How Much Does a Trip to Paris Cost? (2024)

When it comes to listing out budget destinations, Paris never makes the cut. Yes, we know that Paris is one of those cities where you blink and suddenly you’ve spent money. So when we decided to spend some time in Paris exploring the city and going to the Loire Valley for a day, we couldn’t help but ask ourselves in the planning process, “How much does a trip to Paris cost?”

Okay, I’ve been to Paris quite a few times, and I’ve been the budget backpacker who squeezed in a trip to Paris in January on a weekend by staying with my friend at her apartment, walking everywhere, using the crap out of my student discount for the train there, and my French visa to get into museums for free or at a discount.

If you really want to do Paris on the cheap, you certainly can. But if this trip is a honeymoon or romantic getaway, there are times when you’ll want to splurge and times you’ll want to save.

Either way you travel, that’s where we come in. We’re here to break down the perfect trip to Paris budget including flights, hotels, dining, and more!

And thanks to my Master’s in Accounting and my former CPA life, I can definitely make a budget. I literally do it all the time for every trip.

Check out our Paris itinerary podcast episode here!

Paris Trip Budget Factors:

Before we dive into the trip to Paris cost, let’s chat about what to expect.

1. France uses the Euro. The cost of one euro is around $1.10. So while you won’t lose a lot of money on the exchange rate, know that the exchange rate does make it more expensive if you are from the US.
2. The time of year is key! If you visit during the summer months, Paris can be more expensive as it is peak travel season. Hotel and flight prices will increase. If you go in the winter or off-season, expect better prices.

The Ultimate Trip to Paris Cost Guide

First Things First: Getting There and the Cheapest Ways to Get To Paris

You may know at this point that we’re huge with the travel hacking game. And when it came to booking a flight during the peak season to Paris from the US, we knew points were the way to go. Thankfully, we had a ton of American Airlines points to use!

Except…while we found great availability to get to Paris, getting home was tricky. We ended up booking a flight home from London and took the train there to fly out. So my advice here is to definitely book as soon as you know you are available, especially if you aren’t flexible with your travel days. American Airlines is notorious for having a lot of availability 11 months out but makes it increasingly difficult to find any after that.

But we were determined!

The Cost of Flights to Paris

So for the flight to Paris, we paid 60,000 points for the two of us, plus $11.20 in taxes and fees! Talk about cheap! The only issue was the cost of taxes and fees to fly out of London (60,000 points to get home plus $664.86). So basically, our flight costs with points during peak season was $676.06 for 2 people to fly round-trip to Europe from Cleveland. That’s only $338.03 per person!

Yes, that still sounds cheap, but by picking different routes to get to Paris and back and certain times of the year, it is even cheaper. And sometimes you can get great deals for flying to Paris on Skyscanner where you don’t even need to use points!

From a large city like NYC, you can get flights for a little over $300 per person depending on when you go. For a city like Cleveland (or a smaller US airport), you could spend as little as $700 or less per person. For more peak season pricing, expect to pay around $1,000 per person from a smaller city like Cleveland or $450 per person from a large city like NYC.

And my personal favorite thing to do is once you know the dates/times of your flight, you can set an alert on Skyscanner and it’ll let you know when to book when prices drop!

Traveling to/from Paris in Europe

I mean if you’re traveling around Europe, flights to Paris are a freaking steal. One thing I miss about studying abroad in France is the crazy inexpensive flights. We’re talking like $100 or less for a round-trip flight.

As far as trains go, you can also get tickets for $100 or less depending on where you’re traveling from.

So if you’re bouncing around Europe on your trip or you live in Europe and fancy a long weekend in Paris, this is a cheap one to budget!

Total Cost for Flights to Paris:

The trip to Paris cost for flights is between $300-1,000 per person for a round-trip flight to/from the US to Paris. For flights around Europe or the train, aim for $100 per person.

