doug

I am planning a trip to Paris next month, but I was told that Paris is very expensive (dinners are about $150 for two people including wine???)<BR>Is this true?

Jim Rosenberg

You certainly CAN spend that and much more, if you choose. You can also easily have excellent dinners for two, with wine, for less than half of that. In terms of typical? I find Paris to be less expensive than cities like Washington DC or San Francisco in the U.S. It's as expensive as you make it.

Robdaddy

Doug: Don't be put off. Paris is like any other large city anywhere in the world; you have lots of dining choices in all price ranges. While you can certainly spend $150 on dinner for two, you can also spend upwards of $500 for dinner elsewhere, but my wife and I ate well in Paris for between $65 - $80 each night. (Typically, that was for a kir each, two courses, water with the meal, dessert and coffee after).<BR><BR>And guess what? If you're on a tight budget, you can dine for even less than that...students, backpackers, and locals do it all the time...and you don't have to eat swill, either.<BR><BR>Same with hotels; you can go from el cheapo to modest to Omigod I didn't know there was this much money in the world...<BR><BR>Find where your needs, your tastes, and your particular budget all come together, and then do some research on this board and the many guidebooks available. You'll be fine.<BR><BR>Have a great time. I hope you enjoy Paris as much as we did.

Elena

I agree with the above. We go to Paris at least once a year and, believe me, Paris can fit into your budget, whatever it is. Two star hotels are nice though the rooms are generally small. We don't spend much time in our room, so a small, clean room works for us. We eat at modest places and have good food. House wine works for us - our palates must not be too sophisticated. Sometimes we go to the market and put together a picnic dinner to eat on the Champ du Mars inexpensive, but oh so nice. So don't worry about Paris being expensive - go and have a great time in this wonderful city.

Howard

Here's another "testimonial" to the fact that two can, indeed, dine in Paris for much less than $100 and have excellent meais. We're from New York and found the cost of the dining experience much less in Paris. I might add that we found the same situation when it came to our hotel!

maryann

it makes me feel better to know that Paris is affordable.<BR>I am not looking to spend more than $60 for dinner for two people, my hotel costs $125 a night, and budgeting $30 for lunch, breakfast is included on our hotel price, and from what i can tell the sightseeing spots are not that expensive.

amy

Doug: Looks like you're hearing the same opinion. I remember the day I decided to take my kids to Paris for the Martin Luther King holiday instead of Disney World. I did the math at the end of a day of touring Paris with my husband and figured that if one didn't count airfare, we had spend 50% less with just as much entertainment and zero aggravation.<BR><BR>We always read the "Most Expensive Cities List" in travel magazines with wry amusement--how can anyone compare a Paris hotel with New York hotel with a London hotel--they have very different standards at each price/quality level.<BR><BR>What have we found? As Elena said, Paris is a place where it's easy to make choices for your budget. I can quickly find a small but clean, attractive, well-located hotel room for a bit under $100. I can't do that easily in London. Forget it in New York. Paris street food is so wide ranging and fantastic that it's possible to forego at least two meals at restaurants a day without feeling an iota of sacrifice. <BR><BR>And mass transportation? Cheap, extensive, reliable, easy. <BR><BR>So for a major city (no matter what, there's no way around the fact that major cities cost more because they must provide huge services to their populations, services you are going to enjoy!), we think Paris is a best buy. You can spend zillions or pennies. <BR><BR><BR>

Lori

Paris can be as expensive, or as inexpensive, as you want it to be. Personally $150 dinners are not in our budget and we always eat very well in Paris. (and that goes for London too, everyone thinks it is terribly expensive, but you can visit there as well without breaking the bank). As for Paris, if you can afford $150 dinners, fine, if not then there are millions of places to eat (non-tourist traps) out there. Walk down any street and you will find places to eat.

Betsy

Maryann, you can spend much less than $30 for lunch if you don't sit down in a restaurant. Paying less for lunch will give you a few more Euro to spend on dinner. When we're in Paris, we often do take out at lunch, stopping to buy bread, cheese and meat, fruit, a dessert treat and a little bottle of wine. Then we find a nice pique nique spot to people watch and enjoy. There are little shops everywhere that sell take out food or you could buy items at a supermarket.<BR><BR>Bon voyage<BR>Bon appetit

xxx

<BR>Doug, you can spend as much in Paris for dinner as your heart desires, and your wallet can afford. <BR><BR>But you don't have to. It's your choice. <BR><BR>Some people might tell you that you "have" to spend $150 for two people for dinner but, quite likely, these people are food (and wine) snobs who wouldn't consider a meal for two for anything less than that.

gb

We've taken to trips around Europe with our two daughters and found that the cost of traveling can be the same here or there. If you are in a big city, sandwiches, breakfast, lunches, dinners cost a little more. But, you can find a variety of prices and still eat locally. We frequently go to grocery stores. They usually have many pre made selections. The kids like it because they get to see what they eat before they select(so we have less waste of uneaten meals). So, we've never ate at the Jules Verne. Oh well, but my kids have had chance to have picnic below the Eiffel Tower, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and the London Bridge. What will they remember 10, 20 years from now.

xxx

There are three of us in our family and we sure won't be spending $150.00/2 people for dinner much more for three! As the others have posted, you can spend as much or as little as you like.

amy

Let me add one more tidbit: it's extremely easy to economize in Paris, as all of us have said, compared to other places. Have you been to Maui, for example? We found we could not go to a grocery store and buy muffins, orange juice and coffee for our family within our budget. We were stunned. Ended up eating the hotel breakfast buffet so that we could skip lunch.<BR><BR>No--it's not cheap, but the cost of Paris is very much what you make it.

Ellen

One thing no one has mentioned is that service is usually included in the cost of a meal. So your dinner costs you what is printed on the menu. It is usally advised to leave a few loose francs (euros)or not even that much. Also, the house wine is usually excellent and not $6 dollars a glass as in New York - but far less expensive. You've just saved 15% on the cost of your meal vs. New York or the U.S.