PARIS ON A SHOE STRING

 

Paris is expensive. Just like any other Western European capital city London, Berlin, Bern, Copenhagen, and Stockholm you need to spend a lot of money to see what Paris and these beautiful cities have to offer. And if you plan to do it in a tourist bus with a guide you will only substantiate this belief. You cannot appreciate a city from the window of a moving bus, you have to walk on the roads, brush shoulder with the locals, smell the aroma of the eateries, admire the always happening sidewalks, taste the street food and listen to the buskers in the traffic intersections to appreciate the city and that too at a slash down price.

Have you noticed a stark difference between these cities and the cities which you far more frequently visit in India – Kolkata, Chennai, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Delhi? There is something for everybody in these cities. They invariably suit every pocket. So, what makes you think that these Western European capitals don’t?  They also do and I realized very early in my life while staying in Australia. Cities like Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Canberra, Brisbane, and Hobart all have pleasures and attractions that suit every pocket. From a 5 star hotel to a youth hostel and from a Michelin restaurant to a roadside café all you have to do is make a choice and never complain. The city attractions too are there for everyone and all you need is a little knowledge about the happenings of the city.

Paris is one of my most favourite cities. I have dedicated two blogs to the walking tour of this city and if you have not yet read them please click the following hyperlinks:

https://surajitbrainwaves.blogspot.com/2020/10/bonjour-parisarmchair-travel.html

https://surajitbrainwaves.blogspot.com/2020/10/bonjour-parisarmchair-travel-day-2.html

 

If you read my blogs you will realize that you don’t have to empty your wallet to absorb culture, admire monuments, or relax in Paris. Some of the city’s most enjoyable experiences won’t cost a cent and if you buy a Paris Pass many more attractions are free.

Views

You’ll pay €28.30 for a view from the Eiffel Tower, but the marvelous view of the Eiffel Tower itself from Palais de Chaillot is available to anyone. You can get a similar bird’s eye outlook over Paris for €7 from the dome of Sacre-Coeur basilica. However, take yourself to the rooftop terrace of Galeries Lafayette department store on Boulevard Haussmann and you’ll save all your Paris panorama money for shopping.

 

Monuments

Occasional days are entry-free at top sights, typically on the first Sunday of January, February, March, November and December, so check websites. At the Arc de Triomphe you’ll save €13, while at the Pantheon (where famous French figures are interred) and Sainte-Chapelle (noted for its stained glass) you’ll save €11.50. The Conciergerie, where Marie Antoinette was imprisoned, is free on the same days (except December) for another saving of €11.50.

The Notre Dame Cathedral

The Notre Dame Cathedral is being renovated after the accidental fire in in April 2019. It is a stunning gothic cathedral on the Île de la Cité with huge stained glass windows, 10 large bells (check out the most famous, Emmanuel) and two tall towers. Set on the bank of the Seine it’s a perfect location if you’re looking to save some pennies and just take in the sights of Paris.

 

Scenic spots

You don’t have to cough up for lovely architecture or great vistas. Two top squares are beautiful 17th-century Place des Vosges and hidden gem Place Dauphine, where you can kick back on a bench and admire glorious surrounding buildings. Ponts des Arts, a pedestrian bridge over the Seine, has unbeatable views of monumental Paris including Notre-Dame and, as a bonus, you might be serenaded by students strumming guitars on the footpath.

 

Cemeteries

Trust me, they are worth your time. The French capital’s largest and most prestigious cemetery is Pere Lachaise, where you get an eye-catching selection of funerary art in a leafy, park-like setting, and can pay your respects to eternally slumbering luminaries such as Chopin, Balzac, Edith Piaf, Oscar Wilde and Jim Morrison. Pick up a map in English at the entrance. Meanwhile Alexandre Dumas, Edgar Degas and actress Jeanne Moreau are among the dead famous at Montmartre Cemetery, which has garden-like prettiness.

