Think of a famous idea. Any famous idea. Or for that matter any brushstroke, article of clothing, architectural style, camera technique, great thinker that should have been medicated, or hip reason to brew a Molotov cocktail. If that idea is Western, then it is probably French (or at least hotly contested and contributed to a French intellectual movement). Your first walk around Paris will be defined by a paralyzing level of excitement. Your first party in Monaco might result in a Hangover-esque situation. It’s no secret that young Americans “backpack” through France to lose their virginity and construct their identity at a safe distance from their parents. The successes of James Baldwin, Gertrude Stein, and Ernest Hemingway suggest that we couldn’t have chosen a better spot; there is a pervading sense in France that everything is here.
Students might go to France to be fashionably disaffected artists in boho-chic corner cafes, but this isn’t the land of berets and baguettes anymore: it’s the land of sustainable energy and the 35hr. work week. As France wrestles with the economic and cultural ramifications of a globalized world, this is also, increasingly, the country of parkour and veil bans, sprawling Chinatowns and the Marie Leonie case of 2004. Nowhere is the cognitive dissonance of these cultural collisions more evident than in Marseille, whose burgeoning Little Algeria encroaches upon the city’s Old World streets. In the midst of these transitions, the most sacred of French traditions remain gloriously preserved—you might eat a lot of kebabs while you’re here, but you can still riot against The Man in the morning and commit adultery by noon.
greatest hits
• WE’LL ALWAYS HAVE PARIS. From the “metal asparagus” of the Eiffel Tower to the bars of St-Germain, you’ll have plenty to do in France’s capital.
• THAT’LL DO NICELY. Nice might be the best city on the Côte d’Azur for backpackers, and it’s definitely the cheapest.
• RAISE THE ROOF. Dance the night away with a view overlooking two rivers and the entire city of Lyon at Le Sucre, a bar sitting atop a defuncy sugar factory.
France is famous for the birth of analytical geometry, angsty existentialism, and keepin’ it real. These philosphical movements didn’t come from nowhere—with over 80 public universities and the elite Grandes Écoles, France isn’t lacking in young intellect and imagination. Home to the famous Sorbonne, the second oldest academic institution in the world, Paris’s Latin Quarter is teeming with students of all nationalities. Many of the cheap bars sprinkled throughout the Latin Quarter offer student happy hours or English trivia nights. Students flee from the tourist-heavy areas of the Champs-Élysées and Châtelet-Les Halles to the cheap brasseries and restaurants of Montparnasse and Southern Paris.
Though you could probably spend several satisfied lifetimes in Paris, we encourage you to backpack your way through the rest of the country. Needless to say, Bordeaux is the perfect destination for vin-loving students; the place de la Victoire is where the local college denizens head once the sun has set. If you’re there on the first Sunday of the month, all the city’s museums are free to enter. Heading down south to France’s Mediterranean coast, you’ll likely end up in Nice. And with a centrally located youth hostel and a variety of both historical and alcoholic forms of entertainment, it will quickly move to the top of your destination list.
Paris leaves an impression on everyone, from students perfecting their langue française to tourists who wonder why the French don’t pronounce half the consonants in each word. This city has been home to countless films, daydreams, and kings named Louis, and it easily destroys all diets with its arsenal of buttery croissants and delicate pastries. Nearly everyone in the world idealizes Paris, whether it’s for the Eiffel Tower, the intellectual literary cafes, or the impossibly chic and be-scarfed denizens of the city. But don’t let yourself be disillusioned by ideals—yes, everyone is in love with Paris, but this place can be rough, and that waiter over there? Yeah, he’s judging you. When you get Englished for the first time (when your mangled French inquiry is interrupted with an English response), you’ll start to realize that your Converse won’t cut it after all and that maybe you should have paid more attention in French class. Parifs will charm and bitchslap you with equal gusto, but don’t get too le tired—think of it as a gentle form of Parisian hazing. Once you learn your way around the narrow, cobblestoned streets and nail down your merci, beaucoup, Paris will be more spectacular than ever. Some tiny corner of it will be yours in memory and experience, whether it’s admiring a painting in an empty room at the Louvre (they exist), listening to the bells of Notre Dame chime as you sit by the Seine, sunbathing in the gorgeous Jardin du Luxembourg, or biting into your first Nutella banana crêpe. Slow down and don’t worry about how well you’re fitting in—this city is big and captivating enough for everyone to claim their little slice.
