We’ve shown you how to save on dining and hotels, and now let’s break down the nightlife scene into a few categories to make things clear — and affordable!

Nighttime transportation

Metro: No matter what you do at night, know that Paris is more difficult to navigate once the Metro closes around 1 am (2 am on weekends). Never head to a station just before it closes expecting to catch a train, since the last one may have already passed.

Bus: Fear not, the night bus, called the Noctilien, fills in the gaps until the Metro opens up again in the morning. While not a fantastic option, it’s useful if you’ve mapped out your route home in advance and know where the nearest stop is.

Taxis and Uber: If all else fails, and you can dip into some international cellphone data, the Uber app will always help you get home, especially as taxis will become notoriously difficult to find later in the night. Whatever happens, as in any city, do not enter any unmarked cabs.

Walking: And then again, consider walking – it doesn’t get any cheaper!

Drinking for less at cafes and bars

Bars and cafes: Parisians are no stranger to spirits, and most locals “having a night out” will head to a café or bar until 1 or 2 am, and usually catch the last Metro home. Sip on affordable carafes of wine late into the evening at any neighborhood café – don’t feel the need to get fancy with a bottle of something nice.

Cocktails: For those looking to check out the cocktail scene in Paris, prices start to rise considerably. At the café, enjoy €3 glasses of wine. At a cocktail bar, prices can climb to €12, €15, even €20 for a drink! Some are super posh, but not all of them are, with some lower key bars like “aveK” providing quality, but still affordable mixed drinks.

Drinking al fresco: Hands down, the cheapest option if the weather is nice is to grab a few French beers or a bottle from the closest shop and ask someone for an opener along the Seine or the Canal – it’s what those of us who live here actually do.

Related: 5 Bars perfect for a Cheapo night out

Catch a show at Sunside and Sunset Jazz club in Paris. Photo: Luc Legacy

Late night clubs for live music and dancing

Clubs: The Paris club scene is, well, fine. Those looking for parties and dancing will certainly find it in here, but it’s not always cheap or glamorous. You can pay a hefty cover for venues like Bus Palladium or Favela Chic, but if you’re into the “scene,” then by all means enjoy. Just don’t expect to find too many locals hitting up the clubs of the Champs-Elysées with you.

Dancing on the Seine: Do you like to show off your moves but the club scene isn’t your thing? Instead, consider heading to the outdoor salsa and tango classes along the Seine during warmer months, just east of the Institut du Monde Arabe.

Gay and lesbian: A lot of the gay bars and lesbian clubs and bars have no cover charges, although they may be difficult about letting too many ladies in at one time at the gay bars.

Live music: Music fans might want to check out the jazz clubs like Sunside and Sunset in Les Halles. Shows cost around €20, but check the schedule for free events as well. There’s also the occasional free soirées at the Alimentation Générale for enthusiasts, as well.

Nights at the museum

If drinking and partying isn’t your thing, or you just don’t want to be a night owl, there are some notable cultural offerings at night. While you may be sacrificing prime dining time, you’ll also be avoiding the crowds and tour groups that plague these museums during the days. In fact, you can visit a museum every night of the week.

Every day: The Palais de Tokyo is open until midnight (yes, 12 am!) every day (closed on Tuesday).

Monday: The Musée du Luxembourg is open until 10 pm.

Tuesday: The Fondation Cartier until 10 pm.

Wednesday: The Louvre is open until 9:45 pm.  Rodin Museum until 8:45 pm.

Thursday: The Musée d’Orsay stays open until 9:45 pm. The Centre Pompidou until 11 pm.

Friday: The Louvre is open until 9:45 pm. The Institut du Monde Arabe until 9:30 pm.

Saturday: The Quai Branly until 10 pm.

Related: A list of free and discounted museums in Paris

And that’s not even all of them! Check the museum’s hours before going to see if they have an evening opening.

Studio 28 is a classic movie theatre founded in 1928. Photo: sonofgroucho

Saving on theater and film

For something more lively, but still cultural, consider taking in a show!