Paris Vacation Cost #2: Hotels

Budget Options

Whew, this part of your Paris budget can vary A TON. You could go the budget route and do hostels, like the fabulous Le Village Montmartre in the prime Montmartre neighborhood for only $60 per person per night for a dorm (or $210 per night for the private 2 person room).

There is also the option to stay in a VRBO for around $160 per night for 2 people in an apartment near the 6th Arrondissem*nt (within walking distance to many attractions).

And the last budget option for your trip to Paris cost is a hotel! If you don’t mind staying a bit further out and taking the metro in, Hotel du Printemps is in the super local 12^th arrondissem*nt, is clean and comfortable, and has everything you’d need for your stay. My parents opted to stay here during their time in Paris and loved it.

The area was filled with amazing local restaurants, and they enjoyed the bakery nearby with locals lining up each morning for tasty baguettes! For only around $150 per night, it is a great deal for your trip to Paris budget.

Mid-Range to Luxury Hotel Options for Paris

For those on a romantic getaway to Paris or who are more of the mid-range travelers, Hotel des Arts-Montmartre is the hotel for you. This gorgeous hotel is about $250 per night, but is close to many attractions and is located in the 18th.

And for those looking for luxury, Paris has it. Grand Hotel du Palais Royal is steps away from the Louvre and Palais Royal, has a delightful spa, fantastic breakfast spread, lovely bar and lounge to take a rest after a long day, and the rooms are chic and modern. For around $700 per night, you’ll feel luxurious here.

Total Cost for Accommodation in Paris:

For accommodation on your Paris budget, aim for $60-700 per night depending on your travel style. So for those who travel somewhere in the middle, $250 per night is perfect. If you are staying in Paris for 5 nights, aim for a budget of $1,250 for the mid-range hotel, $750 for the budget hotel, or $3,500 for those looking to splurge. Check out where to stay in Paris based on your travel style!

Trip to Paris Cost #3: Activities and Excursions

Now for the fun part! You’ve figured out a good cost for hotels and flights to Paris, but now it is time to figure out what to do in Paris!

And with that, comes figuring out what you can afford to do in Paris!

For us, we wanted to take a day trip to the Loire Valley one day, and all I can say is wow! Our trip with Get Your Guide to the Loire Valley was filled with stunning fairytale castles and tasty wine. While it was pricier at around $147 per person, it included transportation to/from the Loire Valley, entrance to the castles, 1 wine tasting at a castle, and a guide. It was beyond worth it and I highly recommend this trip if you want to see more of France while in Paris.

We also decided to do a food tour in Paris. We love checking out food tours during our travels, like our one day in Lima, as they show you famous sites and you get to try the best food! The Food Tour of the Le Marais neighborhood was our fave, where we went to local spots, tried one of the best baguettes in the city, and sampled to die for chocolates and macaroons. We even went to the cutest market! This was $125per person but well worth it for all the food and wine tastings we had!

And, who goes to Paris and doesn’t check out a museum or two? We loved the Rodin Museum for the sculptures and gardens and Museum L’Orangerie for the stunning Monet pieces and impressionist paintings in a much more manageable space! The cost for the Rodin Museum was €14 or about $15 for a standard ticket and the cost of L’Orangerie was €12.50 or about $14 for a standard ticket.

If this is your first trip to Paris, I definitely recommend stopping in to see the Louvre and D’Orsay as well. I recommend doing a timed entry ticket for the Louvre for only $24, which allows you to skip-the-line. Otherwise, you may not be able to get in on really busy days!

The cost for a ticket to D’Orsay is $14 for a reserved ticket online.

Okay, while we only went to a couple of museums during our visit, if this is your first time and you plan to see a lot, definitely opt for the Paris Pass. This allows skip-the-line entry to various museums and attractions across the city! At only $87 per person for a 2-day pass or $107 for the pass plus a river cruise, it is a great idea for a lot of sightseeing.

Total Cost for Activities in Paris:

If you plan to check out a bunch of museums and not do any day trips, I would say that $87-123 per person is appropriate for the Paris Museum Pass for 2-4 days plus a river cruise. If you only want to do a couple of museums and a day trip like to the Loire Valley, then aim for a Paris activity budget of around $250-340 per person for a 5 day trip to Paris.