ORIENTATION
Despite all the invasions, revolutions, and riots throughout French history, Paris was still meticulously planned. The Seine River flows from east to west through the middle of the city, splitting it into two sections. The Rive Gauche (Left Bank) to the south is known as the intellectual heart of Paris, while the Rive Droite (Right Bank) to the north is famous for fashion, art, and commerce. The two islands in the middle of the Seine, the Île de la Cité and Île St-Louis, are the geographical and historical center of the city. The rest of Paris is divided into 20 arrondissements (districts) that spiral outward from the islands. These arrondissements are numbered; for example, the Eiffel Tower is located in le septième (the seventh), abbreviated 7ème.
If the simplicity of this layout sounds too good to be true, it is. Neighborhoods frequently spread over multiple arrondissements and are often referred to by name rather than number. The Marais, for example, is in both the 3ème and the 4ème. Neighborhood names are based on major connecting hubs of the Métro or train (Montparnasse, Bastille) or major landmarks and roads (Champs-Élysées, Invalides). Streets are marked on every corner, and numerous signs point toward train stations, landmarks, and certain triomphant roundabouts. You can try to walk through it all, but the size of the city is deceiving. So when your feet start to fall off, remember that buses and the subway go almost everywhere in the city, and your hostel is just a short ride away.
Île de la Cité and Île St-Louis
Some 2000 years ago, the French monarchy claimed Les Îles as the geographic center of its kingdom and the royal and governmental seat of power. The islands were perfectly located and easily defendable in the middle of the Seine—think castles, drawbridges, fire-breathing dragons, and then don’t because you’re probably thinking of a bad Shrek sequel. Today, you can see how Paris grew outward, both physically expanding beyond the islands and politically distancing itself from the monarchy.
Île de la Cité, the larger of the two islands, is still considered the city’s center and is home to Paris’s kilomètre zéro, from which distances are measured and where France’s major roads originate. Trigger-happy tourists congregate on two streets that cut vertically through the island: the Boulevard du Palais, where you’ll find Sainte-Chappelle and the Palais du Justice, and rue de la Cité, the next street over that runs in front of Notre Dame. Unsurprisingly, most of the restaurants here are less than interested in fair prices and authenticity, particularly as you get closer to Notre Dame, but it is possible to find worthy spots tucked in the nooks and crannies of this island. Although the physical center of the city sounds like an ideal place to stay, most accommodations are overpriced, and once the tourist traffic clears out after sunset, the islands tend to become uncomfortably quiet, with the exception of the plaza in front of Notre Dame. Île St-Louis, the quiet younger sister of the two islands, sits peacefully beside its impressive big brother and provides a welcome escape from the crowds and bustle across the way. The restaurants and shops here are smaller in scale and are mostly located on rue Saint-Louis en l’Île. The only Métro stop on the islands is 
Cité, between bd du Palais and rue de la Cité, but several other stops are located just across the bridges that connect the islands to the mainland of the city, including Paris’s largest stop, Châtelet.
Châtelet-Les Halles (1er, 2ème)
Les Îles are the geographic center of the city, but, with the exception of the Eiffel Tower, Paris’s 1er and 2ème arrondissements are the fountainhead from which everything flows. Most famously, the Louvre and Les Halles marketplace draw crowds from far and wide to Paris’s bellybutton. Naturally, this area is tourist-heavy during the daytime, especially in the summer. Unfortunately, Les Halles and the Jardin des Halles have been under serious renovation and reconstruction since 2011 and are currently an unsightly block of cranes and concrete; the project is expected to be finished in bits and pieces through 2016. Châtelet-Les Halles is the city’s main transportation hub and is located in the southeast corner of these neighborhoods; three RER and five Métro lines can be accessed between here and the two connecting stations, Châtelet and Les Halles. The Opéra stop is a prominent point in the northwest corner of the neighborhood, topped off by boulevard Haussmann/Montmartre/Poissonnière and hugged in the east by boulevard de Sébastopol. The closer you are to the Louvre, the more likely prices are to be unnecessarily high, so make the effort to go a few blocks farther north, east, or west to get away from the loud crowds and equally annoying prices. Rue St-Denis runs parallel to bd de Sébastopol and is generally a dependable strip for good but pricey nightlife and more reasonable food and accommodation options.
