Sightseeing in Paris on a Budget
- SuperSavvySavers
- Aug 25
- 24 min read
Updated: Sep 16
Paris is a city of incredible beauty and culture, and exploring it on a low budget is not only possible but also a wonderful way to experience its true charm. Many of the best things to do in Paris are either free or low-cost.
With some strategic planning, a little know-how and a pair of comfortable walking shoes, you can absolutely enjoy the City of Light on a low budget.
We recently got back from a 3 day sightseeing trip as a family of four (2 adults and 2 ten year olds) at peak time in the middle of August! It's busy and Yes, it can be expensive but honestly, it is totally achievable to see all the wonder that Paris has to offer without breaking the bank!
Here are some ideas to help you experience the beautiful city of Paris without spending a fortune...
Book Your Flights
You need to be savvy about booking your flights... ideally you'll already have your bucket list of destinations and you'll have a good idea of when (or when you can't) travel. So when one of your bucket list destinations suddenly pops up on a Special Offer - you're ready to grab it!
Book Your Flights when on Offer! - Paris has been on my list as a city that I wanted to take my children to visit for a few years now. So when Aurigny suddenly posted a special offer of Kids Fly Free to Paris with dates available over the summer holidays, I pounced on it!
Offers such as these are only available for a limited time so you need to act quick! We paid £460 for the four of us to fly direct from Guernsey to Paris RETURN.
Don't pay for baggage! Most airlines, including Aurigny, will charge for you for baggage. Use your onboard hand baggage allowance wisely. Most flights let you take a bag to place in the overhead locker plus a handbag. Take a bag each (children take their own bags) to avoid paying the hold luggage charge. You really don't need a lot of stuff to go sightseeing. Saves hanging around waiting for your bags to come off too!
You do need to think carefully about taking toiletries through security as bottles need to be a max size of 100ml and you can only take one clear bag per person. If you're going to struggle with this, just take one larger suitcase and put everyone's toiletries in it, and just check in and pay for the one bag.
And don't let anyone tell you you're 'being selfish' for taking a bag on the flight with you, it really irritates me when I hear this. If there's not enough space for bags in the overhead lockers, you can put your bag under the seat in front of you. If it's still a problem, the cabin staff will put your bag elsewhere, usually in the hold without charging you. If it's still a problem... the airline need to rethink their policy, not you!
Book your Accommodation
As soon as you've booked your flights, start looking for accommodation - don't leave it until 2 months before you're due to arrive like I did! 🤦♀️ For someone so organised, I have no idea why I left it so long to book accommodation. I got lucky, but I did have a sweat at one point when the best price I could find was £1,200 for an AirB&B!
I was originally looking at AirB&Bs around central Paris close to the main touristy places. The idea was we could make our own breakfast, pack a lunch for the day and make a quick cheap evening meal to help keep the costs down, but after seeing the prices we decided it might be better to stay further out after all.
Accommodation is expensive in central Paris! There are a few budget type hotels such as
an Ibis or a B&B Hotel and probably a few AirB&Bs that you can book, but you need to book early to grab the best deals.
TIP! Stay in Outer Arrondissements - There are 20 different districts in Paris known as arrondissements. The central arrondissements (1-8) are the most expensive. If you can't find anything reasonable priced around those areas, look for accommodation in the outer neighbourhoods such as the 13th, 14th or 19th arrondissements. Just ensure your hotel is well-connected by public transport, ideally by a Metro station where you can hop on and off the underground train system.
We got lucky. I found a budget hotel in 13th arrondissement, 5 minutes walk from a Metro station (Porte de Choisy) with availability of a family suite (double bed, double pull-out bed and a single pull-out bed) at the Saver Rate of €95 per night. I thought perhaps it was too good to be true after the eye watering prices I was seeing previously, so I ran a quick search on TripAdvisor and it seemed to be fine.
I added breakfast to the booking and we paid £372 for the 4 of us for the 3 nights. Needless to say, I wasn't expecting much when we arrived and I'd pre-warned the family we'd be staying in a dump, so we were pleasantly surprised when we arrived at the hotel.
