Paris interesting facts how to save money. What do the French save on? Housing prices

Practically all tourists and travelers use it, renting a car in this city will not bring a noticeable gain in time when moving, because narrow streets provoke large traffic jams, which take up not only time, but also precious nerves. In addition, in Paris you can easily purchase a travel card of a suitable type (there is for several trips, for using transport for one day, for a long stay), which will save a lot of money. If you are planning to spend a week or more in Paris, it makes sense to buy a Navigo Decouverte Pass. You can find out more by following the link above.

Shopping

Many travelers define shopping as one of the goals of their trip to Paris (a detailed article on shopping is posted), along with the cultural program. And this is absolutely the right decision, because here you can buy great fashion items of the current season. A huge number of shops throughout the city are tourist-oriented, attracting attention with discounts and catchy advertisements. But you don't need to be guided only by those numbers that are indicated as discounts at street boutiques. Some stores first inflate the prices of their goods, and then they already make discounts, in the end, customers buy things at regular prices. Therefore, it is best to shop at.

Because Since the prices in Paris are very high, it is better to go on holiday to to save money. Discounts on goods reach 80-90%, for the same money you can buy several times more things without losing quality. Also, for the safety of your money, it is advisable to return VAT. This service is available for tourists, thanks to Tax Free (this is how VAT refund is called), you can save up to 33% of the budget for purchases (the percentage is different for different categories of goods). Details about Tax Free in Paris are written.

Regardless of the budget for shopping, everyone should read the article that the list contains original products that you and your family and friends will definitely like.

• If you want to visit the main sights without queues, then come either to the very opening or to the closing. Within an hour after the opening, huge queues are formed. The queues decrease immediately after lunch, so this can also be used to save time.
• Print (or buy) a detailed and overview map... Paris is large and it won't be difficult to get lost in it, and with the map you can navigate and go to the desired place. Do not rely only on electronic cards, because batteries in electronic devices run out at the most inopportune moment.
• The Latin Quarter in Paris is cheap area with cheap shops, restaurants and souvenir shops. Want to save money? Go there.
• The tourist season is divided into high and low. One is suitable for active shopping and visiting museums, and the other is for an inexpensive holiday. Find out for yourself.

• The best view of Paris from above - this is the Montmartre hill (the highest point in Paris). If you don't want to stand in a long line at the Eiffel Tower, then Montmartre is a great place.
• Use Free Attraction Days. Some attractions are free on some days (or some hours). For example, entrance to the Louvre is cheaper after 6:00 pm on Fridays and is completely free on the first Sunday of every month. You can find out about such discounts on the official sites of attractions.
• Buy a metro card. There are a lot of metro stations in Paris, the map will help you find your way and quickly get to the desired place.
• Use a local SIM card. This way you will significantly save on mobile communications and the Internet. More details.
• Buy a Paris Pass. This will save you a lot of money on sightseeing, public transport and much more.

Travel cost

Here everyone is free to determine for himself how much an independent trip to Paris will cost. Different travelers have different travel styles, and everyone has different requirements for their vacation. If you use it, the trip will not cost much. On average, a two-week trip to Paris requires 90,000 rubles per person (including flights (round trip) Moscow - Paris). The trip to Paris cost me 86,000 rubles. You can find out about budgeting for recreation in this city in.

Here, for an overview, look at what expenses an independent trip to Paris for 10 days for 2 people consists of.

Prices in Paris

Housing prices

Food prices in the supermarket

Transport prices

Attraction prices

So I have listed the main features of an independent trip to Paris. Now you can better organize and reduce the cost of your trip. Paris is a really wonderful city, after visiting which, I have only positive emotions :). Travel, read my blog and enjoy life! All the best!

New cities and countries are fraught with a great temptation: whatever amount you have, it can be easily wasted on a variety of excursions, entertainment and tasting the masterpieces of local cuisine. Don't want the last item to take over a significant portion of your budget? The ZagraNitsa portal will tell you how you can save on food while traveling

Avoid crowded places

Near famous and visited museums, monuments and other attractions, there are always cafes that invite hungry tourists for a hearty meal. But remember, in such places everything is sold at exorbitant prices - demand generates a high price. Far from tourist attractions, you can eat cheaper.

