Paris: The City of Light on a Shoestring Budget

Paris. The name recalls images of lovers strolling along the Seine, gypsy jazz wafting through the night air like perfume, nutella crepes evoking a carnival of the senses… and a credit card bill rivaling the national debt. The Euro is up, the dollar is down, mais non, honeymooning in Paris doesn’t have to break the bank! The following guide will help you navigate the City of Light with enough cash left over for some memorable souvenirs.

GETTING AROUND:

One of the greatest pleasures of exploring Paris is doing so on foot. Cobblestone streets and wooden bridges lead to alleys packed with old bookstores, boutiques and cafes, and surprises, like Passage Brady’s candlelit alleyway of Indian restaurants, often lie just around the corner. The city’s extremely efficient and affordable Metro system makes traversing the city sublimely simple. Carnets or bundles of 10 oneway tickets are available for 9.60 euros ($12) at each Metro system, but if you are honeymooning in Paris for at least five days and you’ve arrived at the beginning of the week, the Carte Orange is a walletsaving must. For 15 euros ($18.82), the Carte Orange grants unlimited access to Zones 1 and 2 which comprise the city of Paris. Bring that extra passport photo from home and slip it into the plastic pouch you’ll receive with your Carte Orange.

LODGING:

Nestled in the heart of the fashionable Marais is a three star boutique hotel that allows you to live like royalty without spending like one. Named in honor of the playwright who penned Le Mariage de Figaro, Hotel Caron de Beaumarchais is a time machine back to the 18th century with sumptious period furniture, chandeliers and delightfully modern linens, wi-fi and water pressure. The beds are small, but if there was ever a time to get cozy, it’s your honeymoon. Rates range from 125-162 euros ($156- $203) and breakfast is served each morning for $12.50.

MUSEUM DAY:

What could be wrong with strolling hand in hand through Paris’s famous Louvre or the gorgeous Musée D’Orsay, admiring centuries-old paintings and sculpture? Fighting hectic crowds or worse, not being able to stomach a three hour wait in line, outside, in the elements. Lines are a thing of the past with the Paris Museum Pass, sold in consecutive 2, 4 or 6 day groupings. The equivalent of a Fast Pass at Disneyland, it allows the owner to skip the lines at every major museum and monument in the city. Keeping in mind that most museums are closed Mondays or Tuesdays, buying a 2 day pass for Wednesday and Thursday, for example, could facilitate a “highlight tour” of the Louvre, the D’Orsay and L’Orangerie one day, and a day trip to Monet’s Home in Giverny or the decadent Palace of Versailles the next, both covered under the Paris Pass.

INSIDER TIP: When you can’t stand to gaze at another sculpture, master painting or ancient artifact at the Louvre, know that relief awaits across the street at Le Fumoir. Score a table on the sidewalk, order their afternoon dessert special for 9 euros and watch a major cross section of Paris hurry by.

SPLENDOR IN THE GRASS:

A sunny day sends locals sprawling across any available patch of green, so do as the Parisians do, and make sure to grab a bottle of wine and a baguette to wile away the day. Here are some of the most romantic parks and gardens in Paris:

Le Parc Monceau is laid out like an informal English garden with fountains, winding pathways and vistas lovely enough to have inspired Monet to paint a series on the park in the 1870s. For a picnic lunch, stop by Boulangépicier around the corner and pick up delectable sandwiches baked on Eric Kayser’s famous bread. Sandwiches ranging from $9-$11 may not sound like a bargain, but considering the cafe is owned by Alain Ducasse, arguably the most famous chef and owner of the most expensive restaurants in Paris, a sandwich from the master at this price is a steal.

Situated in the 5th arronidssement, Paris’ official botanic garden Jardin des Plantes contains the Museum d’Histoire Naturelle, a tiny zoo and a beautiful path winding through a rose garden with benches for gazing and canoodling. Start or end your visit to the park with teatime at La Mosque de Paris across the street. Grab a table in the exotic Moroccan courtyard, sip mint tea and nibble delicious pastries that can be purchased just inside the café.

Hands down the most lush and staggeringly beautiful park in the city, the Luxembourg Gardens in the fashionable sixth arrondissement are home to a palace, ongoing exhibits and conveniently secluded benches scattered next to a pond where you can share a kiss or a picnic lunch from Lina’s.

A FRESH SPIN ON THE OLD STANDARDS:

La Seine divides the city into its Left and Right Banks or rives, yet the sinewy river unites its romantics who stroll along its banks and eat world famous glacé or ice cream from Berthilion. A packed boat trip down the Seine is a brisk and efficient way of seeing the sights in an afternoon, but those interested in traveling off the beaten waterway should head to the 13th arrondissement where La Guingette Pirate is moored. A beautiful, wooden Chinese “junk,” the boat is home to delicious and affordable Asian fusion cuisine and nightly concerts on the upper deck. Tuesdays often play host to seductive gypsy jazz where listeners can sway to Django Reinhardtesque guitar and watch the moon ripple across the water.

Strolling through the Montmartre neighborhood of Paris is like stepping inside the movie Amelie; most of the movie’s fairytale French landscape was filmed here. The gleaming white Sacre Coeur beckons tourists to stand atop of the stairs for a beautiful view of the city. But what about from the top of the Sacre Coeur’s basilica? For the athletic and non-claustrophobic, 5 euros per person grants you access to a challenging hike to the top of the basilica and a killer view of the city. Because Montmartre is situated at the highest point of the highest of Paris’s fourteen hills, the vista is simply irresistible.

A romantic visit to Paris would not be complete with a trip to the Eiffel Tower at night. The tower is illuminated after dusk and for the first five minutes of the hour, it shimmers and sparkles like light reflected off a diamond. Grab a seat on the immaculately manicured lawn of the École Militaire facing the tower and prepare for the dazzling – and deliriously free – light show.

TEN PLACES TO KISS IN PARIS

1. In front of the giant clock at la Musée d’Orsay

2. In a rowboat at Bois de Vincennes

3. In a hot air balloon

4. In front of the pond at Luxembourg Gardens

5. On the lawn on the École Militaire, gazing up at the lit Eiffel Tower at night

6. In between bites of Berthilon glacé in the park at Pont Neuf

7. In the courtyard of La Mosque de Paris

8. Between bites of gateau chocolat at Georges atop the Musée Pompidou

9. Next to a gargoyle in Notre Dame

10. Anywhere along the Seine

LODGING:

Hotel Caron de Beaumarchais

12, rue Vielle du Temple 75004 Paris

DINING:

Berthilion

29-31 rue Saint Louis en l’ile 1eme arr. Tél : 01 43 54 31 61

Boulangépicier

73 bd de Courcelles, 8th arr., 01 46 22 20 20

Lina’s

13 rue de Médicis Tél: 01 43 25 55 55, 6eme arr. Métro: Odeon

La Guingette Pirate

www.guinguettepirate.com 13eme arr Metro: Bibliotheque

La Mosque de Paris

2, bis place du puits-de-l’Ermite, Téléphone : 01 45 35 97 33

Métro : Place Monge

Le Fumoir

6 Rue Adival-de-Coligny Metro: Louvre Rivoli

For information on Carte Orange and Museum passes:

www.Parisinfo.com

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