I found the best and cheapest way to see Paris

If you’ve got a comfortable pair of shoes, you have the everything need to see the best of Paris.

Cities are best explored on foot, and Paris is no exception. Picture: iStock.

Regardless of where you happen to be, it’s my belief that cities are best explored on foot. Paris is no exception.

In 1996, I drove around the French capital in a campervan with my younger brother following a lengthy surf trip down Europe’s Atlantic coast. With a flight to catch at London’s Heathrow, there was no time to stop, so the closest I’d come to seeing the Eiffel Tower was when we spied its distinctive outline from the ring road girdling the city’s 20 arrondissements.

Twenty-eight years on, I return for my virgin Parisian holiday via a fast-train commute from the Swiss city of Basel, only this time with my wife and teenage son. After dumping our luggage in our rented apartment in Montmartre on our first evening, we step back outside to explore our immediate neighbourhood. Since the hilltop basilica of Sacré-Coeur is close by, it makes an obvious focus point and we trudge uphill through streets where restaurant diners spill out onto the footpaths, despite the wintry chill.

From the domed basilica’s elevated front terrace, we gaze out over the City of Light. Prominent among the city’s monumental edifices is the Eiffel Tower, glittering in ever-changing, spot-lit hues.

“It doesn’t look that far away,” I say to my wife, Michelle.

Prominent among the city’s monumental edifices is the Eiffel Tower. Picture: iStock.

“We could probably walk there,” she replies. I nod in agreement, surprised by our relative proximity to the landmark.

After riding subway trains to various attractions the following day, we decide to walk to the Galeries Lafayette department store to see its renowned Christmas decorations that evening. Our 2km pedestrian route cuts exclusively through the 9th arrondissement – home to historic hotels, museums, theatres and concert halls, including the Palais Garnier opera house. Lively bars and eateries are scattered throughout the quarter. Best of all, according to our navigational app, is that walking proves to be as efficient as the Paris Métro.

From that moment forward, we walk whenever we can. We still use the underground subway network for longer distances or to save time so we can squeeze in more sightseeing. But mostly we explore Paris on foot.

On another day, we traipse along cobbled alleyways in the Latin Quarter until we reach the Panthéon. Picture: Mark Daffey.

It takes us most of one day to stroll from the Eiffel Tower to the charred shell of the Notre-Dame Cathedral. We hug the Seine River, often pausing in amazement at the showpiece embassies, museums and apartment blocks overlooking the Left Bank.

But the people-watching in this cosmopolitan city is equally as interesting as its architecture. With France being the most-visited country on Earth, Paris is busy at any time of year. Tourists are plentiful wherever we go, and I hear plenty of French accents, but even more foreign ones. I lose count of the number of women I see dressed in vivid red berets with matching lipstick, trying to look French. Clothing ensembles befitting a catwalk runway are sighted way more often than tracksuit pants or Gore-Tex jackets. It’s the same wherever we go. In Paris, fashion trumps practicality.

On another day, we traipse along cobbled alleyways in the Latin Quarter until we reach the Panthéon, the neoclassical mausoleum housing the remains of distinguished French writers and philosophers such as Victor Hugo and François-Marie Arouet – better known as Voltaire.

We continue onwards through the Place de la Concorde and Tuileries Garden until we’re standing beside the pyramidal glass portal to the Louvre. Picture: iStock.

The Luxembourg Gardens are just a skip away and we stop for ice-cream before viewing a photography exhibition on display around the park boundary. At no stage are we ever bored by the city’s grandiose architecture, and nor are the distances ever far.

From the viewing balcony of the Arc de Triomphe, north of the river, we spy the financial district just beyond the city’s historical confines. Sacré-Coeur is visible to the east and the Eiffel Tower directly south. From the triumphal arch, we skirt myriad boutiques and prestige hotels during a pedestrian discovery down the Champs-Élysées, then continue onwards through the Place de la Concorde and Tuileries Garden until we’re standing beside the pyramidal glass portal to the Louvre. Our tour through the world’s most famous art museum fills the remainder of the afternoon. Our final perambulatory jaunt is along Canal Saint-Martin. From our apartment, we walk due east until we intersect with the top end of the canal. The streets spreading east and west of the canal are peppered with cafés and restaurants popular with young Parisians so it’s usually a lively place.

Not today, though. Being New Year’s morning, Parisians are slow to rise, and even the usual tourist throngs seem hungover from the previous night’s celebrations. My suggestion? Try walking it off.

What is the best way to get to Paris from Australia?

Qantas offers the only direct flights between Australia and Paris, departing Perth four times weekly. All flights from east coast Australia require at least one stop. Singapore, Qatar, Thai and Emirates have the fastest connections.

How much do Metro tickets cost in Paris?

Single-journey tickets on the Métro, bus or RER within Paris cost €2.15 ($3.50).

Originally published as I found the best and cheapest way to see Paris