Notre Dame Cathedral is a must-see site for any visitor to Paris. -- Photos by Nancy Yen, SUN

Paris is home to the most famous museums in the world, is the world's signature of style in the fashion department, and takes its gastronomy so seriously that once, a chef committed suicide over a fallen rating.

If you have expensive taste a trip to Paris can easily break the bank in a single day, never mind a week. But with some research and careful planning, it is possible to experience this intensely exciting city without returning home to a month of Kraft Dinner and peanut butter sandwiches.

A few months ago, my boyfriend and I spent a week in France on the thinnest of shoestring budgets.

Here's how we managed to sleep cheap, and satisfy our bellies and souls for less than the price of a Hermes handbag.

A bit of pre-trip research on the Internet got us unbelievably cheap flights and accommodations. Our backpackers' hostel -- The Aloha -- was a really cool, friendly place in the 15th arrondissement, near Montparnasse. It was a clean, safe, conveniently located place to sleep and that was all that really mattered to us. (I mean, how much time were we going to spend in our hotel room? We were in Paris!)

We've both backpacked around Europe before so we didn't mind sharing a room with three other travellers, or using the bathroom down the hall. It was a great way to meet other people from all over the world who were experiencing Paris in a similar way.

The thing that really gave me a warm, tingly feeling, though, was the view of the Eiffel Tower aglow with yellow lights as we made our way down the hostel's little street at night.

However, if you're shy about sharing a room with strangers, most hostels have the option of single or double privates and the Hotel Belfort in the 11th arrondissement offers rooms starting at around 40 euros a night based on double occupancy. Whatever type of budget accommodation you choose, it is wise to book as far ahead as possible. Even in the off-season, such places are often full on the weekends. As for us, a cheap and cheerful place to sleep for 21 euros a night left extra money for a lot of sightseeing.

We explored most of Paris' arrondissements on foot but the Paris Metro saved a lot of time (and our feet) in getting us to points too far to walk to. A single ticket cost us 1,40 euro and a day pass costs 5,30 euros. Our guidebook also helped us to make the most of our limited time and cash by telling us the hours, cost, and background information of sites we wanted to see.

Every inch of Paris speaks of the rulers, thinkers, artists, photographers, writers, and films that have helped to romanticize the city for the world. The Musee D'Orsay's collection of Toulouse Lautrec drawings got us excited about seeing the Place Pigalle. Then, we visited Victor Hugo's birthplace at Place Des Voges and minutes later climbed up to the North Tower of Notre Dame Cathedral where his imaginary hunchback rang the bell.

The week zipped by much too fast as we made a dizzying climb up the Eiffel Tower one day, descended more than 25 metres below ground into Paris' Catacombs the next, and then watched artists at work on a tiny street in Montmartre on another.

When we discovered that the Picasso Museum was free on the first Sunday of every month, we meandered through the Marais, on the Right Bank, and made a stop to see an expansive collection of Picasso's works.

Back on the Left Bank, a corner cafe at Place St. Michel was the perfect place to watch both ultra-chic students and an eccentrically clad artist from a nearby studio go about their day. But to recharge quickly, we got used to knocking back an espresso standing at the bar, as Parisians do when in a hurry. Paris is a very fast-paced city.

Thankfully, though, there is little fast food as we know it. In France, creperies abound for cheap eats. There are savoury crepes filled with cheese, chicken, tomatoes, mushrooms, or even a simple sunny-side up egg. Sweet crepes are filled with chocolate, coconut, and whipped cream, jam, or just plain sugar. Mini-quiches from a bakery are also fast and filling.

For cheap entertainment in one of the most expensive cities in the world, enjoy street performers like these musicians.

Of course, the French never rush through a meal and the rue de la Huchettes and rue de Buci in the 6th arrondissement has tons of restaurants offering versions of multi-course meals typical of French dining. There is even Greek and Middle Eastern food as well as fondue and the odd Chinese eatery.

For a digestif (an after-dinner drink), we visited the tiny terraces on the Blvd. St. Germain. With so many places to choose from and so much to taste, eating out at every meal can definitely eat into your budget.

Luckily, eating out is not the only way to eat well in Paris. One sunny afternoon, we picked up a fresh, perfectly baked baguette from a boulangerie, rich cheese from a fromagerie, and fresh fruit from one of many street markets about the city and had lunch sitting on a quiet bench right at the tip of the Isle-de-la-Cite. The Seine sparkled along either side of us as we dug into our juicy strawberries and no amount of champagne and caviar could have compared to that moment.

The truth is, Paris doesn't have a reputation for being expensive for nothing. The City of Light, romance, cuisine, couture and culture is uniquely beautiful, but is has as many quiet corners waiting to be discovered as it has renowned landmarks.

Paris is one of the most visited cities in the world and if you do your homework, there are definitely deals to be found. Travelling in the off-season (roughly October to March) really helped to cut our costs for airfare and accommodations, and a good guidebook gave us tips on dozens of smaller ways to pinch our euros. The best part is, for all your budgeting, there are just as many ways to splurge -- and, what's more, some of the coolest experiences hardly cost anything at all!

Paris' Eiffel Tower is even more impressive when it is illuminated at night.

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BOTTOM LINE

BUDGET TIPS: Try these useful websites for Paris information -- franceguide.com, canuckabroad.com, paris.org, francemonthly.com or ricksteves.com.

BUDGET ACCOMMODATION (in Paris or anywhere else in the world): See hostelworld.com and travelcuts.ca

GETTING THERE: Lots of airlines offer deeply discounted fares in the off season. My spring flight with Flyzoom.ca cost $501.73 return (taxes included). Their current one-way fares from Toronto to Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport start at $349 plus taxes.

Indulge your sightseeing cravings with a tour boat ride past the sights along the Seine.