The Marais (3ème, 4ème)
The Marais embodies the ultimate ugly duckling tale. Originally a bog (marais means “marsh”), the area became livable in the 13th century when monks drained the land to build the Right Bank. When Henri IV constructed the glorious place des Vosges in the early 17th century, the area suddenly became the city’s center of fashionable living, and luxury and scandal soon took hold. Royal haunts gave way to slums and tenements during the Revolution, and many of the grand hôtels particuliers fell into ruin or disrepair. In the 1950s, the Marais was revived and declared a historic neighborhood; since then, decades of gentrification and renovation have restored the Marais to its pre-Revolutionary glory. Once palatial mansions have become exquisite museums, and the tiny, twisting streets are crowded with hip bars, avant-garde galleries, and one-of-a-kind boutiques.
Boulevard de Sébastopol divides the Marais from Les Halles in the west, and the Centre Pompidou anchors down the southwest portion of the neighborhood. The Métro 1 runs along the rue de Rivoli, which marks the southern border. The northern and eastern borders are defined by the Boulevard Saint-Martin and the Plaza République, and bd Beaumarchais, which runs along the Métro 8, forms a quarter-circle border around the Marais. The quickest way to go north-south is to take the Métro 11 beginning from the Hôtel de Ville along the rue de Beaubourg. Today, the Marais is known as a center of Parisian diversity. Rue des Rosiers, in the heart of the 4ème, is the center of Paris’s Jewish population, though the steady influx of hyper-hip clothing and rising rents have led to a significant loss of Jewish establishments. But the Marais remains lively on Sunday and quieter on Saturday, the Jewish day of rest. The neighborhood is also unquestionably the GLBT center of Paris, with the community’s hub at the intersection of rue Sainte-Croix de la Brettonerie and rue Vieille du Temple. Though the steady stream of tourists has begun to wear on the Marais’s eclectic personality, the district continues to be a distinctive mix of old and new, queer and straight, cheap and chic.
Latin Quarter and St-Germain (5ème, 6ème)
The Latin Quarter and St-Germain are two of Paris’s primary tourist neighborhoods, second only to the areas around the Louvre, Notre Dame, and the Hôtel de Ville. The Latin Quarter, however, got its name from the many institutions of higher learning in the area, including the famous Sorbonne, where Latin scriptures and studies were more prevalent than kissing couples along the Seine. To this day, these neighborhoods—the Latin Quarter in particular—are the student hubs of Paris, mixing overpriced tourist traps with budget-friendly student hangouts. Boulevard St-Michel divides the two areas, with St-Germain to the west and the Latin Quarter to the east. Meanwhile, Boulevard du Montparnasse and Boulevard de Port Royal separate both areas from southern Paris, with the Jardin du Luxembourg and the Panthéon being the central icons of each arrondissement. As tempted as you may be to shell out your money in St-Germain-des-Prés, your wallet will thank you if you head to the 5ème and roam rue Monge and rue Mouffetard for affordable food, nightlife, and accommodations.
If Paris was Jay-Z, then the Eiffel Tower would be his Beyoncé—both are icons in their own right, and together, they are absolute magic. Everyone that comes to Paris will want to see the world’s greatest power couple, so prep yourself for the higher prices and overeager tourists who are crazy in love with snapping pics left and right. The Eiffel Tower(s) over the 7ème, but the rest of Destiny’s Child is nearby and have more than made it on their own. Starting from the west, the Champs de Mars stretches southeast in front of the Eiffel Tower, with École Militaire at its feet. In the middle of the neighborhood is the Esplanade of Les Invalides, topped off in the north with Invalides and to the south with the Musée de l’Armée. Continue east to find the Musée d’Orsay (and its long lines) on the banks of the Seine. The Quai d’Orsay, rue de l’Université, and rue St-Dominique run West to East through the neighborhood and make for great strolls past the brasseries and cafés. And if you don’t want to walk, the RER C chugs along the Seine and will conveniently drop you off right in front of the biggest attractions, but for a scenic route, take the 69 bus, which travels from the Eiffel Tower all the way to the Musée d’Orsay.
