Wait, what? Isn’t Paris supposed the be the city for coffee? As we explained in this post in 2012, Paris’ cafés are perhaps the best in the world at creating the perfect café ambiance… but often the coffee itself is bitter and lousy. As the previous post pointed out, however, there is a coffee revolution brewing in Paris. Finally, some cafés with decent roasts and talented baristas have entered the scene.

In the two years since we published that post, however, a handful of new coffee shops have opened around the city that deserve a mention. Alors, it’s time for a coffee in Paris update!

A perfectly poured espresso drink and expert barista Thomas Lehoux of Ten Belles. Photo: Didier Gauducheau (courtesy of HiP Blog)

Ten Belles

10 Rue de la Grange aux Belles, 75010
Website

Steps from the Canal St. Martin, Ten Belles is a cozy and intimate café that’s the perfect place to read a book or catch up with a friend. With a focus on quality roasts and impeccable execution, the coffee here will not disappoint. In addition to the gourmet beans, the food is simply delicious. Ten Belles offers two types of sandwiches every day (one veg and one non-veg) in addition to delicious cookies and other assorted baked treats. This is the perfect spot if you’re craving the Brooklyn vibe while abroad.

Café Craft

24 Rue des Vinaigriers, 75010
Website

Just around the corner from Ten Belles, Café Craft has a more industrial vibe. With a strictly black and white aesthetic and a long sprawling table, it is a great place to get some work done while on the road. In fact, that’s kind of the point. The Café Craft concept is this: pay either by consumption or connection. This means you can either purchase coffee and food and leave within the hour, or stay to work in the perfectly curated setting, paying €3 per hour for the Internet and environment. This may seem a bit strange, but to students, freelancers and people on a working holiday, it’s the perfect arrangement.

The entrance to Strada Cafe, a pint-sized spot making delicious espresso drinks. Photo: Courtesy of Strada Cafe.

Strada Café

94 Rue du Temple, 75003
Website

Hidden on Rue du Temple in the Marais, Strada Café is a tiny expat hangout with tasty coffee, food and fresh squeezed juices. It is fashioned with eclectic furniture and is decidedly unpretentious. With free Wi-Fi, friendly English-speaking staff and soft music, what’s not to like?

Fragments

76 rue de Tournelles, 75003
Website

Fragments is a relative newcomer to the Paris coffee scene, having opened jut a few months ago. The setting is ideal, with exposed brick walls, high ceilings and dark wooden furniture. You’ll notice an acute attention to detail in this café, where everything seems to be meticulously designed and catered, yet simple and elegant. What’s more, the coffee is incredible, and the simple accompanying bites to eat are delicious. The only thing missing is free Wi-Fi.

The post Coffee in Paris: New cafes serving up tasty drinks from talented baristas appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Avoid the English-Speaking French Breakfast

Experienced travelers don’t need to be told to avoid restaurants and cafes in tourist-heavy areas like the street that runs alongside Notre Dame. If you see a sign that says “French Breakfast” in English, you can guarantee that it has been designed and priced for unwitting tourists, and no more authentically French than a French kiss.

B.Y.O.C.

Believe it or not, as long as you order a coffee or something else, it’s socially acceptable in most sidewalk cafés to bring your own croissants. Don’t bother asking first, since the French answer to almost any question is non, just be discreet, and don’t be surprised if the waiter doesn’t care (or even notice).

Go here to read about Paris cafés that offer espresso for a euro.

Boulangerie Breakfast Specials

Some boulangeries have a little counter or a few tables where you can sit down for as long as it takes you to finish off your pain au chocolat or sandwich, but beware of separate café menus and table service where you will pay a hefty price.

Also note that some boulangeries offer breakfast specials where you can get a coffee and a pastry at a discount. The boulangerie at 32 rue Vieille du Temple in the Marais has a handful of tables and stools and offers a coffee and a croissant breakfast special for €1.90, meaning you are paying the regular €1.10 they charge for a decent croissant, plus only 80 cents for a coffee, which is an average of €2.20 elsewhere in the neighborhood, including next door.

Don’t Buy the Milk If You Can Get It For Free

Ever noticed that the price of a two-sip espresso in Paris is often less than half of a coffee with milk? If you want an efficient caffeine hit but need a drop of milk to take the edge off of that bitter espresso, here’s a clever way to get a mini latte for the price of a naked espresso: ask for une noisette. This is simply an espresso with a little added bonus nut of milk, and may be delivered to you already in the coffee, or with a separate pot of milk.

