BDayCupcakes

I'm planning a trip to Paris and London towards the end of April/beginning of May and I'm trying to figure out how much to budget for exactly.

Plane tickets to and from, and hostels (which include free breakfast) are paid for already; and for what it's worth, I'm a woman in her late 20s traveling alone.

I do not drink (wine included) and I've never liked being in clubs, so bars/drinking/going clubbing are not things I will be partaking in. Other than a few trinkets here and there I don't plan on doing any major shopping (blasphemy coming from a woman, I know) and I have a few food allergies which have me paranoid enough to probably hold off on having major meals and eating outside of foods I know are "safe" for me. I mostly just want to walk around and visit a few museums and usual tourist spots.

Some friends suggested around $1000 would be enough for the week in Paris, would that be enough? Also, on average, how much should I look to spending on metro/bus (I'll take a cab if need be, but I'd rather leave it as a last resort).

Thanks!

Tulips

I know London better than Paris, but $1000 a week excluding hotel/flights, for one person, is more than enough.

Most museums in London are free, you pay a maximum of 8,40 per day for all tube and bus (in central London, only 7 pounds if your first journey is after 9.30 am). If you don't plan to eat in expensive restaurants and don't drink, you'll easily spend less than 20 pounds for dinner.
If you want to go to the theatre, try the ticket booth at Leicester Square for last minute seats for shows.

justineparis

Well depending on where your hostel is in Paris you may be able to get away with just a carnet or two of tickets. A carnet is simply ten one way tickets good for metro or buses , sold at a discount. One ticket costs 1.70 euros.. but a carnet is ten tickets for 13,70.

adrienne

Paris - You can find out the museum admission fees by going on their web sites, usually E8 to E12. Meals can be found in all price ranges. Lunch would be about E10 - E12. Dinners run from E15 and up. If you drink soft drinks then the price will be much higher (more than if you drink wine). Soft drinks can run between E6 and E12, depending on the restaurant/cafe.

Even stopping a couple of times a day for something to drink or an ice cream, $1,000 will be about twice the amount you'd need.

Hostels now include breakfast? Is this true? What hostels have you booked - I'd be interested in the one in Paris?

dulciusexasperis

Received wisdom is that in most of W. Europe, a 'backpacker' staying in hostels, eating supermarket food and paying for the odd museum entry or beer can get by on 50E per day, not including transport.

Since you have already paid for the hostel you could get by on less than 50E. But that is a bare bones 'backpacker' budget.

If you use restaurants rather than supermarket food and cooking for yourself in the hostel, obviously you will spend more. How much more depends on what restaurant you choose to go into. No one call tell you what that will cost.

But if you know it can be done on 50E per day then you can work things out from there to suit your personal preferences.

janisj

>>Some friends suggested around $1000 would be enough for the week in Paris, <<

W/ your limitations and criteria - my guess is you after Paris AND London you will have change left from your $1000/£600/€750-ish

Frugal is very possible in both cities. People often claim the London is expensive -- but if you aren't shopping or drinking/having posh meals - it can be dirt cheap - and even cheaper than Paris if you plan on visiting a lot of museums. Most of the major museums and galleries in London are free. Most in Paris charge admissions. But IME food tends to be a little cheaper in Paris for comparable - so it averages out.

Your budget is more than adequate.

texasbookworm

For Paris check out the Museum Pass for possible savings; buy it when you get there; we got ours at a museum that was near our hotel, then validated it the next day for our early morning visit to the Louvre.

Christina

The Museum Pass is pretty expensive IMO, you'd save a lot more by not buying it and by going to many of the free museums (eg, Carnavalet, Petit Palais, etc). Even if you go to a regular expensive museum (Louvre or Orsay), I wouldn't think you'd spend more than 8-10 euro a day on that alone (one a day). By contrast, the museum pass costs you 21 euro PER DAY if you buy the 2 day one or 14 euro if you buy the 4 day one. I've never spent that kind of money on museums in a single day.

I rarely spend that much money for just meals and walking around, etc. and I do drink wine and am not even on a strict budget. That is a pretty big budget, over 100 euro per day.

suze

Your budget is just fine. Generous even for your described style of travel.

Tulips

In London check out pre-theatre and early evening dining offers.
The gorgeous Brasserie Zedel has a 2-course menu for 8.95 pounds (excluding service). 3 courses for 11.75. Brasserie Cote (several restaurants in London) is another good bet, with 2 courses for under 10 pounds.

BDayCupcakes

Thanks for the replies everyone! I forgot to ask, how exactly does one book the train from Paris to London?


@Adrienne: The hostel in Paris is called Le Village Hostel. And I'm perfectly fine just drinking water, I can do without soda for my time there . Thankfully (?) dairy is one of the things I'm allergic to, so ice cream and cheese are a few expenses I'm saving on. I plan on carrying some snacks/meal bars with me, in the event my quest to find food I can eat fails.

@JaniesJ: I'm lucky enough to have a friend that lives in London; she lives on a budget so I'm counting on her to guide me in termsof where to find cheap eateries.

adrienne

<< so ice cream and cheese are a few expenses I'm saving on >>

In Paris cheese is a very affordable food so you're not saving anything there (unfortunately). There are lots of yummy foods in Paris that do not contain dairy so you won't have any problems eating. You should stop in at one of the ice cream parlors and try some sorbet. I had the creamiest sorbet in Barcelona, it was almost like eating ice cream.

Here's the Eurostar site. Booking ahead will save money.

http://www.eurostar.com/us-en?gclid=...FUYOOgodlxIAKQ

I looked at the hostel. I personally wouldn't stay in that area since it's not the prettiest and not the most convenient to sightseeing. You have such a large budget you might consider an inexpensive hotel closer to the river in the 3rd, 4th, 5th or 6th arrondissement.

justineparis

If you want a hostel MIJE is in way better area..

PatrickLondon

If your hostel in Paris is already paid for, I wouldn't fret about it being a bit further out, but you will be spending a fair amount of time on public transport:
http://www.ratp.fr/plan-interactif/

(You may not be shopping for much, but you could find some souvenir housewares and small kitchen gizmos very cheap at Tati, by Metro Barbès-Rochechouart).

suze

Sounds like you need a Paris map (if you don't have one yet) to figure out the transportation options to get to the central part of the city for sites & sights from that hostel location (since others have said it is less than central). Paris is huge. So I'd make that the next step in trip planning, figuring out the local transportation part.

If you had a place in the 4th-7th you can do a lot on foot (assuming going to places like the Eiffle Tower, Louvre, Notre Dame, etc.)