Daily Budget Tiers
Paris is among Europe's pricier capitals, but strategic choices — free museum Sundays, boulangerie lunches, neighbourhood restaurants outside tourist zones — can bring daily costs to a manageable level. For a full destination overview including neighbourhoods, culture, and sightseeing tips, see our Paris destination guide.
Full Cost Breakdown
| Expense | Budget option | Estimated cost |
|---|---|---|
| Return flight (from Europe) | Budget airline / Eurostar from London | €60–200 |
| Accommodation (5 nights) | Hostel or budget hotel in 10th/11th/18th arr. | €120–180 |
| Food & drinks (5 days) | Boulangeries + one brasserie lunch/day | €90–130 |
| Transport | 10-journey metro carnet + RER airport | €25–40 |
| Louvre (or other paid museums) | Book online in advance | €17–22 |
| Eiffel Tower (2nd floor) | Stairs are cheapest option | €12–19 |
| Other activities | Palace of Versailles, Seine picnic, markets | €20–35 |
| Travel insurance | Basic EU coverage | €15–25 |
| Total (5 days) | €360–650 | |
Visiting Paris on the first Sunday of the month dramatically cuts museum costs — the Louvre, Musée d'Orsay, and Centre Pompidou are all free. Plan your trip around this date and save €60+ per person.
5-Day Budget Itinerary
Eiffel Tower & Champ de Mars
The Eiffel Tower exterior is free to admire — picnic on the Champ de Mars grass with boulangerie supplies for €5–8. Take the stairs to the 2nd floor (€12) rather than the lift to the summit (€19). View from Trocadéro across the river: free and the best angle.
Free Museum Sunday: Louvre
Plan this day for the first Sunday of the month — the Louvre is free (normally €17). Arrive 30 minutes before opening (9am) to beat crowds. Focus on the highlights: Venus de Milo, Winged Victory, and the Mona Lisa room. 3–4 hours minimum.
Montmartre & Sacré-Cœur
Climb to Montmartre (free funicular, or stairs), admire Sacré-Cœur for free, watch street artists at Place du Tertre. Best views over Paris without any entry fee. Lunch at a Montmartre brasserie (€14–18 for a formule: starter + main + glass of wine).
Le Marais & Canal Saint-Martin
Le Marais is Paris's most beautiful neighbourhood and free to walk. Centre Pompidou exterior plaza and street performers: free. Place des Vosges (oldest square in Paris): free. Canal Saint-Martin: perfect for a picnic with wine from a supermarket (€5 total).
Musée d'Orsay & Seine Walk
Musée d'Orsay (€16, book online) for Impressionist art — Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh. Walk along the Left Bank back towards Notre-Dame (free exterior, currently post-fire restoration). Croissant and café au lait at a neighbourhood boulangerie: €3.50.
Cheap Accommodation in Paris
Paris is expensive for accommodation — expect to pay more than in Prague or Athens for equivalent quality. The good news: the metro connects all arrondissements efficiently, so staying slightly outside the centre saves money without sacrificing convenience.
Best budget arrondissements
- 10th arrondissement (Canal Saint-Martin / République): Trendy, affordable, great restaurants and bars. Hostels from €25/dorm, budget hotels from €70.
- 11th arrondissement (Bastille / Oberkampf): Local feel, excellent nightlife and food scene. Budget hotels from €65.
- 18th arrondissement (Montmartre): Atmospheric and cheaper than central Paris. Hostels from €20/dorm.
- Near CDG or Orly airports: Some travellers sleep near the airport for very short stays — suburban RER makes the city accessible in 30–40 minutes.
Budget ranges
- Hostel dorm: €20–35/night
- Budget private room: €65–100/night
- Mid-range hotel: €110–160/night
Eating on a Budget in Paris
The French take food seriously at every price point — a €5 boulangerie lunch can be transcendent. The key is to eat like a local: boulangerie for breakfast and lunch, brasserie for the lunchtime formule, supermarket for picnic dinners.
