How to Travel Cheap in Paris

By Kylie D

Paris being the "City of Lights" and "Romance" attracts people from all over the globe. Being one of the most visited and hot tourist destinations, Paris is considered quite expensive. But do not panic as it does not mean that you cannot dream of going to the most romantic city in the world.

It is very much possible to visit the expensive Paris within limited budget. For that you just need to plan your trip and follow some budget tips. Rest assured you will enjoy a fabulous trip of your lifetime.

Accommodation
• If you want to save on accommodation, consider staying in smaller towns where it is cheaper. When you are planning to visit Paris, you can look out for Paris hotels which are located near or well connected to the Metro or the RER (the suburban train lines), or even have the option to stay in a near by city like Chartres which is just train ride away. It will save a lot on traveling as well.

• You can also look out for star ratings of Paris hotels according to your budget and need. The Paris star-rating system is good and dependable. Even if you stay in one star less than your desired hotel, it will not make much difference in terms of comforts and facilities. You will find that sometimes even these lesser-rated Paris hotels are far better than their peers a notch up.

• However, if you are planning to stay in a town for more than a week, it is advisable to stay in a vacation rental or serviced apartments than a hotel. You can save on eating out as you can cook on your own in the fully equipped kitchen. Your have the privacy and comforts of home in these vacation rental or serviced apartments. However, the only disadvantage of not staying in hotel is that you will miss the personalized service of hotels.

• If you do not want to spend on accommodation you have the option of home exchange. It is possible if you are living in a big city which is also a popular tourist destination. While they visit your New York City Apartment, you can stay in a Paris couple's Paris apartment.

• For a change from your usual stay in hotels, you can consider camping in Paris. It can be a lot fun. With France's government-regulated star rating system, even a pricy two-star hotel can be equivalent to four-star campground.

Rail
• Get a rail pass if you are going to travel for long distances or for a few days of rail travel, as it is the best and only way to travel cheap.

How to Get Cash
• It is advisable not to visit exchange companies as the rates are terrible and commissions high. The best way to get Euros is by withdrawing at an ATM in Paris or charging on a credit card. It is the most budget way to get Euro.

Eating Out
• You can save on your hotel breakfast which is usually overpriced and consists of just few pastries and coffee. You can visit the local cafe and start your day with a breakfast and spend half or quarter the price for a pastry or croissant. You can also inform them when you are booking your room or checking in whether you want breakfast or not as you can be automatically charged for it. However, it will be much cheaper if you opt only for coffee in the room instead of full breakfast.

• Instead of spending money on all three meals a day, you can indulge in one great big French meal and preferably lunch. You will be served the same food for dinner for lesser money. For a low price, you can have the prix fixe menu consisting of a starter, main dish and dessert, and sometimes even wine.

• Having eaten much in lunch, you can go for cheap pastry and sandwich for dinner. Or if you prefer, you can go for the big three-course dinner and have sandwich lunch instead. Almost all over Paris, sandwiches are very good and usually cost around 3.5 Euros.

Transportation
• Paris is well served by good transportation thus, making it easy for you to access to any part of the city. It is easy to get from one town to another as smaller towns in Paris are also linked by good transport system. If possible try to avoid hiring or taking taxis because it is expensive. However, if you are not sure or confident about your specific destination, you can always e-mail the tourism office to enquire about their transportation system.

Follow these tips and you need not ruin your trip or make it too difficult to enjoy your trip to Paris. So, do not miss the opportunity to visit Paris as you only live once.

The Author is a contributing writer to the website Apartotels.com which is operating over 3000 serviced apartments including London apartments & Paris apartments. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kylie_D