tips for paris travellers

10 Tips on How to Plan a Cheap Paris Holiday

They soon settled in to the Hotel in the Seventh Arrondissement, a 17th-century building where the rooms were tiny, cheap & stone chilled & guests shared a squat toilet.

Over a half-century later, lots of visitors to Paris might feel a sure affinity with Baldwin as they search often fruitlessly  for comfortable, affordable hotel lodging in this increasingly pricey city.

Paris hotels had seldom heard of central heating or hot baths or tidy towels & sheets or ham & eggs; their attitude toward electricity was demonic  five times they had seen what they thought of as wiring wondered why the city had not, long ago, vanished in flame, they later wrote in Esquire journal. The result, they added, was that, One soon ceased expecting to be warm in one's hotel room, & read & worked in the cafes.
As The New York Times' bureau chief in Paris, I am often called on to answer a query I have come to dread: Are you able to find me a tiny, romantic, centrally located, calm, cheap hotel? The task is tougher than it sounds. The watery dollar has lost over 30 percent of its value against the euro since July 2002. That means that a hotel room that cost $150 a night back then costs  $200 today.

But when my husband's cousin Wayne & his spouse, Bernie, called to asked the H question recently, I decided to cease avoiding the issue & inquire in to.

Definitely, a rented apartment can be more efficient & even more affordable, if there's kids in tow. But the apartment option is only for visitors who don't mind the feasible hassle of a temperamental lock, an unreliable toilet, an absent concierge or a forgotten door code. & not everyone wishes the choice of making coffee or washing clothes on holiday.

That is where the hotel fantasy comes in  that somewhere in Paris is that brilliant find with a marble bathroom & pressed linen sheets on a tree-lined street a few steps from a comfortable café & an efficient Metro station.

But ratings can deceive, when it comes to the charming, the offbeat & the mildew-free.

Paris offers possibilities.

So in case you look hard , you can find hidden bargains in Paris

The Hotel d'Orsay, for example, a 41-room hotel near the Musee d'Orsay in the Seventh Arrondissement, delivers a serviceable double room that is  tiny to turn around in for 142 euros. But you can get more for less in case you head across town to the Ninth Arrondissement. At the Hotel Langlois, a few steps from the Trinity church, 130 euros will get you a room that is much larger & that comes with a marble hearth, Art Deco sculptures & 19th-century furnishings & oil paintings.


A trip to Paris may sometimes appear better suited for jet setters, the adventurous, & surely the rich. In actual fact, visiting Paris can be a reality & comparatively simple on the pocketbook.



Here are ten tips to keep in mind when planning your Parisian holiday.


one.



In this case, it is not the journey but the location! of the major expenses of your trip will be your airfare, therefore why not travel with less legroom, lighter baggage, & an additional layover?


The RER from Charles de Gaulle Airport to the city is only 12 Euros. The RER connects to the Metro subway that can take you anywhere in Paris. This will save you about 40 Euros compared to taking a taxi.


five. Take the local commuter train, the RER



Every week passes are available for limitless travel in zones 1-2 (the most you will likely need that covers all quarters of Paris) beginning on Mondays through Sundays. You will need to receive a pass called Carte Orange in order to buy a every week subway ticket. Bring an additional passport sized picture of yourself, or use of the lots of picture booths available at Metro stations, & then ask for a Carte Orange at the kiosk. Also don't forget that bicycles are available for rent throughout Paris now.


Metro Subway

three. Stay at 2-3 star hotels in residential neighborhoods



Paris is a dense, closely quartered city. Think it or not but crossing the city from east to west is a mere ten miles & is simple in case you have the right Paris street map book. Stay in a non-tourist area, & you willl be where you need to be in no time whether it be on foot or by subway.

three. If staying five weeks or more, think about renting a furnished apartment


Paris Apartment Rentals

This will need a tiny bit more coordination since you must meet the apartment owner or rental agency, exchange keys & pay a deposit, but you will have the convenience & luxury of living like a local.

Also think about shopping at local markets to prepare your own picnic along the Seine or at of Paris' lots of parks & gardens. As cliche as this might sound, this is of the largest pastimes of Parisians in the coursework of lovely weather.


6. Eat light breakfasts, take-out lunches & enjoy a set-course meal at dinnertime


Paris Outdoor Markets


7. Buy a museum pass

In case you prefer to visit galleries at a more leisurely pace, admission is in fact affordable - anywhere from 9-20 Euros per ticket. (PS If you�re in Paris the first Sunday of the month, lots of museums have free admission.)

In case you need to visit as lots of world-class museums as you can in five, three or 6 days, get the convenience of a museum pass. Ticket are available may be bought online at the web-site of the Paris Tourism Office.


8. Travelling in & around France? Think about a Rail Europe rail pass


The Louvre Pyramids

You need to buy a Rail Europe pass in advance of your trip while you are still in North America. There's lots of advantages to travelling by train, (but also keep in mind Europe�s own budget airlines make air travel affordable.)




9. Save on bank fees, use traveler's checks

Eurail Selectpass

In lieu of relying on ATMs in Europe which can charge high fees for withdrawals, think about the safety of bringing travelers checks on your trip.

There us an American Express middle in the tourist heart of the city in the 8th arrondissement that will money your (American Express) travelers checks without any fees. They speak English there, as well as at least ten other languages.

It won't be that less costly, but the city will be less busy as locals head on their holidays. down-side though is lots of local businesses close in the coursework of the month of August. You can also think about travelling in the off-season (October through March).

ten. Think about travelling in July or August to get cheap paris hotels