Champs-Élysées (8ème)
The Champs-Élysées is a whole other kind of Paris, where even the Métro stops seem to sparkle with glamor. This is the Paris where the daughters of American millionaires throw their bachelorette parties and where fashion moguls wipe their you-know-whats with only the finest of handwoven silks. It’s a fun place to window shop and daydream about the finer things in life, but the buck stops there.
Avenue des Champs-Elysées is the heart of this area, pumping life from the Arc de Triomphe through the rows of designer shops and out-of-this-world expensive restaurants and nightclubs. If you want to continue to immerse yourself in all the beautiful things you will probably never have, head for Avenue Montaigne, rue du Faubourg St-Honoré, or the side streets around La Madeleine. The #2 Métro line separates the 8ème from the 16ème in the north, but the closer you get to this area, the fewer tourists you will find.
Opéra (9ème) and Canal St-Martin (10ème)
Although they follow the spiral pattern from the center of the city along with the other arrondissements, the 9ème and 10ème feel a bit ambiguously plopped in the middle of the Rive Droite. The 9ème can be particularly difficult to navigate, especially since its namesake Métro stop and tourist site, the Paris Opéra, is positioned at its southern tip rather than at the center. The 9ème is roughly surrounded by the #2 Métro line in the north along bd de Clichy, Gare St-Lazare in the west, and Opéra in the south. Navigating the Opéra neighborhood by rail will generally mean traveling in the east-west directions: The #8 and #9 Métro runs along bd Haussmann in the south and conveniently begins at Opéra Garnier and will drop you off at République, near the Canal St-Martin. To the north, the #2 runs along bd Clichy and intersects with the #12, which actually cuts vertically through the neighborhood to reach Notre Dame de Lorette and eventually Gare St. Lazare. Finally, the #7 runs diagonally from the southwest corner of the arrondissement from Opéra to the northeast corner of the Canal St-Martin neighborhood.
Right next to the 9ème, the 10ème is known (and named for) the Canal Saint-Martin, which runs along the eastern border of the arrondissement. Stray too far from this “mini-Seine” (i.e., anywhere west of bd Magenta), and you’ll find yourself smack in the middle of the sketchy area that surrounds the Gare du Nord and Gare de l’Est. If the gun armories and cash-for-gold stores didn’t give you a hint, we’ll tell you now: stay clear of this area at night.
The Bastille is home to the famous prison where the French Revolution kicked things off with a bang on July 14, 1789. A few centuries later, Parisians still storm this neighborhood nightly in search of the latest cocktails, culinary innovations, and up-and-coming musicians in the city. Five Métro lines converge at République and Nation, and three lines at Bastille, making this district a busy transport hub. Although the area is still a bit worn around the edges, Bastille is a neighborhood that is well known for its cheap food, red-hot nightlife, and uncrowded stores for those in search of stress-free shopping. The highest concentration of all three is in the area between rue de Charenton, in the south of the 11ème, and rue de la Roquette, running northeast away from the Bastille. Late-night cheap eats, youth hostels, and bars where memories are made and forgotten line the streets east of République and particularly along rue Oberkampf. The Algerian community offers countless dining options at the Marché d’Aligre, where the weekly outdoor market sets up. The Viaduc des Arts and the gorgeous Promenade Plantée (see Sights, p. 119) will lead you toward the more expensive shops and galleries in the 12ème.
