Like most major cities, Paris can be quite pricey, especially for first-time visitors who don’t know the little “tricks of the Cheapo trade.”  Fortunately, a little bit of planning before you land can help you save some serious euros while still experiencing the best the city has to offer.

More tips for Paris:

• 50 Ways to save on your vacation in Paris
• The 15 Best cheap hotels in Paris
• 25 Free attractions and things to do in Paris

10 Budget tips for Paris first-time visitors

Here’s a quick “Top 10” list of ways to save for first-timers in Paris:

1. Restaurants: Feast away… at lunch.

Paris and food go hand in hand. While yummy baguette sandwiches and pastries are everywhere – and they’re cheap – you’ll want to sit down at a restaurant eventually. You can do some research on Yelp or ParisbyMouth.com and find a nice restaurant for lunch instead of dinner to save some euros. Fixed lunch menus are usually cheaper, and you won’t usually need a reservation for popular places, plus you’ll get to sit for a while and enjoy your meal. Here are 5 set lunch menus we like under €12.

Related: Read more topics about saving on food in Paris.

2. Affordable lodging: Think central.

Pick a central hotel to avoid constantly taking the Metro. While the Metro is inexpensive and efficient, the costs can add up, in both euros and time. Often it’s better to book a central hotel that’s €20-30 more expensive to avoid buying an extra few “carnets” of Metro tickets. You’ll also save your feet the extra miles of walking.

Check out our cheapo guide to saving on hotels in Paris, and this smaller list of budget hotels with great, central locations and 8 favorites under €80.

3. Metro: “Un carnet, s’il vous plait.”

So when you do take the Metro inside Paris (not to the airport or to Versailles), make sure you buy a “carnet” of tickets (unless you decide to get a Mobilis pass). This set of 10 tickets will save you about 20% per ticket instead of buying them individually. But use up those paper tickets soon because they will expire in 2021. The city is moving to a new system, Navigo Easy, to replace the paper tickets. Good news though, you’ll still be able to get the 10-ride discount!

Related: 10 Tips for riding the Paris Metro like a local

4. Nightlife: Plan ahead.

Do some nightlife research and take advantage of happy hour(s). While Paris may not be a party town like Berlin or New York, there are still plenty of things to do at night. The challenge is to find them. Happy hour specials abound, sometimes until 11 pm, when drinks are significantly cheaper.

But if you want to hear jazz, go dancing, or experience other nightlife, it’s best to know where you’re heading ahead of time; otherwise, you might find yourself on the Champs-Elysées paying a €30 cover charge for a tacky club.

Read more about saving on Paris’s nightlife at bars and clubs and entertainment.

5. Museums: Should you “pass”?

Plan your museum trips ahead of time if you are planning to purchase a museum pass. It’s best to know how many museums you’ll actually be able to see during the few days that your pass will be valid. Otherwise, if you are buying tickets for each museum, visit the Louvre and the Orsay during their night openings (Louvre: Wednesday and Friday, Orsay: Thursday) in order to save on cheaper tickets and deal with smaller crowds.

Don’t forget the litany of free museums that may not hold any Mona Lisa’s but are just as memorable. The Carnavalet, the Pavillon de l’Arsenal, and the Victor Hugo museum are all favorites in the Marais that are worth a visit. (Read more tips for sightseeing in Paris.)

Related: 7 Tips for surviving the Louvre

6. Fixed costs: No getting around ’em.

Plan fixed costs ahead of time. The Eiffel Tower and a tour of the Opera, for example, offer no shortcuts or reduced fees (aside from booking your Eiffel Tower tickets in advance to save time), so you’ll have to pay full price.

And fixed costs don’t stop with sightseeing: Train tickets to the airport on the RER B, a ticket to Versailles, and a day trip to Giverny are all non-negotiable. While none of these will break the bank, they do add up, so it’s best to know which experiences you’ll be paying full-price for.

7. Fast food: Enjoy it, French-style.

Don’t shy away from fast food – falafels and baguette sandwiches, for example – just because you might have heard that Parisians don’t eat fast food. That’s a lie. Getting a falafel (€6) on rue des Rosiers and heading to the Place des Vosges or taking a baguette sandwich (less than €5) and fruit from the market to a picnic in a garden are all perfectly acceptable and encouraged.