Remember that many Paris cafés serve a little cookie or a caramel or a square of dark chocolate with your coffee, and a glass of water is always free; if they don’t automatically bring it, which they often do, then just ask for un verre d’eau.

The post How to save money on breakfast in Paris appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Blame the beans, blame the roasting, blame the machines, but the Parisian café takes a back seat to powerful and delicious Italian ristrettos or perfect Scandinavian lattes (who knew the Danish were so good at making coffee to go with their own national pastry?). It’s not that Parisian coffee is undrinkably bad; but, honestly, it wouldn’t take much to make it better.

Coffee snobs, however, fear not. In the past few years, there has been a coffee revolution with the opening of coffee shops selecting better quality beans, roasting locally, and properly pulling shots from some serious equipment. Whether you’re pining for your favorite New York coffee shop or a proper flat white from London, you can now find the cure in Paris without breaking the bank – too badly, at least.  Here are some of the addresses to test.

Caféothèque
52, rue de l’Hôtel de Ville, 75004
Metro: Pont Marie or Hotel de Ville

If you’re in the Marais, stop in at the Caféothèque, a shop that has been roasting beans in Paris since 2005. A cup of the café du jour will set you back €3, not the cheapest by Paris standards, but it’s sure to please. The seating area can get quite cozy on the weekends, but they are expanding next door, so keep an eye out for more spots soon. They also have some pastries, but maybe stick with the coffee.

Kooka Boora
62, rue des Martyrs, 75009
Metro : Pigalle, Notre Dame de Lorette or Anvers

Kooka Boora, by trendy rue des Martyrs, is a relative newcomer to the coffee scene. With outdoor seating and superb people watching, their coffee is serious business.  Their filtered brew is fantastic and flavorful, unlike anything you’ll find at the corner café, and at €2.50 for an espresso, it’s not that much more expensive. If you’re hungry, the cakes aren’t bad and worth a splurge.

Coutume Café
47, rue de Babylone, 75007
Metro: Sèvres Babylone

During a brunch at the newest place to obsess over coffee, I fell for Coutume Café and their rich café allongé. Tucked away in the 7th arrondissement it’s not in the center of activity, but for a weekend brunch it could be worth the venture. The pastries and brunch burrito goes down fantastically with one – if not three – of their house-roasted coffees.

Le Bal Café
6, Impasse de la Défense, 75018
Metro: Place de Clichy

If you’re looking for good coffee off the beaten track, just head west of Montmartre towards Place de Clichy. Just north of the bustling square is Le Bal Café. Stop inside or on the terrace with a friend and split a small pot of locally-roasted filtered coffee for €5. They even have photo exhibits for culture-seekers or scones and pastries for, well, the rest of us.

Hopefully more quality coffee spots will open up in more arrondissements, in the near future, but the choices remain limited at the moment.  If you’re an even bigger coffee snob that imaginable, you might just want to save yourself the pain, pack some beans, and buy a souvenir French press for your hotel.

Or just drink tea.

Your favorite shot?

Do you have a favorite café to add to our list? Do you disagree with our entire post and find the coffee served in Paris’ cafés to be perfect as is? Share your thoughts in our comments section.

The post Paris: A short list of cafés that actually serve good coffee appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

However, I felt a slight pull coming from the iPhone in my backpack. It had been several hours since I “checked in.” There were undoubtedly e-mails waiting for me—not to mention a New York Times app that could be updated. While I was at it, I might as well check to see if anyone had commented on a photo of a recent meal that I uploaded to Facebook the night before…

I hadn’t purchased any of AT&T’s expensive international data plans, so I was reliant on Wi-Fi networks to use my device. I scanned the scene and spotted a McDonald’s across the street that advertised, with screaming gusto, “Wi-Fi gratuit!” I headed for it, past several cafés and brasseries (some of which also probably had a connection). McDonald’s was easy and cheap.

As I entered, I felt a pang of guilt, as I knew that I was sacrificing a “brasserie moment” for a coffee in a paper cup with a side of connectivity.

This wasn’t the only wired tug I experienced during my trip. It happened several times a day—often when I passed signs announcing a free Wi-Fi connection. Should I just stop for a minute? Should I hover around outside and try to poach a connection?

Had my iPhone changed my way of travel? Was there any going back? Was I overreacting?

iPhones abroad and at home

Following my trip, I wrote a post about how American travelers can use their iPhones in Europe without going broke. The post has proven to be one of our most popular, as many Americans heading abroad grapple with the same tech and billing issues that I encountered.

However, one issue that I didn’t address was how to limit the use of your phone in the first place. Talk about an uncool topic.

