Photo courtesy of Fragonard’s official web site

In the list of Paris museums, one sweet-smelling attraction is sometimes overlooked. The Musee du Parfum, run by the famous perfume manufacturer Fragonard, has been offering a “behind the scents” tour of the perfume business for 25 years. And happily for us, the visit is free!

The museum is housed in a gorgeous 19th-century townhouse that drips with romantic ornamentation. The house was built by Joseph Lesoufaché, a student of Garnier, for whom the nearby Opera Garnier was named. (When say “nearby,” we mean it. The museum is less than half a block west of the opera!)

The Fragonard Museum provides free guided tours throughout the day. Learn how perfume has been made through the ages, and inspect the elaborate tools used in their production.

Just don’t be surprised if you’re inspired to buy some wares at the end of the tour!

Visiting Fragonard’s Perfume Museum

Le musee du parfum
9, rue Scribe
Metro: Opera
Tél: +33 (0) 1 47 42 04 56

The museum is open Monday to Saturday from 9 AM to 6 PM, Sundays and holidays, 9 AM to 5 PM.

For more details, visit the museum’s website.

Join us again tomorrow, as our “Grand Tour” continues in Prague.

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No trip to Paris is complete without a visit to the world-famous Louvre museum, home to the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, and much more. Tickets aren’t exactly cheap (admission ranges from €6 to €13, with cheaper prices offered from 6 p.m. to 9:45 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays), but the creme de la creme of the museum world opens its doors for free on the first Sunday of each month! (The Musée d’Orsay and the Rodin Museum offer free admission on the first Sunday of each month as well).

Cheapos heading to the city of light in the near future are in for another chance opportunity: on July 14th, Bastille Day, the Louvre offers free admission as well. What better way to celebrate the French Revolution than by admiring some of the nation’s finest art for free?

Check the Musée de Louvre’s site for additional opportunities for a prix-free art fix.

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Some of the stories that grabbed our attention this week:

Brussels and Bruges

Back from his trip to Belgrade for the Eurovision song contest, Alex of Spendthrift Shoestring jaunted off to Brussels on the Eurostar to see how the city has changed since his last visit in 2002. We enjoyed his musings on the city’s neighborhood and vibe, having just visited Brussels in March.

And yes, Alex, we also have a fondness for the Use-It fold-out maps to Brussels (and five other Belgian cities). These map-guides are, according to their creators, “no-nonsense, non commercial, made by locals,” and thus offer some candid (and amusing!) advice. When we visited Bruges, we “Used-It” nightly to find the city’s cool restaurants, bars, and cafes. You can print your own guide off from their website.

European Ferries

BudgetTravel.com reminded us yesterday to consider taking ferries between European cities. Ferries offer a fun and cheap transportation option around much of sea-lined Europe, including the Mediterranean, destinations from London, and around the Baltic. Overnight boats can also provide a savings, shaving off one night’s hotel bill. An overnighter from London to Amsterdam, for example, can be had for €59, including your own private bedroom and shower.

See also: our article on budget cruises in the Baltic.

Free concerts at Notre Dame

Olivia, in “High Culture on a Low Budget,” emerged from her studies this week to note that Notre Dame’s 7,800-pipe organ is revved up most Sunday afternoons (around 4 PM), for free concerts. It is, according to Olivia, “the opportunity to hear some ultimate organ jams” for nothing. We be jammin.’

Ryanair’s extra baggage

Thank the skies for Hilary at “Less than a Shoestring” for straightening out those pesky Ryanair fees this week… again. After all, no week is complete without a Ryanair pricing shift! The airline’s baggage fee structure is enough to scare you away from bags altogether (which could be their intention, but isn’t very practical when you, you know, travel!).

Highlights include: Priority boarding is no longer gratis for those who take advantage of online check-in. Checking one bag will cost you €10 (and you still have to pay the €5 check-in fee as well), and then an additional €20 per bag thereafter (max three). Oh well, at least the ticket was “free.”

Have a great weekend, Cheapos!

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Ok, it’s no secret. We love free music. And, the annual Fete de la Musique in Paris is one of the best ways to see tons of musical acts, bands, and performers without paying a euro cent.

The fete, which got its start in 1982, is a “come one, come all” sort of affair. Anyone can perform throughout the 24-hour event, where you can expect to see professional and famous musicians rubbing shoulders with up-and-coming artists. Heck, if you’ve got a sousaphone gathering dust, get it out!

The best part? The acts take stage all over the city. That means you can hear guitar riffs under cover of an old train station or get your groove on Seine-side.

