(Added on 27/03/26) If you are really down and out and find that even one euro for a cup of coffee is too much (but even McDonald's or Quick charges much more), you will be glad to learn that there is a place in Paris where you can have a cup of coffee for only 50 euro cents. Not only that, you can stay in this clean, bright and spacious café the whole day if you like to read a novel or write a book and nobody will bother you. You might find people playing chess quietly at a corner and others reading the newspapers provided there. And if you should come in the morning for breakfast (it opens at 9 a.m.), you can have a complete breakfast (orange juice, croissant and coffee) for only €2. The place is called Café des Petits Frères and is at 47 rue des Batignolles (at its corner with rue Bridaine). It is in fact run by a charitable association called "Les Petits Frères des Pauvres" and the workers here are practically all volunteers who will most likely serve you with a smile (I understand that they have a rotating system so it is unlikely that you will be served by the same person if you should return the next day). The nearest metro is Rome (take rue Boursault and third street to the right) and it's open non-stop Monday through Saturday from 9h00 to 17h30.
