: 9AM to 6PM Wed and Fri: 9AM to 9:45PM | Tuesdays | EUR 17 | Every first Sunday of the month from October to March Free to all nationalities under 26 years old every Friday at 6pm |
Orsay Museum (Musée d’Orsay) | Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat, Sat: 9:30AM to 6PM Thu: 9:30AM to 9:45PM | Mondays Holidays: May 1, Dec 25 | EUR 14 | Every first Sunday of the month |
Orangerie Museum (Musée de l’Orangerie) | All days except Tue: 9AM to 6PM | Tuesdays Holidays: May 1, morning of July 14, Dec 25 | EUR 9 | Every first Sunday of the month |
Versaille Palace (Château de Versailles) | All days Palace: 9AM to 6:30PM Estate of Trianon: 12PM to 6:30PM Gardens: 8AM to 8:30PM Coach Gallery: 12:30PM to 6:30PM | Mondays | Passport type entrance ticket: EUR 20 Passport type with entry to Musical Fountain Shows or Musical Gardens: EUR 27 View other ticket types and compare them. | Every first Sunday of the month from November to March |
Sainte Chapelle | All days Jan-March: 9AM to 5PM Apr-Sep: 9AM to 7PM Oct-Dec: 9AM to 5PM | Holidays: Jan 1, ay 1, Dec 25 | EUR 10 | First Sunday of the month from Jan-March and Nov-Dec Sat and Sun of the 3rd week of Sept (European Heritage Days) |
Disneyland Paris | All days 10AM to 9:30PM | Ticket prices generally depend on the season: Mini (low season) EUR 55 Magic (mid season) EUR 72 Super Magic (peak season) EUR 83 |
Drink water from the tap
At first, I was hesitant to drink water from the tap in Paris since back in the Philippines, we never do that (and we know we should not). Also, in most Asian countries I’ve been to, drinking water from the tap isn’t advisable all the time.To my surprise, I proved it myself that tap water is potable in Paris since it was my source of water for 5 days without upsetting my stomach or getting sick. Before leaving my accommodation, I usually filled up my water bottle from the sink, then refilled at any public fountain found in most tourist attractions like the Hotel de Ville.
Doing so saved me a few euros, considering that a small 50 cl bottled mineral water is around EUR 2 in touristy areas (and EUR 0.50 only in the supermarket). To me, the water tasted neutral and had no difference with the bottled mineral water so it’s something I can recommend if you don’t have a sensitive stomach. Not only it saves money, but it also saves the environment as it lessens consumption of plastic containers.
Parisian bread is survival food
At restaurants, a set menu composed of an appetizer, main dish, dessert, and a drink is usually priced at EUR 14 and up in Paris. It isn't bad to try the local restaurant once or twice, but you won't do that all the time because it could get really heavy in the pocket.Paris is home of the best boulangerie (bakery), so expect quality bread there even if you just buy at a neighborhood bakery. You can simply get a baguette (long bread) or croissant (crunchy half-moon-shaped bread) at EUR 1 each, which to my surprise were enough to fill up a stomach. As an Asian, I'm so used to eating rice for a long day of travel, but after a few days in Paris, bread became a good alternative. Aside from the bakery, breads are also sold cheaper at supermarkets. Common supermarkets in Paris are Carrefour (City or Express), Franprix, and Monoprix.
Aside from bread, Paris also boasts its expertise in pastry. You'd probably find a patisserie (dessert or cake shop) on every block with all the artistically baked cakes, tarts, and other desserts. You should try eating a macaron or a crepe at least once!
Have you been to Paris? Any other tips you can recommend? Leave a comment below!
Shelly Viajera Travel