Affordable Paris
Paris on Your Own Costs Around $100 a Day
By Ron Getz
It seems from most travel packages a trip to Paris is only slightly less pricey than a seat aboard the space shuttle Discovery. The truth is that France can be very affordable. And bargains aren't just for the young. I'm 50 plus, but I insist on getting my money's worth.
In Paris I stayed in perfectly wonderful $30 to $50 rooms within view of Notre Dame and walking distance of every sight I wanted to see. I enjoyed lunches for under $5. And I traveled all day and night around Paris for a little over a buck a day, courtesy of the metro.
What's more, I traveled alone and the total cost for everything averaged $108 a day plus airfare.
If you travel to Paris in October or early spring, the roundtrip fare typically runs $380-$400 instead of $600-$800. If you're a senior, airlines including American, United, and Delta have clubs with special rates. American offers seniors 62 and older a roundtrip off-season Paris fare of $388.
Two months before my trip I booked a hotel based on a guidebook recommendation. You can always upgrade once you're there. Just walk down the streets and check out the hotels.
A room for two in a wonderful hotel in Paris can be had for $50-$60 a night. I averaged $30 for a single. Every room was clean and convenient. If you don't mind climbing to a second or third floor you'll save more.
You'll also save hundreds of dollars if you make reservations for your rental car while you're in the U.S. I had a two-door Ford K4 that averaged 31 miles per gallon and ran 85-90 miles an hour on the expressway no problem. It cost only $138 a week. Gasoline in Paris can cost $4 a gallon, so the savings from a fuel-efficient car adds up.
However, try to avoid driving in Paris or any big European city. The Paris metro and buses are fabulous. Buy a "carnet" of 10 tickets for just over $10. You can ride around all day and night with one ticket and get anywhere--an unbeatable bargain. When you can't take public transport, walk.
Train stations are always in the heart of the city. Use them. And don't miss the bullet train for a delightful experience in luxury. I took the French bullet from Paris to Cologne. It cost $140 roundtrip. To drive that 300-mile distance would take over five hours. I was there in four hours with no hassle.
Your first stop in Paris should be the Paris Tourist Bureau to buy the Paris Museum Pass. It costs $12 and covers virtually every sight you'd want to see in Paris, with the exception of the Eiffel Tower, including 70 attractions such as Versailles and Fontainbleu. Most sights individually cost $7 to $8, so you pay for the pass after two visits. Then there's the convenience. The line at the Louvre to buy a ticket was a block long when I got there--1,000 people, standing in the rain. With my pass, I walked right past the line and into the museum.
While you're at the tourist bureau, grab another great bargain--La Telecarte, a telephone card sold by France Telecom. I bought one with 120 units for $18. That gave me 10 calls home to friends and family in the U.S. plus local calls in Europe. That's awfully cheap and I didn't have to mess with change.
As for currency, that's no longer a problem. Use the ever-present ATMs and get only the money you'll need so you don't have to sell any money back at a loss when you leave.
Another fallacy--as untrue in Paris as it is in New York--is that it takes a millionaire to eat in Paris. Food does cost more than in the U.S., but not much. The prix fixe menu, which includes everything but wine, is still the best deal. I usually spent $13 to $19 for a fabulous meal.
Wine too is a bargain. Go to any middling restaurant in the U.S. and a glass of jug-grade wine costs $3.75 on up. The house wines in Paris are wonderful and for $3.50 you get a two-glass caraffe.
Improvise and create your own picnic lunch. I went to the markets every day to buy fruit and vegetables fresh from the farms. Go to a boulangerie and enjoy the finest bread on the planet. Stop by a charcuterie, a French delicatessen, where you can treat yourself to a sandwich for $3.50 or splurge on a skewer of kabobs, cheesecake to die for, or a sorbet.
A highlight of my trip was the Place Vosges--a solid square of buildings, built like a château with a park and fountain at its center. Restaurants abound here and the free entertainment is the best I saw in Paris: a couple dancing a sizzling tango, three opera singers, an 11-piece string group performing everything from Khachaturian to Mozart, a six-piece jazz ensemble, and a leggy duo belting out show tunes.
If you have a dash of adventure in your soul, you can have the time of your life in Paris without busting your budget. But I would do one thing differently. Nobody should ever be alone in the most beautiful city in the world if they can possibly help it.
More Information
The French Government Tourist Office; us.franceguide.com
The Paris Pages; www.paris.org
FranceScape; www.france.com/francescape
U.S. State Department; www.state.gov
Eurail; www.eurail.com.
RON GETZ is a frequent traveler and freelance writer based in Largo, FL.
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