The reception area was very casual, staff were attentive and there were lots of other guests around. We collected our key cards no problem and went up to our room. Wow... we had the largest room on the entire floor, two bathrooms and it did indeed have 3 beds - the kids didn't have to share! I mean it was budget... no fridge or a kettle, but it was clean, fresh sheets and towels and the rooms were cleaned and beds were made daily. Not at all the dump I had expected! The breakfast was very budget... I didn't much fancy the 'hot' food selection, but you could get by with croissants, breads, cheeses, fruits etc... and the kids were happy with cereal, fruit and pancakes.
The hotel we booked was Greet Hotel Paris, 13 Porte de Italie. It is a Novotel (part of the Accor group). We booked direct on the Accor website as that was the best price I could find.
Greet Hotel website: https://all.accor.com/hotel/C289/index.en.shtml
Other budget hotel chains in Paris include: Ibis Hotels or B&B Hotels. Or look for a Paris apartment on AirBnB.
Taxi Transfers
We pre-booked a taxi transfer from the airport to our hotel accommodation through a company called Connecto. You book and pay in advance which I was a little nervous about but I was also nervous about prices at the airport, or worse, not getting a taxi at all!
So we booked and paid €118 for a return taxi transfer. On arrival at Charles du Gualle we received a text message with the drivers details and he messaged us to arrange pick up times and location. As we only had hand luggage and didn't have to wait for luggage we were stood waiting for the taxi for a little while as I think they allowed for baggage collection time, so be sure to let them know in advance if you're not going to be waiting to collect any luggage so you're not hanging around waiting for the taxi.
Also to note, to use this type of service you need to be able to accept text messages - so make sure your phone is off flight mode and you have sufficient data to accept calls and messages whilst in France.
There is a taxi rank just outside Terminal 3 arrivals which seemed well organised. I enquired on prices into central Paris and was told it depends on exact location, but approx. €100 one way so we did manage to make a saving by pre-booking.
Another thing worth noting is Google Maps will tell you the transfer travel time by car from Charles du Gualle airport to the Greet Hotel is approx. 30 mins. It was actually about an hour. The traffic from CDG airport into Paris is horrendous and extremely slow going.
Connecto taxi transfers website: https://connectotransfers.com/
Sightseeing & Attractions
There are plenty of museums, tours, shows and attractions to choose from in Paris as well as all the must-see Parisian iconic landmarks. But on a budget you're probably going to be quite choosey with which attractions you want to pay for.
If you are planning on seeing lots of museums and attractions it might be worth looking at the Paris Museum Pass. We found the Paris Museum Pass quite pricey so we booked things we knew we wanted to do individually or as 'add-on' attractions when buying another ticket (e.g. Big Bus Tour + Arc du Triomphe entry + River Cruise).
Here's our three day Paris itinerary with additional information below on each of the Paris landmarks and attractions we visited together with an overview of the prices that we paid -
Hop On Hop Off Paris City Bus Tour
⚠️ ESSENTIAL! Top of our sightseeing list of things you need to pay for is a hop on hop off Paris City bus tour. It is the BEST way to see all the famous iconic landmarks in central Paris.
We highly recommend booking a Paris City Bus Tour on Day One as it's a great way to familiarise yourself with the area, see the famous iconic landmarks all in one go and get a feel for walking distances between the main attractions. You can also pick up a set of complimentary earphones on the tour bus to listen to the onboard audio tour guide. We used Big Bus Tours. Tootbus also offer a similar service.
You can 'hop on' the tour bus at any of the route stops and just show your pre-purchased ticket to the driver and you can 'hop off' the tour bus at any of the route stops and explore the Paris attractions. When you're ready to leave the Paris attraction, you just hop on to the next tour bus. They are very frequent and you don't have to wait long for the next bus to come along. You can download the Big Bus Tour App to your phone and watch the next tour bus coming along Live in the App.
💰 MONEY SAVING TIP! The Big Bus Tours company gives you options of booking add-on attraction tickets at discounted rates. You can choose to add a River Cruise, entry to the Arc du Triomphe, head up the Eiffel Tower or book a Night Lights tour... there's lots of different options and they often run special prices and discounts. Check them out here: Paris Add-on Attractions with Big Bus Tours. or visit the Big Bus Tours website and check out the Combination Tickets options.
Big Bus Tours website: Big Bus Tours.
