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How to travel on a slim budget at Paris?

A few specific questions about Paris.

  • I am visiting Paris next week for a work conference. I had a few specific questions around my phone, renting a bike, what to do in Quartier Latin, and more after the jump. I will be in Paris from next Tuesday until Monday the 1st of June. I am attending a conference at AgroParisTech until Friday and staying near the Pantheon in Quartier Latin. My weekend is free as are my evenings. I will likely be going back on a personal trip next year so am not concerned with seeing EVERYTHING in one trip. This is my first trip to Europe, although I am experienced otherwise with international travel. I speak French, albeit like an English person. My questions: 1) I am coming from Canada using a Moto G phone - what is my best solution for getting data for my phone for the week? I will not call anyone - just data. Should I buy a SIM card at CDG? If so - where might I find one that's not exorbitantly expensive? 2) I would love to rent a bike for a week to get to/from where I am headed (I have an apartment so I can store it indoors) - is Velib the best option? There are plenty of stations near where I'm staying/the conference so it seems best but am happy to have a better recommendation. 3) I am experience cycling in Canada and in cities - any primers on what cycle culture is like in the core of Paris? Any tips on how to be a non-asshole and safe cyclist recommendations on what may differ from my Canadian experience are appreciated. 4) I have my evenings free and will be coming from AgroParisTech around 5pm each day. What is close to that or the Pantheon that I can do at that time of day? I am spending the weekend closer to the Eiffel Tower so I'm mostly concerned with things that might occupy 2-3 hours including dinner and that are logistically convenient near there. Interests include - yoga (a studio recommendation near the school or where I am staying would be awesome), sports of all kinds, city architecture, nature, beer, coffee, tasty food with fresh ingredients, and people watching. I don't do clubs and will save art for a future trip with my wife. 5) Is there anything "can't miss" happening the weekend after next in the city - festivals in a particular? I did some searching but didn't find anything particularly awesome. 6) If you are a lady in your mid- to late-20's - what is the thing your husband could bring you home from Paris that would make up for him being called to work in Paris in the springtime over your birthday and you not being able to go? Her interests are aligned to mine above (subbing wine for beer, and adding clothing and jewelry but not handbags), and I am not afraid of shopping for clothes or shoes. Budget of 150 euros. Not a tourist item, but something in Canada you'd travel to France just to get. Thanks in advance. I have a lot of general food and drink and things to do recommendations, but less that align specifically with where I will be.

  • Answer:

    Is someone else paying? LeFrenchMobile is widely recommended but not cheap. I had excellent luck with http://www.lebara.fr, which is really cheap and often includes international calls. Don't order a SIM, they ship from France and wouldn't get here in time. You can get one in a magazine stand, just look for a Lebara SIM, should be €5. The setup is all in English. Vélib' is only made for short trips, not weekly rentals. It has the advantage that you can pick up and drop anywhere. You'll need a Chip-and-PIN (not just Chip-and-Signature) card to use it. The kiosks are reasonably intuitive but it took a few minutes to figure out. You can also rent for the week from various bike places, but get a heavy-duty lock, bike theft is rampant. I bike to work in the suburbs of the U.S., and the Paris bike lanes terrified me. Lots of bike lanes run the wrong way down one way streets, or are "shared" with busses and taxis. On the other hand, I saw a *lot* of people on bikes, so obviously it works for many. For food gifts, it's halfway across town, but La Grande Épicerie de Paris at 38 Rue de Sèvres in the 7th has jewel-like chocolates, Ferber jams, wines, mustards, etc. at high but not unreasonable prices. Maybe get a picnic's worth of non-perishables and tie them up in some lovely linen kitchen towels? Can I recommend a restaurant? Les Pipos at 2 Rue de l'École Polytechnique. Just a couple blocks from the Panthéon, but full of locals and Lyonnaise bistro food executed at a very high level for the price.

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Rue Mouffetard is an wonderful market street near the Pantheon with a lovely chocolate shop (good for presents) and lots of restaurants. I particularly like Cave La Bourgogne near the bottom of the hill (144 Rue Mouffetard) but I've been to several restaurants along the street and I think I've enjoyed them all. My boyfriend and I also like Les Pipos, so I'll second the vote for them. We have also gotten other restaurant recommendations from David Lebovitz's blogs, including Buvette (28 Rue Henry Monnier - not sure if this is near anyplace you will be) which we've quite enjoyed.

2 cats in the yard

is Velib the best option? I used it last year and was pleased with it. I bought a (weekly?) code online ahead of time because I was concerned about it accepting my non-chip card. I just rode around a park near my apartment but not in traffic, so I can't tell you about that aspect. If you get the code, you'll have to enter it at the machine and then tell it which bike you want. So, inspect the bikes available and pick one and a back up before you go to the machine. When I saw stands with only 2-3 bikes, it was often because they were broken.

soelo

Seconding La Grande Épicerie de Paris if your wife is a foodie at all. http://www.surlesquais.com/english/tubissime_en.html are my favorite treat. I don't know how many people would think "what a romantic gift from gay Paree!" but I'm a condiment nut, mustards especially, and I brought home nine flavors. They pack really well. The best flavors are the truffle juice and herbes de Provence. Have a wonderful trip! I can't wait to go back.

Beti

I'd recommend getting a sim card beforehand. Just one fewer thing to worry about, and you can navigate the options and prices in English at your leisure, which is harder to do at the airport. I had a good experience with http://www.lefrenchmobile.com/.

mr_roboto

I went for a conference hosted at AgroParisTech in 2008 (my wife stayed home). Everything I brought back from Paris came from http://www.latuilealoup.com/. It's pretty close to AgroParisTech (Rue Claude Bernard location, anyway), easily within walking distance. The owner was great, everything is unique, all locally made. Browsing the shop was just a huge amount of fun.

caution live frogs

I find le petite ceinture fascinating - even though I wasn't aware about all the activity surrounding it til I read http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2014/sep/26/-sp-petite-ceinture-paris-entrepreneurs-environmentalists-abandoned-railway, it seems to tick off both urban architecture, people watching and nature - maybe also beer and coffee. For food I'd search the blogs of David Leibowitz and Alexander Lobrano

mumimor

Seconding La Tuile a Loup! I go out of my way to visit that shop whenever I'm in Paris.

MelissaSimon

When I went to Paris a few years ago, I emailed a friend who I was somewhat out of touch with. She'd lived in Paris for a few years. "Go to L'as du Falafel," she told me. She gave me a bunch of other info - but going to that falafel place was the best one. Other things I found out about Paris: the coffee ain't great (I was in Belgium and Netherlands prior, and everywhere there had much better coffee than Paris). And nobody seems to care about beer. Wine, though - five euros at the corner store for the best bottle I'd ever had. People gather on the banks of the Seinne with bottles of wine, and cheese, and whatever, and chill as the evening turns into night time. That was one of the nicest evenings I'd ever spent. Watching the sun set behind Notre Dame ain't half bad.

entropone

Flower flavored hard candy: violet, lavender,rose, poppy.

brujita

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