Life in Paris is expensive (like living in every other big city. Doing groceries at the store next door is more expensive than the Lidl in Zwolle, drinking coffee at the nice restaurant around the corner is quite expensive and even visiting a hotspot costs money. But after spending quite some time in the French capital I’ve found some ways to save some money. Today I am sharing some of my tips (most of them only go for people who are 26 or younger).
Younger than 26 and living in the European Union?
Are you able to answer the question with yes? You are a lucky person because you get to save a lot of money just by showing your passport/id. Did you know that you can visit almost all the museums in Paris for free and even a visit to the Versailles castle won’t cost you anything. The only thing you have to do is showing your identity card at the ticket office and you’re free to go. I’ve visited places like the Pantheon, the Louvre, Arc the Triomphe and Saint Chappelle for free. I even climbed the Notre Dame four times without spending anything. (Are you non-Europan, but in possession of a valid VISA for a country in the European Union and younger than 26? Then you can enter these monuments for free as well.)
Swimming card
Are you in Paris for a longer period of time and do you want to workout? You can definitely get a cheap swimming pool card with the reduced tariff. If you can prove you’re living in Paris (for instance by showing an electricity bill or a letter from your homeowner) you will get a swimming pool card for just €22. This card allows you to use all public pools in the city for three months.
ImagineR card
Are you a student in Paris (either parttime or fulltime)? Then you are allowed to get an ImagineR card for just €350 per year. This card allows you to use all public transportation in the city for one full year. Besides that, it also gives you discounts for places like McDonald’s or the movie theatre. You can apply for this card once you have official proof that you study in the city.
Movietheatrecad
Do you like movies? Well, if that’s the case, this card might be totally your thing. For just €16,90 per month, you can go to all the movies in the Pathe movie theatres around the country. But remember, the French like to synchronize their movies so make sure you watch the original movie otherwise you might get lost (if you don’t speak any French.) You can recognize the original screenings when it’s written VO (Version Originale.) A translated movie has the letters VF (Version Francais.)
Student discount
Besides all these abonnements it is very easy to save money in Paris by using your student card. A lot of places offer student discounts like PAUL where you get a full menu for €5,90 and Subway that offers a €1. All you have to do is taking your student card (you can use your French one but also the one from your home university). I will be posting another list with student discount in Paris.
Did you know you could save money in Paris like this? Or is everything new to you?
