Penny pinching tips in Paris

Paris is a great place to splurge, but it's not necessary. In fact, some of the best experiences are had on the cheap.  Here are some ways I save money in Paris:

• If you're going to visit more than one museum or famous sight (and you will), it's totally worth buying the Paris Museum Pass.  More here about how it saves time AND money. 
• Call your bank before you go and find out who your partner ATMs are for the lowest fees and exchange rates.  It's cheapest to just withdraw cash from a partner ATM than to exchange cash. You should also call your bank and credit card company to let them know when and where you're going, including any layovers, so you don't get a fraud hold on your card at an inconvenient time during your travels, or get fraudulent charges after you've gone home.
• Splitting the bills with friends?  We use Short Reckonings to track who paid what for whom.

Transportation:

• To/from the airport:  IMHO, it depends on when you arrive, your tolerance for crowds vs traffic, how much luggage you have, and how comfortable you are finding your way to the hotel.  Me personally, I'm happy to save money taking the RER to the Metro, but that's because I took an Advil PM on the red-eye, I only have a carry-on suitcase and backpack, I don't mind the commuter crowds changing from the RER to the Metro, and I generally know how to get around the trains/city.  But, if you're too tired to deal with crowds or have big suitcases, sit back and relax in a taxi - and accept the fact that you'll sit in 45-60 minutes of rush hour traffic.  If I recall correctly, the fare for 3 people varied from 60-100 euros, depending on traffic.  When travelling with my parents, they decided it was worth the extra money to take the taxi and not hassle with crowds and luggage.  For more than 2 people, it's worth emailing the hotel to ask if they recommend an airport shuttle service.  

When is it worth renting a car?

• You do not want or need a car in Paris.  You can get everywhere you want to go in Paris by Metro/RER and on foot.  Even the occasional cab is better than the hassle/expense of having a rental car in Paris.  
• You can get to Versaille by train - so don't bother with a car rental for that unless you also want to see Giverny (which I highly recommend).  Giverny is supposedly doable by train, but kind of time-consuming due to transfers, etc.  However, since Versaille and Giverny are generally in the same direction, I recommend renting a car for the day to see both.  
• Overnight trips beyond Paris - to the Loire, Rouen, Normandy.  Yes, you could take the train, but you'll want a car when you get there and it's very pretty countryside along the way.  Rent a car - but rent it as close to the Peripherique (the freeway that circles the city) as possible to avoid city traffic.
• If you do rent a car, it may seem convenient to pick up at the Louvre, but you can spare yourself at least an hour of mind-blowing city traffic if you take the Metro to an agency as close to the Peripherique (the highway the circumnavigates Paris) as possible located in the general direction that you're headed.  For example, if you're going to Giverny or Versailles, take the Metro or RER to Porte Maillot and you'll be on the A16 in no time! 
• For the trip between Paris and Provence, it depends on whether you plan to make any stops along the way.  If you just want to get there, it's faster (3 hours vs 7-8 hours, and you avoid the Paris traffic) and cheaper to take the hi-speed TGV and get a rental car in Avignon.  We did some overnights in/around Lyon, which made driving worth it - but if you just want to hightail it to/from Provence, definitely take the TGV.

Train tips:

• I personally love the Metro and RER trains in Paris.  Buy a carnet (a packet of 10 tickets) instead of individual tickets.  Always hang on to your ticket until you get off in case the conductor asks for it. Metro tickets are also good on the funicular at Montmartre. 
• For the TGV, you can buy tickets online before you go, but if you select US as your country of origin, they'll redirect you to the Rail Europe and add fees.  Pick another English-speaking country to stay on the TGV site and make your purchase.  
• You do not need to get your tickets mailed to you in advance - you can print them online from home OR at the station with your reservation number.  
• It's also generally not a problem to get tickets when you get to Paris - trains do get full, so you might not get an ideal seat, but unless it's a holiday or peak hour, you should get a seat on the train you want.  
• The comfort difference between 1st and 2nd class tickets is, IMHO, negligible - to me, it's a matter of whether you want to guarantee you'll sit together or potentially sit apart and/or next to strangers. 

Eating out:
You will always pay more to sit down and get table service, and be forewarned that the French linger over every morsel, so if you're in a hurry to move on to sight-seeing, sitting down may not be worth the time or money.  For example, Dad likes to have a proper meal for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and will happily pay the premium to sit down at the hotel breakfast, a corner cafe, or restaurant.  However, he gets impatient waiting for the bill.

• Don't be an ugly American and get huffy if they seem to be ignoring you.  Typically, there are only one or two waiters servicing an entire cafe - so be patient.  Politely use the international signal - scribble an imaginary pencil in your hand - or ask for "la note" or "l'addition, s'il vous plait." 
• When they leave the bill with you, ask if you pay inside - in a small corner cafe kind of place, it's usually fine/appreciated to bring the bill inside to the bar counter.
  

Personally, I prefer to save time and money over breakfast and lunch - and spend the savings relaxing at a corner cafe mid-afternoon when my feet hurt from walking.

