Travel guide Paris: Part 1

When you think of Paris, you think " The city of love". It isn't on most peoples lists of cheap travels. I am here to say that it can be and should be!

Paris is not all high end dining and couture clothing. There are a ton a free or cheap sites to see and places to eat. I was only in Paris for 4 days my last visit and saw some of the most amazing things and met some very interesting people. Let me start with the sites. Unlike London the Museums aren't free, but they are so big you can spend hours there and are totally worth it!

 The metro in Paris is one if not the best metro systems I have ever been on. The ability to see the whole city is so easy and as long as you don't loose your multi-day pass, aside from walking it is the cheapest way to get around.  I will always suggest walking since the city is pretty small and this allows you to see more than sitting in a metro car, but when you want to get from one side of the city to the next THIS IS the way to travel. It's also super easy to navigate, my man who has a horrible sense of direction figured it out after day 1, so if he can YOU CAN!

Most of the places we went to are on any travel guide, but there are some unassuming activities like picnicking on the Siene that really made my feel like a local. There are some other museums and sites we saw, but these are my top must sees!

The Louvre: Now this is not free, it's 15 euros a ticket, but totally worth it. The museum is so massive you can spend a whole day there! My personal suggestion is to bring some snacks and water; having to spend 5 euros on a tiny water bottle will leave most budget conscious folks feeling frustrated. It's always a good idea to get there early because the line can get long and the crowds can become overwhelming as the day goes on. We went in the spring so it wasn't as busy, but we still waited in line for 30-45 minutes. Don't forget to pack some toilet paper too because the public bathrooms can run low! No one wants to be stuck without TP!

The best workout in Paris: walking up the stairs to The Bastilica of Sacre-coeur is the best buns of steel workout I've done to date. While going into the monument is free, going up to the steeple was around 10 euros (and more stairs to climb). We decided to reward ourselves after the stepathon and were not disappointed; the view was absolutely breathtaking and worth every penny!

I promise I was at the top, but I was scared to get close the the edge... I have a fear of heights even when there is a wall between myself and the edge.

Notre- Dame. Now here is a Freebie! It is also right next to the Latin Quarter where we found some amazing street food and a flower market. Day or night this is a great spot to walk around and take in all that is Paris.

It's always free to look! And that is just what we did, LOOK! Besides the fact I am terrified of heights, the cost and the lines are too much for me. However, walking around the Eiffel Tower is so much fun. It is a total tourist trap and places like this I tend to be more cautious, but as long as you're alert and don't try to buy any selfie sticks your good!

Something we did everyday was instead of going to a bar or restaurant is we bought cheap beer and people watched on the Seine. Similar to sitting outside of a cafe, but much cheaper and fun to watch all the people pass by! It's also really popular spot with the locals so it felt like we lived there. One night we brought bread and some left over cheese from a charcuterie we had the day before and had a nice early dinner snack. In the summer they also have "beaches" where you can lay in the sand, that they put over some of the normal seating areas, and get a good tan.

This may sound crazy, but Paris has some cool cemeteries to walk through. I got the Jim Morrison cemetery mixed up with another large one, but it was still cool to explore and make up interesting back stories. 

Coffee is always a good choice, not free, but cheap and if you get a good spot on a busy street its like a small fortune. You can sit for hours just embracing the Paris vibe.

Marche Couvert des Enfants Rouges. This market was totally worth checking out and I wish we had more meals to eat, but is a must do especially if you like Moroccan food. We met a really cool couple from South Africa and enjoyed the best Moroccan food I've ever had! * I'm a line talker, so anytime you travel strike up a conversation, be the crazy person, cause you never know who you will meet!

The Catacombs. This is another must on my list! The line is long so expect a wait of some sort, but so much fun! I am not one to get the audio tours of museums, but this is a MUST! Or all the catacombs are is a bunch of bones, the audio tour walks you through the history and is worth the extra 5 euros. Also, similar to New York bathroom are scares so there were a few cups of coffee bought while in line just to use the facilities. Buying all the coffee was probably the root of my problem since it was a culprit to needing to go to the bathroom. A vicious cycle, vicious.

My last suggestion, walking around and under the Arc De Triomphe.  It's so awesome, not to mention it is at the edge of Champs-Elysees. Window shopping is FREE! But, also cruel and unusual punishment...