How Much I Spent Traveling for One Week in Paris

When my best friend started planning her trip to come visit me in Berlin, she told me she didn’t want to spend her whole time in Berlin. Understandable, Europe is a big place with lots to see. After looking at some options, there was one clear winner on her wishlist, so I started planning a trip to Paris for the two of us. Here’s a look at how much my one week Paris trip cost.

how much does a trip to Paris cost?
How much does a trip to Paris cost?

How much would a week in Paris cost?

Amounts are listed in euros and US dollars.

660€ / $742.50 – accommodation
61.75€ / $69.46 – transportation
281.10€ / $316.24 – food and alcohol
549.70€ / $618.41 – activities
9.80€ / $11.03 – miscellaneous
1,562.35€ / $1,757.64 – total



Hotel cost in Paris – $742.50

This was my HALF of seven nights in this midrange hotel a little less than a mile from the Eiffel Tower. The hotel was decent enough but definitely looked better in the pictures. It was just around the corner from a metro stop, which was great, and easy enough to walk to the Eiffel Tower, but there weren’t a lot of restaurants near the hotel.

There are definitely more interesting neighborhoods in Paris to stay in. But this shows you that a mediocre hotel in a relatively good location will be pretty pricey. Accommodation averaged out to $106.07 per night, but remember this was my half, so the full cost was $212.14 per night.

How much I spent traveling for one week in Paris
Hotels in Paris can be quite expensive!

Transportation cost in Paris – $69.46

This includes a 10 pack of metro tickets plus a few single tickets, the train from the airport (10€ per person) and a shuttle from our hotel to the airport (9€ per person). Other transport costs include my train ticket from Paris to Chartres (16€) and my ticket from Chartres to Versailles to Paris (16€). The transportation total does not include my flights to and from Paris.



How much I spent traveling for one week in Paris - Palace of Versailles
I’m glad we included a day trip to the Palace of Versailles on our trip to Paris

Cost of food and alcohol in Paris – $316.24

The hotel we stayed at had breakfast, but I incorrectly thought it was included with our booking. When I asked the guy at check-in where breakfast was, he simply told me “downstairs” but didn’t point out that it wasn’t part of our booking or how much it was. We got charged 8€ per person per day for four days of breakfasts. Even though I had my own breakfast in the mini-fridge because I couldn’t eat 99% of what was on offer at the hotel’s breakfast. I was LIVID that the check-in guy never told us, and there was no arguing that charge away. Lesson learned: ALWAYS ask, even if you think it’s included.

Since we were staying in a hotel, we ate out for every single meal. Some meals were quick roadside stand type meals, others were in nice restaurants. We snacked and drank wine, too. Rachel tried a little more wine than I did, so her food and alcohol spending was probably a bit higher than mine.

Food prices in Paris are a little high, especially at nicer restaurants. If you’re interested in traveling to Paris on a budget, consider buying food at grocery stores for easy picnic meals or stay someplace with a kitchen. Don’t let the cost of food in Paris stop you from going. Even with eating out every mean, my food and alcohol spending averaged out to about $45 per day.

How much I spent traveling for one week in Paris - Loire Valley castle tour
Wine tasting during our Loire Valley castles day trip from Paris

Cost of activities in Paris – $618.41

This is a lot more than I normally spend on activities, but it’s probably a little closer to what the average visitor to Paris might spend. Tours and activities included a food tour, a Loire Valley castle and wine tasting tour, a 2 day hop-on-hop-off bus plus boat ticket, a Moulin Rouge show, a skip-the-line Eiffel Tower ticket, an audio guide at Chartres, and entrance to Versailles. I averaged about $88.34 per day on activities.

Here are some great Paris tours from one of my favorite tour companies, Take Walks:

How much I spent traveling for one week in Paris - Loire Valley castle tour
Include a day trip to the Loire Valley in your Paris trip budget – it’s totally worth it!

Total miscellaneous expenses in Paris – $11.03

I don’t typically buy souvenirs, and this one barely even counts. I bought two spice mixes from a specialty spice shop we stopped at on our food tour. Bump up this category if you like to buy souvenirs when you travel.

How much I spent traveling for one week in Paris - Moulin Rouge
Seeing a show at Moulin Rouge was a wonderful splurge during our week in Paris

Paris prices can be high; it is not a cheap city. Remember these were just my expenses; double the numbers for a trip to Paris cost for two. Visiting Paris during the winter might help reduce some of your costs, and at least there will be fewer crowds. Expect to pay a lot for decent accommodation and decent food. Check out Airbnb if you want to cook some of your meals. The metro is easy to use and will save you money on getting around in Paris. Ask your hotel about airport shuttles; ours was cheaper than taking the train.

But make sure you splurge occasionally too. The food tour, Moulin Rouge, and the Loire Valley castle tour were especially worth the price. So how much is a trip to Paris? For one week in Paris, I spent about $251.09 per day.

More info to help you plan your trip to Paris:

Paris, France is a dream trip for many, but it's not a cheap destination. Here's a look at how much I spent traveling for one week in Paris including tours. | Paris trip cost | how much is a trip to Paris | Paris prices | food prices in Paris | how much does it cost to go to Paris | cost of food in Paris | trip to Paris cost for two | how much does a trip to Paris cost #paris #budgettravel #france #traveltips
Paris, France is a dream trip for many, but it's not a cheap destination. Here's a look at how much I spent traveling for one week in Paris including tours. | Paris trip cost | how much is a trip to Paris | Paris prices | food prices in Paris | how much does it cost to go to Paris | cost of food in Paris | trip to Paris cost for two | how much does a trip to Paris cost #paris #budgettravel #france #traveltips