Paris is ranked as one of the most expensive tourist cities in the world. If you have a limited budget and want to spend your money wisely while traveling in the capital of France, these are our money saving tips in Paris!
Use The Paris Pass
The Paris Pass will help you to save money as with it you will be able to visit more than 60 attractions and museums in Paris. You can choose to buy The Paris Pass which suits your needs best. Tickets are available for 2 days, 3 days, 4 days and 6 days the price of the pass is 139 EUR, 174 EUR, 209 EUR and 259 EUR, respectively.
For more details check Complete Guide to The Paris Pass.
Use The Paris Museum Pass
Those holding The Paris Museum Pass can visit over 60 museums and monuments, including most of the main attractions in Paris, such as the Arc de Triomphe, Sainte-Chapelle, Panthéon, Louvre, Musée Rodin. The price of the pass is 48 Euro for 2 days, 62 Euro for 4 days, and 74 Euro for 6 days. The Paris Museum Pass not only helps you saving money in Paris, but also saves time as in some places it gives you special privileges and you can skip the line.
For more details check Complete Guide to The Paris Museum Pass.
Buy the pass for a special price here: The Paris Museum Pass.
Visit Paris Museums for Free
There are many museums in Paris that can be visited free of charge, on a daily basis. Various discounts are offered by each museum as well. In fact, there are 14 museums in Paris that offer free visits throughout the year while many museums such as the Musée d 'Art Moderne Museum, the Pompidou Center Museum and the Musée d’Orsay Museum are open for free on the first Sunday of every month. Some museums such as the Louvre museum, Conciergerie and Sainte Chapelle are open for visitors with different conditions as they are open for free throughout the year for those under 26 years old. The Louvre Museum is also open for free after 6 pm on Friday evenings.
For more details check Complete Guide to Free Museums in Paris.
Use Paris Visite Travelcard
If you plan to travel in Paris by public transport, such as RER, metro, bus and tram, you can buy a Paris Visite travelcard. Paris Visite Travelcard can be used for unlimited travel on the specified time and zone. Adult price tickets of the card are as follows (management fee not included):
- 1 day: 12.00 EUR
- 2 days: 19.50 EUR
- 3 days: 26.65 EUR
- 5 days: 38.35 EUR
For more details check The Paris Visite travelcard - Unlimited Travel in Paris.
However, if you do not need discounts for museums, attractions or restaurants, you can choose to buy a ticket called Ticket Mobilis instead. Ticket Mobilis can be used for unlimited travel in the specific dates and zones. This card is also slightly cheaper as the price for adults starts at 7.50 EUR/day.
Buy a Carnet Ticket
Public transport system in Paris is very well developed. There are more than 300 subway stations and plenty of buses and trams running around the city. This is why traveling around Paris is very easy. Tourists can buy a set of 10 tickets called "carnet". The total price of the set for adults is 14.90 EUR, for children under 10 years - 7.05 EUR. This ticket can be used on all transportation systems in Paris. The price of the set is significantly cheaper than buying separate one-way tickets as each of them costs 1.90 EUR.
Ticket machines in Paris are available in English and accept payments by credit and debit cards. There are 2 types of ticket machine in Paris: yellow and white. If you want to buy a carnet ticket, you can buy it at one of the white machines only.
Free Walking Tours
Joining a Free Walking Tour is a good way to explore Paris in a true local way. There are many tour companies offering this kind of service with different programs, starting locations and walking routes.
City Free Tours is the company where you can join many different programs for free, such as Montmartre free tour, Notre Dame and Latin Quarter free tour and Marais free tour. English speaking guides provide great information about attractions in Paris.
New Paris is a company offering a 3-hour tour program that starts at Place Saint-Michel and takes you to Paris famous attractions such as Notre Dame de Paris, Louvre Mueseum, Parc des Tuileries.
Don't Forget Tax Refund
If you like shopping, don't forget to use the advantage of being a tourist and get tax refund. In France, if you buy goods worth more than 175 EUR on the same day from the same store, you will have the right to get a tax refund of up to 12%. Usually, the large department stores, such as Galeries Lafayette and many retail stores can make tax refund for you. The shops that offer tax refund display a sign of détaxe or Global Blue sign Tax Free at the store.