Paris on a Budget, FRANCE
Airing Date: Jul 31st, 2006
You can do Paris on a budget pretty easily - as long as you don't mind tiny dingy little hotel rooms and baguettes to eat. But it might surprise you that you can get that wonderful, five-star Paris experience on a budget too - just look outside the square.
The Eiffel Tower definitely dominates the Paris skyline - you can see it from most places in the city. It's undoubtedly the city's favourite tourist attraction, with queues to climb it every single day of the year. Plus, if you can fight your way through the aggressive souvenir sellers at the bottom without spending a centime, you're doing very, very well!
The Sacr Coeur church, over in Montmartre, however, is built on the highest point in the city - therefore, it has amazing views that don't cost a cent if you're just standing at the top of the stairs in front of it (although these, too, have their share of souvenir sellers!).
From the Sacr Coeur steps you are looking over an older and more historical part of Paris, so the view is possibly more interesting and picturesque than the blanket landscape of the Eiffel Tower.
Paris is full of hotels for all budgets. The average price for a two-star hotel in Paris is around 100 euros a room, per night; The Hotel-Dieu is one of the city hospitals of Paris.
In fact it is the oldest in the city. The Hotel-Hospital has 14 rooms each able to accommodate up to 3 people. Two of these rooms are especially adapted for handicapped people.
The hotel has spacious rooms, bathrooms (with an actual bath), air conditioning and a TV? Plus rooms service and cooked breakfast if you want! And the piece de resistance? The hotel is located right on the Ile de la Cit - in the geographic and cultural centre of the city, right next door to Notre Dame cathedral and with wonderful views of Paris. All this at a discounted price.
On arrival in Paris buy a Pariscope for about 40 Euro cents. this is the Parisian "what's on" and gives you details of all monuments, their opening hours and charges, theatres, movies, restaurants, markets and more. It also gives details of concerts which are held in churches during the day and evening.
These are normally given by talented musicians, singers and orchestras. Look for "gratuit" or free. It's worth spending a lunch time or an evening at a free concert! There are regular concerts at St Julien le Pauvre near Notre Dame. These are of world class standard but very cheap to attend.
There is a trend in Paris where the big, famous bistros and restaurants, invariably run by big, famous chefs, have now sprouted smaller informal cafs run by the same people. Often the food is either cooked, or the recipes designed, by the same chefs, but the informal settings mean that you are paying a lot less for amazing ingredients like foie gras and fresh artichokes, crab and langoustine, put together in hearty food which is a touch less pretentious than the big restaurants but the same top quality.
You'd be surprised how many different ways there are to get at least a discount on museum entry in Paris - and after all, probably 90% of tourists visiting Paris will enter at least one gallery or museum. At the Louvre for example, art history students and teachers get free entry, as do people under 26 if they go on a Friday night.
Many tourists know that there are museum cards you can buy that get you free entry into museums and galleries, but there is still a big outlay at the beginning, which can really put the pressure on to visit as many as you can to get your money's worth!
If the sole purpose of your visit is to get through museums and galleries, then you're going to save a heap. Paris Museum Pass - Valid for 2, 4 or 6 (consecutive) days, the museum pass gives free and no waiting access to 60 museums and monuments in Paris and the surrounding region.
FURTHER INFORMATION
Return to Paris from $3175 ex east coast, $3765 ex west coast. Prices available online and include surcharges, fees & taxes, subject to fluctuation. Conditions apply. Prices correct at 4/7/06.
Air Tahiti Nui - www.airtahitinui.com.au
For further information on France: Lonely Planet Guides - www.lonelyplanet.com.au
