Semi cheap paris france vacation...?

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Hey! I just got back from Paris 2 weeks ago. I was actually able to do Amsterdam and Paris for $2000 including airfare, hotels, train, food, souvenirs and other miscellaneous stuff. Let me just mention that I got to stay at very nice and centrally located hotels. From DC I got a R/T ticket going to Amsterdam and departing from Paris for $560 for the 1st week of April. The train fare (one-way) from Amsterdam to Paris was 25 Euro and that trip took 4 hours but went by smoothly and quickly. Note though that I booked my stuff 2 1/2 - 3 months in advance. For airfares, I used sidestep.com and booked the hotels directly from the hotels websites and I got some good deals from their promotions. I booked train tickets to Paris from Thalys (thalys.com). I stayed in Amsterdam for 3 days, in Paris for 4 days.

I agree with the other answer that Paris is very small and easy to get around in. Their metro is the best in my opinion. It took me everywhere and I don't speak French except just for the basics. I went to Versailles as my side-trip in Paris and was very easy to get to by taking the RER train-- it took about 40 mins from Paris. I loved it there, though too crowded on weekends. I recommend doing it on a weekday.

I believe their low season is during the winter all the way through end of March. When there, I highly recommend either getting a metro pass valid for a few days or buy a carnet of 10 tickets. Trust me, all that walking will tire you..though Paris is still very walkable. If you want to take a day trip to another country, maybe you can visit Bruges in Belgium. You can just take a train there and spend the whole day there. I've heard nice things about Bruges, but not sure exactly how much it would cost you. Check out viator.com for excursion prices. There are also other places in France like Normandy, Chartres or you can visit other palaces like Fountainbleu or Vaux-le-Vicomte. I recommend getting Rick Steves Paris guidebook. Got mine at half.com for like $5. Make sure to get an updated version. Before you book a hotel, check out reviews at tripadvisor.com. I also found people at the Fodors travel forums have been helpful with all my questions. I hope you get to go in this trip! I enjoyed mine very much-- even by myself. I highly recommend it. If you have other ?'s I'd be happy to answer them since travel is my passion. Good luck, hope that helped.

ps. Food there can be reasonable. You can still enjoy a dinner for a little over 10 euro at Cafe du Marche and quite tasty. A 3 course dinner at a brasserie near my hotel was 14 euro. You can buy stuff at the grocery for a nice picnic (if weather permitting). I think a baguette, coffee and pain au chocolat can range from 1.20 euro to 2+ euro depending on where you're getting it. Shouldn't be more than that. The Latin Quarter has a lot of places to eat for reasonable prices. I think NY is way more expensive for food than Paris.

Rillifane

The low season for travel to Paris runs from the end of October to the beginning of March. It makes good sense to go in the low season not only because you will save on airfare but because its altogether a more pleasant experience in the absence of the tourist hordes.

A trip to Paris is not cheap but you will find that it can be surprisingly affordable.

Paris is a very compact city for a major world capital and financial center. As you suggest, most of the sights are in a fairly narrow band on either side of the river Seine which divides the city in two and easily accessible. The public transport system is the best in the world and easy to navigate even for someone who does not speak French.

Food costs have a very wide range and, while not dirt cheap even at the low end, do represent very good value for money. There are many places where an excellent three course meal can be had for as little as 10-12 euros per person including a glass of wine.

Days trips from Paris are certainly possible but the city is so filled with attractions that it makes little sense to wander very far afield. A trip to Germany is, of course, to another country entirely and a day trip would make simply no sense at all.

Travis

there are quite a few sites that you can search that will likely give you the best prices available. just go here: http://bookme.com/ll99fqd.php and you will be able to compare prices on all the reputable travel sites in just a couple minutes. it's very convenient and will save you a bunch of time and money. Also, make sure you buy them online... otherwise they charge much higher fees for phone orders. good luck.

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