How to Visit Paris on a Budget - A Complete Local Guide
Paris has a reputation as one of the world's most expensive cities. And like most reputations, it's partially true and massively overstated.
The truth is that Paris is a city where extraordinary experiences are available at every price point, including free. The Louvre is expensive. Walking the streets of Montmartre at dawn costs nothing. The Eiffel Tower has an entrance fee. The view from the steps of Sacré-Cœur is free. The three-course menu at a tourist restaurant near Notre-Dame will cost you €45. The same meal two streets away costs €18.
This guide is about knowing the difference and making the most of one of the world's great cities without overpaying for a version of it designed for people who don't know better.
Free Things to Do in Paris
The single most important piece of budget travel advice for Paris is this: the city itself is the attraction.
Free Museums & Sites
The permanent collections of Paris's municipal museums are free. This includes extraordinary institutions that most tourists pay to miss:
- Musée Carnavalet, the history of Paris from prehistoric times to the 20th century, in a 16th-century mansion in Le Marais. Free, exceptional, almost never crowded.
- Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, the city's modern art museum, with a permanent collection that rivals the Centre Pompidou. Free.
- Petit Palais, an extraordinary beaux-arts building with a permanent collection covering everything from ancient Greek pottery to 19th-century French painting. Free.
- Maison de Victor Hugo, the apartment where the author of Les Misérables lived for 16 years, at Place des Vosges. Free.
- Mémorial de la Shoah, one of the most important Holocaust memorials in Europe. Free.
The major national museums (Louvre, Musée d'Orsay, Centre Pompidou, Versailles) charge admission, but anyone under 26 from the EU gets in free, and the first Sunday of every month is free admission to all national museums for everyone.
Free Viewpoints
The best views in Paris don't require a ticket:
- Sacré-Cœur steps — arguably the finest panorama in Paris, at any hour, free
- Place du Calvaire (Montmartre) — a secret viewpoint most tourists never find, also free
- Pont de Bir-Hakeim — the best view of the Eiffel Tower in the city, zero cost
- Square du Vert-Galant — at the tip of Île de la Cité, a perfect Seine view, free
- Parc de Belleville — rooftop views over the entire city, free and almost never crowded
Free Neighbourhoods & Experiences
Walking is free. And Paris rewards walking more than almost any other city on earth.
The following cost nothing and are among the best experiences Paris offers:
- Canal Saint-Martin on a Sunday afternoon
- The covered passages of the 2nd arrondissement (Galerie Vivienne, Passage des Panoramas)
- Père Lachaise Cemetery (free entry)
- The Arènes de Lutèce, a 1st-century Roman amphitheatre, free
- The Luxembourg Gardens on any weekday morning
- Any Paris market on a Saturday morning (Rue Mouffetard, Marché d'Aligre, Rue de Bretagne)
Eating Well Without Overpaying
The Golden Rule: Two Streets Away
The single most important rule of eating in Paris on a budget: never eat at the restaurant immediately adjacent to a major tourist site. Walk two streets in any direction and you'll find the same food at half the price, or better food at the same price.
The Lunch Menu (Menu du Jour)
Almost every traditional French restaurant serves a fixed-price lunch menu, typically two or three courses for €12 to €18. This is how Parisians eat lunch. It's the best value meal in the city and the closest thing to a guarantee that the food will be good (restaurants don't serve bad food on their daily menu, it's a matter of local pride).
Boulangeries
Every neighbourhood has a boulangerie. Most of them sell sandwiches, a jambon-beurre or croque-monsieur, for €3.50 to €5. A croissant costs €1.20 to €1.80. A pain au chocolat around €1.50. This is breakfast and lunch sorted for under €8.
Street Food
- Falafel at L'As du Fallafel (Rue des Rosiers, Le Marais): €7
- Crêpes from any stand in Montmartre: €3 to €5
- A sandwich from any boulangerie: €3.50 to €5
Supermarkets
Monoprix, Carrefour City, and Franprix are everywhere in Paris and all sell excellent ready-made meals, cheese, wine, and produce at reasonable prices. A picnic from a supermarket eaten in the Luxembourg Gardens or on the banks of the Canal Saint-Martin costs €10 and is one of the best Parisian experiences available at any price.
Transport on a Budget
Walk
Seriously. Paris's best neighborhoods, Montmartre, Le Marais, the Latin Quarter, Saint-Germain, are compact and walkable. If you're spending most of your time in central Paris, you may not need public transport at all.
Metro
A single metro ticket costs €2.15. A carnet of 10 tickets costs €17.35 (€1.74 each). If you're making four or more metro journeys per day, the Navigo Jour pass at €8.65 gives you unlimited travel on all public transport for a full day. The Navigo Week pass at €30 covers a full calendar week (Monday to Sunday) of unlimited travel on all Paris public transport.
Vélib' (Bike Share)
Paris has one of the world's best bike-sharing systems. A 24-hour subscription costs €5 and gives you unlimited 30-minute rides (the first 30 minutes of each ride are included; longer rides cost extra). For exploring areas along the Seine, Canal Saint-Martin, or between neighborhoods, it's often faster than the metro and costs the same as a single ticket.
Airport Transfer
The RER B train from Charles de Gaulle airport to central Paris costs €11.80. The taxi costs €50 to €55 (fixed rate). Unless you're travelling in a group of three or more with heavy luggage, the train is the right choice.
Accommodation Tips
Book in Advance
Paris hotel prices rise dramatically closer to the booking date. Booking 6 to 8 weeks ahead for peak season (April-June, September-October) can save 30-40%.
Consider the Arrondissement
Hotels in the 1st, 4th, 6th, and 7th arrondissements (the most central and touristy) are significantly more expensive than equivalent accommodation in the 10th, 11th, 18th, or 20th. The metro connects everywhere in Paris in under 25 minutes. A hotel near Canal Saint-Martin or in Belleville costs 30-50% less than a comparable room near the Louvre.
Hostels
Paris has excellent hostels, particularly in Le Marais, Montmartre, and the 10th arrondissement. A bed in a shared room costs €25 to €45. Most include breakfast and have excellent common areas.
Budget-Friendly Self-Guided Exploration
One of the best ways to experience Paris without overpaying is to explore independently, without a guided tour.
Self-guided walking tours cost a fraction of group tours (which typically run €25 to €60 per person) and give you complete freedom: stop when you want, spend as long as you like at any point, return to any stop at any time.
Our Paris Backstages self-guided ebooks cover 8 neighborhoods, the Latin Quarter, Montmartre, Le Marais, Canal Saint-Martin, Saint-Germain-des-Prés, the Seine, Père Lachaise, and the 13th arrondissement street art, with detailed maps, rich historical storytelling, and hidden gems most visitors never find.
Starting from €16.90. Download before you arrive. Use entirely offline.
👉 [Discover Paris Backstages Ebooks]
A Week in Paris on a Budget, Sample Daily Budget
| Item |Low budget | Mid budget
| Accommodation | €30 (hostel) | €80 (2-star hotel)
| Breakfast | €4 (boulangerie) | €8 (café)
| Lunch | €12 (menu du jour) | €18 (brasserie)
| Dinner | €15 (bistro, lunch menu) | €30 (restaurant)
| Transport | €5 (walking + 2 metro) | €8.65 (Navigo Jour)
| Activities | €0 (free museums, walking) | €15 (one paid museum)
| Total | ~€66/day | ~€160/day
Paris on a budget is genuinely possible. It just requires knowing where to look and where not to eat.