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Have lunch at happy hours

At lunchtime, many cafes and restaurants offer significant lunch discounts. Their size can reach 30% or more. Why not take advantage of such a generous offer? To be at the right time in the right place, these points should be found before traveling using the Internet.

Avoid carbonated drinks

To prevent thirst from being caught by surprise (and it can sometimes be easily confused with hunger), always take water with you on the road or for a walk around the city. Sugary juices and sodas can only make the situation worse - it's better to skip them. But a bottle of mineral water is another matter. Moreover, it can be bought in a store only once, and then filled up in a hostel or hotel. The main thing is that the water quality is good. In Paris, strategic fluid supplies can also be replenished at free drinking fountains.

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Don't listen to concierges

Get to know local fast food

For all its availability, street food is not the healthiest food. But if it is not overused, street food stalls can save a lot of money while traveling. In addition, you won't have to look for a buffet on wheels for a long time - in Europe they are located almost at every step. All that remains is to choose a decent mobile shop, in which the sellers adhere to sanitary standards. It will never be superfluous to protect yourself from food prepared in unacceptable conditions - especially in warm countries.

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Explore local supermarkets and markets

In your hometown, you know for sure in which store the products are of better quality and cheaper. You shouldn't buy food at the first grocery store you come across or while traveling. Of course, if it's not a matter of life and death. Otherwise, research the prices in several stores and choose the middle ground - a budget market with fresh produce on the shelves. For a list of stores, check the forums or online travel guides. There you can also find out about inexpensive restaurants and cafes located near the stop.

First of all, of course, planning your trip to Paris should start with booking air tickets. The standard price of a direct flight is 15 thousand rubles and more. But during periods of sales, a ticket to Paris can be bought at a cheaper rate - about 12-13 thousand. Follow shares Air France (for example, they always advertise their sales on Facebook) and Aeroflot.

As usual, a transfer ticket is cheaper than a direct one - if you look well, you can buy it for 10-11 thousand, and from a reputable carrier.

It will not be possible to save a lot on a trip from Paris airport to the city, since there are only two economical ways to get from there - by train RERconnected to the metro, and by buses.

A train ticket from Charles de Gaulle airport to the city center (Gare de Nord or Chatelet) will cost 9.75 euros and will take about 30 minutes, but this price will already include a metro ticket. Also, in this case, it will be convenient to make a transfer and get to the place you need in the city. The ticket price from Orly Airport is 11.65.

Another less convenient option is a bus, which promises to deliver 10.50 euros to the Paris Opera in an hour.

In the city itself, it is most convenient to get around on foot and by metro. To save money on trips, you should immediately determine how often you need to go down to the subway and, based on this, either buy the so-called carnet - 10 one-time trips for 13.70 euros or an unlimited travel card for all types of transport Paris Visite, which costs 10, 50 for one day, 17.65 for two. By the way, he also gives discounts in some shops and museums. All current prices for transport can be viewed, as well as immediately book tickets of interest.

Residence

Paris is famous among tourists for its expensive hotels, tiny rooms and meager breakfasts. An average 3-star hotel near the city center will cost no less than 80 euros per night. In this case, the room can be tiny, the front door rests on the bed, the shower hangs over the toilet.

Quite good and inexpensive hotels can be found in Montmartre or in the suburbs of Paris - but then you will definitely need a metro card.

A good alternative to a hotel can be apartments... Up to 100 euros per night, you can rent a beautiful, comfortable and fairly spacious apartment in the very center. Apart from Airbnb (which doesn't have many offers, check out the Glamor apartments or All paris apartments websites.

To come to Paris and not taste real French cuisine is simply sacrilege! But after you have enjoyed Burgundy snails, foie gras and the most tender rack of lamb, it's time to memorize the rules of survival in the city.

