A trip to Paris can be expensive. As our budget was tight, we tried to save as much as possible to make our 5-day holiday affordable. These are some tips to save money when visiting Paris:
1. Flights
We flew with EasyJet from Glasgow to Charles de Gaulle for £88.81 per person. It was cheaper to fly on Thursday evening rather than on a Friday morning and we took the cheapest return flight on Tuesday afternoon. Also, we didn’t pay for luggage and only took a bag each.
2. Accommodation
An aparthotel is the optimal accommodation when staying in an expensive city like Paris. Thus, we chose Adagio Access Nogent-sur-Marne which is part of the Accor Group. As we flew a day earlier, we received a long-stay discount, and it was cheaper to stay for 5 nights than the originally planned 4 nights.
To save more money, we created an Accor account and linked this to our KLM Flying Blue account. This allowed us to collect Accor points and Airmiles. Additionally, we booked the hotel through Quidco to receive Cashback.
3. Food
Having a kitchen in the aparthotel means that you can cook meals in the accommodation. Even if you just have breakfast in the aparthotel and only go out for dinner, this will save money. Buying Magic Bags from TooGoodToGo for 4-7€ saves a lot of money as well.
Keep in mind that drinking alcohol in public is allowed in France. Thus, a drink at the Seine can be inexpensive and you don’t need to go to a restaurant.
4. Activities
If possible, travelling to Paris at the beginning of the month can save a lot of money. The Louvre Museum is free after 6pm on the first Friday of the Month. There are also many other museums (i.e., Musée d’Orsay) that offer free entry at the beginning of the month. However, you do need to book a couple of weeks in advance as these tickets are popular.
We also saved money by avoiding overpriced activities and choosing alternatives. For example, we bought a bottle of wine and snacks to have at the Eiffel Tower and didn’t buy tickets to walk up the tower.
Costs per person:
Flights (Return) £88.81
Accommodation £139.44
Bus to Glasgow Airport (Return) £14.00
Airport Transfer £26.89
Zone Ticket £39.05
Food & Drink £126.65
Total £434.84