(first published here in the Daily Record, Feb 1 2014)

Paris lures romantic couples but Ginny Clark discovers it’s also a great city break destination for families with teenagers. With stacks of budget hotels and cheap public transport plus free museums and attractions …

IT may be the city of romance but there is much more to Paris than l’amour and dinner a deux. One of the best destinations in Europe for budget accommodation and cheap public transport, Paris is an exciting place for lovers of culture, food and shopping.

But the French capital also offers a particularly warm welcome to young people, especially those who have outgrown a certain theme park 20 miles away. That makes Paris a top city-break pick for families with teenagers.

We decided against a road trip or budget flight and opted to go by rail. It’s not just the south of England that can benefit from Eurostar – the early-morning train from Glasgow speeds into London Euston in less than five hours, with just a 10-minute walk to the high-speed Channel Tunnel link at St Pancras.

Just two-and-a-half-hours later, we emerged from the Gare du Nord into the afternoon buzz of Paris. It was longer than a fligh but a rail journey means no hanging around airports, baggage stresses, or a 90-minute coach journey.

Comfortable and hassle free, I caught up on my reading and we dined at our leisure as the train delivered us into the heart of the city.

We checked into the gorgeous boutique Hotel Josephine, in the exciting Opera district, close to Metro station Blanche and with the Montmartre and Moulin Rouge a few minutes away.

The Metro has 16 lines and 300 stations criss-crossing the central area of the city. It costs about £1.45 (1.70 euros) for a single t+ ticket with discounted ‘carnet’ bundles and various zone passes.

The t+ ticket covers one journey – provided it takes less than 90 minutes – and allows you to change across Metro lines, the Montmartre funicular railway and city centre RATP buses and trains.

Eating out is cheaper if you step away from tourist spots and main boulevards and into the side streets but do make at least one visit to the restaurant-packed Latin Quarter.

We saved a lot of money by assembling our own lunches with fresh bread, cheeses and fruit from local shops and markets.

We loved the open-air market at the Boulevard de Grenelle, beneath the elevated Dupleix Metro station, which is laden with produce every Wednesday and Saturday morning.

Bear in mind many of the Paris shops close on Sundays but a number of the flea markets are open on weekends. Marche aux Puces de Saint-Ouen is great for picking up new pieces from young designers, in addition to retro homeware and fashion.

One of my favourite souvenir haunts is the stretch along the River Seine, between Notre Dame and the Louvre. From the majestic cathedral on the Ile de la Cite, cross the river to the Quai de la Hotel-de-Ville and walk west on the riverside.

You’ll find the pavement lined with Les Bouquinistes, stalls selling second-hand books, vinyl, posters, sheet music and vintage bits and bobs.

It’s a little over a mile to the Louvre but our 17-year-old son was determined to track down Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa – which we did, along with a few hundred others clamouring around the exhibit. A prized selfie moment.

Incidentally, the Louvre is one of 14 national museums and 19 monuments in Paris that give free entry to all European nationals under 26.

For the best views, the Eiffel Tower is a must, just make sure you book to save money and avoid the huge queues. We couldn’t get to the top with our ticket but I was more than happy to stick to the second stage.

On the first level it feels more like a luxury hotel terrace and less of an extreme sport, so we took time out there to relax under a parasol. However, celebrating the moment with a coke, beer and a glass of bubbly, as we did, cost around £23. Water might be a better idea.

In the gardens below, we found one of the Wallace Fountains, installed with funds from English philanthropist Sir Richard Wallace throughout the city, and were grateful for the opportunity to enjoy a long, cool drink of water for free.

For the price of a coffee you can also drink in panoramic views from the main Printemps department store on Boulevard Haussmann, near Opera.

For a view that is completely free – and we reckoned was the best – head to the Montmartre at night-fall.

We were so glad we made the effort to climb up all the steps to the Basilica Sacre Coeur (the funicular railway can save your breath) on our last night because the reward was spectacular.

In front of the Sacre Coeur, groups of young people were enjoying a chat and a beer on a warm, late evening. We joined the throng above the City of Light, a glittering spread of rooftops and landmarks, a beam from the Eiffel Tower sweeping across the darkening sky.

My son wanted a last view to remind him of this visit and we walked away from the steps, one street down to the Jardins des Arenes de Montmartre, to look south-west.

The miniaturised Eiffel Tower shimmered and glowed from top to toe. We didn’t say goodbye to Paris, just “au revoir”.