Firstly, if you live in a hotel, you can safely refuse breakfast - usually in a cafe opposite the prices for coffee and croissants are lower. An even more economical option is supermarket or bakery (boulangerie)where you can buy bread, rolls, brioches and other joys of French pastries. You can also run in here for a lunchtime snack: take a sandwich and a bottle of wine from the nearest supermarket, and go to eat on the Seine embankment.

Secondly, it is worth going to lunch at specially designated hours - usually from 12 to 14. In many cafes on weekdays you will be offered complex lunch, which will cost from 10 euros for two meals and a drink.

Third, do not neglect happy hours in the cafe - from about 17 to 19, you can find special offers: for example, when ordering a glass of wine - cheese as a gift or another glass of wine.

In Paris, also, do not forget about the general rule of European cities - beware of cafes and restaurants in tourist places and near attractions. The prices will be significantly higher, and the food and service are likely to be worse. Choose cafes in the quiet streets of the city, such as the Marais, Les Halles and Saint-Germain-des-Prés.

Attractions and museums

At this point, the traveler can rejoice: almost the entire center of Paris is a continuous museum and attraction! Every 500 meters you can come across a 17th century church, a square, ancient fountains or charming courtyards.

Almost all churches and cathedrals in Paris are freesuch as Notre Dame and Sacre Coeur. But you will have to fork out for climbing the Notre Dame towers. The Montmartre hill can be a free observation deck: go straight up to the Sacre-Coeur for a stunning view of the entire city center.

Get in is free many museums in Paris, such as the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay and the Pompidou Center, can be first Sunday of every month... One condition is that only permanent exhibitions are free on this day; you will have to pay for admission to temporary exhibitions.

Unfortunately, Paris museums are famous not only for their rich art collections, but also for their long queues. Of course, it all depends on the season and time. But to avoid the crowd, you can use a special site, which indicates the most comfortable hours for visiting a particular museum.

Another option to save time is.

If you are planning not to leave the temples of art, it is better to buy Museum Passwhich operates in more than 60 museums in Paris. Such a pass for 2 days of unlimited visits (with no queue) costs 42 euros, for 4 days - 56, for 6 days - 69 euros.

Designer

I am haunted by a stereotype: the image of a Parisian woman in black pipe trousers, a vest, with a scarf around her neck, in a beret and ballerinas.

I regularly visit Paris for work - when I was at Renault and now, already in the role of a fashion designer. I spend a lot of time with the locals, with the French. On her last visit, she lived in the 15th district, at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, and drank her first petit cafe on the boulevard at 8 a.m. every morning, when Parisians run on business - to work, with children to school (although, according to my observations men do it more), rush to the morning grocery market on Wednesdays.

Popular

But what do I want to say? Never. Never. I have not seen the "typical Parisian"!

I even did my own research to understand where this stereotype came from.

A bit of history

I did not find an exact historical reference, but my own reflections on this topic took shape in a coherent theory. The vest, neckerchief and beret are typical clothing of Marseille and other French sailors. How did these attributes of the sea and masculinity get into the wardrobe of refined urban dwellers?

At the beginning of the 20th century, Coco Chanel opens her first boutique not in Paris, but in Deauville, a resort town on the northern coast of France. Clients of Parisian fashion houses move here, escaping from the realities of the First World War, and fashion houses rush after them, including Paul Poiret, the most sought-after designer of women's clothing among aristocrats. How will the little-known Coco compete with the famous Poiret? Only by the power of thought.

She creates clothes in which it is convenient to walk along the beach, lie on a sun lounger and sail. At the same time, these clothes are made of inexpensive and comfortable fabrics - cotton and woolen jersey, because the supply of silk from the Lyons factories has sharply decreased: the production has switched to the production of fabrics for the army. The prototype of the first "sea" suit of Chanel was the image of a sailor - wide trousers and a loose vest.