The Fete happens on June 21st, summer solstice, a Saturday. Public transport is always discounted to allow for all day location hopping, but we recommend grabbing a good map and just hoofing it.

A few acts to follow:

For club style beats and disco dancing, hit up Biz’Art at the Quai de Valmy or head to Le Batofar, where you can see DJ Lord Finesse.

Classical music aficionados and opera goers will love Pic’Pulse at Notre Dame des Champs or the line-up planned at the Musee de la Franc Maconnerie.

Nearby hotels:

• Hotel Bellevue et du Chariot, Doubles €68
• Hotel Rivoli, Doubles €40-50
• Grand Hotel Jeanne d’Arc: Doubles €84-97
• Hippodrome Montmartre: Doubles €75-86
• Hotel du Pre, Doubles €118-130

For more information on “Fete” in English, go here.

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We use our iPod like it’s going out of style. And, that doesn’t stop once we get to Europe. In fact, before we head off, we load it up with free podcasts depending on what city we’re visiting. We’ve saved many a euro by taking our own free tours, headphones in.

Here are five picks for free Paris podcasts:

For art buffs:

We love Rick Steve’s audio walking tour of the Musée d’Orsay. You can download it for free via iTunes. Or, visit his site for more info on how to download his podcasts. Rick also has a free tour of the Louvre if you’re so inclined.

For history fanatics:

We like Zevisit’s guides to historical landmarks and monuments in European cities. You can download them via iTunes, or visit their site for more information. The Paris audio guide boasts tales of an elephant on the Eiffel Tower, mysteries of the Louvre, and includes a tour of Notre Dame.

For bookish types:

Ok, so there have been a lot of “Code”-inspired tours since Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code debuted in 2003. Heck, we even saw a Louvre exhibit based on the bestseller. We wouldn’t normally recommend these audio tours as they can get pricey and touristy. However, if you’re a fan of the book (and yes, we read it too!), we suggest “Walking the Da Vinci Code” by Peter Caine, a free podcast available on iTunes or via the author’s web site. Plug in and get your Priory of Scion on!

For one-stop shoppers:

Cityzeum covers a lot of subjects on their podcasts, available through iTunes. Download their audio guides for free via iTunes or download the Paris tour, in French only, on their site. The tour touches on all the main neighborhoods (the Marais, Latin Quarter, Montmartre and others) as well as provides introductions to monuments, famous squares, churches, gardens, and more.

For the indecisives:

There are so many podcasts to choose from! One audio tour may lead to a fancy bar in the Marais while another might mean bumping into a rush of American tourists wearing fanny packs (we’ll let you figure out which podcast this applies to). So, when we’re feeling conflicted, we head over to Tourcaster, or visit their page on iTunes. Here, you can choose from a range of walking tours. For example, there are guides to religion in Paris, government, or key French phrase tutorials to help you learn your qui from your quoi. Tourcaster typically charges for guides on their web site, but if you subscribe to their weekly podcast feed (again, via iTunes), you should have no trouble hitting the city of lights in stride.

Other Paris podcasts?

Do you know of another quality Paris podcast? Please let us know, by posting below!

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When the weather turns warm, Parisians picnic. Sure, some stray as far as the terrace of their corner café, but many flock to parks, gardens and river-side quais to enjoy their beloved city. For cheapos, picnics have the added advantage of being easy on the budget.

Here are our steps for procuring and perfecting the Parisian picnic.

When in Paris, stock up like the French do!

Pick up your must-haves in this order. Hit up the corner boulangerie for bread, then visit the fromagerie for cheese. Next stop? A traiteur where quiches, terrines, salads and other prepared foods are the mainstay. And of course the marchand de vin for an inexpensive, but lovely, bottle of wine, and, finally, the patisserie for some fabulous desserts. Even better, hit a weekly neighborhood outdoor food market, where you can actually barter with the sellers and snag everything in one trip. Check for days and hours.

Pick a picnic spot, but not any spot.

We have some favorites. In no particular order…

La Cour Carré at the Louvre (1st arrondissement): This enclosed courtyard at the eastern end of the Louvre is a fabulous spot for a petit repos. At any time of day, large, flat benches free for the taking are bathed in sun, and in the evening the museum’s lighting stunningly showcases the surrounding building’s architecture. Hang out and listen to musicians and performers, who play under the arches and near the fountain at the square’s center. There’s no better antidote to a busy day of sightseeing.