Opera and ballet: You can always try for cheap tickets to the Opera by going the day of the show and taking any unclaimed or unsold tickets for as little as €5-10. Last-minute cheap tickets for the Palais Garnier go on sale at 11:30 am, while the Opera Bastille requires you to be at the ticket window an hour and a half before show time.

Cinema: If you’re a movie buff, Paris is filled with excellent cinemas like La Pagone, Le Gran Rex and Studio 28. Tickets are usually affordable, but there are also many ways to get discount tickets and movie passes.

French theater: For the dozens of other shows in Paris, you’ll need to brush up on your French a bit. If there is a deal to be had, you’ll find it on the website BilletReduc. Catch a French musical at the Mogador Theatre, or maybe some other dance or opera performance, just don’t pay full price. I want to be a good patron of the arts, but I need to pay rent, too.

Affordable late-night dining

After all of those glasses of wine, it’ll be time to soak it up before hitting the hay. Few places in Paris serve late night food, but there are a few go-to’s that I recommend beyond the typical greasy kebab (we’ve all been there).

Falafel: If it’s not too late, head to L’As du Fallafel for the city’s best falafel sandwich in the Marais. Sunday through Thursday they are typically open until midnight. On Friday and Saturday, their competitors are also open just across the street — the line’s shorter, but let’s face it, it’s just not as good.

Gelato: Afterwards, also in the Marais, head to Pozetto for the city’s best gelato, open until midnight as well.

Classic French dishes: For real late night eats, there are few places to grab anything resembling a late night slice in New York. Instead, grab a seat at Au Pied do Cochon in Les Halles, a restaurant that used to feed the hungry market workers a century ago. They have French classics like onion soup well into the wee hours of the morning. Down the street, La Poule au Pot is also open from 7 pm – 5 am, Tuesday through Sunday.

Grocery store: Also, note that Monoprix on the Champs-Elysées stays open until midnight, just in case you want to prepare a last minute late-night picnic.

Paris is very much alive at night, just don’t expect to stumble upon the party. Once you know where to look, however, you’ll be golden.

Have fun!

The post Paris Nightlife: How to save on bars, clubs and culture appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Here are 16 such reasons to visit Paris in 2016, when honestly the cheese and wine should be enough to convince even the most hesitant traveler.

1. UEFA Euro Finals

June 10-July 10, 2016

The football – I mean, soccer – event of the year will take place in Paris, with 24 teams hitting the field for the UEFA Euro Championships. If you don’t care about sports, there’s still something in it for you since David Guetta will be playing a free concert at the Eiffel Tower on June 9th. Yes, free!

2. Disneyland Paris’s first half marathon

September 23-25, 2016

Big news at Disneyland Paris: In addition to closing many attractions for renovations, the theme park will host its first half marathon in September. How will it stack up to the races in the American theme parks? We’ll see…

The Right Bank of the Seine may soon be car-free if the city gets its way. Photo: Chris Chabot

3. Berges of the Rive Droite

After the successful renovations along the Left Bank, the city is looking to pedestrianize the Right Bank as well. This means even more wonderful car-free strolling along the Seine, if all goes well.

4. Art will be in full bloom

There are plenty of exhibits at the city’s many iconic museums from the Louvre to the Pompidou Center. There will be a Contemporary Chinese exhibit at the Fondation Louis Vuitton, while the Impressionists have their turn at the Musée Jacquemart-André (March 18-July 25, 2016). The list goes on and on and on, so it’s best to plan a trip and see for yourself.

Related: A list of free and discounted museums in Paris

5. Les Halles will be finished

I hate predicting things, but according to their timeline, much of the construction around Les Halles will be finished and the new structure should be complete. Since these things tend to take longer than expected, I’m skeptical, but one can hope.