8. Touring: Take a freebie

Take a free tour — like these — to get introduced to the city. If you’re a first-timer, a tour will be a perfect way to break you in and familiarize yourself with the city’s layout and history. Sure, it’ll be more information than you’ll be able to retain, but you’ll meet new people and your guide, most likely a local, will have insider information to share with you — if they’re good!

If you have a few extra euros to spend, here are 11 specialty tours worth splurging on.

9. Hydrate: Drink the free stuff.

Water is one of the few truly free things in Paris – like, really free. If you go to a café and ask for a glass of water, the waiter must give you one. Never hesitate to ask for a “carafe d’eau” while at a café or restaurant, even if you just have coffee. They’re legally required to give it to you.

Also, the famous Wallace fountains keep fresh drinking water running through Paris all spring and summer long (they’re shut off in the winter to avoid freezing). If you want a bottle of Evian, head to the grocery store to browse the Mecca of water brands available for as little as 15 centimes a bottle – but be warned, cold water can cost up to €2 for a small bottle at any other bodega or snack shop.

10. Timing: What’s your style?

We’ve talked about when is the best time to visit Paris before. But we’ll stress it again: Pick your period wisely – Christmas and summer tend to be expensive, but have their own perks, so weigh your values and pros/cons. Do you want to picnic? Spend time lounging in the gardens? Fight impossible crowds at Notre Dame and the Louvre? Sounds like late spring and summer.

Or do you want to come in April or October with some warmer clothes and an umbrella and relax a bit more with fewer tourists around? If you want to cut down on hotel rates and airfare, look to the low season, just be prepared for all weather conditions.

Your first-time tips?

Have a tip for a first-timer in Paris to add to our list? Share with us in the comments section below!

The post Paris: 10 money-saving tips for Paris first-time visitors appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

(By the way, if you haven’t already, check out Bryan’s fantastic Paris gift-giving guide!)

1. Café de la Mairie
8 Place Saint-Sulpice, 6th arrondissement (Metro: Saint Sulpice or Rennes)

Located next to Église Saint-Sulpice, the Café de la Mairie is where I catch my breath during my bargain shopping sprees on rue de Rennes or in Saint-Germain-des-Près. Here the historic joint rocks a New York coffee shop or Baltimore diner vibe. Dogs, kiddies and chit-chat abound! It smells great, too, like my grandmother’s Butcher’s Hill row house during holiday meal preparations.

I recommend ordering Cantal jeune cheese (which can be difficult to find back in the States!) with a baguette. This substantial sandwich costs €4, and is large enough for two. The bottled soda pops are served up all old-school with ice, a spoon and a slice of lemon. Service is consistently friendly and swift.

Tips: Ask to sit in Jeff’s section. He’s a charmer. The terrace has a catbird’s view of the famous church just across the square.

Who else has found inspirational bliss here? Literary greats like F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway and Albert Camus, that’s who, along with Henry Miller, Anaïs Nin, and Saul Bellow—just to name a few!

Also, if time permits, pop by Saint-Sulpice, and hang with its Delacroix inside. For the love of Dan Brown, DaVinci-Coders, don’t leave without walking the famous Rose Line (which cuts right through the altar).

2. Triadou Haussmann
80 Boulevard Haussmann, 8th arrondissement (Metro: Saint-Lazare)

Nestled in between Gare Saint-Lazare and Printemps Homme, I recently discovered the historic Triadou, after attending the launches of the holiday window spectaculars at the grand magasins along the hustling, bustling Boulevard Haussmann. Open since 1935, the family-run café is now my new favorite post-shopping stop. Its handsome terrace with its iconic cane chairs, neon lights, and outdoor heaters is also a prime people-watching spot.

So what’s on the menu? I recommend going with the baguette jambon beurre Gruyère (ham, butter and Gruyère cheese). Recognize a running theme in this post? Yes, I am hooked on baguette sandwiches! The bowl-sized café latte is consistently rich and piping hot, topped with a thick layer of foamy cream and served with a chunk of dark chocolate. Making hot chocolate just got easier, and I just can’t get enough.

3. Chocolates and Macarons by Christophe Roussel
5 rue Tardieu, 18th arrondissement (Metro: Abbesses or Anvers)

Is it possible to have too many addictions? I don’t think so. This week, I am happy to shout out that there is a new macaron in Montmartre, and it’s dipped in dark chocolate. Created by charismatic Christophe Roussel and Julie Haumont, the shop’s Calder-like macaron mobiles in the window caught my eye and tempted my tongue. So I ventured inside.