Montparnasse and Southern Paris (13ème, 14ème, 15ème)
These three arrondissements, which make up nearly one-sixth of Paris, lack the photo-ops and famous sights that attract tourists elsewhere in the city. They do, however, tend to comprise Paris’s so-called better half, where locals dominate the tourists and the pace of life is more relaxed. The neighborhoods spread east to west in ascending order, with Montparnasse somewhere in between the 14ème and 15ème in the area immediately surrounding the Montparnasse Tower and the Cimetière du Montparnasse in the 14ème. Your best mode of transportation between here will be the #6 Métro line, which runs aboveground along bd du Grenelle and bd Garibaldi on the northern edge of the 15ème, then cuts a bit farther down into the 14ème and 13ème along bd St-Jacques and bd Vincent. The 15ème and 14ème are divided by the train tracks that stem from the SNCF station behind the Montparnasse Tower, and rue de la Santé roughly divides the 14ème and the 13ème. The 13ème has a strange combination of characters thanks to Chinatown, nestled south of rue de Tolbiac, and the small hippie enclave surrounding rue de la Butte aux Cailles, which avoids the capitalist drive to overcharge for meals or entertainment. The bank of the River Seine along the 13ème is home to a series of floating bars and restaurants, especially opposite the Parc de Bercy, though many travelers don’t make it this far south or east.
Auteuil, Passy & Batignolles (16ème, 17ème)
The 16ème and 17ème are almost devoid of tourists. More residential, these neighborhoods are home to ladies who lunch, their beautiful children, and their overworked husbands. The 16ème is frequented by Parisian elites who have money and are willing to spend it in the expensive boutiques and cafe lounges lining the main roads around Trocadéro. The 17ème, meanwhile, is far more relaxed in terms of its residents and prices. Its sheer size and lack of notable sights make this area a retreat for working class citizens and overly earnest teenagers who take leisurely strolls or sit in the many cafes.
The 16ème covers the area west of the 8ème, where the Seine dives sharply south. Auteuil and Passy are loosely defined, if at all, but Auteuil generally covers the southern half of the arrondissement, while Passy makes up the northern half (although you probably won’t hear many Parisians refer specifically to either one). Most tourist traffic converges at Trocadéro at the Palais de Chaillot; many major sights are scattered about the banks of the river, especially near Passy (between the Musée du Vin and Maison de Radio France), where you can find some of the best views of the Eiffel Tower. The northern border of this area is generally marked by the Arc de Triomphe.
The 17ème consists of the area directly north of the Arc de Triomphe and the 8ème. Batignolles tends to refer just to the eastern corner of this arrondissement, around the Square des Batignolles. It is in and around the square that most of the best bars and restaurants in the neighborhood can be found, especially along and just off rue des Dames. Pl. du Maréchal Juin anchors the other side of town and is connected to bd des Batignolles and bd de Courcelles by av. de Villiers.
Montmartre (18ème)
Montmartre is easily the most eccentric of Paris’s arrondissements, with religious landmarks like the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur looming over the infamous Moulin Rouge and the land of the scantily-clad Red Light District. Half the fun around here is bumbling about the cobblestone streets and posing next to the street art and graffiti as you huff and puff your way up and down the stairs. There’s a super-touristy area on rue de Steinkerque if you want to pick up some postcards, but please, stay away from the corny berets and the overpriced food around these parts. The 18ème has recently exploded with youth hostels that keep bars full at night but also attract pickpockets. The neighborhood sits on top of a huge hill that is a bit of a hike, so plan your sightseeing accordingly. The bottom of the hill is lined by boulevard de Clichy and boulevard de Rochechouart, under which the #2 Métro line runs and where you can find a lot of great bars. Boulevard Barbès roughly borders the eastern end of this area, and the Cimetière de Montmartre borders it to the west.