Pere Lachaise

 

Museums

You’ll pay €17 for the Louvre, although entry is free on the first Friday evening of each month. Musee d’Orsay is €16 and free on the first Sunday of the month. But municipal museums are always free, such as the Museum of Fine Arts (mediaeval, Renaissance and 19th-century paintings) and Museum of Modern Art (20th-century works). Other excellent free museums are Musee Carnavalet for Paris history, Musee Cernuschi for Asian art, and Musee Cognacq for fine and decorative arts.

 

Walks

It only costs shoe sole to see Paris at its best. The walks that I mentioned in my two previous blogs (hyperlink posted above) were guided but still very economical. Seine River promenades, which have supplied a romantic background for artists and movie-makers, are wonderful, and you can cross a dozen bridges for more great vistas. Less well-known is Canal Saint-Martin in a district trendy with bars and street markets. Former elevated railway viaduct turned 4.7-kilometre Promenade Plantee and former sunken railway line turned 23-kilometre Petit Ceinture park are also worth strolling.

Seine River promenade

Music

Many of Paris’ churches have free regular organ recitals, choral music and concerts, such as every Sunday at Saint-Eustache Church, a 12-minute walk from the Louvre. Oratoire du Louvre and Saint-Roch Church are also conveniently located in the 1st arrondissement. Various music conservatories have regular classical-music events, as do town halls. For rock and pop, try La Bellevilloise in Menilmontant district. Summer sees many festivals which, although mostly ticketed, also provide some free events.

 

Window shopping

If you can keep your wallet closed then window shopping (or window licking, as the French call it) provides displays of contemporary French fashion and food. Among great covered passageways are Galerie Vivienne, Galerie Vero-Dodat and Passage Verdeau. Top streets include Rue du Commerce, Rue Bonaparte, uber-chic Rue Saint-Honore, Boulevard Haussmann and long Rue de Rivoli, whose eastern end is best. Top markets are the Flower Market and the enormous Saint-Ouen Flea Market, which has everything from vintage clothing to antiques.

Galerie Vivienne

Real shopping

Forget the Champs Elysees for your holiday outfit, indulge in Paris’ second hand scene and riffle through vintage boutiques that supply some of the most best-dressed in Paris. Bric-à-Brac Riquet is one of the most popular shops for vintage fans. Set up originally by an anti-poverty charity, run by unemployed people, now this Saturday market is a honey pot for those in need of a bargain or statement piece. 

Parks and gardens

Parks aren’t second-best free options but major sights. Hit the Luxembourg Gardens for glorious flowerbeds, statuary, rose gardens and an orangery. The historic Tuileries has a formal French layout and statues by 19th-century sculptor Auguste Rodin. Also providing a sense of history is Jardin des Plantes, founded as a royal herb garden and now France’s largest botanical garden. Not-so-well-known Parc de la Villette has free open-air movies in summer, screened in their original language.

 

Micro-districts

While Paris is divided into arrondissements, within those you can find tiny districts filled with little surprises away from beaten tourist trails. Picturesque Butte Bergeyre has attractive art deco villas, a vineyard and hilltop views towards Sacre-Coeur Basilica. Leandre has a bizarrely 1920s English atmosphere, and Butte Aux Cailles the feel of a cobbled village. The latter has its own micro-district, Cite Florale, where wisteria climbs the walls, balconies cascade geraniums, and gardens blossom with flowers. You can hire a car and drive, if you are confident of driving on the right side of the road in a car which has steering wheel on the left side!

Butte Bergeyre 

 

I will advise you to visit these two websites parisjetaime.com, and paris.fr before you plan a trip to Paris. Take a good pair of walking shoes and if you are going off season then insulate yourself adequately. From evening entertainment to retail therapy, there’s plenty to do on a shoestring budget. That’s not including the savings you can make with a Paris Pass too; so combined... the possibilities are endless. Paris is beautiful at any time of the year and whether it rains, shines or snows.