Yes, you can! ... still afford to visit Paris!

By: Victoria Till Cole

If ever there was a year we will need to get away from it all, this is the one ... How about Paris, City of Lights, and fill a memory bank that no one can rob or devalue? Here are some hints on how to make the most of your dollars and enjoy a fabulous holiday!

Getting there

The airlines are going to be offering some really good deals this year to keep people travelling. Watch out for special offers! Travelling midweek can save you money. And if the cheapest flight is via Moscow, just tell yourself that you are getting two destinations for the price of one! The best value for money to get into Paris for two or more people is a collective taxi - book ahead with www.paris-shuttle.com or www.parisairportservice.com.

A roof over your head

A medium range chain hotel (i.e. Ibis) will cost you approximately 90 euros a night for a double room, with a supplement for continental breakfast of around 8-15 euros/person. Alternatively, why not rent an apartment and save on all those meals out? Either book direct with the owner, or deal through a reputable agent who knows the properties personally and who can offer certain guarantees and take care of rent payments etc. Rates from around 125 euros per night for 2-4 guests, and you will save a fortune on meals out. (See our Paris apartment rentals)

Cheap eats

If you have opted for a hotel, you can save a few euros by having a coffee and croissant for breakfast in a local cafe - with real Parisian ambiance as a plus!

Lots of restaurants, including the fancy ones, offer special lunch menus at very attractive prices, usually with a choice of two or three courses and sometimes wine or coffee. For best rates, move away from the main tourist areas (Boulevard St Germain, Champs Elysees) and find a restaurant that is full of local office workers - you can be sure it will be a good one! These menus are not usually available in the evening.

Alternatively, visit a local market and buy a picnic. A crisp baguette, a few slices of delicious home cured ham, a hunk of cheese, a kilo of fresh apricots and a bottle of wine, to be sampled on a bench in the Place des Vosges, or maybe sitting on a wall overlooking the Seine!

If you have cooking facilities, take full advantage of the wonderful array of fresh produce available in the local market - cheeses, pates, fresh fish and seafood, seasonal fruits and vegetables - to prepare your evening meal. Markets and local 'traiteurs' (upper end take away!) also offer mouth-watering ready prepared dishes that you can just take home and enjoy with a good bottle of wine selected with the help of your neighbourhood wine store! (Note: There are itinerant markets throughout Paris every morning except Mondays.)

Getting around

The best transport deal in town is the Navigo Decouverte pass, which allows you unlimited travel on the metro, RER and buses for 7 days starting Mondays. It costs a one-off charge of 5 euros (keep it for your next visit!) plus a weekly rate of 16.80 euros which covers the whole of Paris. You can purchase them at metro stations and Tabacs (tobacconists) and you will need a passport size photo. Think carefully before choosing one of the special 'tourist' ticket offers - they might well not fit your holiday profile!

If you plan to do a lot of walking, you might prefer to buy transport tickets by the 'carnet' - 10 tickets for 11.40 Euros - each ticket valid for one metro or bus journey.

For the energetic and intrepid why not take out a weekly subscription for a famous 'Velib' - chubby silver grey bikes made available by the city of Paris? Just take your credit card to the nearest Velib station and follow the easy English language instructions. A day's subscription costs 1 euro, and just 5 euros for one week. The first half hour is free, with paying increments for every half hour after that. Velib stations are scattered throughout Paris approximately every 300 meters, and you can get a map of specially designated bike routes from the Paris tourist office. No special gear is required, but you might like to bring your own bike helmet.

What to see

Many of the sites of Paris are for free! Explore the banks of the Seine, the Ile St Louis with its magnificent 'Hotels Particuliers', the Ile de la Cite with its flower market and Sunday bird market, visit Notre Dame Cathedral and the tiny medieval streets of the Latin Quarter and Marais. Admire the splended view over Paris from Montmartre, drink in the atmosphere of the artist filled Place du Tertre, and rest your legs in the Sacre Coeur Basilica.