Buttes-Chaumont & Belleville (19ème, 20ème)
The Buttes-Chaumont and Belleville neighborhoods cover a huge area, but several well-placed Métro lines make them easy to navigate. Even though this corner of Paris may be a bit far, in a city where green space comes at a premium, these neighborhoods have more than their fair share of beautiful parks—Parc de Belleville comes with sweeping views of the Parisian skyline. At night, the bars in this area come alive with artsy locals who love to kick back cheap booze or dance the night away at Rosa Bonheur or La Bellevilloise. Running along the northern edge of the 19ème is av. Jean Jaurès and the #5 Métro, which lead straight to Parc de la Villette. To the west, the #2 Métro runs straight down bd de la Villette and stops near the Parc de Belleville, Père-Lachaise Cemetery, and nearly every main street from the 19ème to the 20ème. The #9, #3, and #11 Métros run horizontally through the area, and the #11 runs through rue de Belleville, which is home to Paris’s second largest Chinatown and host to a number of cheap eateries. While this area is full of goodies, it can also be a little rough around the edges when the sun sets, so we advise caution after dark.
SIGHTS
Seeing everything in Paris is exhausting if not impossible (even we struggled a bit). For a short trip, visiting the main attractions can mean waiting in lines, feeling the urge to add the annoying couple in front of you to the body count at the Catacombs, and becoming completely desensitized to some of mankind’s greatest feats of engineering and art. Give yourself a break. Before heading off to see something because you saw it on a postcard, check this section for what’s really worth it. Some of Paris’s most interesting sights are devoid of tourists.
Île de la Cité and Île St-Louis
NOTRE DAME
CATHEDRAL
Île de la Cité
01 42 34 56 10
If you’ve read this far, stay with us for a little longer. Here is what you need to see and do when visiting Notre Dame. First, as you enter, notice the headless figures above the doors. Revolutionaries thought that the King of Judah was somehow related to the French monarch (he’s not) and decapitated him. From the entrance, you’ll see massive crowds. Keep to the right and follow the arrows past Joan of Arc to the Treasury, where you can see Napoleon’s sweet emperor cloak as well as relics like St. Louis’s tunic. Jesus’s thorny crown rests here too, but it’s only revealed on the first Friday of the month at 3pm. The crème de la crème is the 13-ton bell in the South Tower that requires eight men—or one hunchback—to ring.
Cité. Walk down the street away from the quai onto rue de la Cité. Free. Audio tour €5, includes treasury visit. Towers €8.50, reduced €5.50, under 18 and EU citizens under 26 free. 
Cathedral open daily 8am-6:45pm. Towers open daily Apr-Sept 10am-6:30pm; Oct-Mar 10am-5:30pm. Last entry 4:45pm. Free tours in French M-F 2 and 3pm, Sa-Su 2:30pm; English W-Th 2pm, Sa 2:30pm. Treasury open M-F 9:30am-6pm, Sa 9:30am-6:30pm, Su 1:30-6:30pm; last entry 15min. before close. Su Mass 8:30am (French), 10am (Gregorian Chants), 11:30am (easy French with some English thrown in), 12:45pm, and 6:30pm.
SAINTE-CHAPELLE
CHURCH
6 bd du Palais
01 53 40 60 80
Everybody needs the occasional diversion to get through a service. Take the 13th-century equivalent of TVs in church: the stunning floor-to-ceiling stained glass windows in the Upper Chapel of Sainte-Chapelle, illuminating dreamscapes of no fewer than 1113 individual Biblical stories. They really tried, but you just can’t squeeze that many depictions onto stained glass and make it understandable without a priest (or tour guide) explaining each one. The easiest to make out is the Passion of the Christ, located at the apex of the chapel. The Lower Chapel has a blue, vaulted ceiling dotted with the golden symbol of the French monarchy, the fleurs-de-lis, and contains a few “treasures” (i.e., platter-sized portraits of saints). This was where mortals served God, while royalty got to get a little closer in the Upper Chapel.
Cité. Walk away from the quai, turn right onto the sidewalk, and turn left onto bd du Palais. Within Palais de la Cité. €8.50, ages 18-25 €5.50, under 18 and EU citizens under 25 free. Audio guide €4.50. Twin ticket with Conciergerie €12.50, ages 18-25 €8.50, under 18 free. Open daily Mar-Oct 9:30am-6pm; Nov-Feb 9am-5pm. Last entry 30min. before close. Open W evenings May 15-Sept 15, last entry 9pm.
