How To Eat Cheap In Paris, France

Paris can be a very expensive city to visit, so you may be wondering how to eat cheap in Paris, France. The main thing you will want to do is avoid the tourist traps like hotels or eating in popular tourist areas. Instead, consider eating where the locals eat and try shopping where the locals shop for the greatest savings.

1. To eat cheap in Paris, definitely avoid the continental breakfast offered at the hotel, they are often overpriced. Unless you can get breakfast at your hotel for less than 6 or 7 Euros, you're better off going to a local bakery and picking up a pastry and coffee for breakfast.
   
2. Visit the open air markets for fresh bread, produce, meats and cheese. You can easily put together a nice, cheap picnic lunch that you can eat at one of the many beautiful city parks in Paris.
   
3. It's cheaper to eat cheap in Paris at lunch than dinner. In Paris, like in the States, most restaurants charge less for lunch than they do for dinner. So if you must eat out at a more popular or less than cheap Parisian restaurant, consider going for lunch instead.
   
4. Eat cheap in Paris by avoiding eating at locations which cater to the tourists such as the Louvre, as food and drink tend to be over priced.
   
5. Look for eateries that offer a prix fixe menu to eat cheap in Paris. These are fixed menus that usually consist of three courses. However, be wary about a restaurant that offers an English-language prix fixe menu as chances are these are catering to tourists and are overpriced.
   
6. Try some of Paris' ethnic restaurants. You might not have come to Paris to eat Middle Eastern food or Chinese food, but you may be surprised to learn that Paris is actually a very diverse city. For cheap eats check ethnic delis which cater to the locals.

Tip: When ordering water at a restaurant, specify whether you want bottled water or not. If you just ask for water, chances are that you'll end up getting the bottled water for a fee, versus the free tap water.