The Ritz in Paris will finally open after renovations in 2016. Photo: Tom Flemming

6. The Ritz will REALLY open

Again, according to their PR team, the Ritz should open in early 2016. While cocktails at the Hemingway Bar might not be on every Cheapo’s list, a visit to the renovated hotel, Chanel’s former haunt, is still a fun thing to do while passing through Place Vendome. (If you need a place to stay that’s a bit more affordable, you can check out EuroCheapo’s 10 favorite budget hotels in Paris.)

7. Divas in concert

Yes, 2016 is the year of the diva in Paris. Concerts featuring some of the world’s best leading ladies will take place this year, including Celine Dion (June/July 2016), Rihanna (July 30, 2016), and Adele (June 10, 2016). Most of the shows sold out in minutes, but expect people to start reselling their seats closer to the dates.

8. Temperatures on the rise

This year was the UN’s global climate conference in Paris, called COP21. But if this summit doesn’t work out and world leaders can’t agree on how to end climate change, we can expect warmer temperatures to be the norm in Paris. Paris Plage might become a year-round thing!

The famous bookshop Shakespeare and Co now has a cozy cafe. Photo: Ib Aarmo

9. Shakespeare and Co. and Bob

The iconic bookstore famous worldwide to English-speakers, Shakespeare & Co. has recently opened a new café next door. Run by Marc Grossman, owner of Bob’s Juice Bar and Bob’s Bake Shop, the café features pies, brownies, cookies, and other fresh pastries to pair with coffee, tea, and hot chocolate. With views of Notre Dame just across the river, it’s well worth the visit.

Related: The most enchanting bookstores in Paris

10. Escape the 2016 presidential campaigns

If there is any reason to come to Paris in 2016, it’s to escape the US presidential campaign that will no doubt take over every media outlet (even more than it already has). In Paris, you’ll be able to sit in café, go for a stroll, browse the boutiques, and forget all about who-said-what at the last Clinton-Trump debate (just speculation!).

11. Musicals galore

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s infamous musical “Cats” has been prolonged through July. How can you come to Paris and not hear “Memories” sung by cats… in French? If feline singers aren’t your thing, maybe glamorous monarchs are. “Marie-Antoinette et le Chevalier de Maison-Rouge“, a musical dedicated to Marie Antoinette and one of her alleged trysts, might just do the trick. The cast recording has already been introduced in France, and now the stage show is on its way.

Scooter share may soon be coming to Paris. Photo: Curt Smith

12. Scoot through Paris

You know the Velib’ and the Autolib’, but Paris in 2016 might have its own scooter share. The mayor has the Scootlib’ in mind as a name, but one entrepreneur hopes to introduce his version, called Cityscoot, sometime in 2016. Nothing is confirmed, but it’s a distinct possibility.

13. New Musée de l’Homme

After extensive renovations, the new Musée de l’Homme, located just across the river from the Eiffel Tower, is open for business. It’s dedicated to all sorts of anthropological and cultural discoveries. They even have a new café/restaurant to check out in between sightseeing.

14. Things will get back to normal

The concerts, the film festivals, the races, the July 14th fireworks, the markets—there’s something every month, so there’s really no reason not to come. The tragic events of November 2015 have only made Paris even stronger, and possibly safer.

The beautiful Bataclan music venue plans to reopen in 2016 after the tragic events of November 2015. Photo: here

15. The Bataclan will reopen

Recent news reports have said that the owners of the Bataclan venue will push to reopen in 2016. Following the terrible events at the venue in November, the city won’t be held down. The city’s motto, “Tossed in the waves but never sank“, couldn’t ring more true. No word yet on who may eventually headline the first concert.

16. Because Paris needs YOU

Businesses are urging Parisians to go back to their restaurants and terraces, and back to the way of life that makes this city so great. We’re all urging tourists to do the same. It’s never been so important to come to Paris, to support local businesses, to keep the city moving forward.

Paris needs you to come, to visit its museums and monuments, to eat its macarons and baguettes. 2016 is a pretty good time to start.

The post Paris: 16 reasons you should visit in 2016 appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.