What is extremely important to understand: neither Coco Chanel nor the French-Parisian will ever allow themselves theatricality and deliberation in the image and therefore will not repeat all the elements of the image that inspired her. Also, this set is traditionally used by French mimes, and here they are exaggeratedly copying all the elements of the image: both a red scarf around the neck and a beret with a pompom. But not true French women.

Myth and reality

My recent observations: the most popular clothing in Paris in the warm season is a semi-fitted dress with a loose skirt, an emphasis on the waist and a length just above the knee (yes, Parisians have thin legs), the second most popular are loose pipe pants with a voluminous shirt or tunic.

The most popular footwear - attention, I was surprised by my own observation - sandals with a bunch of straps on a flat sole or 3-4 cm heels. Graceful, while suitable for "running on business."

A typical set of clothes for the cold season: a semi-fitted coat to the knee, either gray or black, a voluminous scarf - also in the most traditional colors, narrow boots without a heel and no hats. Not a single beret, even in October-November-December-February - I myself came and checked: either nothing at all on my head, or a huge scarf to the top, or a hood.

Not a single small scarf around the neck: only large scarves, wound anyhow.

Vests are also free. Of the famous people, in my opinion, the “Parisian” style is best reflected by the British Duchess Kate Middleton.

French style

France is a country of extremely practical people. And this practicality also extends to the formation of a French woman's wardrobe. She chooses universal things of modest styles, practical colors, semi-fitted or loose silhouette, simple and laconic design.

At the same time, these are feminine things, with an emphasis on graceful knees. Pipe trousers, a loose tunic, a shirt, a blouse and a cardigan, a semi-fitted dress to the knee and a coat of the same silhouette, shoes with symbolic heels, a large scarf or shawl and "wind in your hair" - that's all you need to look in Paris as a typical Frenchwoman. Finishing touches: little makeup, fresh face and espresso at a table outside in the morning.

Tourists often spend too much money on transportation. But you just have to understand the local rules, and it turns out that you can save a lot. Today we will show you how to use public transport in Paris.

Public transport

The most convenient way to get around the city is by metro, because the Parisian subway is one of the most branched in the world. The metro map of the French capital has 14 lines, numbered and differing in color. The stations are open from 5.30 am to 1 am. The distance between the stops is so small that it is not uncommon to see the previous and the next station while standing on the same platform.

It is not easy to navigate the subway at first. The signs write the last station on the branch. Therefore, in order not to wander in the narrow and long passages of the labyrinth of the Paris metro and immediately determine which direction to turn in, remember not only the transfer station you need, but also the final station on the line.

A network of 5 branches of RER commuter trains also permeates the city, in some places duplicates the metro and stretches far beyond the city. Unlike the metro lines, the RER lines on the map are bold and instead of numbers, they are designated with letters of the Latin alphabet. It is RER that can be used if you decide to go to the suburbs, visit Versailles or Disneyland.

Buses only supplement the metro and RER and are much less popular than ours, but they usually run strictly according to the schedule (naturally, in those moments when no one is on strike).

Zones

8 tariff rings cover Paris and reach its farthest suburbs. If you are only interested in the capital, then you will not leave the limits of zones 1-2. Zone 3 includes the nearby suburbs of Saint-Denis and Vincennes. Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports, as well as Versailles and Disneyland - these are already zones 4-5. Beyond 5 zones, most tourists usually have nothing to do. If you decide to admire the skyscrapers of the La Defense office district up close and walk through its hypermarkets, then you should know: on the RER this is considered the outskirts of Paris and zone 3, and on the metro - 2.

Tickets

One ticket for zones 1-2 costs 1.6 euros. It can be used by all means of transport, including the funicular to Montmartre. You are allowed to make an unlimited number of metro and RER transfers within Paris, as well as change buses within an hour and a half. You cannot change from bus to metro! A ticket bought from a bus driver will cost 1.7 euros, but you cannot change trains on it.

If you are going to travel by metro and buses from time to time, it is better to buy a "booklet" of 10 tickets for 11.6 euros. Just do not carry it in your pocket next to your mobile, because these tickets demagnetize very quickly. However, this problem is known to everyone, and therefore you can easily exchange unused, but already unusable tickets at the box office of any metro station.