CONCIERGERIE
PALACE, PRISON
2 bd du Palais
01 53 40 60 80
It can’t compete with Versailles in grandeur, but the Conciergerie has hosted over four centuries worth of French royalty and functioned as the administrative headquarters for the city for much longer. Perhaps most famously, the Conciergerie is best known for its other function: a prison where revolutionary celebrities like Robespierre and the unforgettable Queen Marie Antoinette were put behind bars. During the Reign of Terror, over 2000 executions took place over the course of a single year—if you have a common French last name, check the list of executed prisoners to see if you have any long-lost guillotined relatives.
Cité. Walk toward the quai, then turn left onto bd du Palais. The entrance is on the right. €8.50, students €5.50, EU citizens ages 18-25 and under 18 free. Combined ticket with Sainte-Chapelle €12.50, students €8.50, under 18 and EU citizens ages 18-25 free. Open daily 9:30am-6pm, last entry 5:30pm.
PONT NEUF
BRIDGE
Though its name might suggest otherwise, the bridge cutting through the western tip of Île de la Cité is the oldest in Paris. Completed in 1607, it was the center of Paris until the end of the 18th century—street performers, pickpockets, traders, and curious members of the bourgeoisie would congregate around this bustling bridge. The occasional gargoyle and a statue of Henri IV are all that Pont Neuf has to offer nowadays.
Pont Neuf.
Budget accommodations (or budget anything, for that matter) can be difficult to find in Paris. But there are still deals for savvy travelers who know where to look. Expect to pay about €40-60 for the best budget hotels, which can be very quirky or forgettable but are always clean and more peaceful than the alternatives. If you’re doing Paris on the cheap, be warned that you can’t always count on having your own bathroom or shower, even if you shell out for a single. For more recommendations, visit www.letsgo.com.
CENTRE INTERNATIONALE DE PARIS (BVJ): PARIS LOUVRE
HOSTEL $$
20 rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau
01 53 00 90 90
With 240 beds, this hostel knows how to run a clean and efficient enterprise, with bare bones but spacious dormitories of four to 10 beds. In the summer, it’s packed with international youths and backpackers looking to capitalize on the cheap prices and prime location.
Louvre-Rivoli. Walk north on rue du Louvre and turn left onto rue St-Honoré. Turn right onto rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau. 3-night max. stay; extensions can be arranged upon arrival. Breakfast included. Dorms €30; doubles €70. Cash only. Reception 24hr.
HÔTEL JEANNE D’ARC
HOTEL $$$
3 rue de Jarente
01 48 87 62 11
Hotel Jeanne d’Arc will brighten up any traveler’s day with fun and artistic decor in the lobby and common area. And best of all, it’s a cheaper option than most of the hotels in the area and only a few steps away from the Métro. A deal this good fills up quickly during the summer, so be sure to book ahead.
St-Paul. Walk against traffic onto rue de Rivoli; turn left onto rue de Sévigné, then right onto rue de Jarente. Breakfast €8. Reserve 2-3 months in advance (earlier for stays in Sept-Oct). Singles €65; 1-bed doubles €81-96; 2-bed doubles €119.
YOUNG AND HAPPY HOSTEL
HOSTEL $$
80 rue Mouffetard
01 47 07 47 07
A funky, lively hostel with 21 clean rooms, some with showers and toilets, Young and Happy Hostel is where you want to stay in the 5ème, if not in all of Paris. It’s a great option if you’re young, fun, and on a budget. Light sleepers, however, should consider staying elsewhere—rue Mouffetard gets quite noisy at night. While impromptu, their reception doubles as a bar and serves drinks if you ask for them.
Place Monge. From rue Monge, walk behind the pl. Monge on rue Ortolan and turn left onto rue Mouffetard. The hostel is on the righ. Breakfast included. Twins €30-45; 3-and 5-person dorms €22-38; 10-person €19-33. Reception 24hr. Lockout 11am-4pm.
OOPS!
HOSTEL $$
50 av. des Gobelins
01 47 07 47 00
It’s easy to see why young backpackers flock to this hostel in droves: from the fun patterns in the rooms to the lists of clubs and parties in the lobby to the fast Wi-Fi, Oops! is designed for the young, wild, and free. Top it all off with cheap prices and ensuite bathrooms (so clutch), it’s understandable that you have to book in advance.
