Related: How to spend your first day in Paris

Lizza will get you to your hotel affordably.

1. To cab or not to cab?

That’s always the question upon arrival. But if steps are an issue or you’re toting heavy luggage, for heaven’s sake, take a cab. No one’s gonna judge you. Heck, we’ve all been there. I’m no diva, but I’ve always thought Gare du Nord had one too many corridors, and two too many sets of stairs to count. So there, I’ve said it. I sometimes cab it myself.

My own Cheapo solution is to contact Lizza (also a concert cellist!) at contact@art-trans-voyage.com. With advance bookings, they’ll greet you at the airport with a spiffy sign in hand. The flat rate will be pre-determined during booking, and is based on your destination in the city, regardless of traffic jams. Who could ask for anything more?

Tip! Book in advance and tell her you’re a Cheapo. For the very lowest rate (especially if your flight is an early one), say you are willing to wait for a late or group pick-up at the airport café, just outside the baggage area. I do this often, and I’ve never had to wait more than one hour. After the long flight, I actually find the lull relaxing, and besides, check-in for hotels in Paris is usually in the afternoon. Plus, you can’t beat the sunrise people-watching action.

If you’re up for public transportation, check out our guide to getting in from the airport by bus and train.

Pick up a Pariscope at any magazine kiosk, like this one near the Louvre.

2. Reading Material

While waiting for a taxi or before jumping on the RER train, pick up some reading material at Les boutiques Aéroports de Paris. You can’t miss their bright red signs. Getting you coming and going, there’s usually one located just outside of baggage.

I’d kick off my spending spree with a copy of L’Officiel des Spectacles or Pariscope. Both cover the week’s happenings from theatre, cinema and arts, to music and restaurants. Then while in transit, start making plans. Costing about fifty cents a pop, it’s your new BFF! (By the way, the rags can also be found at any newsstand or kiosk in Paris.)

Let’s not forget to pick up a few fashion magazines. It’s a great way to find out what’s happening on the streets of Paris before actually hitting the cobblestones.

Here’s another squeal! Often magazines like Be, Elle, Marie Claire, and Vogue include a free gift with purchase. I recently scored a scarf and cosmetics, along with a chic Édition Limitée Nuisette (nightie) by Princesse Tam Tam in a drop dead burgundy. Talk about a win-sin!

What to do? What to do? Follow my lead. In Paris, most super market stores are not one-stop shopping havens. Monoprix is the exception. Here’s the breakdown.

Head to your neighborhood Pharmacie.

Pharmacies

Pharmacies in Paris carry a wide array of plant-based soaps, shampoos, lotions, and conditioners, along with cosmetics, contact solution, eye-drops, and contact lens cases. They also stock aspirine and Ibuprofène. When making a purchase, ask for the marque générique because it’s usually half the cost of the name brands.

How to find one? Pharmacies are easily recognizable by their flashing green cross signs, dressed in neon and cool LED. In each neighborhood at least one remains open through the night (and any closed pharmacy will post a sign directing you to the nearest one that’s open). French pharmacists are licensed to diagnose and treat minor illnesses without doctors’ prescriptions. Look for the “conseils pharmaciens” sign outside on the shop’s window.

Grocery stores

At grocery stores in Paris, you’ll find shampoo, soap, deodorant, and cosmetics, along with toothpaste and mod-looking toothbrushes (another perfect souvenir!).

Tip: Grocery stores in Paris, like Monoprix, Franprix, and Carrefour now have smaller “Mini Me” boutiques scattered throughout the city. It’s all about streamlining!

dailymonop’ sells toiletries, as well as basic grocery items.

Prior to your trip, I recommend exploring your Paris ’hood via Google Earth, and jotting down addresses of nearby pharmacies and grocery stores. Yes, this message has been approved by the Girl Scouts du Monde.

4. Batteries Chargers and Memory Chips

Forget your battery charger or need a new memory chip? It happens. Hotfoot it to Fnac (pronounced “fuh-NACK”), the largest French entertainment retail chain.

The two biggest stores are at rue de Rennes and Les Halles. (The Saint-Lazare shop is my favorite because it’s smaller.) The camera equipment is usually located on the second floor, close to the cashier booths. Check out their good-looking shopping bag. It’ll make your friends back home green with jealousy.

Tip! Fnac also discounts its inventory of books. This includes the latest catalogs from current blockbuster exhibitions in Paris. With everything from laptops and DVDs to French comic books and concert tickets, in the entertainment realm, it’s one-stop shopping. You can also pick up museum admission tickets here.

Your tips for getting situated in Paris

Cheapos, Bon Voyage! And do let us know if you have a tip for your own first day in Paris. Curious trekkers want to know.