Pont des Arts (1st and 6th arrondissement): Exit the Cour Carré’s south (river) side, and you’ll find yourself facing the Pont des Arts, a pedestrian bridge that turns into a sunset lovers’ rendez-vous on summer evenings. Views in all directions show off Paris’ sightseeing highlights. Here, you are perfectly poised to enjoy views of most every major Paris monument. Don’t forget the champagne!

Jardin du Palais Royal (1st arrondissement): Central Paris’ hidden gem is the Jardin. Even those who know its location can struggle to find an entrance through the arcades. The easiest way we’ve found is through Place Colette, by the Palais Royal Musée du Louvre metro station. The peaceful gardens, fountains and historic buildings surrounding the square are breathtaking.

The quais on Sunday (1st and 4th arrondissement): On Sundays, Paris’ river quais are closed to traffic and open to strollers, bikers, roller bladers-and, you guessed it: picnickers. One favorite stretch-out site is the grassy, tree-lined spot on the right bank facing Ile Saint-Louis. Sit back, relax and enjoy the sights.

Ile Saint-Louis (4th arrondissement): The banks of Ile Saint-Louis rank as one of Paris’ most romantic spots to set up for an evening apéritif. Join locals sipping champagne and watching the Bateaux Mouches pass as the sun sinks behind the Seine. The most coveted spot is at the western-most tip of the island (with views of Hotel de Ville and Ile de la Cité). To get down to the river bank, take any of the stairways from the street.

Square Jean XXIII behind Notre Dame (1st arrondissement): This lovely garden behind the famous cathedral is much quieter than the touristy square in front, with arguably just as good a view. Shaded benches and impressive rose and flower beds make it a nice pause point before or after an encounter with church-visiting crowds. It’s also convenient to Ile Saint-Louis.

Square Tino Rossi (5th arrondissement): Enter from Quai Saint Bernard where a pedestrian path runs down to the river just after Pont de Sully and you’ll find one of Paris’ prettiest Seine views, facing Ile Saint-Louis and the back spires of Notre Dame. This park has a lively evening outdoor music and dance scene. Watch a tango lesson, or better yet join in!

Rue de Seine, square G. Pierne (6th arrondissement): This is a convenient little stopping point to quickly eat purchases from rue de Seine’s nearby boulangeries and to-go sandwich shops. Don’t miss the whimsical design of the benches in the form of open books.

About the author: Jamie Cahill is author of The Patisseries of Paris, a guide to the city’s bakeries, chocolatiers, ice cream parlors, tea salons and other spots for a light bite. A lifelong dessert lover, Cahill spent four years indulging her sweet tooth in Paris before relocating to London.

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Sebastien Tellier is representing France in Eurovision this year.

It’s sunny again today! Here are some of the things we’ve taken a shine to this week:

On Wednesday, Amsterdam became the World Book Capital for one whole year! Thanks to Trippist for reading up on this, and getting us excited about the city-wide book fair scheduled for May 18th!

Meanwhile in Paris, Heather Stimmler-Hall recounts in her “Secrets of Paris” blog her tale of wine dating on the 56th floor of the Tour Montparnasse. What is “wine dating,” you ask? It involves tasting three types of wine, mingling with available Frenchmen, cold cuts, and a towering view. Sign us up.

And then there’s the flight news! Less Than a Shoestring got us all knotted up about UK and Irish airports charging surprise, unavoidable airport taxes. And from a vending machine, no less!

Meanwhile, BudgetTravel alerts us to Cheapo-friendly fares in May from NYC to Rome, Naples, and other Italian cities on Eurofly. Fares are from $499 and don’t include $75 in taxes.

And finally, thanks to Alex of Spendthrift Shoestring for swinging by the office to play us some official entries in the Eurovision 2008 contest. We’re especially excited about Sebastien Tellier (pictured above on a boat), Jelena Tomašević, and, of course, No Angels.

What a way to kick off the weekend!

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2-star hotel
19, rue Monsieur le Prince
Paris, St. Germain des Pres
Doubles: €79-100

Ahh… Paris is the city of love. And, we’ve got lots of it for the charming two-star Villa des Princes. In fact, you may recall that we mentioned Villa, the tiny 12-room gem in the middle of the trendy St. Germain des Pres neighborhood, a few days ago.

First, a little history. Back in the days of King Louis XIII, the 17th-century home was actually a dormitory for school teachers and was called the Hotel des Ecoles. Today, many out-of-town teachers and professors choose the Villa as their headquarters, because of its close proximity to university life (the Sorbonne is just blocks away) and its reasonable rates.

