What are some ways to save money on a trip to Paris?

I want to plan a trip to Paris (France) with my wife. However, it looks like it's going to be really expensive. Are there any ways to save a substantial amount of money on the flight, hotel, food, anything like that? Obviously we'll do as many free or cheap tourist attractions as we can, but the flight and the hotel are really going to kill us. Ironically, I think I found the cheapest flight not on any of the discount travel sites but on Air France's website. Thanks!|||Paris is certainly not cheap but it is no more expensive than New York or London. The notion that "A cheap bottle of wine can be a few hundred euros." is absurd.



Yes, you can stay at the Crillon or George V where the cheapest room is 720 euros but there are also charming little centrally located hotels where a double will cost you around 100 euros a night, something you'd be hard pressed to find in Manhattan or Central London. Mind you, there won't be a snack bar, movies on demand, room service, or maybe even an elevator and the place will look nothing like the Holiday Inn in Omaha but6 that's part of the charm. Try, for example, the Hotel St. Andre des Arts ( http://www.france-hotel-guide.com/h75006鈥?/a> ) or the Hotel de Nesle ( http://www.hoteldenesleparis.com/ ) I've stayed at both many, many times over the last 35 years of visiting Paris. Fun, quirky and very centrally located in the posh 6th arrondissment.



Alternatively, think about renting an apartment if your stay will be a week or longer. This is what I usually do. There are many reliable companies that do short term rentals for tourists. Try http://www.rentalfrance.com/ or http://www.locaflat.com/.



As for food, yes, Paris is the home of $30 hamburger and the $5 cup of coffee, especially in places that cater primarily to tourists and/or expense account toting local businessmen. Yes, you can have dinner at Taillevent and expect to spend something on the order of $500 per person.



On the other hand you can hit one of the dozens of restaurant along the rue Mouffetard in the Latin Quarter (where Hemingway used to stay in the 1930's) and have a three course meal and a glass of wine at lunch for 12-15 euros per person. In the mid range of prices (around 30-50 euros pp) you can have some truly wonderful food in any one of hundreds of restaurants, cafes, and bistros. Check our John Talbot's food blog (he's an American food critic who lives in Paris) here: http://johntalbottsparis.typepad.com/



There are also a multitude of cheap Asian restaurants with Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese and Indian food at very reasonable prices. There are two "China towns" one in Belleville in the north of the city and the other in the south around the Place d'Italie. Indian restaurants are concentrated in the area immediately north of the Gare du Nord.



There are also a lot o cheap places to eat on the rue de la Huchette and surrounding area in the Latin Quarter but most of them are pretty dismal.



There are also a lot of crepe stands, sandwich shops and other places serving food to take away. They may not be haute cuisine but they are usually alright and generally pretty cheap. A crepe with ham and cheese and a coke, for example, makes a perfectly decent lunch and will cost you less than 10 euros.



There are a plenty of people who live in Paris including a lot of impecunious students, artists, and musicians (most of my friends in Paris fall into these categories) who manage to lead pleasant lives without spending vast sums of money. Stay away from obvious tourist traps, be a bit adventurous (order the daily special in some little cafe off the beaten tourist path even if you don't know what it is), and be flexible (does a hotel room really need a minibar?). You'll find its not as expensive as some people make it out to be.|||Yes being born in Paris, I know that its really expensive and airfare is overwhelming! It depends what hotel you are staying in and try to limit your self from going to some of the expensive restaurants in Paris. A cheap bottle of wine can be a few hundred euros. So try not to drink wine. Other than that every attraction costs something and it's pretty tough to save money. I no longer live there but what hotel are you staying in, what's your budget, and what do you want to see?|||First of all limit your visits to the world famous restaurants. Yes they are excellent but are so expensive. We have found the easiest way to really save money is to avoid the hotel eating places.

