How to Travel and Plan a Trip to Paris, France
- bochelley
- May 23, 2024
- 4 min read
Updated: Dec 10, 2024
What are the 3 C's: Champagne, Cheese & Castles!!! Here is how to plan a trip to Paris.
France is an amazing destination, with so much to see and do. Of Course Paris is always a good idea and then there is the champagne region, Normandy, and many other unique and interesting sites. From the coast to the heart of Paris, there is much history and tons to see. We have been so fortunate to meet so many wonderful people in France. They have helped us through transportation issues and have helped to enrich our experience.
We love to travel around France, and while it can be expensive, we have some tips for how to keep to a budget while making the most of your visit.
1. What to see and do in Paris
The City of Paris has so much to offer. Of course the Eiffel Tower, The Louvre, Notre Dame Cathedral are just a few of the highlights. The River Seine alone has so much to see and do. You can take a boat trip and see most of the sights from a new perspective. There are budget friendly options for boat tours. We opted for a once in a lifetime boat trip, while not budget friendly, it was the most amazing thing we have ever done. Also, visit here for planning a long-stay in Paris.
It's easy to save on transportation because Paris is a very walkable city, however make sure you have very good shoes, we averaged over 8 miles a day walking. We decide ahead of time what we will pay to see and what we will see from the outside. Also, you can take advantage of the free museums. Some are always free, while some are free on certain days/times. Always check ahead to make sure that it fits into you schedule.
2. Hotels, AirBnB in Paris
There are some great options for budget hotels and also AirBnB. We opted to stay in AirBnB on out last two trips to Paris. The longest stay was 4 weeks in one AirBnB in the 1st arrondissement and then we added different hotels on the back end of our trip as we moved locations. Accommodations are usually one of the most costly parts of any trip, especially longer stays. This was the view from our AirBnB. We found the AirBnB to be cheaper per night than the hotel and it was also budget friendly as we could prepare some of our own meals.
3. Money Saving Tips on Eating in Paris
There are so many choices for food in Paris and France in general. The Restaurants are wonderful and provide opportunity to enjoy the local cuisine. We usually opt to eat our biggest meal in the middle of the day. Usually we are hungry by lunch because we are early risers and start out sight-seeing around 7-8 am. Lunch is usually less expensive than dinner but keep in mind that restaurants usually serve lunch between 11:30-2. We opt for cafes as they are usually open early for breakfast and then for lunch and can be more cost-effective. For breakfast, we usually shop at the local store and eat at our apartment. Not only are there great local stores in most neighborhoods, but there are open markets where you can get very fresh produce. For Dinner we either eat out or make something at our place. We found a store called Picard that has all frozen food, so it is very easy to prepare and very budget friendly. Other places to shop for food include the Monoprix and Carrefour.
4. Getting Around Paris and outlying areas
One of the ways that we utilize a lot in Paris to get around are the buses. The buses are great because you can see a lot while going from one location to the next. The Metro is great too but because it is underground you don't get to see anything. We also use the Trainline app to book the trains if the trip is on the longer side which is usually one of the outskirts of Paris.
5. Day Trips from Paris
During our trips to Paris we have taken several day trips. We visited Monets Garden in Giverny, and the City of Rouen. We went to the City of Issy, just outside of Paris, and we took the Metro to the end of the line to Vincennes and visited the Castle and Cathedral.
6. The Normandy Region
I love to read, and I have spent a lot of time reading historical fiction about WWII in France. So to see the Beaches of Normandy was such a moving experience. So many troops died to liberate the French and so much history happened in this location. We visited the little town of Sainte-Mere-Eglise where the parachuter hung from the church, the museum there is amazing. Then we drove to Utah Beach and Omaha Beach for incredible views of the D-Day beaches.
7. Amazing Champagne Region in France
From the train station at Gare De L' Est we went to the Champagne Region for two days,. We stayed in Reims for two nights. Our goal was to visit the Veuve Clicquot Champagne House. Since we took the train, we had to take the bus to get out to the champagne houses. Go here for information on Veuve Clicquot Champagne house https://www.veuveclicquot.com/en-us/home
8. Go outside France, Try Bruges, Belgium one of the most romantic cities
Bruges is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever been to and it is very romantic. The scenic canals, old windmills, cobble stone streets, and historic buildings add to the romantic charm.
Taking the train from Paris to Bruges meant that we had to go to St. Lazare train station and take the train to Brussels and from Brussels to Bruges.
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We attempt to enjoy everything as much as possible but are very Frugal. Here are a couple of sites we use to keep costs down.
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