The post Arriving in Paris: Getting to your hotel, situated and settled appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Sure, everyday small charges like cafe cremes in Paris (€2-4) and vaporetto rides in Venice (€6.50) do add up and can make a Cheapo panic. However, these are relatively minor charges when compared to the big-ticket items in your budget: flights, hotels, car rentals and train tickets.

Luckily, there are simple steps you can take right now to minimize these big expenses. Some of these tips may be old news to you, bien sur. But even if one tip comes in handy, it could save you a whole wad of euros.

Kayak’s price alert

1. Set up airfare alerts

Haven’t booked your airline tickets yet? Set up airfare alerts to find a flight deal on Web sites like Kayak.com and Airfarewatchdog.com.

On Kayak, do a search for your desired travel dates and then click “Get a price alert” on the left side of the page. Once you register, they’ll email you with daily or weekly airfare deals for your route.

On Airfarewatchdog, “Deal Hounds” sniff out the lowest ticket prices for your route and send similar email updates. On both sites, you stand a much better chance of scoring a deal if your travel dates are flexible.

2. Pack lightly

As we mentioned last week, most transatlantic airlines have introduced ridiculous baggage fees for checking a second, third or overweight bag. For flights from the US to Europe, these fees can be as high as $200 per bag (one way!).

Check out our roundup of airline baggage fees and only check one bag.

The RoissyBus taks passengers from Paris to Charles de Gaulle.

3. Take public transportation to and from the airport

Alas, how many people have we dissuaded from taking a taxi from Charles de Gaulle to their hotel in Paris! Every one of the major European cities we cover on EuroCheapo offers public transportation from the airport to the center of town, and the majority offer both train and bus options.

Whether you’re getting from Charles de Gaulle to Paris or Schiphol to Amsterdam, there’s a budget-friendly (and usually quite efficient) way into town that doesn’t involve an expensive taxi. Check out our city guides for more information.

4. Think twice before booking a rail pass

For Americans, the lure of the Eurail Pass is strong. Just reading the descriptions of the passes on their Web site can get you excited and ready to hop on board!

It’s easy to forget that these rail passes are not always a good deal. Sure, they offer some convenience and peace of mind, but they don’t always save you money over simply buying individual point-to-point rail tickets (like the millions of Europeans who take trains daily).

Aboard the Renfe train between Cordoba and Granada. No need for a rail pass.

To find out if a rail pass offers “rail” savings, compare the pass price to the point-to-point ticket prices found on the railways’ official Web site (and not the Web site of a rail pass re-seller).

For much more information on this, read these posts: Read this before you buy a European rail passes; Extra charges for rail pass holders; Deutsche Bahn fares better than rail agents; How to book French rail tickets (in French)

5. Book major train tickets in advance

If booking rail journeys directly with the European railways, like the SNCF (France), Deutsche Bahn (Germany) and Renfe (Spain), book those seats in advance. For long-distance train travel, ticket prices climb as the travel date approaches, so advance booking is essential to getting a deal. Most of these railways release tickets three or four months in advance. (Local trains for small jaunts, however, do not need to be booked in advance.)

For more information, read our post on the “three-month rule.”

The EuroCheapo gang rented this car in Berlin. We weren’t smiling two weeks later when we paid the bill.

6. Know the real cost of renting a car

How much will that rental car really cost you? When you do a quick rental car search online, the rates you see will most likely not include taxes or insurance, and certainly won’t include the price of gasoline or the tolls you’ll pay on major highways.

Read our quick guide to calculating the real cost of renting a car in Europe. Then weigh those costs against other options, like trains or budget flights.

Then, use EuroCheapo to search and compare car rental quotes from competing agencies.

While you’re at it, know whether or not to buy extra insurance for your car. (And for that matter, know if you should buy travel insurance for your entire trip!)

7. Choose your hotel wisely

Your hotel expenditure will probably be the most expensive part of your trip. Here at EuroCheapo, we’re obsessed with hotel values. That’s why our editors spend so much time snooping around hotels, taking photos and writing reviews. We can tell you that two hotels sitting side-by-side can charge radically different rates for remarkably similar rooms.

The Hotel Tiquetonne in Paris is central, clean and cheap.

When choosing a hotel, consider “losing a star,” downgrading perhaps from a three-star to a two-star hotel. Decide which amenities you require in a room: Do you need a minibar? cable TV? elevator? If you’re open to a simpler hotel, you can save a bundle and you might find the hotel to be more charming, as well.