Each room is tres petite, and outfitted with comfy beds and spotless bathrooms. The hotel has named each room after a different neighborhood of Paris. We stayed in the “Marais” during our last trip. For those steamy summer nights, the Villa des Prince offers air conditioning, often over looked by other cheapo-friendly hotels.

One word to the wise: The hotel’s home-cooked buffet is worth splurging for, but don’t oversleep! We woke up too late on our first morning, not realizing that a lovely woman had been up since the crack of dawn making fresh breads and egg dishes. We’re still sorry about missing that meal!

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Paris can get, how do you say?, “trés cher.” After dining out in Paris for two nights last week, we were ready to give our wallets a break and try a Paris night a la Cheapo.

A stroll for free

After doing a bit of research, we mapped out a fun, Seine-side stroll from St. Germain des Prés (where we were staying at the lovely 2-star gem “Villa des Princes“) to the foot of the Eiffel Tower. The whole journey took about an hour as we wandered along the river, stopping at bridges, watching the tour boats, and posing for photos.

A pancake dinner

By the time we arrived, we had worked up an appetite. Sure, we were feasting on the sight of Paris by night, but that didn’t quite cut it. We got in line for fresh crepes from a street vendor and salivated as he poured the batter, flipped the pancakes, and added our ingredients: Nutella and banana for Mere, and ham and emmental for Pete. Two crepes set us back about €7 and we shared a Coke (€1.50).

A free light show

We timed our walk so that we’d get to the tower just as the hourly ten-minute light show sparked up the sky. Light shows start at the top of the hour, after sunset. They occur every hour until 1 am or 2 am depending on time of year.

After ingesting crepes and stars, Seine and Eiffel, we hopped on the Metro. For €1.50, we scooted from Invalides to the Latin Quarter.

Slow sipping at the cabaret

We were ready for some good company, old fashioned standards, and the wacky feel of live cabaret, so we ventured to “Aux Trois Mailletz,” our favorite cabaret at 56, Rue Galande in the Latin Quarter. Downstairs, the fancier vaudeville show costs €25 a ticket, but upstairs in the more casual piano bar, you need only buy a drink to sip it all in. (We also found that if you tip the singer and pianist, they’ll fulfill multiple song requests.)

Cheapos could sip a Coke for €5, which isn’t cheap. Beer costs €9, while cocktails run about €11-13. Obviously, you’re paying for the tunes, but you can sip your drink as slowly as you like. We think it’s worth the inflated drink price just to take in the music, the sight of dogs in the audience, and that weird glamour of cabaret performers running about in full makeup. Bravo!

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It’s been over a year since this Cheapo has been in Paris, and since I arrived on Thursday with my fellow Cheapo (and wife), Meredith, I’ve been surprised by two very noticeable changes: 1. Smokeless cafes and restaurants 2. Nifty bike rentals appearing on many, many street corners.

I’ll save commentary about smokeless cafes for a later post. Coming from a relatively recently smoke-free New York City, it’s more or less a similar effect, although seeing the bustling cafes of Saint-Germain des Pres without piles of Gauloises Blondes stacked on tables seems a little, well, weird. That said, customers are allowed - perhaps even encouraged - to smoke at outdoor tables, so maybe the change isn’t really that big of a deal.

As for Paris’ “Velib” bike rental program, though, there is no question it’s a city-wide success. Initially I thought the program would be more of a tourist draw and envisioned mobs of backpackers with Let’s Go guides doing wheelies down the Champs-Elysees, but such is not the case (especially because the bikes weigh about 50 pounds, making wheelies quite a feat to perform.) We’ve seen Parisians riding solo, groups of teenagers, businessmen heading to work, packs of friends coasting at low speeds, as well as many out of towners enjoying a ride. The late night post-bar bike scene has been particularly entertaining to observe, although I think some thought should be given to providing discounted helmets as well.

The Velib program is financed by the French advertising company JC Decaux and is managed by little ATM-ish kiosks next to each bike rental station, where passes can be purchased for a day, a week, a month or a year. Bikes can be found in clusters of 20 - 40 on many corners across Paris - they’re everywhere, especially in central Paris. The bikes are locked to a small pedastal that unlocks once a customer swipes a bike card and off they go! Bikes can be returned to the same rental stations or any of the others throughout the city, and the first 30 minutes are free.

As for the bikes themselves, they look like a Parisian version of Pee-Wee Herman’s bike: gray, somewhat bulky, super fat “I could ride over a thousand nails and not care” tires, basket and a little bell. In other words: perfect.

Now if only they could make a tandem rental with a luggage trolley to get us to the airport tomorrow morning….

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