It’s not something I had even given much thought to until this month when I bought and read William Powers’ insightful new book, Hamlet’s Blackberry: A Practical Philosophy for Building a Good Life in the Digital Age.

In the book, Powers argues that our ultra-wired lifestyle often distracts us from achieving a level of depth in our daily lives. For inspiration on how to deal with information overload, Powers looks back to Plato, Shakespeare, Thoreau and other great thinkers who confronted, in their own times, technological shifts in the way humans communicated.

For many of us, we’re wired back home all day long. It’s a cliché, but remains true; we flip between e-mails, browser windows and instant messages during and after work. Many stay on top of Facebook and Twitter, as well.

Increasingly, we’re bringing our “wired” behavior with us while we travel. What’s wrong with this?

I’m afraid that we run the risk of becoming distracted travelers, losing out on the real experiences of our trips if our attention is hijacked by virtual activity. We might as well stay home.

Aware of the soapbox

Enter: the digital contrarian with full-throttled self-righteousness.

I’m sure that some, especially the most connected readers, will shake their heads (at least virtually) with exasperation. Digital devices have enhanced the travel experience in many ways, offering new ways to find out about destinations, make friends and share experiences. They also make travel Web sites (like this one, for example!) easier to produce and more timely.

Smart phones obviously make staying in touch easier and cheaper. Despite my philosophical grumblings, I returned to McDonald’s several times to use their Wi-Fi to call home for free using my iPhone’s Skype application. I found this feature incredibly helpful and liberating.

However, I would still like some help knowing how to more easily go “offline” while traveling.

Why? Because when checking my e-mails mid-day at the fast-food restaurant in Paris, I found nothing urgent in my inbox. Instead, I found something else: A strange sense that some aspect of my travel experience had changed for the worse. I was acting “busy,” but not by walking the streets, visiting Notre Dame, or buying a crepe. Rather, I was busying myself like I do back home, with finger on “refresh.” I wanted something back.

Limiting my iPhone use

How can I limit the use of my iPhone abroad? Is there a way to exercise greater control over my use of technology abroad than I seem to have at home?

Powers has come up with a few techniques, including a weekend-long “Internet sabbatical,” during which he unplugs his modem. I still want the option to connect when traveling. I just want to rid myself of the constant tug toward connecting.

I’ve come up with six suggestions that I’ll try out during my upcoming trip to Europe:

1. Start using (again!) a vacation message.

Set a password! Photo: Yun753

This is so basic it’s laughable. However, in the age of the iPhone, I stopped setting up a vacation message, as I assumed that I would always be connected. Setting up a message, with the email or phone number of an alternate contact in case of emergency, will set reasonable expectations for the sender. This should help you relax and feel comfortable checking e-mails less frequently.

2. Set a password on your iPhone.

We should all have passwords on our smart phones in the first place, as a lost phone can offer a treasure trove of e-mails, documents and other personal data. This security concern is only heightened when traveling.

However, a password can also serve as a hindrance to impulsive use, as it takes several seconds to manually enter it. Without a password, you can just slide and check mail. With a password, the brief commitment to typing it, no matter how fleeting, may help you overcome the pull—or at least remind me of why you set it in the first place.

3. Watches, maps, camera…  Go “old school.”

I don’t wear a watch any more, because I can always tell the time by glancing at my phone. This isn’t a good strategy when traveling “offline,” however, as every glance at the phone will be a potential tug to check in. Time for a watch.

The same can apply to the phone’s other features. Hardly anyone with a smart phone uses a map back home—but when traveling, carry one along. The phone’s camera? You know it’s not that good, anyhow. Bring along another camera if you have one.

4. Do the majority of your social media before you go.

Twitter and Facebook can be extremely helpful travel tools for meeting new people and getting tips on where to go for dinner, drinks and fun. If possible, do this work before you take off, so you’re not burdened with it on the road. Trying out a restaurant suggestion that you found before leaving, after all, is probably more satisfying than monitoring your Twitter responses from a hotel bedroom. (Just sayin’!)

5. Use your Facebook status to get off the digital hook.

If you don’t feel the need to change your Facebook status daily, try setting it to something self-explanatory that can buy you some time. A status like, “…is gallivanting around France and Italy for two weeks. Photos when I return!” could take care of updates for awhile. Also, rather than posting daily schedule updates, try posting a brief itinerary of dates and cities, so that your friends can track your trip in a single post.

6. Go offline. Talk to travelers. Talk to locals.

I’ll end my list with an obvious, but still relevant, suggestion. In an age when sharing stories and acquiring information happens increasingly through screens, we should push ourselves to “like” the experience of engaging in real conversation with the travelers and locals around us.

