PARIS / / A euro was worth $1.25 when I moved to Paris in 2004. Now it's more like $1.60. So, am I happy I don't live here anymore? Not at all, but I'm much more careful with my money when I pass through.
When I returned for a visit at the end of last year, I remembered 10 ways to stretch a euro in the City of Light.
1. CONSIDER A FLAT / / For stays of a week or more, rent an apartment. Given the expensive hotel rates and lodging tax, an apartment rental can be cost effective. Lots of established agencies specialize in places suitable for vacationers, including rothray.com, rentalfrance.com and parisaddress.com.
In an apartment, you'll usually get more space than in a hotel room, and you can avoid $20 breakfasts by having them at home -- in bed, if you wish.
2. A LESS-STEEP SLEEP / / If you don't want an apartment, find a good, moderately priced hotel and book ahead. Here are a few: Hotel Langlois, 63 Rue St.-Lazare, 011-33-1-48-74-78-24, hotel-langlois.com, on the Right Bank near Gare St.-Lazare, with doubles from $210; Hotel les Degres de Notre Dame, 10 Rue des Grands Degres, 011-33-1-55-42-88-88, lesdegreshotel.com, in the Latin Quarter, doubles from $173 including breakfast; and Hotel du Dragon, 36 Rue du Dragon, 011-33-1-45-48-51-05, hoteldudragon.com, in St. Germain, doubles $173.
3. FROM THE AIRPORT / / A cab from Charles de Gaulle Airport to central Paris can cost as much as $75. The RER B Line train goes from De Gaulle airport to six subway stations in Paris for about $12 one way. A new, automated, electric light-rail line that began operating last year means you don't have to take a shuttle bus. The free system operates 24 / 7 and links all three terminals, the RER and TGV train stations and long-term parking lots.
I prefer the Roissybus, which leaves from Terminals 1, 2 and 3. It costs about $13 and drops you off at L'Opera Garnier, near the American Express office at 11 Rue Scribe. A cab from there to most places in the heart of the city shouldn't cost more than $10.
Of course, getting to and from Orly Airport is easier and less expensive (about $30 to $40) because it's slightly closer to the city than De Gaulle. Orly handles mostly short-haul flights and is worth remembering if you plan to travel within the European Union.
4. PEDAL POWER / / Everyone knows how efficient and cost-effective it is to use the Metro, but since last year, Paris has added a mass transit system that's also worth trying out: Velib', a bicycle rental program aimed chiefly at getting cars, congestion and pollution out of the city.