What we paid:
24 hour bus tour for 2 adults + 2 children + Arc du Triomphe entry = £149.76. Prices do seem to vary depending on dates. We booked mid summer, weekend, high peak... all the most expensive times! So you may well find prices cheaper than what we paid.
How we booked:
We booked our Big Bus Tours tickets through Get Your Guide - an online travel service specialising in worldwide tours and attractions. It was cheaper to book through Get Your Guide than it was to book direct with Big Bus Tours. Tickets are emailed through and you can download the Get Your Guide App to store your tickets direct on your phone.
Get Your Guide website: Get Your Guide
💰 MONEY SAVING TIP! If you're booking anything online - Use a cashback website! You will find Get Your Guide are listed on cashback websites like Quidco and Paypal's Honey Rewards (you get money for clicking a link!) - so always check with your preferred cashback site before you book. If you don't use cashback websites - read our other blog post on how to use cashback websites to make money on your online purchases!
Big Bus Tours are also listed on Quidco and they currently offering 7.5% cashback. Check to see which the better deal is (we found Get Your Guide worked out a little bit cheaper).
Eiffel Tower
The most iconic landmark in Paris! You will likely view the infamous Eiffel Tower several times during your visit to Paris. But it's worth spending a little time around the foot of the Tower just soaking up the atmosphere. The Tower itself is right by the River Seine. There are plenty of shops, cafes and restaurants in the surroundings streets and of course the Trocadero is just across the river bridge and worth the walk across for the views of the Tower.
If you want to head up the Eiffel Tower it is probably best to book your tickets online well in advance. I looked to book about 4 weeks before we were due to go and tickets on the official website were already sold out. I checked a couple of other ticket websites but the cheapest I was quoted was £260 for the 4 of us to take the elevator to the summit. Needless to say we didn't go up the Tower!
What we paid and how to book:
If you want to go up, be sure to check prices on the official Eiffel Tower ticketing website so you know what you can expect to pay and BOOK EARLY. Official prices with elevator to the summit are currently -
Adult £36.10
Youth aged 12-24 £18.10
Child aged 4-11 £9.10
Child under 4 Free
Be careful of unofficial ticketing websites. I think you will likely receive a ticket, I don't think they are scam sites, you'll just pay a higher price for the tickets and they seem to charge ADULT prices regardless of age, so just be careful when booking.
In our opinion, a trip up the Eiffel Tower is an experience you can live without. If you want a view of the City from up high, the Arc du Triomphe, the Ferris Wheel or the view from the top of Montmartre are all cheaper alternatives!
Visit the Official Eiffel Tower website: https://ticket.toureiffel.paris/en
Eiffel Tower by Night - A must-see experience when in Paris and it's Free! After the sun goes down, the Eiffel Tower is lit with a warm, golden light that makes it stand out against the evening sky. The Tower's lights come on at 'dusk' so the actual timing's can vary. We were there early August and the Tower was illuminated at 9.30pm.
On the hour, every hour, the tower's lights sparkle for five minutes. It's a breathtaking light show and a very popular attraction with Parisians as well as with visitors.
You can watch the tower from a few good spots, like the Champ de Mars park, along the Seine River, or from the Trocadéro across the river. We aimed for Champ de Mars and arrived just after 9pm. It was already busy with lots of people picnicking but we had no problem finding a spot on the grass to sit. One group had a full-on birthday party all set up with buffet food and cakes all laid out. Street sellers are wandering around selling blankets, shawls, bottles of wine, champagne and Eiffel Tower souvenirs. It was all quite pleasant and very laid back. The Tower lights came on at 9.30pm and there was an audible gasp and cheer at 10pm when the tower lights start twinkling.
Seeing the Eiffel Tower at night was my daughter's most memorable part of our entire Paris trip, she just adored seeing the Eiffel Tower all lit up and was blown away watching the Tower's twinkling lights show 💖✨
It was pretty awesome, an unforgettable experience at any age!
Arc de Triomphe
You can of course see and visit the foot of the Arc du Triomphe for free! But if you want to climb to the top and take in the fantastic views across the City, you will need a ticket.
What we paid and how to book:
Tickets for the Arc de Triomphe can sell out quickly. Buying them online beforehand ensures your entry and helps you avoid long lines on the day. The standard entry fee is €22 (€16 on a Wednesday) and everyone under the age of 18 are FREE.
