Euros and the Sad Fact That Paris Is Overpriced

As of today 1 Euro is the equivalent of $1.31. So luckily it isn't as bad as the exchange rate from the dollar to the pound but it still means the dollar isn't worth very much. The other problem is Paris is a pretty expensive city. I came across an article that actually has some pretty helpful tips for budgeting in Paris. Unfortunately for me I did not read this article before I went to Paris and did not do a very good job of converting dollars to euros in my head. Basically I spent way over budget, but I had an amazing time! In the end I decided Paris was worth the price. Just don't make the same mistake I did and read the list of prices below to work out a proper budget for yourself:

Cup of coffee: €2.50+
Ticket to the Louvre: €9.50 plus the optional €6 audio guide
Lunch at a restaurant: €10+
Pint of beer in a bar: €6

Ways to beat the prices:
1. Stay at a hostel- as I mentioned before Hostelworld is the perfect website to book a hostel and save. I made the mistake of staying at a Best Western by the Louvre (the room was the size of a shoe box) and I spent €200 for three nights, granted I split the price with a friend but I should have realized hostels were a much more affordable option.

2. Try to only eat at a nice restaurant once or twice for dinner. You can save so much money by eating at a small falafel stand or cafe for lunch or having a baguette for breakfast that way you can save your money for a glass of champagne at dinner. If you save up for one dinner make it an especially memorable one. Think of it as a reward for being so frugal.

3. Save your money for museums and other popular Parisian tourist attractions. Some of them are pretty touristy but you will really regret not climbing to the top of the Eiffel Tower just because you didn't budget yourself.

4. Say no to taxis! Paris is a beautiful city, walk around! The metro system is also pretty affordable so you can always rely on that for those trips across the city.

5. Be frugal but don't forget to have fun and splurge on one or two souvenirs!