How Paris is fleecing tourists this summer

A typical trip to Paris involves wandering around art galleries, eating croissants in Amelie-esque cafés and staying in a bijou hotel. This year, however, is not a typical one. It’s an Olympic year, and with three million tourists expected to descend on the City of Light, prices have risen in kind. Whether you’re visiting for the Games itself, or just for a standard city break, all of those stereotypical Parisian activities are going to cost considerably more this summer.

How much more, exactly? We looked at the changes to everything from accommodation rates to entry to the Louvre.

Hotel prices: up 54 per cent

Head to Paris on Monday May 20, for example, and a room at Le Grand Quartier, a boutique hotel in the 10th arrondissement, will cost £187 per night. On Monday July 29, just after the opening weekend, that rate rises to £488. Reports suggest that there has been, on average, a 54 per cent rise in hotel room prices compared to 2023.

Airbnbs: up 50 per cent

Airbnbs and similar self-catering properties have seen equivalent changes: rates for a one-bedroom rental in Paris are 50 per cent more expensive than in the summer of 2022, with a near doubling of rates during August (up 98 per cent). It’s a sharp increase, one that’s likely to see holidaymakers uninterested in the Olympics give the city a wide berth. If a summer trip is vital, tickets for the Games are still on sale – but be warned, depending on the event they range from €24 (£21) to €2,700 (£2,310).

Public transport: up 90 per cent

If you can stomach the accommodation price rises, there is still public transport to contend with. From July to September a ticket for a single journey on the city’s Metro and bus network, usually €2.10 (£1.80), will rise some 90 per cent to €4 (£3.40). Blocks of 10 tickets, currently €16.90 (£14.50), will rise to €32 (£27.30) in July. The head of the Parisian transport authority has said that “it is out of the question that people living in the Paris region should pay for the extra cost”, advising locals to stock up on the cheaper tickets in advance of the changes.

“The prices will go up so that the Olympics are 100 per cent accessible by public transport,” she added. “Public services have a cost and pretending otherwise is a lie. It’s a fair price.” Regardless, the structure means that tourists, whether or not they are attending the Games, will have to cover the cost.

Museum entry: up 30 per cent

What about activities? Most holidaymakers in Paris visit the Louvre, or, perhaps to avoid the queues, spend time at the Musée Rodin. But these, too, are getting costlier. At the beginning of the year, the price of admission at the Louvre rocketed by almost 30 per cent to €22 (£19). The jump from €17 was the first change in seven years, although the gallery has extended its opening hours and promises that nearly half of visitors will be eligible for free tickets; these include under-25s, the low-paid and unemployed, disabled people, teachers and journalists.

At the Musée Rodin, prices have increased by €2. Musée Picasso has added a single euro to its entry fee, while tickets for the Palace of Versailles have jumped by €1.50. And at the Eiffel Tower, the symbol of the city which features on almost all tourist itineraries, has raised ticket prices from €29.40 (£25.15) to €31 (£26.50), while the cheaper ascent to the second floor now costs €19 (£16.25) – up from €11.80 (£10). Officials did not cite the Olympics as the reason for the price rises, however, blaming instead the impact of the pandemic.

Pricier beers – and pressure to tip

Even everyday items will cost more. “Beer, chips, condoms and wine are among many products whose sales will explode during the Olympic Games,” lamented a recent report by Le Parisien. It’s thought that “pleasure products” such as these will be in high demand during the summer season.

It stands to reason that eating out will cost more, too, with restaurateurs keen to profit from the big occasion. And reports are also suggesting that America’s high-pressure tipping culture has spread to French shores.

“A legal requirement that a 15 per cent service charge – the service compris – must be included in the prices on the menu has sometimes been blamed for the surly service that can be received by diners,” The Times reports. “It ensures, however, that there is usually no fumbling for the right tip at the end of a meal.

“Now, perhaps related to this summer’s Paris Olympics, restaurants are starting to push customers to tip. The suggestion that tipping has become common in the capital is being taken so seriously that the broadcaster BFMTV devoted a prime-time segment to it at the weekend.”

Airfares: up 21 per cent

As for getting to Paris in the first place, air fares (usually higher in summer, even before factoring in the Olympics factor) are also pricier. A return flight to the capital with British Airways will set you back around £162 in May. By July, the cheapest return is £196.

Interestingly, however, the Eurostar bucks the trend. For a long weekend in late May (24-27) you’ll need to pay at least £298 for a return journey. For August 2-5, the price falls to £243.

On balance, though, if you have no interest in the Olympics and have the opportunity to delay your trip to Paris – you probably should. Officials have promised that transport fares will have returned to normal by the end of September. Prices for that same Le Grand Quartier hotel room drop to £257 by September 23. Flight prices with BA drop to £95. And the Olympics crowds will have long since departed.