Also, give careful consideration to the hotel’s location. If you decide upon a hotel located outside the city center in order to save money, will there be an easy and affordable way home at night? We usually opt for simpler hotels near the center, within walking distance of nighttime activities, if possible.

Read our reviews of budget hotels all over Europe and take our advice–we’ve been there!

8. Know what’s for breakfast

This may sound minor, but breakfast is a big business for hotels. Whether or not breakfast is included in your room rate can add a jarring amount to the bill or save you in the end. It’s a tad confusing, too, as breakfast offerings tend to change by city.

These water bottles in Venice are cheaper at the supermarket.

In Paris, for example, most hotels do not include breakfast in the room rate. When you pay for breakfast, you’ll often be disappointed by what’s set down in front of you: a croissant or piece of baguette, butter and jelly, coffee and juice–for about €10. You’d pay about half that if you headed to a neighborhood cafe, stood at the bar and enjoyed breakfast with the locals.

In London, meanwhile, hotels and B&B’s pride themselves in their included breakfasts, which often come with eggs, bacon, sausage, beans and toast. It’s not necessarily healthy, but it’s good for your budget! (It also helps you eat a lighter and cheaper lunch.)

In many cities, hotels sometimes include breakfast in the room rate, depending upon conditions when booking. The only way to really know if it’s included is to check when reserving your room.

There’s another easy way to eat a healthy breakfast and pay a fraction of the price: Head to a neighborhood supermarket after checking into your hotel to pick up the essentials (bottles of water, oranges, bananas, etc.). If your room has a mini-fridge, you could store yogurt, milk or juice. Bon appetit!

9. Be careful with American iPhones

Americans heading to Europe should be careful before powering up their iPhones abroad. AT&T offers various European travel plans, and almost all of them are too expensive to be a serious option for budget travelers.

We recommend leaving your iPhone set to “Airplane Mode” throughout your trip, and only using it when connected to a Wi-Fi network. Read more in our guide to “Using an American iPhone in Europe… without going broke.”

10. Understand bank fees before using your credit cards or an ATM

How much will your bank charge you to use your credit or debit card abroad? How about withdrawing money from an ATM? When’s the last time you checked?

American banks have “adjusted” their fee structures during the past few years, so we’d recommend checking in with your banks before heading to Europe. If you have multiple cards at your disposal, chances are that they’ll charge different foreign transaction fees. Knowing who charges what will save you money in the end.

Read our quick overview to ATM, Debit and Credit Card charges abroad.

Your tips for saving on European travel

What tips do you have for saving on your “big ticket” items when traveling in Europe? Have a question about any of the tips mentioned above? Share your thoughts in our comments section.

The post Cheapo Basics: 10 ways to save on the “big items” in your travel budget appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

France has no low-cost airlines of note, but there are several budget airlines that serve Paris. Here is an airport-by-airport examination of which low-cost airlines serve which destinations from the three airports of Paris.

This list of destinations reachable by budget airlines from Paris is notable for its geographic range. For many tourists, these links facilitate travel between Paris and other corners of Europe at a price point far lower than anticipated.

1. Charles de Gaulle

Charles de Gaulle, the big daddy (Grande Dame?) of airports in France, sees traffic from several budget airlines (Air Baltic, Blue1, Bmibaby, easyJet, Flybe, Iceland Express, Jet2, Niki, and Vueling) to over four dozen destinations across Europe and northern Africa.

* Air Baltic flies to Riga and Tallinn.

* Blue1 flies to Helsinki.

* Bmibaby flies to East Midlands.

* EasyJet flies to Agadir, Ajaccio, Barcelona, Bastia, Belfast, Biarritz, Brest, Bristol, Casablanca, Catania, Copenhagen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Helsinki, Ibiza, Krakow, Lisbon, Liverpool, Ljubljana, London Luton, Madrid, Mallorca, Malaga, Marrakech, Milan Malpensa, Newcastle, Nice, Porto, Prague, Split, Tangier, Toulouse, Venice, and Zagreb.

* Flybe flies to Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Exeter, Glasgow, Jersey, and Manchester.

* Iceland Express connects Charles de Gaulle to Reykjavík.

* Jet2 flies to Leeds Bradford.

* Niki flies to Vienna.

* Vueling connects Charles de Gaulle to Alicante, Granada, Lleida, Madrid, and Santiago de Compostela.

2. Orly

Five budget airlines (Air Berlin, easyJet, Norwegian, Transavia, and Vueling) connect Orly to around 50 destinations.

* Air Berlin flies to Berlin and Dusseldorf.

* EasyJet flies to Athens, Berlin, Budapest, Dubrovnik, Faro, Geneva, Milan Linate, Mykonos, Naples, Nice, Olbia, Palermo, Pisa, Rome Ciampino, Toulouse, and Venice.

