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🗼 Visiting Paris on a budget: 12 money-saving tips

Updated on 7 Nov 2026

Paris has a reputation for being expensive, but with a little planning you can enjoy it fully without breaking the bank.

Getting around

1. Walk: many famous sights are close to each other (Louvre, Tuileries, Concorde, Champs-Élysées, or Notre-Dame, the Latin Quarter and Saint-Germain).
2. Take the metro: fast and dense. Compare the RATP ticket options for the length of your stay.
3. Vélib' bikes: handy for short rides, with many cycle lanes.

Sightseeing

4. Free museums: several City of Paris museums have free permanent collections, and many national museums are free for EU residents under 26. Some are also free on the first Sunday of the month: check the museum's website.
5. Book online: for the busiest monuments, a timed ticket saves hours of queuing. Compare tickets on our Tourism page ("Tickets" button).
6. Free views: Montmartre and the Sacré-Cœur steps, Parc de Belleville, or the Seine banks at sunset.
7. Parks and gardens: Luxembourg, Tuileries, Buttes-Chaumont, Bois de Vincennes: perfect for a picnic.

Where to stay

8. Look beyond the centre: outer districts and nearby towns well served by metro or RER are often cheaper.
9. Compare dates: trade fairs, big events and school holidays push prices up.

Eating

10. Bakeries and markets: a sandwich deal or a picnic costs far less than a tourist restaurant.
11. Lunch menus: many restaurants offer a set lunch that is cheaper than dinner.
12. Avoid the most touristy streets for meals: a few streets away, prices often drop.

Find the list of museums, parks and monuments in Paris, with opening hours, prices and distances, on our Tourism page.