“See Paris and die” - this phrase is often recalled by our compatriots. All Russians seem to be in their blood, craving for a trip to Paris. But many people think that this is a very expensive pleasure, you have to save up money for a long time in order to just walk around the capital of France. Is it so? Is it possible to relax with 100 euros in your pocket? You probably smiled skeptically? So, this is a real reality, if you know some of the hidden sides of a tourist vacation in Europe.
We will not dwell on air travel for a long time, because now it is quite easy to buy an inexpensive ticket to Paris or another European city. The list of low-cost airlines flying from Moscow to Europe can be found on our website.
How to get to the center. Paris Metro
So, you flew to the capital of France - Paris. The first thing you need to do is get to the city center. Buses to the metro are waiting for you right at the exits from Charles de Gaulle airport, the cost of a trip is 10 euros - not cheap, but you can save about 2 euros when buying a round-trip ticket. If you find a ticket vending machine on the territory of the airport, then the price is lower - 9 euros 10 cents. The choice is yours.
Well, finally, you will find yourself on the Paris metro. Do not be intimidated by the unpleasant smell and do not fall into shock from the abundance of African citizens, it seems that there are much fewer Europeans there. The metro is the scourge of Paris, homeless people live here, all sorts of suspicious persons gather, and there are very few police. But Paris is used to it and is quite calm, because there is no crime there.
If you have patience, and do not pay attention to the shortcomings of the metro in Paris, then you will quickly reach the desired point. Before the trip, be sure to carefully study the metro map, it looks like a multi-level rebus, here you can easily get lost and spend extra money - some directions need to be paid additionally.
Where is it profitable to stay
Now you need to consider options for stopping overnight. A huge variety of hotels and hostels of different stars and hostels have opened their doors to tourists. But this is a completely different price, one night in a hostel on the outskirts of Paris costs about 40 euros, this is not for your budget.
Of course, if you plan your vacation in advance and book your accommodation at least six months in advance, then it is not difficult to find budget offers, but here the probability of buying a cheap plane ticket decreases, it may not be a profitable offer on the day of booking.
But what to do when you are in Paris, and there is very little money, not to spend the night on the street? For such cases, a wonderful way has appeared so that a poor traveler can spend the night completely free of charge in the center of Paris and in a comfortable environment. Sounds like a fairy tale? Yes, but this is a reality and a new movement in travel circles.
Looking for free accommodation in Paris
First, you go to the Paris Public Library in order to find free Internet, and just get to know this attraction. You can talk about this place for a very long time, about nine million unique books, scrolls, palm leaves, clay tablets and many other objects are stored here, which contain a variety of information.
The staff in the library is about three thousand people. This is a real treasury, there are books in all languages of the world, in the living and the dead. The cases are arranged in the form of open books, and the atmosphere in which you find yourself cannot be described in words. But you need free internet. Elsewhere in Paris, this is a problem. You need to order something in a cafe to get access to the Internet, in hotels it is available only for guests, but the Parisian Library is the place where you can safely and free of charge surf the Internet.
Couchsurfing is a popular destination in world tourism
You need to find everything about couchsurfing. It sounds a little strange and incomprehensible. There is a movement in which people from all over the world willingly participate. They provide their accommodation to travelers absolutely free. This is called couchsurfing. Why do people do this? Yes, probably, in order to find new friends, so that you can easily move from one country to another, and simply improve our mercantile world.
On the Internet, in any search engine, enter Couch Surfing, go to the corresponding site and see all the offers for Paris. You will definitely find what you need! So the question of spending the night has been resolved, and even in the center. Plus, you've visited a great book town. Another advantage of couchsurfing in Paris should be noted - the chance to explore the life of Parisians from the inside.
A small summary can be summarized:
- Bus ticket - 10 euros;
- Metro fare - 10 euros;
- A fascinating walk around Paris - free of charge;
- The Parisian Library is free;
- Overnight stay in the apartment is free.
Remains 55 euros for food, souvenirs, entrance tickets to museums and entertainment. It turns out that it is quite possible to spend a weekend in Paris with 100 euros.
Immerse yourself in the atmosphere of a Parisian apartment
Let's go explore a new home. In the central part of Paris, residential buildings are very beautiful, they look like museums, although ordinary French families have lived in them for several centuries. Many local residents, like in our tourist cities, rent out their accommodation. They also participate in couchsurfing - they let in for one or more nights for free travelers without a penny. Moreover, there is no concept of a return visit, there is no need to invite you to spend the night in your house. Surprisingly, this is the main advantage of Parisian couchsurfing.
If you have watched French films and remember the apartments of the heroes, this is exactly what you will see in your apartment in Paris. Large windows that fill the room with light with a high stucco ceiling, a fireplace, a balcony with a wrought-iron lattice, a lot of things selected and arranged with taste.
Many gizmos are rare, over 100 years old. Parisians are sensitive to their history, interior items, clothing, stored for centuries and passed from one generation to another.
Sometimes there is a feeling of clutter, but then, when you get used to the environment and feel the Parisian spirit, it becomes clear that here every thing creates the general atmosphere of the apartment and conveys the character of its owner.
The cost of such an apartment is about one million five hundred thousand euros. In principle, if you take a five-room apartment of the old fund in the center of St. Petersburg or Moscow, the price will be higher. But, it should be noted that in Russia very rich people live in such apartments. In Paris, the rich live in houses outside the city, and in the center - ordinary people who inherited this wealth of real estate.
The Parisians have a calm attitude to their homes, no one is afraid to let strangers in. The French calmly hand over the keys to their home, you find yourself practically in a museum of Parisian life. Moreover, without spending a cent.
Suppose, alternatively, you could stay in an inexpensive hostel. There you will be greeted by government bunk beds and many poor foreigners. Hostels in all countries are similar to each other and about the Parisian spirit, it is simply inappropriate to talk there.
In your version, this is a French weekend in the old apartment of a true Parisian. Of course, it is impossible to completely exclude fraud in the couchsurfing movement, unfortunately, we do not live in an ideal world and all people are different. But in general, this is a very progressive and necessary movement. Couchsurfing is a real help for a poor tourist who wants to travel around European cities to the maximum. Low bow to the inventor of such a useful idea.
