I'm having problems with the $90.00 a day for admissions...with a museum pass, a Paris City Passport you won't come near that. Lots of things you want to see are basically free. Even admission to the Louvre is only 8.50 E. That's 630.00 for 7 days , I haven't spent that much in 3 weeks in Paris for 2 of us.
The 200.00 for transportation for 7 days also seems out of line..take the RER to and from the airport, buy some carnets or Moblis for the first few days, then a Carte Orange for the last 4. I will admit I often spend 200.00 for transport , but I take taxis to and from the airport and often take them in the city...but I think I am probably a whole lot older than you and wear out more easily. What you save on those , spend on a better meal.

Good lord you guys know alot about travel to Paris! We figured it would cost $200.00 for taxis to and from the airport plus city buses, subways and boat fares on the sein.
We figured $90.00 pay day for sights because everybody we know tells us how expensive things are in Paris? I guess now we can budget $50.00 a day for sights and $80.00 a day for food then use the extra $20.00 per day for better wine or to see a show or two if we save up and we don't blow it on booze! LOL. I am still tweeking our "what to do in Paris plans" but with you guy's help I believe we can do almost everything we want to do on our budget? My name is Rick Thomson and my wife is Lisa. We want to thank you all for helping us and I hope you don't mind if we ask for more of your help.

Rick and Lisa... you sound like a great couple and you will have a wonderful time in Paris.

You can certainly move money from your transportation and sightseeing budgets into your food budget.

The advice below to take the RER into the city is very good. Also to buy a carnet of metro tickets. And the museum card will save you money and get you through lines, especially at the D'Orsay.

I have done all these things, more than once, including the coupon for the Vedettes Pont Neuf.

Add up your costs, and you will see that your food budget can go up, and your other allowances can go down.

Vedettes coupon can be found here (click on Internet coupon and fill in the # of passengers):

http://www.vedettesdupontneuf.com/

You can definitely do it but it will take some planning. Look into the museum pass and the Carte Orange for the metro. While it will seem like a large purchase, it will save you time and money. There are TONS of things you can see with the pass. Here is the link:

http://www.parismuseumpass.fr/flash/hp_en.html

Do not buy it ahead of time, it will cost you more. Same with the metro pass.

Also, there are plenty of groceries and deli-type places to eat at. When we were in Paris for the first time last year, we were only there for two days at the end of a long trip to Italy. We did not spend a lot on food since it was the end of our trip. We ate at crepe stands and "delis" as well as buying food to take back to the room. I think we only ate at one restaurant while we were there and we ate off of the prix fixe menu. This way we knew what we were spending before we ordered.

Keep planning. You can do it!!!

You have exactly the right attitude to enjoy Paris -just go and have a fabulous time! Monoprix are great shops that have cheap deli food as well as inexpensive clothes, accessories etc, if your budget runs to that.
It would be helpful if you had a few phrases of French to assist in determining prices and menu items. Beware the Andouillette! It's often a cheaper item on the menu and is a type of sausage made out of all the bits that don't get used for anything else, including connective tissue. A bit of an acquired taste as it also has a very pungent odour!
Have a wonderful time, and do everything you possibly can, as it's a magical place.

I mentioned the Paris City Passport above. I find this is a largely overlooked good value buy. It's 5€ and offers discounts up to 50% at about 50 places. No need to purchase online, it can be bought at various places around Paris. Click on " point of sale" on the left for a listing of where to buy in Paris.

http://en.parisinfo.com/rub6758.html...ction=citypass

You can eat very cheaply in Paris if you just want to avoid being hungry. Certainly 60 euro a day for two can be done, if you don't go to a sit-down restaurant more than once a day.

There are many options. You can get plain hamburgers at McDonald's for €0.75.

Your allocation for seeing the sights is actually a bit on the high side. Most places that charge admission cost only a few euro, and many places are free. You could use some of that €90 for eating, if you wanted to.

In any case, your budget looks fine.

Hi again.
Here is a list of the things we would like to see in Paris if we have enough time?
The Eiffel Tower
The Arc of Triumph
Champ eiysees (sp)
Notre Dame
Moulin Rouge
The Louve museum
The Invalides
The pantheon
Champ de mars
Versailles (sp)
The Oesay museum
Verdome Square
Lisa's Aunt gave us a $300.00 Visa gift card for Souvenirs in Paris for her Birthday yesterday (Thank God!) LOL.
We are still going to budget $200.00 for transportation but only $300.00 for sightseeing. That leaves $825.00 ($117.00 per day)for food and other stuff.
I found a place(SIXT)to rent a little "SMART" car for about 25 Euro a day including tax and insurance. Do you think it would be worth it for a day or two to see the counrtryside around Paris? I could use part of the gift card for that. Thank You Again, Rick.

It might be a good idea to consult a recent guidebook on Paris before you go. Prices for attractions are included and they also give prices of meals and a glass of beer, for example. That'll give you a better idea of what sights and everything else will cost.