Les Gobelins. Walk south on av. des Gobelins toward pl. d’Italie. The hostel is 3 blocks from the Métro, on the right. Cash only. Breakfast included. Lobby computers available. Reserve online. Mar-Oct dorms €30-42, private rooms €70-115; Nov-Feb dorms €23-28, private rooms €60-80. Reception 24hr. Lockout 11am-4pm.
CRYPTE ARCHEOLOGIQUE
MUSEUM
7 Parvis Notre-Dame, pl. Jean-Paul II
01 55 42 50 10
Hidden beneath feet of countless tourists traipsing about the plaza in front of the Notre Dame lies the Crypte Archeologique. This museum displays the excavations of 2000-year-old archaeological layers, from the fortified walls from the 4th century to the foundations of medieval homes to ancient bath houses. The museum is rather small and dimly lit, and while the museum does its best to explain the various ruins, the remains of the ancient city are quite underwhelming—it’s difficult to make out any structures when everything looks like various piles of eroded gray stones.
Cité. Walk down the street away from the quai onto rue de la Cité. There is a set of stairs at the end of the plaza in front of Notre Dame that looks like an entrance to the Métro. €5, seniors €3.50, ages 14-26 €2.50, under 14 free. Audio guide €3. Open Tu-Su 10am-6pm, last entry 5:30pm.
Châtelet-Les Halles
Châtelet-Les Halles is perhaps Paris’s densest tourist area, and that’s saying something.
MUSÉE DU LOUVRE
MUSEUM
rue de Rivoli
01 40 20 53 17
On the second floor, only Sully and Richelieu are accessible. In Sully, all of the rooms are filled with French paintings that typically require some background study in art history to fully appreciate. Richelieu is filled with student groups and more obscure tours checking out the remaining Belgian, Dutch, German, Russian, and Scandinavian works. These are pretty to look at, but you may be better off spending a little more time getting friendly with your favorites from earlier. Unless you’re planning on bunking up next to the Venus de Milo, seeing everything at the Louvre is impossible. Just getting a glimpse of what’s in front of you, though, is a pretty good start.
Palais Royal-Musée du Louvre. Follow the crowds. Walk past the rue de Rivoli with the flow of traffic on rue de Rohan. All-day access, access to Musée Delacroix included. The Carte Louvre Jeunes entitles the owner to 1-year unlimited access without waiting in line and free access for the owner and a guest on W and F after 6pm. €11, under 18 and EU citizens ages 18-25 free. Special exhibits €12. Combined ticket €15. Carte Louvre Jeunes ages 26-29 €35, 18-25 €15. 1st Su of every month (does not include special exhibits) free. F after 6pm free for under 26 of all nationalities. Audio tour €5, under 18 €3. Open M 9am-6pm, W 9am-9:45pm, Th 9am-6pm, F 9am-10pm, Sa-Su 9am-6pm. Last entry 45min. before close; rooms begin to close 30min. before museum.
JARDIN DES TUILERIES
GARDEN
pl. de la Concorde, rue de Rivoli
01 40 20 90 43
Covering the distance from the Louvre to the pl. de la Concorde, the Tuileries and their colorful green chairs are a favorite of tourists during the summer and with Parisians who like to drag them off and sit with them alone (chairs, not tourists). As with the gardens of Versailles and the Palais du Luxembourg, something as fabulous as the Louvre requires a massive complex of hedges, trees, and a very large fountain. The gardens grew as each successive king added something to call his own. Today, the Tuileries are filled with food stands, merry-go-rounds, and a huge Ferris wheel near the rue de Rivoli entrance, rendering it all quite different from the Tuscan sanctuary Henry originally intended.
Tuileries. Between pl. de la Concorde and Musée Louvre. Free. Open daily Jun-Aug 7am-11pm; Sept 7am-9pm; Oct-Mar 7:30am-7:30pm; Apr-May 7am-9pm. Amusement park open Jun-mid-Aug.
