top 10 budget hotels in paris

10 of the best budget hotels in Paris

Paris blogger Heather Stimmler-Hall finds the best budget beds in the French capital
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Stay a while … at the Hôtel du Séjour near the Centre Pompidou, Paris
Hôtel du Séjour
A little style goes a long way in this old hotel. Not all of the rooms have been given a facelift yet, so request one if you want the white duvets and pop art wall decor instead of the traditional décor. Either way, make sure you get a room with en-suite bathroom (or get the cheaper room with the shared facilities in the hall). The best part about this family-run hotel is its location, straddling the Marais and Montorgueil districts just above Les Halles RER station. Skip the hotel breakfast and eat at one of the cafes overlooking the Centre Pompidou around the corner. • 36 rue Grenier Saint Lazare, 3rd, +33 1 4887 4036, hoteldusejour.com. Métro: Rambuteau. Doubles from €87
Absolute Budget
The name says it all, but at least in this case budget doesn't mean bland. Opened in 2010, this hostel cuts corners in size, but the feel is light and cheerful. The private rooms are really worth the extra euros, spacious and equipped with their own bathrooms. This is a humble residential district near Père Lachaise and Belleville's artist ateliers. And if you plan on partying the night away in the hip bars and clubs of Paris's popular Oberkampf district, you're well placed for an easy stumble into your bed at dawn. • 1 rue de la Fontaine au Roi, 11th, +33 1 4700 4700, absolute-paris.com. Métro: Goncourt. Private doubles from €80, shared dorm rooms from €30pp
Hôtel Ecole Centrale
The ladies who run this little hotel take great pains in decorating every square inch of space with exotic plants, potted palms, and vases of flowers for a lush and cosy atmosphere. Stone floors, wrought iron railings and hand painted walls with a Tuscan theme border on kitsch, but you can't say the owners have let the place go. Air conditioning, free Wi-Fi, and early check-in on request. The top floor room under the gables has a Jacuzzi, but you'll have to climb a few stairs. Outside you're a few steps from the Marais and the newly opened Gaité Lyrique Digital Arts Centre. • 3 rue Bailly, 3rd, +33 1 4804 7776, hotelecolecentrale.fr. Métro: Arts-et-Métiers. Doubles from €80
Hôtel de la Herse d'Or
Sometimes it's the little details that matter. This hotel right in the heart of the lively Marais district has free Wi-Fi, flatscreen TVs, and hair dryers in each room. Of course, a four-century old hotel may have ancient marble fireplace mantels and beamed ceilings, but don't expect a lift or air conditioning. Pack light and if you're a light sleeper request one of the rooms facing the two interior courtyards, not the busy street. The "economic" rooms have just a wash basin, shared facilities are in the hall. The "comfort" rooms have en-suite facilities. • 20 rue Saint-Antoine, 4th, +33 1 4887 8409, hotel-herse-dor.com. Métro: Saint-Paul. Doubles from €79
Port Royal Hôtel
This humble but proud little hotel on the edge of the Latin Quarter has been owned by the same family for four generations with a reputation for scrupulously clean rooms and friendly service. Forget about TVs, free toiletries or Wi-Fi. The least expensive rooms have just a washbasin, but even rooms with full en-suite facilities are under €100. That's quite a steal for the excellent location right by the Mouffetard market and the Jardin des Plantes. Note that credit cards are not accepted and only ground floor rooms have air conditioning. • 8 boulevard Port Royal, 5th, +33 1 4331 7006, hotelportroyal.fr. Métro: Gobelins. Doubles from €53
Welcome Hôtel
Most rooms in this neighbourhood cost four times the rate of a double at this charming little budget hotel. True, there's no air conditioning and many rooms are facing the noisy boulevard Saint-Germain, so light sleepers beware (or get a courtyard-facing room and forget about great people-watching from your window). You'll find it a lot easier to ignore the chintz when you discover the best gelato stand in Paris across the street, not to mention the chocolate boutique, wine bar and fresh food market next door. • 66 rue de Seine, 6th, +33 1 4634 2480, hotelwelcomeparis.com. Métro: Mabillon. Doubles from €97
Oops! Hostel
One of the city's first "design" hostels offers both dorm rooms and budget-priced private rooms with contemporary wallpaper in bright colours, a small internet lounge, and some even have small balconies overlooking the bustling avenue des Gobelins. The location, 10 minutes from the centre of town, is hard to beat, with major Métro and bus lines, two open air food markets, cafes, cinemas, shops and the 17th-century Gobelins Tapestry Manufacturer right next door. Bring your own towels or rent one from the front desk. • 50 avenue des Gobelins, 13th, +33 1 4707 4700, oops-paris.com. Métro: Gobelins. Private double rooms from €70, shared dorm rooms from €30pp
Plug Inn Boutique Hostel
If you love the cobblestone streets and the scenic, if steep, staircases of Montmartre, this "design hostel" on a quiet side street is for you. Recently converted from a ho-hum budget hotel, rooms now have designer wallpaper, colourful carpeting and en-suite bathrooms with hair dryers (in addition to the standard steel-frame bunks, of course). Free Wi-Fi and computer terminals will keep you connected, and there's no curfew or lock out. Private rooms have flatscreen TVs and real beds. As in most hostels, light sleepers will need ear plugs at the Plug Inn. • 7 rue Aristide Bruant, 18th, +33 1 4258 4258, plug-inn.fr. Métro: Abbesses. Private double rooms from €90, shared dorm rooms from €32pp
Le Montclair Hostel
If you like the idea of Montmartre but not the tourists, try a taste of the tourist-free residential side of the Butte. This hostel offers private or dorm rooms, both with or without private facilities, free continental breakfast, and access to internet, fax, hair dryers and the kitchen. You can stock up on supplies in the nearby market street. There's no lockout or curfew, handy if you plan on being out late on the other side of town. As for décor and space ... well, it's a youth hostel, not the Four Seasons. • 62 Rue Ramey, 18th, +33 1 4606 4607, montclair-hostel.com. Métro: Jules Joffrin. Private doubles from €38pp, shared dorm rooms from €29
St Christopher's Inn
This impressive, purpose-built hostel right on the Canal St Martin opened in 2008 with a resolutely modern and spacious layout catering directly to the needs of its young, international clientele. Amenities include a large and lively restaurant bar with live music, a soundproof lower level club so they can turn the music up or screen films, and rooms with individual bed lockers and privacy curtains. There's even a women-only floor for those who don't want to mingle too closely. The neighbourhood is not central in any sense, but the nearby Métro and bike rental give it easy access to the major sites. • 159 rue de Crimée, 19th, +44 (0)20-8600 7500 (booking office in London), st-christophers.co.uk. Métro: Crimée. Private doubles from €49pp, shared dorm rooms from €35pp from the guardian 
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paris cheap guide