There are a few unofficial websites that try to sell you tickets at inflated prices - don't pay more than €22 for an adult ticket, and don't pay for children!! You can book tickets direct at the official Arc du Triomphe ticketing website. Booking in advance means you can join the 'pre-booked ticket' queue rather than queuing for the ticket office.
There are various methods of 'free entry' including EU citizens under 26, teachers, unemployed people... there's quite a list BUT... you can't book these free tickets online, you have to get in the queue on the day and offer some form of proof to obtain your free ticket.
Here's some really useful information about visiting the Arc du Triomphe as a family including details on free family activities, events and workshops - https://www.paris-arc-de-triomphe.fr/visiter/en-famille.
Book your Arc de Triomphe tickets online at the official website here: https://tickets.monuments-nationaux.fr/fr-FR/produits-seances
💰 MONEY SAVING TIP!! If you're booking a Bus Tour you can book tickets for the Arc du Triomphe entry as an add-on attraction so if you're booking your bus tour via a cashback website, this will increase your cashback amount.
Louvre Museum
You don't actually need a Louvre Museum entry ticket to get close to the iconic glass pyramid of the Louvre. And if you've booked the City Bus Tour, the bus stop is literally outside the pyramid so you can get a great photograph just from the top deck of the bus!
So if you're not that fussed about seeing infamous world class art and significant historical artefacts, you can still visit the grounds of the Musum and take in the grandeur of the Louvre Museum itself. There is a smaller version of the Arc de Triomphe called the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel within the grounds and there is a fabulous view of the Ferris Wheel, so there's still plenty of sights to see from outside of the Louvre!
What we paid and how to book:
Personally, we think the Louvre Museum is well worth a visit. The general admission price into the Louvre Museum is €22 and everyone under the age of 18 are FREE! If you want guaranteed entry on a particular day, you should book your tickets online in advance direct at the Louvre Museum website, especially during peak times to avoid long queues on the day.
Is the Louvre Museum worth the entry fee? In our opinion, the Louvre Museum is more than worth the price of admission - It's a no-brainer for families, as children get in for free. The museum's vast collection includes some of the world's most famous and historically significant artworks, such as the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, and the Winged Victory of Samothrace, offering an invaluable cultural experience whilst visiting the City of Paris.
Visit for Free! Admission to the Louvre museum is free for all visitors on the first Friday of the month after 6pm (except in July and August) and on Bastille Day which is 14 July (unless it falls on a Tuesday when the museum is closed). Booking is mandatory and slots are posted online just a few days before the date of visit. They go quick, so be prepared and get in the online queue early!
The Mona Lisa - The Mona Lisa is probably the most famous permanent exhibition piece on display at the Louvre Museum and can obviously attract a large crowd. You just need to. be patient and gently keep moving your way forward to get a good view. The security staff open the barriers at the front of the crowd every couple of minutes to move people at the front out of the way to keep the crowd moving forwards. So you will get to the front eventually, you just need to be patient and have your camera at the ready.
Book your tickets online direct at the Louvre Museum website: https://ticket.louvre.fr/en
Notre Dame Cathedral
Visiting Notre-Dame Cathedral is a must-do experience when in Paris, and its recent reopening after the devastating 2019 fire has made it an even more significant destination.
Entry into Notre Dame Cathedral is FREE to everyone. You can turn up on the day and join the very, very long queue, but if you have a good idea of when you're wanting to visit, we highly recommend booking a FREE TICKET in advance and grab yourself a timed entry slot. While pre-booking doesn't guarantee you can skip the line entirely, it puts you in a separate, much faster-moving 'pre-booked ticket' queue. You can arrive up to 20 minutes late after your allocated time slot, but any later and you'll lose your slot.
TIPS ON BOOKING!! Pre-bookable timed entry tickets are limited and can only be booked up to two days in advance. The new slots are released daily at midnight. Note this is Midnight Paris time, so that's 11pm UK time!!
You'll need to head over to the official Notre Dame Cathedral website and get in the online queue around 10.45pm UK time 3 nights before the day you want to go... so for instance, if you want to visit on a Sunday, be ready in the online queue at 10.45pm on the Thursday before, ready to book your tickets just after 11pm (being Friday12am Paris time).