The shop’s interior is bright and trippy, boasting a tie-dyed, psychedelic color scheme in pink, green, purple and orange. Here I definitely felt a “Groovitational” pull and—in a fit of rave—I purchased one too many macaroons to count. Soon I was I feeling the sugar rush, and singing Simon and Garfunkel’s “Feeling Groovy,” as I kicked down the cobblestones to the “I love you” wall in the square behind the Hector Guimard entrance to Metro Abbesses. Ba-da-da-da, all is groovy!

Here’s another loving spoonful. In 2010 Christophe and Julie received Paris’s “Salon du Chocolat Prix Spécial Innovation.” His chocolate bar (yes, you heard me right—it’s a bar that serves chocolate) is located at the Hôtel du Cadran at 10 Champs de Mars in the 7th arrondissement. Don’t leave without tasting Roussel’s signature scrumptious (and Man Ray/Lee Miller-inspired) chocolate lips, or his new chocolate-coated lollipop macarons. Oh, la la.

4. Au Levain d’Antan
6 rue des Abbesses, 18th arrondissement (Métro: Abbesses or Pigalle)

Extra! Extra! Read all about it here. This year, boulanger Pascal Barillon of Au Levain d’Antan won the “Grand Prix de la Baguette de Tradition Française de la Ville de Paris.” Located in Abbesses, Au Levain d’Antan is where I buy most of my croissants and pain au chocolat pastries. (By the way, in the past five years, four boulangeries in Montmartre have won the coveted award. Could it be that there’s something special about the old hill’s own local earth, wind and fire?)

Fast forward, the amiable Pascal Barillon scored a shiny medal, cash, and the honor of baking bread for President Nicolas Sarkozy and First Lady Carla Bruno-Sarkozy at the Palais de l’Elysées (the French presidential palace) for one year! The annual award is based on aroma, texture, crust, and size. And yes, Virginia, size DOES matter, at least when it comes to bread—this year 32 of the 175 competing baguettes got eliminated because, well, they came up a tad on the short side.

Cheapos, here’s what else is short—life! So find your happy place. Bon Appétit!

Your favorite hangouts?

Do you have a favorite cafe, restaurant or bakery to add to our list? Tell us about your favorite Parisian hangout in our comments section.

Also in our guide: Heading to Paris anytime soon? We’ve got favorite hotel hangouts, too! Read our editors’ reviews of their favorite hotels, all located in central Paris and all visited, inspected and photographed by us. Read more in our Paris guide.

The post Paris: Favorite cafe, chocolate shop, and boulangerie “hangouts” appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

And soon I was hooked. Still after all these years, my love for the classic French “sammiches” (as my musician brother Will says) is here to stay. And what’s not to adore? Individually wrapped, often in beautifully illustrated bags, they’re delectable, affordable and oh so portable.

So, as a nod to the upcoming picnic season and to New York Times 82-year-old street photographer Bill Cunningham, let’s pedal push wildly “On the Streets” of Paris, and find out what the best-dressed sandwiches are wearing this season. I’ll also tip you off to two of my favorite current joints for sandwiches—a café and a boulangerie. Relish that, Cheapos!

Jambon Beurre Gruyère (ham, butter and Gruyère cheese)

Tip one
Splurge-worthy: Café de la Mairie
8 Place Saint-Sulpice, 6th arrondissement (Metro: Saint Sulpice or Rennes)

Thank my sister Wendy for this discovery. During her recent trip to Paris, she’s the one who wisely suggested that we take a much-needed touring (and shopping) break at the Café de la Mairie, and I’m happy to report that the experience was a knockout win-grin.

I had photographed the café’s terrace-action for previous Cheapo stories, but I had never dined there. Truth be told, for the love of saving euros, I usually try to avoid the bars and cafés near tourist hotspots, and the Café de la Mairie is located in the heart of Saint-Germain, kitty-corner to Église Saint-Sulpice.

But to my surprise, the café latte with a Cantal cheese and butter baguette (pictured, top) wildly surpassed our expectations. Blame the attentive table service, dramatic skies, and the catbird seats under the big awning near a bustling bus stop, but the spontaneous moveable feast was worth every cent, down to the last drop.

While the coffee may have cost a tad more than at cafes located in less touristic areas, it was rich and hot, topped with a thick layer of foam. The substantial sandwich Wen and I shared? It cost just €4, and we sliced it down the middle. Dagwood in Paris experience? Priceless.