Yes, there is such a thing as cheap Paris travel and yes, you can still see Paris on less than $15 a day!

I have proof. My friend Gigi recently (in 2008) spent two weeks in Paris (on a visa run) on her own on an average budget of US$ 12 a day, including food (some food, anyway).

It wasn't easy, but she was able to see most key Paris sights and certainly didn't feel as though she'd missed much - budget Paris travel, definitely!

Paris is just an example, by the way.

This isn't a general travel site with full lists of where to go and what to do. But you shouldn't miss some of the world's most wonderful cities just because they have a reputation for being expensive.

If you're determined enough, you can visit a major European city with very little money.

This may not be the ideal way to travel, but cheap Paris travel - and indeed cheap travel in any city - still remains possible.

Lets see how.

1. find. cheap paris hotels
Once you find the Paris hotel you will probably do to the internet and type. Do a web search for 'cheap hotels in Paris' or 'cheap hotels Paris' or 'Paris cheap hotels'. Vary the wording of you search and you might get results for new sites with cheap hotel websites, like ours, that you didn't receive in the last search. 
you’re looking for you’ll need to verify its availability for your desired dates and then make a booking. On cheapparishotels  you’ll either be able to instantly check for availability. You will be asked to provide credit card information. The reservation will be submitted via a secure, encrypted connection (website addresses beginning with “https” are secure), you won’t have to worry about somebody intercepting your credit card information.

2. Do your research.
There are plenty of free things you can do in Paris (I've provided some ideas further down). Some things - like museums - are only free certain days (usually the first Sunday of the month) so you'll have to undertake some careful planning if you want to succeed at cheap Paris travel planning. Time your trip to take advantage of free days. Even if you pay to visit something like the Louvre, make a day of it. Don't just spend a few hours - go from opening to closing to maximize your expense. Most museums let you go in and out - so step outside for lunch.