PS- Be sure to check out the most romantic things to do in Paris!

Trip to Paris Cost of Food & Beverage

Much like the hotels, this can vary immensely as well. For breakfast, a croissant and coffee will set you back around €7 or $8. Lunch at a restaurant can be around €25 or $27 for a Prix fixe 3-course lunch, and dinner can be around €40 or $45 per person for wine and a meal.

Now, for those doing Paris on a budget, you could just go to the grocery store and pick up a €0.90 or $1 croissant for breakfast, a sandwich at a bakery with a co*ke for €10 or $11 for lunch, and for dinner, you could pick up a baguette and cheese with a nice bottle of wine for only about €20 or $22.

And if you’re really bougie, you could definitely end up spending €30 or $33 per person on a nice, sit down breakfast, €40 or $45 on a nice, sit down lunch with a prix-fixe menu and wine at a place like Le Precope, and upward of €490 or $540 for a tasting menu at a Michelin-starred restaurant like L’Arpege.

Clearly, this is the extreme budget to extreme luxury. But to give you insight on our daily food and drinks budget, here is a breakdown of a sample day during our trip:

1. Breakfast at Les Deux Magots with the ancient hot chocolate with croissant and bread with butter (€14 or $15 per person)
2. Lunch sandwich and drink from a bakery for €10 or $11
3. Dinner at Le Precope with an appetizer, main course, and wine for €45 per person or $50 per person.
4. Banana Nutella crepe to split for dessert from a crepe stand: €8 or $9.

Total spent for one day of eating/drinking for 2 people: $85 per person (with your own crepe) or $161. However, this did vary by day. One day we just had a baguette and cheese with wine that we picked up from a market on the way home for dinner after hitting up a wine bar. That only set us back about $22 for dinner.

Total Cost for Food and Beverages in Paris:

It totally depends on your travel style and budget, but probably $85 per person for food and drinks per day is appropriate. If you are a budget backpacker, this could be done for $34 per person per day. If you want the best of the best, aim for $300-618 per day (assuming you eat at Michelin restaurants a lot).

For 2 people for a 5-day trip to Paris expect to pay about $425 per person or $850 for two. For those doing a low-cost Paris trip, aim for $170 per person or $340 per couple during that time. And for those traveling in luxury, aim for $3,090 per person or $6,180 for your trip for two.

Getting Around Paris Budget

Now we know food, activities, flights, and hotels…but what about getting around Paris?

Not all of us can afford to Uber or taxi everywhere, right? And with taxis being around $61-72 or so to/from the CDG airport each way (right bank is €56 and left bank is €65- these are locked-in rates), you may want to save a bit more money for activities and food.

PS- Only take taxis from the official taxi stands at the airport! The rates to downtown from the airport are locked in so they shouldn’t be charging more than the set rate.

You can also purchase metro tickets to take the train from the airport into the city. To take the RER B train from CDG into Paris, it costs €11.80, or $13 each way. For Orly, you can take Metro 14 and you have to purchase a ticket for the airport at €10.30 or $11 each way.

These can be purchased on your phone via the Bonjour RATP app.

Of course, if you stay in the main part of Paris near the Louvre, you’ll find that you can walk to the main sites if you’re willing to. We would walk for miles a day. Of course, this isn’t always reasonable, and if you’re short on time, maybe getting the Hop-On Hop-Off bus is for you! At about $53 per day ($70 for 2 days), you could use the tourist bus to get around to the main sites without walking much.

And for a cheaper, and more local, way of getting around, take the metro! Tickets are €2.15 or around $2.50 each. You can either purchase these on your Smartphone on the Bonjour RATP app or you can get a card at a metro station and reload it either on your phone using the app or at the metro station ticket kiosk.

Total Cost for Transportation in Paris:

I would aim for $64 per person or $128 for transportation in Paris including getting to/from the airport via the metro and buying tickets for the metro.

