A Frugal (Less Than) 48 Hours in Paris

So, y’all know that Paris was my dream adventure. Aaaannnd my flight was unbelievably cheap ($467, thanks to one of Scott’s alerts). Still, my frugal self refused to spend more than $1k on the total trip, so I decided to limit myself to just two nights in the City of Lights. I know, I know. Two nights?? In Paris?? That’s it?? That’s it. But I’m a time-efficient traveler (read here) and knew I could make it work.

With my flight arriving in Paris around noon on a Saturday, and my return flight requiring airport check-in by 10 a.m. on Monday, I had slightly less than 48 hours to work with. Challenge accepted.

Step 1: Find a centrally located and inexpensive place to stay. Airbnb for the win! I scored the most darling studio apartment that was a literal 10-minute walk to the Eiffel Tower. The damage? $98 bucks a night.

Step 2: Build an itinerary that maximized every second of those 48 hours and included all the things at the top of my Paris must-do list. I’m not gonna lie, folks. The final draft was a thing of beauty. Truly. But, more importantly, I actually did every single thing on that itinerary and still made time for spontaneity – like enjoying a street crepe along the Seine, with a glowing Eiffel Tower in full view.

And so, without further ado, I give you my (less than) 48 hour Paris trip itinerary:

SATURDAY: DAY 1

12 p.m. flight lands
2:30 p.m. check into Airbnb
*SPONTANEOUS* Bought a bag of fruit from a market down the street
Walk to Eiffel Tower & climb to 2^nd level (I couldn’t get tickets to the summit. Boo.)
Watch sunset from Eiffel (Yeah, we’re on a first name basis.)
*SPONTANEOUS* Bought that street crepe I mentioned above (Pure banana, Nutella bliss.)
Walk to Arc de Triomphe (Approx. 1 mile)
Window shop fancy stores on Champs Elysees
Walk back to Airbnb for the night (Approx. 1.5 miles)
*SPONTANEOUS* Sushi to-go for a late meal (because a crepe is not dinner)

SUNDAY: DAY 2

9 a.m. Leave Airbnb
Metro to (what Google Maps told me was) THE ‘lock bridge’ – but no locks! (I later learned they were removed due to weight.)
Walk to Notre Dame (I totally lucked out because Sunday mass was in session when I arrived!)
Eat escargot (This was literally on my itinerary. When in Paris!)
Vintage shopping at three different stores I researched online: Vintage Desir (just eh), Free’P’Star (didn’t buy anything), and Kilo Shop (so highly recommend!)
Walk to the Louvre (I didn’t tour the museum. I just had to see the pyramid!)
Walk back to Airbnb (almost 2 miles)
*SPONTANEOUS* Stopped at a fun stationary shop and purchased a card that caught my eye
Nighttime farewell visit to Eiffel Tower (to meet a friend who happened to be in Paris, too!)
*SPONTANEOUS* Dinner at a café with Eiffel views (Gotta eat somewhere!)
Walk back to Airbnb for the night