Centre Pompidou

3. Avoid restaurants and pack your lunch.
Paris is a city of ethnicities and eating cheaply on the run is actually possible. While a 'tourist' crepe on the Left Bank may put you back 8 Euros, a falafel sandwich in the Arab or Jewish neighborhoods will go for a Euro or two. Better yet, France is also the country where you can buy a baguette - a loaf of French bread - for under Euros 0.80. Most supermarkets have huge slabs of pate for Euros 2-3. It may not be the healthiest diet, but for a week or two, it certainly is possible. Fill your bottle of water before leaving your room (Paris tap water is safe to drink). For nourishing and cheap Paris travel, add an apple to your lunch and you'll be all set.

4. Be prepared to walk and avoid public transport.
 Not avoid altogether, but stretch out your tickets. Take the subway or bus to your destination, and walk back. Make sure you've got more than one sight to see at your destination - if you're going to pay for transport, make it worthwhile! Just choose a neighborhood - Montmartre, the Marais, the Left Bank, the Champs-Elysées - and start walking. And by the way, most major museums have plenty of other sights within walking distance.

5. See all the sights - from the outside.
 Why stand in line (and pay a lot) to climb the Eiffel Tower when you can get a stunning vista from its base? And at night, its 20,000 lights will take your breath away. The same goes for other major attractions. Sure, if you were flush, it might be nice to climb the Arc de Triomphe but this isn't about doing everything in Paris - it's about doing a lot of things for very little money.

6. Group your sights.
Don't zig-zag across Paris. For cheap Paris travel, either pick a theme, or pick a neighborhood. Map it all out before you go so you don't waste either time or money on public transit.

Cheap eats in Paris

7. Write it down.
Keep track. Some days, believe it or not, you may not spend your $15. Carry the extra over to the next day. At some point, you may allow yourself a splurge. Even a wonderful meal in a good homecooking restaurant may set you back under Euros 10 so if you've been careful, you may be able to do this once or twice.

8. Check the passes.
Cheap Paris travel comes in many sizes and shapes. There are some excellent pass deals - and others aren't. Museum passes may let you in to just that part you don't want to see, or the museums or exhibits listed might already be free. As for the subway passes, the weekly pass is a good deal - a few rides and you've paid for it. So look at these with an eagle eye.

9. Don't be afraid to ask people.
Once you're in an area, especially if it has a distinct culture or environment, people will often be delighted to share their knowledge with you - even if they don't really speak your language. If you show an interest, there's a good chance you'll be pointed towards other similar sites. Interest and curiosity are contagious!

10. Be creative about souvenirs.
Don't fall for the tourist traps - be original. Make the most of cheap Paris travel by designing or creating your own postcard or memory book with entry tickets and photographs you've taken. Do you really need a T-shirt that says I love Paris?

Cheap Paris travel: free or very cheap things to do cheap paris hotels

• Visit Paris's magnificent gardens - they're all free: Jardin des Tuileries, Jardin du Luxembourg, Parc du Champ de Mars, Jardin du Palais Royal and many more.
Enjoying the outdoors is a favorite Paris pastime

• Get spiritual. The towers may cost, but entering a French church is free. In Notre-Dame Cathedral, catch a free Sunday organ recital, free English-language tours or Sunday choir rehearsals. Take a photo of your feet at Point 0, where all distances in France are measured from.
• Visit other places of worship, such as the Synagogue or the Mosque. cheap paris hotels
• Pay your respects at the Père Lachaise Cemetary: visit the tombs of such well-known former Paris residents as Molière, Gertrude Stein, Jim Morrison, Isadora Duncan, Oscar Wilde, Chopin... You could always visit the site where Princess Diana died in a car accident, at the Place de l'Alma underpass. I have to admit I've stayed away from this one. Really into cemeteries? There's also the Montmartre and the Montparnasse, with their own famous graves.
• For the most fashionable in cheap Paris travel, window shop - it's as good as this season's high fashion shows. Stroll along the Avenue Montaigne and Rue du Faubourg St-Honoré and nearby side streets to get a taste of Chanel or Hermès. And if you're a fashion fan, take in the free show at the Galeries Lafayette department store every Friday afternoon.
cheap paris hotels
• Take a free audio tour of Paris. Just download free guided tours to your iPod or MP3 and start walking. Or a free walking tour - a great three-hour bargain (though you should leave a tip).
• Become a bookworm. There are several decent English bookstores in Paris, and browsing is free. Some are also open Sunday, which is unusual in France. If you'd rather be outdoors, linger among the Bouquinistes - the bookstalls along the Seine River's Left Bank. Browse through first editions, second-hand books and antiques, just as others have done before you for centuries.