Who else found inspiration here? Henry Valentine Miller, Anaïs Nin, and Ernest Hemingway, along with F. Scott Fitzgerald, Saul Bellow, and Djuna Barnes. Let’s also add James Joyce, Samuel Becket, and Jean-Paul Sartre, but don’t forget Albert Camus, Edward Hopper, and Simone de Beauvoir.

Added bonus: After fifteen years of restoration work, the church of Saint-Sulpice across the square recently shed its scaffolding, and the view is once more a beauty.

Sunday night bread line at Le Grenier à Pain

Tip Two
Palace-worthy: Le Grenier à Pain
38, rue des Abbesses, 18th arrondissement (Métro: Abbesses or Pigalle)

Located in Abbesses, this is where I buy most of my baguettes and jambon-fromage sandwiches (ham and cheese with butter). Consistency, friendly customer service, and an eclectic house selection of breads, cakes, and pies are just a few of the Grenier boulangerie’s winning qualities.

Tip: If you spot the sandwich of your dreams but it doesn’t have crudités (lettuce and tomato), just ask, and they’ll happily add it.

Add award-winning to the mix, too. Handsome Boulanger Djibril Bodian won the 2010 “Grand Prix de la Baguette de Tradition Française de la Ville de Paris” which not only earned him a sparkly medal and a wad of cash but also earned him the honor of baking bread for the Palais de l’Elysées (the French presidential palace) for one year! The annual award is based on aroma, honeycomb-like interior, and crust (which can never be too thin or too crisp). What makes Bodian’s bread so special? No shortcuts, long fermentation, and a dash of hazelnut!

By the way, the 2011 winner has not been announced yet. Perhaps the President and First Lady don’t want to lose their daily loaf from Le Grenier à Pain? Just guessing. Please stay tuned!

Baguette Thon Crudités Oeufs (tuna, lettuce, tomato and hard-boiled eggs)

Best-dressed list

And how are the baguettes dressed this season? Here are a few of my favorites. Take heed, they are dressed to fill!

Baguette Cantal Beurre (Cantal cheese and butter)

Baguette Jambon Beurre Gruyère (ham, butter and Gruyère cheese)

Baguette Thon Crudités Oeufs (tuna, lettuce, tomato and hard-boiled eggs)

Baguette Salami (salami and butter)

Baguette Poulet Crudités (chicken, lettuce and tomato)

Baguette Paté, Baguette Camembert (Camembert cheese)

Baguette Saucisson Sec (cured sausage)

Your favorite baguettes?

Do you have a favorite baguette sandwich? Share your experience in our comments section. And bon appétit, Cheapos!

The post Paris: The city’s best-dressed baguette sandwiches appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Visiting one of the finest food capitals of the world, a place chock-full of bountiful “Bon Produits” (specialty shops), all managed by certified gastronomical experts who are more than willing to share their vast wealth of knowledge, is abso-fruga-lute-ly not the time to shop at a chain grocery store in order to save a few centimes.

Splurge on a café.

So take in all those wonderful boulangeries, pâtisseries, chocolatiers, confiseries, glaciers, éspiceries, fromageries, charcuteries, poissonneries, caves, and cafés with a clear conscience. And don’t be shy. Ask for recommendations! Ask questions, and in the process you’ll take home more than the receipt.

Here’s my personal sampling of things to not miss while in France. Cheapos, splurge on!

1. Crème brûlée

Before cracking open this classic beauty, lift the ramekin to your ear, and lightly tap on its hard, caramelized topping with your spoon. Breathe in. Savor the moment.

2. Pain au chocolat

The proper way to eat it is to pinch off teeny morsels with your fingertips to make it last as long as possible. However, I usually peel the individual layers off slowly, thoroughly enjoying each melted chocolate nugget I encounter.

3. Fromage

Big wheels do keep on turning. Like skirts, cheese is seasonal, and the variety is endless. So pace yourself! Start off with the “Cantal jeune.” Named after the volcanic peaks of the Cantal mountain range, it’s hard to find this one-month-old taste sensation outside of France. Why, even the Sun King gave it his Good Palace-Keeping seal of approval. Also, don’t hesitate to ask the fromager for a cheese recommendation based on the wine you just bought down the street. They’ll gladly help you out.

Baguettes from Gérard Mulot.