If you need to intensively move around Paris for only 1 day, then it is better to buy a Mobilis pass, valid for all types of transport from 5.30 am to 1 am: 5.9 euros for zones 1-2, 7.9 euros for zones 1-3, 13, € 2 for zones 1-5, etc.

Are you planning to stay in Paris for a week? Then it's better to buy Navigo. There are many variations of this pass. For example, 17.2 euros will cost Navigo for zones 1-2, 22.7 euros for zones 1-3, 33.4 euros for zones 1-5. In addition, you will have to pay 5 euros for the card itself. But you can use it the next time you come to Paris. Unfortunately, this pass is designed more for Parisians than for tourists: it is valid not from the date of purchase, but a calendar week - from Monday to Sunday. For the next week, season tickets start selling on Friday. However, if you need to travel a lot around the city, then it is profitable to buy it even on Wednesday (by the way, this is the last day when you can buy this ticket for the current week). When you go to the ticket office, do not forget to take a 25x30 mm photo, because this is a personal ticket, and only you can use it.

The rather unprofitable ParisVisite is intended for tourists, which operates from any day of the week. It can be bought for 1, 2, 3, 5 days for zones 1-3 or 1-6. It is significantly more expensive than Navigo, although it does offer some discounts at less-frequented restaurants and minor museums. For example, its cost for 1 day: € 9 for zones 1-3, € 18.9 for zones 1-6. For 3 days it will cost € 20 for zones 1-3 and 40.50 for zones 1-6. A similar ticket for 5 days costs 28.9 euros for zones 1-3 and 49.40 for 5 zones. You can see the current rates.

Walking around Paris late into the night? No problem! Night buses will help you get home from 0.30 to 5.30. They go less often during the day and on other routes. You can see the diagram. Within one zone, one standard ticket will be required, if further, you will have to punch several tickets depending on the route.

All tickets can be purchased from vending machines and ticket offices at metro and RER stations, as well as at some bus stops.

A bike

For several years now, bicycles have become a great alternative to cars in traffic jams and for which it is almost impossible to find parking. Scattered throughout the city, at a distance of about 300 meters from each other, are automatic Vélib "rentals" with thousands of bicycles. Alas, the system that both Parisians and tourists like is under threat of closure. The company servicing Vélib is suffering huge losses due to vandals. But while these rentals still exist, we will try to use them.

First you need to register for 1 day (1 euro) or 7 days (5 euro). After you have chosen the desired option, the machine will offer to insert a plastic card and enter a pin code. Please note that the card must be with a chip: if such credit cards are common in Europe, then only a few banks issue them here. Then follow the instructions in your chosen language. For the first time, the card will block 150 euros (which will be returned about two weeks after you finish using the bike rental). You won't have to pay extra for the first half hour. If you use one bike for more than half an hour, but less than an hour, then you will have to pay 1 euro, and the next half hour - 2 euro, and then 4 euro for each subsequent half hour.

IPhone owners can download a free app through the App Store to help them plan a route, find out the location of rental stations, check the availability of free bicycles and get a lot of other useful information.

Taxi

Taxis can be stopped by raising your hand. Passengers are accommodated only in the back seat. The fare is charged by the meter. The standard fare is calculated as follows: 2.2 euros "falls" in the bill immediately for boarding (if you take a taxi at a special parking lot or at the airport, you will have to pay about another euro more), then 0.89 euros per kilometer in the city and in the nearest suburbs. From 19 pm to 7 am, as well as on weekends and holidays and during the day, you will have to pay 1.14 euros per kilometer to airports. Thus, at the lowest fare, crossing the city will cost about 12 euros. Another 1 euro will have to pay for each bag in the trunk. When traveling to remote suburbs and at night trips to the airport, a third tariff will be applied - 1.38 euros per kilometer. It is customary for taxi drivers to tip about 5-10% of the bill.