* Norwegian connects Paris-Orly to Aalborg, Bergen, Copenhagen, Oslo, and Stavanger.

* Transavia France flies to Agadir, Antalya, Arrecife, Catania, Djerba, Féz, Funchal, Heraklion, Hurgada, Izmir, Krakow, Las Palmas, Luxor, Marrakech, Monastir, Oujda, Palermo, Porto, Reykjavík, Rhodes, Seville, Tenerife South, and Tozeur.

* Veuling connects Paris-Orly to Barcelona, Ibiza, Malaga, Rome Fiumicino, Seville, and Valencia.

3. Beauvais

To and from the all-budget airport of Beauvais, three airlines (Blue Air, Ryanair, and Wizzair) connect to over 40 destinations.

* Blue Air flies to Bacau and Bucharest.

* Ryanair flies to Alicante, Barcelona, Bari, Bologna, Bratislava, Cagliari, Dublin, Edinburgh, Faro, Girona, Glasgow Prestwick, Kaunas, Madrid, Malaga, Marseille, Milan Bergamo, Oslo Rygge, Pau, Pisa, Porto, Reus, Rome Ciampino, Shannon, Stockholm Skavsta, Trapani, Treviso, Valencia, and Zaragoza.

* Wizzair connects Beauvais to Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Gdansk, Katowice, Poznan, Prague, Sofia, Timosoara, Warsaw, and Wroclaw.

More information

For more information about airports in Paris, including ground transportation into Paris’ city center, please see the profiles of Charles de Gaulle, Orly, and Beauvais Tille in our flights section.

The post Finding budget flights to and from Paris appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Why? Because the RER (regional train) and Paris Metro ticket machines only accept “EC” credit cards that are security-chip enabled. American credit cards are not equipped with this technology and, for the most part, don’t work.

Getting into Paris from Charles de Gaulle Airport… with an American credit card

I think that the easiest (and most economical) way into Paris from Charles de Gaulle is the city’s regional train, the RER. The train departs several times an hour from train stations in Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 at CDG. The trip takes between 25-35 minutes to central Paris, depending on whether it’s running express or making local stops along the way.

RER tickets cost €8.20 per person, each way. Dozens of ticket machines are located in the airport terminals, making it (hypothetically) easy to grab a ticket and hop onto a train. However, the machines only accept EC credit cards. When we’ve tried to purchase a ticket with an American-issued card, the screen simply states “Card not valid.”

Machines also take euro notes and coins, but if you’ve just arrived in Europe, you may not be arriving with any euro currency. Of course, you could first swing by an airport ATM, although lines can be long and ATMs often dispense bills in high denominations, not exactly handy for an 8 euro ticket.

The solution?

One solution is to buy your ticket from the ticket counter. I have resorted to this in the past—which is never fun, as it usually involves waiting in a long line. However, the ticket agents do accept American credit cards. Many American tourists, faced with this solution, get in line.

I finally got my ticket.

During my trip to Paris this month, I went through all the motions: I tried my MasterCard on two machines and was rejected by both. I then turned and gazed at the line snaking out from the ticket office. I was certain to spend the first 45 minutes of my time in Paris waiting to pay for a regional train ticket. Sad.

But then I noticed several peppy, smiling customer service personnel drifting about the floor, between the machines, asking bemused tourists if they needed help.

Just for kicks, I approached a young woman and explained my dilemma. “The machine won’t take my credit card.”

“You’re trying to use an American card, right?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“This might not work, but there’s one machine over here that sometimes takes American cards,” she said, and led me past several clusters of ticket machines to one particular, inconspicuous machine, which appeared to me to be just like the others.

And sure enough, it worked. For some reason, that one machine accepted my MasterCard and saved me from the RER ticket line of tears.

Good luck with those Metro tickets!

Metro tickets… Rejection, part deux

Over the past several years, Paris has closed down Metro ticket booths in many stations and replaced them with automated vending machines. (In many cases, the ticket booths have been replaced with information booths. But they won’t sell you tickets.)

The ticket machines are pretty easy to use, unless—you guessed it!—you’re trying to use an American credit card. In short: They’re not accepted.

The solution: Pay in cash (some machines only accept coins, while others accept bills) or go to one of the Metro stations that still actually has a ticket counter (these can be found in the most-popular stations in central Paris).

What do you think?

Have you had any issues with using an American (or any other) credit card in Paris or other French cities like Marseille or Lyon? Have you been able to use your card? Do you have another creative solution? Tell us about it!

The post Paris Transit: Buying RER and Metro tickets with an American credit card appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.