Give me a 10-euro bill and a Metro pass and I could have a fulfilling (and filling!) day in Paris.

That is not what I did. I’m just saying…I could.

I traveled from Bologna early on a Wednesday morning and arrived at my hotel in Pigalle by 1pm with only an 8pm dinner reservation in the books. I’d started the day by eating some Bolognese pastries I’d bought the night before, so we’ll consider breakfast free for that day 😉

Upon arriving at my hotel, I made the free instant coffee with the accompanying speculoos biscuit, unpacked, applied a sample of Dior lipstick I’d found in my backpack, and decided what the heck to do with myself first. €0

By then, I was starving; I wanted something fast, cheap, and French. I did a swift Google Maps perusal and found The French Bastards, a pastry shop less than a block from my hotel. I set out with high hopes that the pastry craft would match the clever name and well designed branding. (Spoiler alert: it did!)

I bought a chicken sandwich on charcoal brioche plus one of their signature pastries, the Brioche Cookie Bien Gourmande (or BCBG). The sandwich was on the pricier side for Paris and could have used a lil salt, but the bites with sun dried tomato in them were perfect, as was the brioche itself. Money happily spent to avoid that stale-baguette roof-of-mouth scrape other sandwiches sometimes leave me with. €7.50.

I took the metro (€2.10) to sit in the Tuileries to enjoy my pastry, which was truly magnifique at €3.50. This “BCBG” is a lightly chocolatey brioche wrapped like one might wrap croissant dough, filled with a Nutella-type ganache and sprinkled with crunchy walnuts:

Then, I strolled on to the Petit Palais, a museum and feat of architecture that’s free to the public every single day. Plus, it’s STUNNING. The collection itself is worth seeing, but the building and gardens are a sight to behold. €0

In the gift shop, I bought 3 postcards for a total of €4.50.

Time to walk again. In Paris, one should always be on foot, en faite. I stumbled upon a gallery of antiques, Galerie Aveline, and ended up getting a little tour of everything there, including a temporary exhibit and installation by a Cuban artist who works only in packing tape. €0

Next I shopped at Valois Vintage around the corner, which is brimming with Chanel and other luxury branded items. They were all trop chére for my blood, so this activity was also free as I bought nothing. €0

The day had turned from gray and rainy to straight-up glorious, so I decided to stroll the Champs Elysées like a real tourist, heading toward a perfume store I was curious about.

I never found Harold et Maude, but I decided it was the perfect time to pick up pharmacy goodies. French brands are much cheaper in France (le duh), and I have a Nuxe body oil addiction that required feeding. €138 later, I had gotten my fix as well as completed some holiday gift shopping (for other people! Imagine!). Plus, I’ll get around €15 refunded to my credit card thanks to the détaxe form process.

I wrapped my Tour d’Elysées with a solid viewing of the Arc du Triomphe before high-tailing it back to my hotel on the metro (€2.10)

At the hotel, I put my feet up a while, unloaded my wares and changed into something just a little snazzier for dinner. I took the metro (another €2.10; I know, I should have bought a pass) to the reservation I’d really been looking forward to, at:

Le Maquis. They have a nightly, seasonal tasting menu at €65. With a couple glasses of wine and a tip, the total rounded out to €85. I can’t even believe how much and how perfect of food I ate for this price, so I swiped my credit card happily and would do so again, many times over.

A final Uber back to the hotel (due to choice of shoes and a feeling of lavishness) at €10.50 rounded out my spending for the day. (I FaceTimed my mom after that, but that was, of course, gratuit 🙂 )

A very Parisian day full of art, perfect food, wine and gift shopping cost me a total of €240.30 (this time).

Pas mal, I’d say. Pas mal at all.