By the way, the river in Paris is the Seine ('sein' is French for 'breast' ;))

That should be plenty of time to hit those sights you mentioned. Depending on your interests, I'd add a museum or two like the Orangerie or Marmottan or Picasso or Rodin. I'd also hit some of the gardens: Luxembourg and Tulieres, the area around the Sorbonne, and the Marais district/Place des Vosges square.

If you feel comfortable renting a car and driving that's great ... I think it might be a bit tough in and out of Paris, but I've never driven. Trains are really good in France so you could easily take daytrips or see the countryside that way.

Look into that Carte Orange; you might be able to save money on attractions if you plan carefully to maximize the card, and you'll also avoid the lines ... although I wouldn't think they are too terrible when you are going.

First of all, everything on your list other than the Moulin Rouge is free with the Museum Pass. Secondly, Moulin Rouge is expensive and can be missed. It is very touristy (think old Las Vegas revue shows)and while a lot of people like it, I would pass if I was on a budget and spend my money more wisely or even on one nice dinner as tickets run around 97E per person for just the show. For $250 US I can think of a lot of better things to do.

Also, I think that there is so much to do in Paris itself, I would not rent a car. If you want to do a daytrip, go to Versailles. You take the train directly there and the entry fee is included on your Museum Pass.

Another fun thing to do (that I will be doing on my trip in three weeks) is taking a day bike tour to see Monet's Gardens. The tour lasts about 7 hours and is 65E per person. You can check out info at www.fattirebiketours.com

Also, Fat Tires has some great walking tours that are reasonaable. We chose two for our trip. A walk in Montmarte that costs 12E pp and The Davinci Code Walk for 20E pp.

Lastly, on our last trip to Paris we found the Hop On/Hop Off bus to be a great way to get around the city and see where everything is located for first-timers. The 2-day pass runs around $25 US pp and you can get on and off as you like at all of the main attractions. We thought this made for great cheap transportation since we were headed for sights anyway.

Hope this helps.

You can pick up food from markets and little shops. Buy your wine at supermarkets.
There are wonderful cheese shops etc, so pick up your meals as you stroll around the city and find the perfect sites for your picnics, this won't be hard and you will have a memory of Paris that you'll treasure.
The money you save with the Paris pass will help.

The Bato Bus is a good alternative to the Seine boat tours. You get to Tour but also can get on and off in different key spots so it doubles as transportation.

www.batobus.com

You are getting some great suggestions. Let me add another - forget renting the car, it is more trouble than it is worth.

I'd also skip the car. Driving in central Paris can be 'hectic', add in the language issue and finding directions...not worth it. You have Versailles on your list, this would be a nice day trip utside of Paris. You could either go via a bus tour, or on your own by taking the train (RER). It is not very far from Paris and is an impressive site.

In your list of sights I would add Luxembourg Gardens, Ile St Louis, and the Left Bank in general. Boulevard St Germain is a nice street to use as your main strating point. Leave from the eastern end of it, at the Seine and walk towards the west end, which finishes at the Musee Orsay. Along the way will be nice cafes (Napoleon for one), Buci street market, some neat old cobblestone streets, Luxembourg Gardens, St Sulpice church (Da Vinci code connection), Arene de Lutece - roman arena (nice for picnic?), nice small medieval museum build in abbey over roman ruins with some neat stuff including tapestries - Musee Moyen Age, and the street gives an overall nice slice of Paris.

Notre Dame is a must, but also throw in St Chapelle which is a block from there. Royal chapel, with justifiably famous stained glass windows. Very nice. Interconnected with island that Notre Dame is on is...Ile St Louis. Compact, nice old mansions, nice main street with interesting shops, famous Berthillon ice cream, and some good restaurants. A nice neighourhood. Also around these two islands is...the Seine. A nice walk above the Seine, checking out the book stalls, and then a walk down below, alongside the Seine, with a view up to Notre Dame will give you memories.

"Look into that Carte Orange; you might be able to save money on attractions if you plan carefully to maximize the card, and you'll also avoid the lines "

The Carte Orange is a weekly Metro/bus pass and has nothing to do with attractions, for that you need a Museum Pass.

I think you'll do fine. Definitely, as already suggested, shift some of that admissions $ to the food budget. You can buy delicious sandwiches pre-made at many bakeries, you'll see them in the window.

Some of my favorite things are free like all the gardens in Paris. I know your weather may be too cool to sit out and people watch (like I have done in summer) but don't miss Luxembourg Gardens and the Tuileries. Or just walking by the monuments rather than going in (we didn't go up the Eiffle Tower rather just sat on the grass looking at it).

I would forget about the coupon thing, that's not really much done (that I have ever heard of) in Paris.

You'll have a wonderful time! Bon voyage -Suze

Oh, and crepes? Did anyone mention that yet?? Just great and inexpensive thing to have for a snack, lunch, or dessert, available at sidewalk stands all around the city.

oops, thanks for correcting that, Jody.