• In the morning, I get in line with the locals for a croissant at the nearest bakery.  Then, I admit it, I go to Starbucks and ask for my coffee "à emporter" (to go) - hotels don't have coffee makers in the rooms, and nowhere else offers coffee to go.  I usually take all of this to a park bench, or my hotel room to plot my day because eating and drinking while walking immediately pegs you as a tourist.  
• For lunch, I like a cheap and cheerful ham and cheese crepe from a street vendor or an "à emporter" window at a cafe/restaurant. 
• Bread, cheese, fruit, wine and pâté - this is what I came to Paris for!  I also love to go food shopping at the morning outdoor markets on Rue de Mouffetard or Rue de Montorgeuil (I haven't been to Rue Cler yet). So pack a wine bottle opener, little plastic cutting board and a knife, and you're all set for a cheap picnic lunch/snack.
• I don't usually eat dinner until 8pm in Paris - so around 4pm, when my feet are barking, I'll find a cafe with a nice view of the sunset and relax over a glass of wine.  If it costs 9 euro to order ice cream at the table, I'll usually just enjoy the drink and then find a "à emporter" window or a pastry shop and get a nibble to eat while I walk off my drink.  Don't bring food to the cafe - get it to go elsewhere afterwards. 

Tipping: 

• Americans notoriously overtip out of confusion in restaurants, but in France, a 15% tip will be automatically (by law) added to your bill. Check the receipt - it should says "prix compris" - and even if it doesn't, trust me - there will be an extra 15% listed on the bill and that's the service charge (aka, tip).  Nowadays, they bring the credit card machine to you and run the card before you can add a tip, assuming that the 15% already included is sufficient.  If you have great service and want to leave an extra 5% more, ok - but no one expects it.  But always tip in cash - don't try to add it to the credit card.  For this reason, I always carry coins.
• For drinks, leave a centime or two per drink.  
• For a cafe or most restaurants, you could add one euro for every 20 euros spent.  
• If it's a very fancy restaurant with great service, you can leave 20 euros.  
• Check the guidebooks, but:
• I leave a euro or two/day for the chambermaid.  
• I round up a cab driver's fare to the nearest euro.  If it's to/from the airport, I'll round it up by 5 euros. and add a euro/bag on top of the fare. 
• The front desk clerks are always happy to call in a dinner reservation, so depending on how long I'm there, how often I rely on them, and how friendly they are, I might tip a 5 euros when I checkout (the clerks who bent over backwards to accomodate our change in plans due to Dad's medical emergency got 20 euros each - but they were amazing). 

Hotels:

• I've stayed in some very nice hotels, but IMHO, I'm not in Paris to spend time in my hotel room.  So now I look for something clean and safe in a central location (I prefer the Marais - see recos here), close to the Metro, and with free Wi-Fi.  If I'm going June-September, I also want AC.
• It pays to reserve a room as soon as you know you're going.  Check the cancellation policy - and if it allows cancellations, book it!  Just make sure you cancel asap if you find something better.

Medical issues: 

• Know your medical insurance policy's foreign medical coverage before you go.  When my dad had an issue, we discovered that if we had called the hotel doctor, his medical insurance would have covered NOTHING.  However, because he went through the emergency room, EVERYTHING was covered.  
• Good news or bad news first?  Good news: his medical costs were half what it would've been in the US.  Bad news: they require full payment (credit cards accepted) before you leave.
• If you need OTC or prescription medicine, head to the pharmacist first (look for the green cross-shaped neon sign).  They're quite knowledgable and can potentially save you a trip to the hospital/doctor.
• If you do need a doctor, I highly recommend the American Hospital in Paris.  Don't get overly excited - it's not staffed by Americans or meant to cater to Americans (although that was the founders' intention).  But, it is one of the best hospitals in Europe, and many of the staff do speak English.  The doctors and nurses took excellent care of my Dad, were clearly up on the latest research and cutting edge techniques, and bent over backwards to take time to answer all of our questions (seriously, the chief of cardiac care spent an HOUR answering pre-discharge questions - in the US, we would've been lucky to get five minutes).

Travel Insurance:  I have a new-found respect for investing in travel insurance, which you must purchase BEFORE leaving, preferably as soon as you book your tickets:

• Whatever wasn't covered by my dad's medical insurance would have been covered by his travel insurance.  Also, travel insurance would have covered costs related to a change in travel plans due to medical "evacuation."  So if he had needed to go home for medical care, all the last-minute travel costs, as well as cancelled travel costs would have been covered.  
• Labor strikes do happen, which can throw a monkey wrench into plans and budgets.  Be sure to check the fine print, but many travel insurance plans do cover labor strikes causing complete cessation of a common carrier for a set amount of time, usually 12, 24 or 48 hours.  If you purchased your insurance before the strike was announced, you should be covered - however, once a strike is announced, it is considered a foreseeable event no longer eligible for coverage.  Rates do go up the closer you get to your trip, so buy it as soon as you book your airfare.