Еvery citizen of a member of the European Union, aged under 26 years old, enters free in many of the attractions of Paris – that includes The Louvre, The Notre dam cathedral, and The Versailles castle.
We can recommend a hotel that has great value for the money. Hotel Campanile is next to the Bastille square from where one can easily reach by foot or public transport all parts of Paris. The area around the Bastille square is very interesting itself.
The hotel is on a quiet street and there is a little grocery store 20 meters from it. On the weekend there is a large open air market only 100 meters away.
The rooms are small but clean and comfortable. The beds, most importantly, are very comfortable.
The prices are very, very reasonable for Paris. You can check them out on Booking: Hotel Campanile
The first Sunday of every month is a “free museum night” for most museums in Paris. Timing your visit around that time can save you quite a bit of money.
Coffee prices range between 2:50 and 3:30 in most cafes. A cappuccino is more expensive – about 5 euro.
A glass of wine at the bistros is about 5-6 euro. A beer seems to have the same price. Cocktails are more expensive going from about 6-7 euro upward.
Taking bus number 69 is a great way to see many of the main attractions in Paris for only 1.7 euro. The bus takes you through the Bastille square, then on to the Louvre, then through many nice Paris neighborhoods and the Musee de Invalides, ending at the Eiffel tower.
Going in one direction the bus passes through some streets while going in the other direction it passes along other streets. This way you see more of the city sitting on the same bus. You can get on and off but of course will have to pay for a ticket.
By the way, unless you have a several day pass, buying a but ticket is easy. You go in from the front door of the bus and buy a ticket from the driver.
Unless you have weeks and weeks to explore Paris on foot, the metro is your best friend. The system has been developed many decades ago and its look is somewhat archaic but its age also makes it quite cute.
The trains go in all kinds of directions and intersect on many points. Each train line has a different number and, more importantly, different color. The different colors make the metro map readable as you can trace the line from beginning to end.
The direction in which the train is going is identified by the end point of the line. So, consult with the map which is the end point of the direction in which you want to go and then follow the signs in the metro station. Sometimes you will have to make many turns left and right but just follow the sings and you will get to the platform you need. Once in the metro train, the stops of the metro line are listed above the doors.
When I was there last (Fall 2011), a single ticket cost 1.70 euro.
Here is the link to the official Paris transport system website. You can start exploring the map:
The most convenient way to get from the Charles De Gaulle airport to the center of Paris is with the rail. Follow the “RER” signs at the airport that lead you to the railway station. Note that, depending on the terminal and gate you arrive at, you may have to do quite a bit of walking. Still, eventually you get there.
The RER pass cost 8 euro and takes you to Gare de Nord in Paris, which is just a few blocks away from the Monmatre. From there, without leaving the station and using the same ticket, you can take the metro to various parts of Paris.
It is a good idea to buy a map of Paris that also has the map of the metro system and to study it a bit before arriving, e.g. on the plane. The railway and metro stations are convenient but it is difficult to figure out where you need to go on the spot. Once you understand the structure of the underground transport system, it becomes very easy and convenient.
There is no way to describe how many dinner options there are in Paris. Respectively, it is difficult to generalize how much a dinner cost. Still, after eating out a several times at different restaurants and recording the information from countless menus displayed outside restaurants, I have the following summary:
A main dish at a mid-range restaurant/bistro/cafe cost about 12-16 euro. The salads and soups are relatively expensive: 7-10 euro and so are the deserts: 7-8 euro.
However, every restaurant offers (excellent) house wine for about 12-15 euro per half a liter, which seems like a good prices. Also, ask for tap water instead of mineral water. The tap water tastes just fine.
Starter + main dish + desert + wine = 35-40 euro per person, or
Main dish + wine = 20 euro per person
If you eat at an ethnic restaurant, say Chinese or a Thai place, you could pay about 20-30 percent less than at the bistros. A dinner for two could cost about 30 euro, wine included.
