THE CITY of love is certainly not the city for the skint, but with a few top tips you could enjoy the best of Paris for next to nothing.
One local shared how her husband wooed her with the best views of the city – and it wasn’t from the top of the Eiffel Tower.
The Parisian boasted that the location was actually far better than the infamous landmark, and said that she now takes all of her friends.
Not only can you see the Eiffel Tower itself, but you can also see the Arc de Triomphe, Palais Garnier opera house, the Sacré-Cœur Basilica, and it’s all for free.
All you have to do is head to Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann department store – a 19th-century building that is home to a long list of iconic French designers.
And although the shops might contain hefty pricetags, heading to the rooftop to admire the views is completely free.
So if you’re heading to Paris any time soon, take the metro to the Opéra station, and make your way to Galeries Lafayette.
The rooftop can be accessed from escalators heading to the top floor of the Coupole building – but there is also an elevator.
Once on the rooftop, you’re completely free to spend however long you like soaking in the panoramic beauty.
Standing directly in front of you is the building that inspired the Phantom of the Opera, you can also see the gorgeous Montmartre neighbourhood, and the Notre Dame.
As if that wasn’t enough, inside the Coupole building is a newly-constructed nine metre long glass walkway suspended in mid-air.
The walkway, situated on the 3rd floor, has been created to immerse you in the heart of the historical building – and the best bit is it’s completely free.
Last year, one woman revealed how she was able to travel to Paris for just £1.
Mindy Athwal explained how she uses points accumulated on her credit card to save on her travel, so she can spend more at her destination.
She said: “I always use Avios air miles. I have a gold American Express card which converts points gained from everyday spending to any airline reward points.
“I use it for almost every purchase, big or small, bills where possible, fuel and any large purchases, and I get points for expenditure I would make anyway.
“For my trip to Paris I used Avios points on the British Airways rewards app to book a reward flight for 11,000 points, which meant I only had to pay £1 for the flight.”
Mindy also saves money on her travel costs by collecting “stamps” on hotels.com that gives people reward nights when they book a certain amount of nights through the platform.
She said that she didn’t pay a penny for her accommodation and ended up staying for free in a five star hotel in the centre of Paris for free.
There are other ways holidaymakers can get good deals on luxury hotels too, including mystery hotels.
Jen Avery, from Thrifty Nomads told Metro: “These booking websites negotiate discounted rates on vacant rooms. Users, however, don’t learn their accommodation’s identity before purchase.
“As this is especially true of higher-end retreats wanting to save face, mystery deals often yield significant savings on five-star stays.”
Meanwhile, the new generation is embracing using social media for advice on the best holiday deals.
Gilleesa Gillen, 24, a social media manager, said: “I think of TikTok as my travel best friend.
“It’s so good for finding recommendations for places to have lunch,
dinner, brunch, breakfast, drinks, events happening that maybe when you Google a place they’re just showing you sponsored ads.”
Gilleesa said that TikTok helped tourists find underground spots not widely advertised.
She said: “I’ll combine the place name with something like ‘travel’ or ‘itinerary’ and then things that I want to do.
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“If I want to see if there’s any thrift shops or flea markets, I could
put something like ‘New York thrift shops’ and see what comes up.
“Or if I want to discover the countryside in Turkey, I’d put ‘Turkey countryside itinerary’.”