Thursday, December 04, 2008
Cheap Date: Paris
Paris is an attractive city to visit for a lot of reasons, but price is not one of them. Fortunately, it doesn't have to be an expensive place to visit either, by and large you can make Paris a cheap date.
Shelter
For people on an extreme budget, St. Christopher's Hostel looks like a good match. With prices as low as 20 Euros per night, if you don't mind sharing a room with ten other people - it might be the right fit for you.
There are a number of cheap hotels available within Paris as well. 50-60 Euro a night rooms are possible to be found once you're there, but they generally are pretty nasty rooms and you'll share bathrooms with the whole floor. If a nice, inexpensive hotel experience is what you're after there is just the right place for you.
Mama Shelter is the place to stay in my opinion. Free internet access and a really nice room and bed. En suite bathrooms and all for as low as 79 Euros a night, which is a steal for a boutique Paris hotel. In the 20th, just off Pere Lachaise Cemetery (Gambetta Stop, Metro Line 3).
Food
Cheap eats are everywhere in the city, just don't expect anything fancy. Street food is generally good and cheap, with Panini sandwiches a quick and easy meal nearly everywhere. However, for something sit-down on the fly, the recommendation is L'As du Falafel on Rue des Rosiers. (St. Paul Stop, Metro Line 1) Amazing falafel, and yours for under 7 dollars a sandwich.
Getting Around
Metro is the easy way to get around, as Paris is relatively compact. And the cheapest way to do it? The Paris Visite card, allows you access on the whole system for the day for just under 9 Euros.
Things to Do
Of course there is the Mona Lisa at the Louvre, but at more than 10 bucks, I'll take the postcard thank you. Paris is full of history and lots of things are worth watching for free. The Notre-Dame Cathedral doesn't cost anything to enter. Pere LaChaise cemetery, is full of interesting sites and also free. You too can plant a kiss on Oscar Wilde's tombstone or hang out with the hippies at Jim Morrison's grave. There are also over a dozen other free places to check out art if that's your thing. Gridskipper has a comprehensive list on that, as well.
In the end, Paris doesn't have to break the budget. For the tight wallet crew, Paris can be just as much fun, if not more.
Shelter
For people on an extreme budget, St. Christopher's Hostel looks like a good match. With prices as low as 20 Euros per night, if you don't mind sharing a room with ten other people - it might be the right fit for you.
There are a number of cheap hotels available within Paris as well. 50-60 Euro a night rooms are possible to be found once you're there, but they generally are pretty nasty rooms and you'll share bathrooms with the whole floor. If a nice, inexpensive hotel experience is what you're after there is just the right place for you.
Mama Shelter is the place to stay in my opinion. Free internet access and a really nice room and bed. En suite bathrooms and all for as low as 79 Euros a night, which is a steal for a boutique Paris hotel. In the 20th, just off Pere Lachaise Cemetery (Gambetta Stop, Metro Line 3).
Food
Cheap eats are everywhere in the city, just don't expect anything fancy. Street food is generally good and cheap, with Panini sandwiches a quick and easy meal nearly everywhere. However, for something sit-down on the fly, the recommendation is L'As du Falafel on Rue des Rosiers. (St. Paul Stop, Metro Line 1) Amazing falafel, and yours for under 7 dollars a sandwich.
Getting Around
Metro is the easy way to get around, as Paris is relatively compact. And the cheapest way to do it? The Paris Visite card, allows you access on the whole system for the day for just under 9 Euros.
Things to Do
Of course there is the Mona Lisa at the Louvre, but at more than 10 bucks, I'll take the postcard thank you. Paris is full of history and lots of things are worth watching for free. The Notre-Dame Cathedral doesn't cost anything to enter. Pere LaChaise cemetery, is full of interesting sites and also free. You too can plant a kiss on Oscar Wilde's tombstone or hang out with the hippies at Jim Morrison's grave. There are also over a dozen other free places to check out art if that's your thing. Gridskipper has a comprehensive list on that, as well.
In the end, Paris doesn't have to break the budget. For the tight wallet crew, Paris can be just as much fun, if not more.
Labels: cheap date, paris, travel