A number of museums are free on the first Sunday of each month (eg the Louvre, the Picasso Museum) or have cheap evening rates (the Louvre from 6-9.45 pm on Wednesdays and Fridays - 6 euros instead of 9 euros; the Musee d'Orsay - 7 euros instead of 9.50 euros on Thursday from 6 pm). The permanent collection of the museum of the city of Paris, the Musee Carnavalet, is free and well worth a visit - the building is magnificent and it is especially good on the Revolution! Under 18's usually get free entry into museums. Check out your favourites on the websites - these are often in English.

Events for free

• 14th July Bastille Day parade on the Champs Elysees, followed that night by a firework display.
• 21st June - The Fete de la Musique celebrates the summer equinox with 24 hours of free concerts throughout Paris.
• Mid-July to mid-August - the banks of the Seine are transformed with sand, palm trees and chaises longues and other seaside attractions into 'Paris Plage' beach!
• Mid-July to mid-August - 'Festival Estival' - art events of all sorts in the parks and squares all over Paris, lots for free, some paying.
• Early October - visit Montmartre for the Fete des Vendanges - the harvest festival for the last vinyard in Paris, with a bucolic procession and other events.
• Early October - Paris Nuit Blanch' - when unexpected sites and monuments are open to the public and various artistic events are scheduled non-stop throughout the night!
• Concerts - throughout the year, often in churches - buy Pariscope every Wednesday for the week's events. "Entree libre" opposite an event means it is for free!
• In a general way, as you walk around Paris you will come across unexpected official or unofficial entertainment - a jazz concert in a park bandstand or just a really good busker.

Excursions

The RER (high speed metro) or local trains will take you cheaply and swiftly to many destinations directly from central Paris. The park, chateau and racecourse of Chantilly, Chartres cathedral, or Versailles are all less than an hour (6 Euros-27 Euros for return journey). At the mainline stations there is always someone who speaks English to help you buy your ticket.

Good buys

The Sales in Paris are held twice a year on officially dictated dates. Winter Sales usually start around the first week in January and run for around five weeks. Summer Sales start around the end of June.

Second hand shops or 'Troc' are inevitably becoming very popular! The smarter the area the smarter the selection! (Autour d'Elles, 20 rue des Tournelles in the Marais ; Passy Puces, 6 rue Francois-Millet, 16th arrondissement ; or buy the latest edition of 'Les Meilleurs Depots-Ventes de Paris' 6 Euros). Treat yourself to a complete 're-looking' by the talented 'Lisa B' - specialising in unlabelled designer clothes. The shop is a rainbow of colourful chaos but she knows where everything is and what will suit you! (40 rue Coquilliere, 1st arrondissement - open Monday to Friday 10H to 19H).

Don't forget you can get a sales tax refund if you live outside the European community! Shops geared to handling this usually have a notice in the window, and the big department stores - Galeries Lafayettes, Le Bon Marche, Le Printemps - all provide this service.

At the other end of the spectrum, the markets offer great opportunities for buying inexpensive little gifts - a seasoned Australian traveller of our acquaintance buys all her Christmas presents at Daumesnil market (Tuesday and Friday am)! The weekend flea markets at the Porte de Vanves (Saturday and Sunday am), or Porte de Clignancourt (Saturday to Monday) are great fun even if you don't plan to buy. Don't hesitate to bargain!

Don't get ripped off!

There are a few scams that you should be aware of, starting at the airport. Beware of taxi touts who approach you as you exit customs - these taxis have no meters and are unlicensed. The official taxi rank is clearly indicated. Watch out for the 'gold ring' trick! Someone will fortuitously 'find' a gold ring on the pavement at your feet. Then follows a wonderful display of psychology which culminates in the victim willingly parting with good money in exchange for a valueless ring.

Remember if you are in touristy areas (Boulevard St Germain, Champs Elysees etc.) a simple coffee will cost you much more than if you head back a street or two. All cafe and restaurant rates have to be clearly displayed - check! A drink standing at the bar will usually cost you less than sitting down, but that is not much good for the foot-sore! On the other hand, if you really must have a coffee at the Cafe Flore on the Boulevard St Germain, tell yourself that half the cost is the theatre which is being enacted around you, and cheap at the price!

Bonnes vacances!