If you need a hotel in Paris we suggest that you consider our listings of travel sites. These will give you ideas about various accommodation options.
The above information was collected during a trip to Paris in fall 2011. Assuming there is little inflation (which, for as long as the economic crisis unfolds, will be the case), prices will stay similar for a few years.
There are quite a few options to have relatively cheap lunch in Paris:
1. The baguette sandwiches are excellent and can be purchased all over town for about 5 euro. Add a drink and a desert and you will pay about 8 euro. Many French and tourists seem to take advantage of this type of lunch.
2. A gyro/falafel wrap cost also about 5 euro. These are available throughout town but with quite a few locations in the Latin quarter.
3. The cafes and bistros have a “de jour” (daily) lunch menu. These are posted (only in French, unfortunately) outside the bistros. The menus typically include a main dish and a desert or a starter and possibly a drink. Expect to pay about 10-12 euro per person for a simpler menu and about 15-18 for a more elaborate one.
4. Food from the grocery store. All around town you can find small grocery stores with plenty of bread options, cold cuts, cheese and other basic products. For example, a baguette is about 1 euro and a bottle of water is also about 1 euro. Many of the grocery stores also sell prepackaged sandwiches for about 3 euro.
If you need a hotel in Paris we suggest that you consider our listings of travel sites. These will give you ideas about various accommodation options.
The above information was collected during a trip to Paris in fall 2011. Assuming there is little inflation (which, for as long as the economic crisis unfolds, will be the case), prices will stay similar for a few years.
Alcohol prices differ substantially across the globe. This is partly due to the different levels of living standard in various countries. However, a much larger portion of the price difference is explained by the different taxes levied by local governments. As an outcome, one can drink a beer for as little 50 cents in some countries and pay as much as 10 dollars in others. Aside from these extreme cases, here are a few examples of alcohol prices in established travel destinations.
Switzerland: A mid-range bottle of wine can cost anywhere from €5.50 – €6.00 upward, with a significant number of options with a €12.50 price tag. A six-pack of beer at the grocery store is €6-8.00 whereas a bottle of Jack Daniels Whiskey cost about €25.00. At the bars and restaurants, a draft beer runs for about €3.00 – €4.00, a bottle of wine begins at €20.00, and a shot of whiskey is €8.00. If one prefers wine, the best deal is to order a carafe of the restaurants house wine, which would be priced at about €12.50 per half a liter.
Thailand: Thailand offers quite a bit of variety when it comes to the prices of alcohol. For example, wine which is relatively inexpensive in Europe, can cost a significant chunk of money even at the grocery stores. One can pay $16.00 – $17.00 for a mid-range bottle of wine. In contrast, beer is more reasonable and normally-priced. At the grocery store you can expect to pay about $1.50 for a half a liter bottle while the bars would charge $1.00 and $4.00 for the same type of beer.
Croatia: Croatia is also at the lower end of alcohol prices with a half a liter of local beer running at about €1.50 – €2.00. At the store the same beer could costs half of that. The same size local wine can run for approximately €4.00 to €6.00 and a shot of vodka at a bar is about €1.50 – €2.00. A bottle of house wine cost approximately €9.50-10.00 and in the store a mid-range bottle of wine will be about €5.00 – €7.00. A bottle of Rakija (the local hard liquor) runs for about €6.80.
Japan: The price of a draft beer at a restaurant or a bar is about $5.00 – $6.00 but prices are higher in some well-known establishments reaching as much as $7.00 and $9.00. Cocktails run at about $7.50 or more. In the grocery stores, one can purchase a bottle of hard liquor for about $18.00 – $19.00. In Kyoto, the price of wine when bought from the store ranges between $8.00 and $13.00 per bottle (0.750).
These examples indicate the large price differences across countries. A tourist who favors a drink every once in a while can draw their own conclusion where to go.
For more information visit: alcohol prices around the world