hello fodorites,

i recently posted a thread about a craving to return to paris (see: "i want to go back to paris&quot. i got WAY more responses than i expected ... and i'm pretty sure i'm going to go back this fall!

a few posters mentioned that they've found ways to save more money each time they've gone back...specifically, MelJ and tuscanlifeedit ...however, i know there are tons of you PARIS ANONYMOUS members out there ...

so, please share your money-saving tips for folks returning to paris... i will start:

- we rented an apartment the first time around and loved it. we saved 'food money' - we found so many good eats at local markets, supermarkets, etc. that we only ate dinner out twice in seven nights.
i can see how renting an apartment might be daunting for first-time visitors and return visitors may be more comfortable with that. but, this is something that could be considered by newbies as well.

what else have you got? post up!

thanks!!!

1) 100 Best Free things in Paris thread:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35143882

2) Municipal Museums, various Gardens are free

3) Try out Velib for getting around (far enough you'd normally take the bus or metro). I've read that now one can use it by swiping a ND card.

Venturing outside of the 1st-7th arr's is a good way to save money on either hotels or apartment rentals. My first trip I stayed in the 5th. My second trip I needed to go on the cheap and felt comfortable enough to stay in the 11th.

I think it may be more common to cram more things into a first trip, which can increase one's budget. Especially things like river cruises or eating at the Eiffel Tower or what have you.

Not a large savings, to be sure, but the €5 initial charge to purchase you Navigo Decouverte need not be wasted. The card is good for ten years ( I think), and can be recharged on your next visit, so don't throw it away. Put it with your passport.

I have mine clutched in my feverish little hand, as I dream of our next trip.

Just stay out of expensive restaurants. Eat street food, from grocery stores, wine from the corner market. Walk or take public transportation to get around. Paris is beautiful wandering around on foot, which costs nothing.

I agree about expensive restaurants, but how about staying out of expensive hotels. I home exchange a lot but have never had one in downtown Paris. I have rented an apartment there--much cheaper than a hotel and more private as well.

I had a home exchange north of Paris in Montmorency in 1993. Still waiting for one in downtown Paris to come my way. Next summer it's a house an hour north of Helsinki, Finland.

re: "3) Try out Velib for getting around (far enough you'd normally take the bus or metro). I've read that now one can use it by swiping a ND card."

- - this is true for the locals' regular Navigo pass, which can be value-loaded; not true for the 'tourist' Nav Decouverte, which can only hold the Carte Orange at this time (no other value).

<i>Author: Travelnut
Date: 01/08/2009, 08:19 am

re: &quot;3) Try out Velib for getting around (far enough you'd normally take the bus or metro). I've read that now one can use it by swiping a ND card.&quot;

- - this is true for the locals' regular Navigo pass, which can be value-loaded; not true for the 'tourist' Nav Decouverte, which can only hold the Carte Orange at this time (no other value).</i>

Thanks for the correction. Somehow I thought I had read a trip report recently where the poster was successful in using the ND for the Velib bikes, but I must have remembered wrong.

In any case, I believe AMEX will work for the Velib bike rentals, and the first 30 minutes of the rental is FREE.

renting an apt was much cheaper and more spacous and pleasant than a hotel. we did not eat any meals in it but were able to keep wine, water,cheeses, chacuterie etc in it. we checked in when we arrived (around 11 am) and checked out when we needed to. we had the space and enjoyed sitting on the couch and reading, resting our weary feet. our friends stayed in a hotel, but the space was so crammed they felt like they always needed to be out so would go to a wine bar for wine rather than staying in the apt. they also needed to go to a cafe for a snack to tide them over to 9:30 pm dinner.
also, picnics are great-we'd get all the food we needed and eat in a park. we'd also grab a bottle of wine and go to the champ du mars lawn and watch the eiffel tower sparkle rather than sit in a cafe with the same view.
we always take the shuttle rather than a cab.
if you can, take advantage of the first sunday of each month for free museum day.
and walk walk walk-it is the best way to see the city.

If you break down how you spend your money, think about how to cut corners: (one that will affect all items below is the season - there are many more deals in February than June)

1) lodging - you already stayed in an apartment. Could you stay further out and save more money ? could you do a studio instead of a 1 bedroom ? (etc.)

