Ideas to Enjoy Paris On a Budget

How to enjoy Paris without spending the children’s inheritance.
Submitted by J. Christina @ www.scribblesandsmiles.net

Paris is always a good idea but can be expensive for most travelers. When traveling with friends to Paris, we look for the most cost effective ways to enjoy the city. First of all, we are art junkies – we enjoy sketching, photographing, and sometimes just need an art museum fix. “What better place to do all three but in Paris?”

With a little pre-planning, Paris can be enjoyed without spending the children’s inheritance. One place is a bit off the beaten path between Monceau and Batignolles in the Seventeenth Arrondissement. Our favorite stop is always Rue de Lévis, a historical pedestrian street market, clearly off the tourist route. Here you can fill your shopping bags with bread, cheese and wine and where the smell of roasting chickens wafts in the air- all in one-stop shopping. You can eat well by shopping at local markets and it’s a feast for the eyes and for the artists at heart. It costs nothing to sketch or photograph a colorful and fun street scene.
Rue de Lévis – Street Market
Location: Between the neighborhoods of Monceau and Batignolles
Metro: Villiers metro (lines #2 and #3)

Use the budget friendly Batobus water taxi shuttle service on the Seine, €19 for a two day pass that has nine scheduled stops – all close to Paris’ main districts and monuments. You can hop on-and-off, all day long, sketching and photographing until your heart and sketchpads are full. One of the most magnificent photo-ops is at night when all the monuments are lit or when the Eiffel Tower just begins to twinkle. What better way to finish off a wonderful day in Paris than with night photography?
Batobus
Location: 9-scheduled stops
Timetable

Opera and dinner: More than just a meal by J. Christina “scribbles and smiles“