The Olympic Games in Paris promise to be fantastic. The prices are already.
The opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris promises to be spectacular: on the glittering waters of the Seine, a fleet of ships will transport around 10,000 athletes to the foot of the Eiffel Tower, while almost half a million spectators line the six-kilometre route to watch the event of the century cheer .
But good luck getting one of the 100,000 tickets for a spot at the party. These are mostly sold out – and the few left cost an eye-watering 2,700 euros, about $2,930 each. Tickets for another popular Olympic event, men's 10-meter platform diving, start at €875. Women's artistic gymnastics final, a perennial crowd-pleaser: around €1,799.
The organizers of the Paris Olympics have set a lofty goal for what they have dubbed the People's Games, promising to make the world's most iconic sporting event fair and accessible.
But prepare to pay.
Seven months before the Olympic torch casts a glow in the City of Light this summer, the cost of competing in the most in-demand sporting competitions, not to mention the price of accommodation and transportation, has risen – sometimes by Olympic proportions.
Many hotels and rental apartments have doubled or tripled their typical summer rates (think an average of $1,000 per night instead of $300), and some have even increased them fivefold. Airfares are rising rapidly. The cost of a metro ticket in Paris is temporarily doubled. Even the Louvre museum And Palace of Versailles have increased admission prices.
Do you still dream of making the Olympic appointment? Don't be too discouraged if you haven't booked yet. The Games, which take place from July 26 to August 11, still have some ticket offers for competitions with large audiences, such as football and basketball. Places also remain available for the Paralympic Games, from August 28 to September 8. And some prices could drop closer to the Games.
Paris will be its own extraordinary attraction, transformed into a giant outdoor arena with competitions like break dancing on the Place de la Concorde and Beach Volleybal at the Eiffel Tower. And President Emmanuel Macron will too making cultural performances of all kinds free for two months in the summer to celebrate the Olympic spirit.
However, exactly how you experience the Games depends on your budget. Here are some tips on what to expect.
Find a place to stay
Paris is like a jewel box: dazzling but compact. With about 15 million expected visitors and only about 85,000 rooms, hoteliers are taking full advantage of the excessive demand. This also applies to Parisians: many plan to flee the city and rent their apartments at a high price. Average Airbnb prices for Olympic dates have exceeded $500 per night.
At a typical Ibis hotel, a chain similar to Holiday Inn, expect to pay €400 to €700 per night for a fairly basic double room with Wi-Fi and breakfast, compared to €90 to €200 normally. A double room in the more luxurious version Hotel Ducs de Bourgogne at the Pont Neuf is priced through Booking.com for €1,500 per night, compared to €300 normally in summer.
Consumer associations, including UFC Que Choisira French advocacy group, has denounced price increases because they say they risk making the Olympic Games unaffordable for some.
The French government has said it will not regulate prices but will step up inspections of hotels and apartments. “It is essential that French and international tourists get value for their money,” said Olivia Grégoire, the minister in charge of tourism.
With the Games still months away, travelers can find cheaper accommodations that average between €450 and €550 per night, mainly on the outskirts of Paris or outside the city limits, says Christie Hudson, a travel expert for Expedia.com.
But even there, the average cost of a one-night stay in the Île-de-France region around Paris is about €700 during the Olympics, up from €169 last summer, according to the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau.
That trend could be reversing: Some hotels haven't released all their room inventory and prices could fall as they try to fill their schedules. The downside to waiting is the risk of finding little available at the last minute – not ideal if you've already secured event tickets or booked air travel.
Airbnb prices for Olympic dates have already dropped slightly, with rates for all accommodations, including private and shared rooms, now averaging around €542 per night, after rising to €746 in December, according to Air DNA, which tracks Airbnb booking trends. Tens of thousands of new listings have come online across France, and more supply is expected in the Paris region, a factor that should keep prices “affordable,” an Airbnb France spokesperson said.
When money is no object, hospitality offers through the official partner of the Paris Games, At locationguarantee bookings through all-inclusive packages with tickets to selected sporting events and accommodation in three-, four- and five-star hotels. The options include €8,660 per person in a three-star hotel for eight nights and only tickets for rock climbing competitions, or €21,105 for a luxurious five-day package at the Waldorf Astoria at Versailles that includes the opening ceremony and equestrian events.
Travelers may need to beware of sudden price increases by hotels and landlords, even after a booking has been confirmed. Booking.com said it would compensate consumers for the cost difference in such cases. Airbnb said hosts who tried to raise prices or cancel reservations after booking would face fees and penalties, and that the company would immediately give most guests a credit to immediately rebook if their stay is within 30 days was canceled after arrival.
Score tickets for events
If you've already gotten reasonably priced tickets, consider yourself lucky. About seven million copies have been purchased since sales began almost a year ago official ticket website for Paris 2024. But you can still take part in a variety of events, especially team sports in locations outside Paris, including football at the 80,700-seat stadium at St.-Denis.
There also remain tickets priced between €90 and €250 for volleyball, handball, archery, badminton and weightlifting, mostly for non-medal competitions.
But blockbuster sports have become virtually inaccessible unless you're willing to splurge. Tickets for events such as gymnastics and diving are currently not available on the official website. The prices were €600 before the blocks made available were sold out.
Tony Estanguet, president of the Paris 2024 organizing committee, has defended the prices, saying tickets are cheaper than those for the 2012 London Olympics.
Bundles of new tickets are released every now and then and organizers recommend visitors check the website regularly or sign up for alerts. More spots will become available on April 17, when the official and only authorized resale platform for ticket holders goes online.
However, at this stage, much of the only remaining access to in-demand events is through On Location's expensive 'hospitality packages', with options such as men's springboard diving tickets from €695 and access to the opening ceremony ranging from € 5,000 to €9,500. per person.
On Location offers a “wide variety” of packages, said Will Whiston, the company's executive vice president for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, adding that prices were “in line with and, in some cases, lower than previous To play.”
Transport to and around Paris
Return flights to Paris are already starting to creep up. Direct flights on Expedia.com from New York to Paris start at around $1,300 the weekend before the Olympics, compared to an average of $1,000 last summer. In general, travelers can get the best airfare by booking out 60 days. But “prices are expected to rise as travel dates get closer, so it's smart to book sooner rather than later,” said Ms Hudson, the travel expert at Expedia.
If you are willing to travel light, consider using a discount airline such as French Beewho flies for $975 round-trip from New York to Paris-Orly Airport, without checked luggage, or Icelandair, which requires a stopover in Reykjavik, from about $800 roundtrip, also without checked bags. Another option is to fly to an alternative airport, in France or a nearby country such as Belgium, Great Britain or Germany, and take the train.
Once in Paris, brace yourself to travel around. Olympic Games organizers want to reduce the carbon footprint of the Games and parts of the city will be closed to cars. The organizers attach great importance to walking, cycling and public transport.
While Metro prices rise to €4 per ride, tourists can buy a Paris 2024 pass costs €16 per day, or €70 per week, allowing travel throughout the Île-de-France region, including to and from Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports.
Paris has added around 90 kilometers of new cycle paths to the more than 440 kilometers already built in the city, encouraging visitors to use them. The Velib The rental program will be expanded to add 3,000 additional bicycles to the current fleet of 22,000 bicycles.
Despite all the possible problems, Mr Estanguet, the head of the organizing committee, has promised that the Games will be worth the journey. “Let me convince you to come, because this moment is unique,” he said. “You won't see it again, and you won't be disappointed.”