Get to know your neighborhood Monoprix. A very large selection of excellent food probably will cost one fourth of what you pay at a sit down restaurant. Same with the local bakery. Just wonderful prices and a bit of fun just to search around. Same goes for the many chocolate shops. Also, get to know exactly how the Paris metro works. Might take you a few hours to figure it out completely, but it is the way to get around. Taxis will get you broke quickly. Check all the attractions. There are some completely free days and many kinds of discounts. Paris certainly is expensive, but you will manage if you are just a bit careful|||There are really cheap and broadly acceptable hotels in the Marais district and one of the best and most famous cheapo cheapo places is the old Esmeralda Hotel but you will need to book several weeks in advance. Fruit and vegetables in the markets and the Rue Moufetard are always 100% top quality and cheap. The Louvre is free on Sundays (or at least it was in 2006) Small bistro's off the beaten track like Le chat qui peche in the Rue du Chat qui Peche are quaint and often brilliantly good food.Old Navy on the Boulevard St Germain is cool and substantial but places like Les deux Magots (where Sartre used to drink) and Cafe de La Paix are astronomically expensive





Vive la difference|||You might want to register with house sitting.com. Either that or couchsurfing.|||This following answer is what I found in Internet long time ago :





For hotel and accommodation:





Finding a cheap hotel in Paris, France can be a tall order especially if the euro is valued higher than the dollar.


1. Do Your Research on Paris Neighborhoods


Your goal should be to find a budget hotel in Paris that is also in an area that is safe and close to a metro stop as well as the attractions you want to see. Paris is divided into 20 unique neighborhoods called arrondissements. Each neighborhood has its own special characteristics. Do your research to find the neighborhood that works for you. Central Paris arrondissements to consider are 1,4,5,6 and 7. Use mappy.com to enter in an attraction and look for hotels close to the attraction.





2. Research Budget Paris Hotels Online


Try venere.com, parishotels.com, parisby.com, cybevasion.com, expedia, and priceline to research hotels in the neighborhoods you've selected. Call the hotels you like directly to get an idea of the customer service available and to determine room facilities and availability. Make sure you read as many reviews as possible. The tripadvisor.com Paris forums are a good spot to ask questions and look for hotel reviews. Consider traveling during the off-season periods between November and March in order to get better pricing on Paris accomodations.


This is some link may help


http://www.tripadvisor.com/


http://www.expedia.com/default.asp


http://www.priceline.com/





3. Consider Staying in a Paris Apartment


Staying in an apartment in Paris may be a cheaper option if you aren't able to find a hotel to suit your needs. Use vrbo.com, lodjee.com and homeaway.com to research apartment rentals. You can use eatinparis.com to find neighborhood restaurants. Parismarkets.net will lead you to Paris open air market locations and other sightseeing ideas.


Some apartment can found here :


http://lodjee.com/paris


http://www.vrbo.com/





For cheap sightseeing :


1. Stroll along the Champs Elys茅es. One of the most famous--and dramatic--boulevards in the world


2. Enjoy free Sundays at Paris' major museums. The art museums of Paris are numerous and legendary. Fortunately for visitors, they are also free on the first Sunday of each month. Included are such popular sites as the Louvre


3. Explore the "always free" smaller museums. In addition to free Sundays, several of Paris' smaller museums offer free admission every day. Among these are the Mus茅e Fragonard (a study of France's perfume industry), the Victor Hugo House (the Place des Vosges townhouse where the famous 19th-century writer lived and worked) and the Mus茅e Carnavalet (the museum of the history of Paris).


4. Marvel at Notre Dame Cathedral. Yes, climbing to the top of the tower will cost you a couple of euros, but exploring the grandeur of the cathedral is free. Make sure to walk all the way around the outside of the building; the best view of it is from the rear. A good way to get a feel for this Gothic church is to attend services there. There are many offered in English.





Hope this helpful|||To add to Rillifane's excellent answer and Reinaldo's tip, here are a few of mine.


Monoprix is a supermarket chain. You have a few of these in Paris, Monoprix, Franprix, Leclerc, SuperU... tucked away from the tourist areas. You will easily save 5 to 10 dollars just by buying a big bottle of water (or soda) rather than four cans in a tourist area.


Do not fall to the lure of the quick sandwich or crepe in the tourist area, even if they look not that expensive they will make a dent one crepe at a time in your budget.


Do not take taxis, buses, metro and tramways are way cheaper and the dense network makes it easy to visit Paris. You have travel cards geared for tourists, one day, two days etc...


From the airport to Paris you can take the RER train or the coach shuttles, taxi is once more quite expensive. Don't accept taxi rides in cars without the taxi sign on the roof, you'll get ripped.


If you eat at restaurants careful about the aside, especially the drinks and coffee, this is where the restaurants get their biggest margin and just a bottle of wine and two coffee can add up to a third of your bill. Soda too can be expensive.