A Picnic in Paris?

Okay, we agree that Paris is an expensive city to be in. It is, after all, the capital of world fashion. But then again, like some wise man/woman some day said ‘Where there is a will, there is a way!’ So that’s the motto we’re going to believe in, and go ahead giving you our very own tips to save money while in Paris by opting for a do-it-yourself picnic as opposed to a trip to museum or some raunchy nightlife.

Baguette –

Don’t know Parisian food? Fret not; we’re here to rescue you. You might want to take a stopover at an artisan boulanger. The boulangeries (bakeries) may seem to give you endless options; especially with the large number of bakeries you see around; but it is the artisan boulangers who create the food onsite. Believe me when I say it, walking out of there, armed with a baguette, can almost instantly make you feel very ‘French’.

Cheesy Baby –

Baguettes topped with French cheese. Now you’re talking, baby! There are almost over 200 odd varieties of specialty cheese shops, which are called fromageries. If budget is an issue, then you might want to try out some of the local grocery stores, which have quite nice options for you as well. At no cost do you want to pick up cheese that reads ‘President’. This brand is the most basic of all the produced options available to you.

Fresh Fruits and Veggies –

If you’re even a little like me, then the bread the cheese should do you good! But if you’re the health conscious person, then you might want to check out the open markets. There is quite a variety on display when it comes to fruits and vegetables. Each district will offer you with at least one weekly produce market.

Tarts, Quiches and Croissants *Drool* -

A lot many boulangeries will be combined with a patisserie or a pastry shop (those sneaky buggers, they know how to tempt). You could pick up some quiches and fresh fruit tarts. You could get them to toast the quiches on site or you can have them served cold as well. Both work well.

Make sure you say your ‘bonjour’ when you walk in the door. If you talk them through with some French, you will actually get better service than the man/woman who sticks to English.

If you don’t know what to order, stick to the good old croissant. They’ll have a number of options available for you. You could choose to go for a ham and cheese (known as jambon et fromage) or if you have a sweet-tooth, you might want to try the chocolate (chocolate) croissant.

Crepes –

If you sit down in a restaurant and order for a crepe, you’ll end up shelling out around 7 to 10 euros, at a minimum. If you have it on the streets, you could bring the price down to around 1.50 euros as well. If you want to bring this further down, you could try heading out a little bit. The Bastille area houses some cheaper spots, which if I may say, serve some excellent crepes.

Remember that there are two types of crepes – the sweet ones and the savory ones. In some restaurants, they’ll stick to making only one batch of batter and use it for both the types. Let me assure you of one thing, having a gooey cheese filling in a sweet crepe isn’t something you’d want to travel all the way to Paris for. If you settle for a street vendor, you could check if he has two separate mixes when it comes to the batter. Suppose they don’t, you might want to stick to the sweet one. The plain version of the crepes is the cheapest, but you could try a Nutella or banana filling.