If you’d prefer taking taxi to/from the airport, then $98.50 per person or $197 for transportation in and around Paris ($160 if traveling solo). If you plan to use the Hop-On Hop-Off bus instead for a couple of days (and the metro to get to/from the city), aim for $96 per person or $192 for a couple.

Don’t forget Trip Insurance in Your Paris Trip Budget!

Last, but certainly not least, let’s talk about trip insurance. No matter your budget for Paris, I highly recommend getting insurance. We get World Nomads when we travel internationally for its comprehensive plans and its affordability. If you don’t mind paying a little now, you’ll save a lot of money later if something happens.

For 5 days in Paris, we paid around $74 per person for the Standard Plan (around $129 for the Explorer Plan). Trust me, it is totally worth it. Whether you get your camera stolen or your bags get lost, there are a number of reasons to have trip insurance.

Total Trip to Paris Cost

For your trip to Paris, here are the perfect budgets based on your travel style:

Budget: If you’re on a strict budget, with flights, hotels, and more, aim for a budget of $1,000-1,800 per person for a 5 day trip to Paris with the lower end finding a great flight deal for $300, doing grocery store meals, staying in a hostel, using the museum pass, taking the metro to get around, not doing any day trips, and doing the Standard Plan for trip insurance.

The higher end of this is if you find flights for $500 per person, stay at a hotel, don’t do a day trip and do the museum pass with cruise for a couple of days, eat for about $50 per person per day, get the Standard Plan for insurance, and use the metro.

For a couple $2,140-2,800 for a 5 day trip to Paris on a budget is appropriate.

Mid-Range: If you are able to save/splurge a bit, aim for a budget around $2,250 per person or $4,500 as a couple for a 5 day trip to Paris including $700 flights per person, the mid-range hotel, doing the day trip and food tour and seeing a couple of museums, eating out at $85 per day (per person), taking the metro, and buying the Standard insurance. If traveling solo, aim for $2,900.

Luxury: And for those who are willing to splurge, eat at fancier places, stay in a nice hotel, do a day trip, etc. aim for around $6,000+ per person or $12,000+ for a 5 day trip to Paris. If traveling solo, then aim for $8,000+.

So how much does a trip to Paris cost?For 5 days in Paris for the mid-range budget person, expect to spend around $2,900 for a solo traveler and $4,500 as a couple. However, for the budget backpackers, 5 days in Paris can be done for about $1,000 a person.

What did we end up spending during our time in Paris?

With all of these factors above, we ended up spending right around $2,000. No, we didn’t do this on a complete budget plan, but we had a free place to stay thanks to our friend Alice. We pretty much did the mid-range travel budget less hotel costs. Our flights were $676 thanks to miles, we had zero hotel costs, we did the day trip, food tour, and went to a couple of museums, had about a $100 per day for food and drinks for two, did the Standard Plan of trip insurance, and we did Uber to our friend’s place but ended up taking a train to London to fly home (took the metro to the station).

However, this was also in 2019. Adjusting for price increases (particularly for food and transportation), this same trip would cost closer to $2,500.

When I planned my parent’s visit, they ended up spending on the lower end of the mid-range budget as they stayed at Hotel Du Printemps and loved it! Also, if you plan to visit in the spring it is cheaper as well!

And there you have it: the perfect trip to Paris cost whether you’re backpacking on a budget or splurging on a honeymoon. Paris can be an affordable place to travel for a few days if you are willing to make some sacrifices, but the key is figuring out where to save versus splurge. If you are willing to eat cheaply, then you’ve got more money for museums!

And if you don’t care where you stay, stay further from the city center for a better price and use the extra cash for a good dinner and day trips!

No matter your travel style, I highly encourage a visit to Paris, even if only for a day! It is a magical place to visit and we cannot wait to return!

Did you find this Paris budget guide helpful? What would you add? How much would you budget for Paris? Let us know in the comments!

Read Next: What to Wear in Paris (Plus What NOT to Wear) & Paris Honeymoon Hotels.

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