Cheap Paris eats
- Boulangerie croissant + café: €3–4 — do this every morning
- Jambon-beurre sandwich (ham and butter baguette): €4–5 from any boulangerie
- Brasserie formule lunch: Starter + main + glass of wine for €14–18 — extraordinary value for sit-down food
- Crêpe from a stand: €3–4 (sweet) or €5–6 (savoury galette) in Montmartre or Latin Quarter
- Falafel in Le Marais (Rue des Rosiers): €7–9 — a Paris institution
- Supermarket picnic: Baguette, cheese, charcuterie, wine for two — €10–15 from Monoprix or Carrefour
Where to eat cheaply
- Rue Mouffetard (Latin Quarter) — cheap restaurants, market stalls, very student-friendly
- Belleville neighbourhood — excellent Vietnamese and Chinese food from €8–12
- Oberkampf and République — neighbourhood restaurants with €12–15 lunch menus
- Avoid: Champs-Élysées, Eiffel Tower base, and Place du Tertre restaurants (tourist trap pricing)
Getting Around Paris Cheaply
- Metro: Single ticket €2.15; 10-journey carnet (book of tickets) €16.90. The most efficient way to cross Paris. Lines run until 1am (2am Fri/Sat).
- Navigo Easy card: Reloadable card, needed for carnets. Buy at any metro station for €2.
- RER B to CDG airport: €11.80 from any central Paris station — much cheaper than taxis (€55–60) or Orlybus.
- Walking: Paris's arrondissements are more compact than they look — walking from Notre-Dame to the Louvre takes 20 minutes.
- Vélib' bike share: €3/day for unlimited 30-minute rides — great for exploring along the Seine.
- Uber / Bolt: Available but rarely cheaper than metro for short trips. Good for late-night airport runs.
Free Things to Do in Paris
- Eiffel Tower exterior and Champ de Mars — free (pay only to go inside)
- Notre-Dame de Paris exterior — under restoration but the square and views remain accessible
- Sacré-Cœur Basilica — free entry, stunning interior
- Luxembourg Gardens — free, one of Paris's most beautiful parks
- Tuileries Garden (between the Louvre and Place de la Concorde) — free
- Musée Carnavalet (Paris history museum) — free permanent collection
- Petit Palais — free permanent collection of fine art
- All national museums — free on the first Sunday of each month (Oct–March)
- Place des Vosges — free, Paris's oldest and most beautiful square
- Canal Saint-Martin evening walk — free, very local, very Parisian
Dreaming of Paris With Your Group?
Use MyHolidayMatch to find a destination everyone agrees on — whether it's Paris or somewhere surprising.
Download FreeMoney-Saving Tips for Paris
Visit on Free Museum Sunday
On the first Sunday of each month (year-round for EU residents under 26; Oct–March for all), the Louvre, Musée d'Orsay, and Centre Pompidou are free. Save €50+ per person by planning your visit accordingly.
Eat the Brasserie Lunch Formule
French brasseries serve a 2 or 3-course lunchtime menu (formule) for €12–18 — the same dishes cost twice as much à la carte in the evening. Lunch big, eat light at dinner.
Skip the Eiffel Tower Summit
The 2nd-floor view from the Eiffel Tower stairs costs €12 and takes 30 minutes queuing. The summit lift costs €19+ and queues for 1–2 hours. The Trocadéro view is free and arguably better.
Buy Metro Carnets Not Singles
Single tickets cost €2.15. A 10-journey carnet costs €16.90 (€1.69 each). Load onto a Navigo Easy card and save 20% versus single tickets on every journey.
Shop at Lidl / Monoprix for Wine
A decent bottle of French wine costs €4–7 at Lidl or the supermarket section of Monoprix. Restaurant wine markups are enormous — save wine for picnics on the Seine or Champ de Mars.
Book Louvre Tickets in Advance
The Louvre's online ticket (€17) skips the main ticket queue which can be 45–90 minutes. More importantly: you cannot enter without a timed-entry ticket — the queue for buying tickets on-site is even longer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Paris really as expensive as people say?
For accommodation and restaurants in tourist areas, yes. But Paris has many free world-class attractions, excellent supermarkets, and a lunchtime formule culture that makes eating well affordable. With planning, a solo budget traveller can manage on €85–100/day.
What is the cheapest month to visit Paris?
January and February are cheapest (post-Christmas lull) but cold. March–April (before peak season) and October–November offer the best balance. Avoid July–August (peak) and Christmas/New Year (expensive and crowded).
Can I see Paris on a budget in 3 days?
Yes. In 3 days you can cover the Eiffel Tower, Louvre (book ahead), Notre-Dame, Sacré-Cœur, Le Marais, and the Seine. Schedule one free museum Sunday and eat boulangerie lunches — a 3-day trip is achievable for €300–400 excluding flights.
Is the Paris Museum Pass worth it?
The Paris Museum Pass (€52 for 2 days, €66 for 4 days) covers 50+ museums and monuments including the Louvre, Musée d'Orsay, Versailles, and Sainte-Chapelle. It pays for itself after visiting 2–3 major museums and also skips ticket queues — definitely worth it for museum enthusiasts.