Book your tickets online direct at the Notre Dame Cathedral website: https://www. .fr/en/visit/reservation/
Jardin du Luxembourg
We walked to Luxembourg Gardens from Notre Dame Cathedral with a cafe drink stop on the way. It isn't far to walk at all and the Gardens are free to enter.
The Jardin du Luxembourg is a beautiful spot, known for its elegant design, the Medici Fountain, and the Luxembourg Palace. It's a popular place for both Parisians and tourists to relax, have a picnic, or simply enjoy the scenery.
There is plenty going on within the gardens with tennis courts, a children's playground (€5 per child), a cafe and various food and ice-cream kiosks. There's also a lovely boat pond in front of the Palace where you can hire model sail boats which the children found delightful (€8 per boat). Hubby and I pulled up a couple of chairs and sat around the pond whilst we watched the children run around pushing their sail boat across the boat pond.
It's a lovely tranquil environment to just sit and relax for an hour or two, watch the kids play and enjoy an ice-cream.
The River Seine
River Bank Walk - we walked along the bank of the River Seine from the Eiffel Tower to the Ferris Wheel at Place de la Concorde. It's a lovely walk and offers the BEST views of the Eiffel Tower from the other side of the river. It's a great spot for taking photos (we spotted two wedding couples having photos taken along there).
My daughter also really enjoyed waving at people on the private boats and river cruises and counting how many waves she got back!
The walk took just over an hour but we were stopping to take photos and had water breaks - make sure you have plenty of water with you, especially if it's a hot day! You can easily navigate by simply heading towards the iconic Ferris Wheel.
On the way, you'll pass numerous historic bridges and landmarks, including the notable "Flame of Liberty," which has become an unofficial memorial to Princess Diana (the 'Flame' is located by the underpass of her fatal accident).
The Ferris Wheel - Walk through the Place de La Concorde and take a wander into Tuileries Garden. The Ferris Wheel is located at the far end. If you fancy a ride on the Wheel the cost is €20 per Adult and €10 per child. We almost didn't do it thinking about the price... but decided whilst in Paris! So we paid the €60 and didn't regret it, the views are fantastic. The Wheel is located right next to the Louvre Museum with a great view of the iconic glass pyramid. You could see for miles, we were really pleased we did it.
River Cruise - Taking a river cruise along the Seine in Paris is a very popular and highly recommended activity. We hadn't planned to do the river cruise but a helpful chap at the Bus Tour office did a good upsell on us and we paid €40 for the 4 of us. We were all really pleased we did it, it was very enjoyable. So if you're booking the City Bus Tour, we'd recommend booking the river cruise as an add-on attraction as you'll get a bit of a discount.
A Seine river cruise takes you right past many of Paris's essential sights. You'll glide past the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Louvre Museum, the Musée d'Orsay, and numerous historic bridges, including the beautiful Pont Alexandre III.
The cruise we booked was one of the large vessels departing from the Eiffel Tower. Pre-booking meant we could get straight into the boarding queue rather than queuing for tickets first, so do try to buy your tickets before you arrive.
TIP on Seating! Try to sit on the left side of the vessel, facing towards the River with a view across the River rather than on the right facing the river bank. It means you'll get a great view of everything from across the river, including Notre-Dame Cathedral which is located on an Island in the middle of the River. You'll get to see Notre-Dame from various angles as the boat goes past, then it swings around and comes back by the Cathedral on the other side, so sitting on the left side of the boat guarantees you good views.
Montmartre and the Basilique Sacre-Coeur
The Basilique du Sacré-Cœur (Basilica of the Sacred Heart) is located in Montmartre. It sits proudly at the top of the Butte Montmartre, which is the highest natural point in Paris. Entry to the basilica itself is free if you fancy a visit. You only have to pay if you want to climb the dome for the panoramic view.
The walk up the hill, whether on foot or by funicular, is all part of the experience. The funicular is part of the Metro system so you can use your travel card, but if you can manage the steps up to the basilica, take them as the hill isn't actually that much of a climb and you'll save yourself the cost of a return Metro journey!
After seeing the basilica, you can wander through the cobblestone streets, discover the famous Place du Tertre where artists paint and sell their work, or have a caricature done of yourselves. We were quoted €20 per person for a family caricature but bartered and paid €15 per person.