4. Baguette

If it’s still warm from the oven, do as the locals do and rip a chunk off and pop it in your mouth as soon as you step out of the bakery. I’ve noticed that males tend to carry their baguettes like caveman clubs, while women usually cradle their bread.

5. Macarons and meringues

The ultimate instant sugar rush—but what-the-hey? You only live once, right? That’s what she said. Catherine de Medici’s Italian pastry chefs introduced the macaron to France, and Ladurée is credited with its stream-lined modern sandwich-look.

6. Wines

It’s perfectly normal to say, “I’m looking for something around five euros to go with [fill in the blank].” Trust me, everyone else is asking the same question. Tip: Caviste Pascal Fauvel at La Cave de Abbesses at 43 rue des Abbesses clearly marks his recommendations with heart-shaped signs that read, “Coup de coeur maison.” Others follow suit.

7. French onion soup

Yummy escargot

Day or night, it’s a hot and hearty Cheapo happy meal (sans prizes).

8. Escargots

If you end up loving them (and most people do) then you’ve made a culinary discovery, and if not, at least you’ve got a funny story to tell, and everyone will admire your bravery. I usually order my snails bathed in garlic, butter, and herbs in their little spiral shells. Yum!

9. Crêpes

“Je voudrais une banane-chocolat crêpe, s’il vous plaît,” is another one of my tickets to paradise.

Tartes at Les Petits Mitrons.

10. Tarte

Any ole tarte will do as long as it comes from Les Petits Mitrons at 26 rue Lepic in Abbesses, just up the street from the Moulin Rouge, and kitty-corner from the café featured in the film “Amélie.” You can also buy your pie by the slice!

11. A drink in Parisian café

If you visit Paris and miss out on this experience, Cheapos, we are no longer friends. Yes! Your alcoholic or non-alcoholic drinks will cost a little more than in a grocery store, but the upside is that you’ll be given courtside seats to people watching, and you can stay as long as you like.

12. At least one article of clothing

For the simple love of bragging rights, do pick up a scarf, shirt, or slacks. Then, for years to come you’ll be able to say, “Oh, this old thing? I picked it up in Paris years ago!”

Cheapos, do you have a favorite French treat? Do tell!

The post 12 things worth splurging on in Paris appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Here’s our guide to the boulangerie’s “other” baked goods, thinking beyond the baguette…

More “pain,” all gain

First off, there is much more to French bread (“pain”) than the baguette.

I’m a bit partial to the “tradition,” which is much softer than a baguette and tastes a little like sourdough. There are also “boules,” or round breads, and most boulangeries now offer whole-grain options. You’ll be hard-pressed to find any loaf of French bread that costs more than €2.

Similarly, it’s time to branch out from the standard croissant. Go for broke on the calorie-meter with a “pain au chocolat”, often mistakenly called a “chocolate croissant” in the U.S. (The word “croissant” implies a crescent shape, whereas a “pain au chocolat” tends to be somewhat square.)

Though not as extensive as a “patisserie” (a bakery that specializes in pastries), boulangeries offer a full range of “tartes” and other small pastries to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Lunch to go: Baguette sandwiches, quiches, and more

The boulangerie is a great place to pick up a quick lunch to eat on the go or bring to a picnic.

Small baguette sandwiches are reasonably-priced (around €3-4). A “jambon buerre” (ham with butter) is a pretty standard French option, although you’ll also find sandwiches with “thon” (tuna), “poulet” (chicken), “ouef” (egg), and more.  When the shopkeeper asks if you’d like your sandwich “avec salade,” she wants to know if you’d like one with lettuce and tomato or just the meat.

Other lunch options range from quiche to mini pizza to “croque monsieur” (a ham sandwich with cheese baked on the outside), depending on the bakery.

Formule: Make the most of your lunch money

Most boulangeries offer a “formule,” a lunch special that includes a sandwich, a dessert, and a drink. The price depends on the location and sometimes on the type of sandwich you order. Expect to pay between €5-7 for the meal.

As with all shops in France, the majority of boulangeries will be closed on Sundays, except for in highly touristed areas. If you do find a boulangerie you like open on Sunday, odds are it will be closed if you try to return on Monday.

Tell us!

Do you have a favorite boulangerie in Paris? Or a French bread product you just can’t live without? Tell us about it in the comments section.

The post Paris Cheap Eats: Beyond baguettes at the boulangerie appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.