2) airfare - lots of ways to economize on this. However, this is usually a direct tradeoff with time: drive to a less desirable airport, take a connecting flight, save money. Can you use frequent flyer miles ? Note: this gets to the above point about season. UsAir is running a special for FF miles to Europe -- only 35k miles in January and February. And yes, there are seats available.

3) food - eat in the apartment. patronize the local shops. Sounds like you have done much of this.

4) transportation - take the shuttles, not a cab. Walk. No taxis.

5) Shopping - don't get sucked into buying overpriced things you don't need. Allow yourself 'something' to make it special, but don't make it a shopping trip. (its the 'everything in moderation approach' for those that can't cut cold turkey)

5) Entertainment - this includes everything else. Use a museum pass. Take advantage of it. Do free things. Walk around, people watch, soak up the atmosphere.

I use www.homelidays.com to find apartments - in Paris &amp; elsewhere in Europe. A lot of the websites I've read about here - e.g. vrbo are, IMO, very expensive, but homelidays has less expensive options. I rented a studio in the 14th this past June for 400&euro;. I also stick to rentals that have gotten positive reviews from previous renters.

In addition to buying groceries, you can also buy prepared foods to eat in the apartment. For example, there's a Lebanese food stall at the market at Place Monge where I pick up foods such as spinach pie, rice pilaf, tabboleh, etc. that I just have to reheat (well, not the tabboleh) so I have dinner for the next couple of days. Or I get a pizza to go to eat at home. The felafel places in the Marias are another delicious &amp; cheap take-out option.

Last June, I went to Paris, Burgundy, &amp; the Loire Valley and the week in Paris cost a lot less - I either walked or used the Metro instead of renting a car &amp; buying gasoline, I rented an apartment instead of B&amp;Bs, and I ate in.
Paris really doesn't have to be that expensive. I'm planning a trip to Chicago this summer (elementary school reunion!) and it's much more expensive to stay there than in Paris.

&quot;Not a large savings, to be sure, but the &euro;5 initial charge to purchase you Navigo Decouverte need not be wasted. The card is good for ten years ( I think), and can be recharged on your next visit, so don't throw it away. Put it with your passport.

I have mine clutched in my feverish little hand, as I dream of our next trip.&quot;

every little bit counts! i knew i saved mine for a reason!

thanks!!!

Hi lilaki

Most of my tips are already mentioned here, but I'll go over them again:

1. We are going next month on the USAirways 35K miles deal.

2. We rent from rentparis.com. Very central apartments but at better prices than a lot of central agencies. We are renting a studio for 80 euro a night. If I had waited, we could have had it for 20% less, but then our week might not have been available. In any case they are running a 20% off sale for January and February.

(This company provides exceptional service on the ground in Paris. It is not fantastic for pre-trip help. The person who runs the pre-trip end, reservations, etc. isn't the warmest guy you'll ever correspond with. I'm actually afraid to ask him to help me with a couple of reservations, but I'm a chicken.)

3. Off season in general is a good money saving tip. There are down sides: I wanted to go to the Galleries Lafayette fashion show, which doesn't run in January, February, and August. In August, there are lots of restaurant closings. But I have been in both February and August, and don't feel that I had a lesser Paris experience.

4. People mentioned shuttles but my favorite way to get from the airport to Paris is by RER. In fact, DH says we are not using the RER because my broken feet will just barely be healed (oh God I hope so) by next month, but I am a stubborn old woman and would prefer the savings from the RER.

5. I had turned this over in my mind a lot, but I think I am getting a museum pass. We have been to all the major museums, but it will be better, I think, to be able to bypass lines and duck in and out whenever we want. Now I have to decide between the 4 or 6 day pass; I'll probably go with the four.

6. Day trips are easy to do on your own. There are bus trips everywhere, but we went to Chartres on our own, and it was quite easy.

7. We save all year to eat in restaurants while on a trip, so eating all our meals in, or as picnics, doesn't appeal to us. But we make coffee in, and buy juice and croissants, and other snacks. I think on our last trip, we stopped just once for a sit down pot of tea.

8. Restaurants: I am culling the herd. I use all the books I can get to compare the best reviews and best prices. I am also double checking prices on the internet.

Now I'm going to read the &quot;free things in Paris&quot; thread. Oh, one more before I go: Vedettes Pont Neuf has online coupons, so if you want a boat ride, that is a cheaper way to go, and I like the smaller boats, anyway.