There are other sights to see in Montmartere like the Moulin Rouge and the Wall of Love so it's well worth a visit as there's plenty to see and all for free.
I feel the need to mention the fancy ice cream shop we saw in the Rue de Steinkerque, the street opposite the foot of the steps to the basilica. It's called Amorino and the ice creams are beautifully presented in various flower designs. I wanted one but we'd just eaten and I couldn't fit anymore in, so if you do visit, have an ice-cream for me!
Using the Paris Metro
It's very easy to get around Paris by Metro but you'll need to purchase a travel card the first time you want to use the Metro train system. Unlike the London Underground, you can't tap your phone as you go. Local Parisians use a card similar to London's Oyster Card, but you need to complete forms and requires a photo.
If you're only visiting Paris for a couple of days and are staying around the central areas, the easiest and cheapest way to get around is to purchase a Navigo Easy travel card. You can buy one at the Metro station on your first visit.
The Navigo easy travel card costs €2 then you need to buy your credits. So work out how many journeys you think you'll need, then add that amount to your travel card, or you can buy a batch of 10 journeys at a slightly discounted price.
At the time of writing, an adult Metro journey (one way) is €2.50 and a child under 10 is €1.25. You can always 'top up' your card at a manned ticket desk at one of the stations (but you won't be able to top up at a self service ticket machine).
Paris Metro Apps & Maps - There are various different Apps you can download to your mobile phone. We used the Metro Paris App which seemed to work well, but there are quite a few to choose from. Download one from the App Store.
Walking in Paris - Getting around in general is quite easy and Paris is a beautiful, walkable city. The best way to experience its charm is by foot. Strolling along the Seine, getting lost in the winding streets of Montmartre, or exploring the Marais are all free activities and you'll discover hidden gems along the way.We only had to use Google Maps a couple of times!
That said, if you do intend to use your mobile phone to navigate or use Live options in any of the Apps, you will of course need to ensure you have sufficient data on your phone. The best option is to either add a European roaming booster to your existing mobile contract before you go, or buy a mobile e-Sim before you head off. We use e-Sims every time we're away now, wouldn't leave home without one!
You can read our top tips on using e-Sims here - e-Sim Mobile Data Tips
Food & Drink
We're not big foodie people, so we're not too fussed about fancy restaurants and eating out all the time and we can't afford to do that anyway! So we mainly opted for boulangeries, street food or takeaways to help keep costs down. We ate breakfast at the hotel each morning and lunch and dinner we ate whilst out and about. We kept a snack bag with us for emergencies and carried our own water bottles which we topped up where we could.
Day 1 - On our first evening (Friday) we stumbled across a summer street market on the banks of the River Seine by the Eiffel Tower. There were lots of street food stalls and we all chose different stalls to eat from which was fun. The kids pizza slices were a bit pricey at €10 each, but you pay for the experience of just being there. I chose a raclette baguette which was delicious (and about 1,000 calories!) and hubby went for a traditional French tartiflette.
Day 2 - Saturday we spent doing the hop on, hop off bus tour. We walked along the Champs-Elysees from the Arc du Triomphe and stopped for a McDonalds lunch - the kids choice, not mine! I do have to admit that I really enjoyed it... it was the poshest Maccy's I've ever been to and we sat outside in one of those lovely covered dining spaces you see on the Champs-Elysees. My limited edition 'BBQ & Maple Burger' was the best Maccy burger I've ever had, and we ordered a box of macarons from the McCafe - €5.95 for a box of six macarons - who needs Laduree ! 😆
Saturday evening we had dinner at a little cafe in Montmartre - 2 steak frites, 2 pizzas + drinks came to around €85 (the kids could have shared a pizza, they were enormous!).
Day 3 - On Sunday we visited the Louvre Museum and grabbed baguettes from a boulangerie for lunch which were delicious. We stopped in a cafe for drinks during the afternoon by Notre-Dame Cathedral and the waiter brought over a bowl of pretzels for free which kept us going! That evening we ordered takeaway pizzas on our way back to the Eiffel Tower to watch the night lights come on.
Be sure to carry a refillable water bottle with you, especially during the summer. You can usually find street vendors outside of the tourist attractions selling bottles of water for €1 which we used to top up our water bottles. You can easy spot them - it's just a bloke with a pack of water bottles he's just bought from the supermarket selling them on to tourists for a euro each 😆 And good for him as they charge €3-€4 for the same bottle of water inside the attractions!
