Paris on a Budget – Tips & Hacks To Save Big Bucks In Paris

The Palace of Versailles unsettled everyone in the 17th Century when King Louis XIV decided to shift his capital from Paris to Versailles. Built as a show of grandeur and power, it remains one of the most remarkable palaces in the world. The Palace interiors are breathtaking, even though the French Revolution stripped it off its glory, it has been restored. The important rooms are the Royal Apartments, The Grand Gallery with the War salon, Peace salon and the world-famous Hall of Mirrors. Don’t miss out on the gardens and fountains, and the Bosquets and Trianons. It’s the best day-trip out of Paris on a budget!

The Musée de L'Orangerie and Musée d'Orsay are together the world’s best repositories for Impressionist and post-Impressionist art. The Musée d'Orsay has the largest collection of French art including sculpture and photography. Artists like Paul Cezanne, Henri Matisse, Gauguin, Renoir, and Van Gogh find their place on its walls. The Musée de L'Orangerie while holding a sizeable collection of Impressionist art is most famous for its permanent collection of eight paintings of ‘Water Lilies’ by Claude Monet. Joining Manet are other famous artists including Manet, Picasso, and Rousseau. For 18 Euros you can enjoy priority access to both these museums.

Everyone from Romans and Vikings to the erstwhile Franks has sailed down the waters of the Seine in Paris through the ages. The banks of the Seine have seen the city rise over the centuries with the addition of landmarks like the Notre Dame Cathedral, Conciergerie, Palais de Justice, Musée d'Orsay, Arc de Triomphe, and the Eiffel Tower. You can go on the same path in a comfortable cruise with a guide who will narrate the history of these attractions and their part in the building of the city.

Parisians are a tough crowd to please and just like the Eiffel Tower was considered an eyesore, so was the Centre Pompidou in 1977! The iconic building has an inside-out architecture where the pipes, structure and mechanical system can be seen from the outside! This bizarre building took time to be accepted and is now Paris’s most happening and avant-garde venues. Within it is a public library, the Museum of Modern Art and a Centre for Music and Acoustic Research. One of the top things to do in Paris on a budget, you can visit it to admire the modern architecture and view the ongoing exhibitions and participate in the workshops.

All roads in Paris lead to the Arc de Triomphe! The building in the center of the twelve radiating avenues of Paris is a memorial to the French martyrs who died in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars. Inaugurated in 1836, the Arc de Triomphe is a large triumphal arch and stand up 50m in height, towering over the neighborhood. It has the names of French war heroes written on it and below it lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Admire the bravery of the heroes and the ingenuity of the building and go on the roof to catch a panoramic view of the city, all for 12 Euros!

Rodin could make stone speak and emote; you can witness the sensuality in ‘The Kiss’ and the deliberation in ‘The Thinker’ and bring the fear of God in ‘The Gates of Hell’! These are creations of the great 20th-century French sculptor Auguste Rodin who pioneered modern sculptor. You can view these and more than 6,600 sculptures, 8,000 drawings, and over 7,000 art objects at the Museum Rodin, located at Hotel Biron which he used as a studio. Take a walk among the art Rodin created and collected, which includes Van Gogh, Monet, and Renoir. It is one of the best museums to explore in Paris on a budget.

Walking into the Sainte Chapelle on a sunny day you will feel as if you have entered a magic crystal! The sunlight streams through 6,500 square feet of stained glass in hues of red, blue and violet to create a mesmerising effect. The glass depicts 1,134 scenes from the Bible and is one of the oldest stained glass art in the world. The 13th-century church was built to protect the relics of Christ, especially the Crown of Thorns. Getting a ticket to Sainte Chapelle will be the best 10 Euros you will spend in Paris! The high rib-vaults, the luxurious upholstery, and the statuary, all are worth a visit.

The city officials of Paris hated the Montparnasse Tower so much that they disallowed the construction of any skyscraper over seven stories for two years! But the monolithic building itself is not the attraction but the observatory atop the tower. The ticket to the viewing deck on the 56th floor at 18 Euros is the one of the best things to do in Paris on a budget. The reason why it’s amazing is because it’s the place where you watch the Eiffel Tower in all its glory! You can take the experience a notch higher and walk up to the 59th floor for the open-air observation deck.

You don’t have to buy an expensive Paris ballet ticket to view the interiors of the opulent Opera Garnier. Also known as the Palais Garnier, it is one of the largest opera houses in the world, and even amongst the famous, thanks to it being the setting of the novel ‘The Phantom of the Opera’! A guided tour of the opera to explore its gilded interiors at only 15 Euros is one of the best things to do in Paris on a budget. The home of the Paris Opera Ballet, you get to view the foyer, auditorium, lounges and see the magnificent artwork that adorns the walls of the opera.

France has had an active military throughout the ages, and Les Invalides commemorates this history of the army. Louis XIV constructed the building itself as a home and hospital for war veterans, later on, it played an important role in the revolution and the World Wars. Today, you can go on a guided tour of Les Invalides and visit the museums and monuments dedicated to French war heroes, and the tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte as well as the Dome Church and the chapel of St. Louis. For 11 Euros you will get a quick tour of France’s military history!

The FIFA World Cup 2018 Final might have taken place in Moscow but the cheers of France winning the World Cup truly rang at the celebrations at the Stade de France! The national stadium of France, it is here where the team also won the FIFA World Cup 1998 for which it was constructed. Take a guided tour of the large venue that seats more than 80,000 spectators. At just 14 Euros it is one of the best things to do in Paris on a budget for sports lovers! You will be taken on a tour of the private boxes, locker rooms, seating area, and the museum.

The Louvre Museum in Paris is the world's most-visited and largest art museum. Located on the right bank of the river Seine in the heart of Paris, it is the perfect example of French Baroque architecture. The Louvre is home to over 3,80,000 artworks, of which only 35,000 make up the permanent exhibition. These exhibits are spread across eight departments - Egyptian Antiquities; Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities; Near Eastern Antiquities; Islamic Art; Decorative Arts; Sculpture; Paintings; Drawings and Prints. Best known as the home to the Mona Lisa, the museum has the most impressive art collection in the world.

The Picasso Museum occupies the stately Hotel Salé in the historic Marais district of Paris, France. This 17th-century mansion is considered to be one of the finest historic houses in Marais and is now home to over 5,000 works and many more archived pieces belonging to Pablo Picasso. Making up this collection are thousands of paintings, sketches, studies, sculptures, drafts, notebooks, photographs, illustrated books and films, and documents that showcase the artist’s creative process.

The Musée du quai Branly is one of the most premier cultural institutes that pays homage to the art and culture of Oceania, Asia, Africa, and the Americas, a must-see for all art and history buffs!Spend a moment admiring artifacts from the Neolithic era, from the kings of France to the explorers and great ethnologists of the 20th century. The permanent collection space presents around 3,500 works across geographies and strives to encourage dialogue between cultures from four continents. While you're here, don't miss the chance to visit the gardens of the museum, with their paved paths and swimming pools.

Visit the Pére Lachaise Paris cemetery and discover the people that contributed to the art, music, history, and culture of Paris. This is the largest cemetery in the city and the final resting place of several famous personalities. In fact, the list of famous people who are buried here includes 40 singers, 40 composers, and 75 painters. Follow your expert English-speaking guide through the maze and visit as many graves as possible. See the grave of Jim Morrison covered in graffiti by his fans and the art deco tomb of Oscar Wilde. Listen to the tragic love story of Héloïse and Abélard, buried together for nearly a thousand years.