In Hamlet’s Blackberry, Powers notes that methods to reclaim some of your un-wired life will only succeed if you recognize that there are real benefits to not always being connected. One big benefit he mentions is deep, undistracted thought.

Hmmm. Deep undistracted thought. Isn’t that why I went to cafés in Paris in the first place? I have to first want it back.

Your thoughts? Your tips?

Do you share my concern that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to travel offline? Do you have any other suggestions for ways of making “unwired travel” easier to achieve? Do you think this is a non-issue and the paranoid rhetoric of a neurotic luddite? Share your thoughts in our comments section!

The post Traveling Offline: How to NOT use an iPhone abroad 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.

1. Twinkle: Bright lights, dig the city

First, take in the lights with a brisk stroll around town, and then warm up with “un vin chaud” or crack open a toasty crème brûlée out on the terrace of a lively bar or café. Forget about the elements. The glowing overhead braziers, impromptu sing-alongs, and people-watching will keep you warm. For the city’s official street-illumination map, click here.

Taking in the festive scene at a café

2. Tower: Bon Anniversaire, Madame Eiffel!

Continuing to celebrate her 120th birthday in style, la Tour Eiffel is not just sparkling for the usual five minutes on the hour, but she’s also encoring with a 12-minute super-cool LED light show nightly at 8, 9, 10, and 11 PM. My favorite spots for tower-gazing are just below Sacré Coeur at Rue Azaïs and rue Saint-Eleuthère, and beside the Palais de Tokyo.

Breaking News! For the first time ever, advance tickets for Eiffel Tower visits are now available online! Check out their booking site.

3. Window Shopping: Here comes the Hotstepper

Promenade up and down Boulevard Haussmann, while getting an eyeful of the grand magasins’ “vitrines de Noël” (holiday windows). This year, Chanel and Dior outfitted Printemps’ Russian-inspired windows, while rabbits, dollies, and bears (oh, my) cavort next door at Galeries Lafayette in tableaux by designers Gaultier, Kenzo, and Marc Jacobs.

The one-ring Cirque d’hiver Bouglione

Also, let’s not forget the smaller shops! Often restaurants, pâtisseries, boutiques, and even pharmacies hire artists to create whimsical murals. And keep your eyes peeled for neighborhood “concours de décorations de vitrines” (window decorating contests).

4. Holiday Circus: Time flies!

Treat yourself to an old-time spectacle at the one-ring Cirque d’hiver Bouglione (Metro: Oberkampf). Just think—Degas, Seurat, and Toulouse-Lautrec sat on these same red-velvet seats! Celebrating the 150-year anniversary of the flying trapeze, invented in 1859 by dashing acrobat Jules Léotard (thank him for creating the garment too!), this year the Bouglione circus family is paying homage to its roots with a “Festif” show, jammed-packed with traditional acts.

Tip: The seats in the very last row are just €10—but it’s worth every cent to be up close.

5. Ice Skating: Watch that figure!

Prepare for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games by taking a few spins around the ice rinks in front of the Hotel de Ville or Gare Montparnasse. Let Johnny be-Weir! The admission is free. Skate rental is €5, cash only. Know your European shoe size numbers. There’s no charge for sideline watching.

The decadent displays at l’épiceries Fauchon

6. Concert: The bells are ringing!

During the holidays, you’ll find no shortage of Vivaldi, Mozart, Chopin, Lizst, or Bach! Time is going to be your only issue. So pick up a copy of Pariscope, available at any newsstand or kiosk. The pocket-sized magazine covers the week’s happenings from theatre, cinema and arts, to music and restaurants. In it you’ll find a listing of free concerts and other holiday events. (Read about classical music discounts.)

Why, oh, why is l’église de la Madeleine my choice for classical concerts? Because, Cheapos, the tantalizing window displays of l’épiceries Fauchon are near!

7. Christmas Markets: What’s good for the goose

During the holidays, the winter markets, with their quaint boxes, tents, and chalets, are found in nearly every square. Follow the smell of “chaud les marrons” (chestnuts roasting on an open fire!). This is also the place to grab a quick hearty meal. Try the Alsatian “choucroute garnie” or the Belgian waffles. You’ll also find delectable regional specialties such as foie gras, honey, and champagne.

Tip: After marketing at the Saint-Germain-des-Prés Winter Village, meander over to the Bar du Marché at 75, rue de Seine, and clank a few with locals! Look for the candy-striped awning.

Happy Holidays, Cheapos! (And special thanks to Jessica Hines for the Cirque d’hiver photograph!)

The post 7 tips for spending the Christmas holiday in Paris appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.