Paris Souvenirs
Souvenir Shops - My ten year old son is an absolute sucker for a tourist souvenir shop, he absolutely loves them! We were dragged into souvenir shops everywhere we went, so I'm now feeling like a bit of an expert when it comes to Paris souvenir prices!!
As anywhere, you tend to get the same souvenirs in every souvenir shop, but the prices can differ somewhat, sometimes quite dramatically! Some of the same souvenirs are also sold inside the attractions for twice the price, so do shop around before you buy. We found the shops around Notre Dame quite pricey too.
In most souvenir shops you can expect to pay around €3 for a decent keyring or a fridge magnet and most souvenir shops run a '4 for €10' type promotion. We did find fridge magnets priced at just one euro!
Hands down the cheapest place we found souvenirs was at Montmartre along the Rue de Steinkerque, the street that runs from Anvers Metro station up to the foot of Basilique Sacre-Coeur. I was surprised at just how cheap these souvenir items were priced. Fridge magnets and keyrings from €1 or the fancier one's were 3 for €10, Paris logo'ed baseball caps were just €5, hoodies €15, some gorgeous little girls handbags from just €7. Needless to say my son was in his element here! You'll also find the fancy ice cream shop on this street amongst the souvenir shops.
Street Sellers - You'll also see a lot of the street sellers hanging around the tourist attractions. There's quite a few of them at the Eiffel Tower and a couple around the Louvre. You'll see others scattered around. You can pick up a little Eiffel Tower momento for €1 so don't be in a hurry to brush them away as they do have some good bargains to offer.
Several of the street sellers sell football shirts and branded football kits... all knock-offs of course, but if you want to pick up a cheap kit for the kids, now's your chance! We picked up a France Mbappe kit (football shirt and shorts) for €25 - the first chap wanted €35! Always barter and never pay the first price they ask for. If they don't budge, just walk away - there's plenty more of them around!
Paris on a Budget - In Summary:
Although Paris can be an expensive place to visit, it doesn't need to be and you can absolutely see many of the iconic landmarks and wonders that Paris has to offer for free or for a minimal budget. If you really don't want to spend much, or can't afford to pay for some of the attraction entry prices, it is entirely possible to still experience Paris without the spend.
Here's a summary of our top money saving tips for spending next to nothing whilst sightseeing in the City of Paris -
If you're on a really tight budget, the only sightseeing attraction we suggest you pay for is the City Bus Tour. You'll see all the main sights and famous landmarks and you can listen to the audio guide whilst in transit. And of course that's your transportation between all the landmarks covered off. It's a full day of sightseeing and great value!
Don't bother going up the Eiffel Tower! For a view of the City from up high, go to Montmartre and climb the steps up to the basilica for free!
Soak up the atmosphere at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. Cross the bridge to the Trocadero for great views of the Eiffel Tower and the river Seine.
Walk along the banks of the River Seine for great photos of the Eiffel Tower and a close up of the wondrous bridges and fabulous architecture.
Don't miss the Eiffel Tower light show at night!
Places of worship are FREE to enter! This includes Notre-Dame Cathedral and the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur. Book free tickets in advance.
Visit the Louvre Museum at 6pm on the first Friday of the month when it's free to enter.
Buy your food and drinks from boulangeries, street vendors or the local supermarket. A Franprix is never far away! Take a picnic to the local parks and soak up the Parisian atmosphere.
You might also need a Metro travel card, but calculate your journey's in advance and just pay for what you need.
Book airport transfers in advance. Note the public transport links from the airport are quite pricey.... and will take you twice as long! Don't compromise your precious sightseeing time on saving just a few euros!
When booking flights, accommodation or attractions online, always try to book through a cashback website like Quidco or Paypal's Honey Rewards. It really is money for nothing!
Be organised! Have a good idea of what you want to do and book your tickets in advance. This not only saves you money, it saves you valuable time not having to hang around in ticket queues! Download our sample 3 day sightseeing itinerary here -
We hope you have enjoyed reading our Paris money saving tips and that you have a fabulous time visiting Paris - it's a truly wonderful City!
Amusez-vous!
Kat & family x
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