France · budget
Paris Budget Per Day: How Much Does a Trip Cost? — Trip Planner
Your Paris plan for this trip — when to go, how long you need, and what to prioritise. What a day in Paris costs — meals, transit, top attractions, and the bookable activities worth adding to the budget. Prices sourced from Viator listings, refreshed as they change.
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Budget-friendly experiences in Paris
Bookable through GetYourGuide. Skip-the-line, verified guides.
What things cost in Paris
Budget 2.55 euros per Metro ride and 14 euros for the airport ticket. An espresso taken standing at the counter costs 1.50 to 2.50 and roughly double at a terrace table, with both prices legally displayed. A boulangerie sandwich runs 5 to 7 euros and a prix-fixe lunch 18 to 25. Louvre entry is 22 euros for EEA residents and 32 euros otherwise.
What to eat in Paris
Paris rewards the specialist over the brasserie. Buy bread from a Grand Prix de la Baguette winner, a list published annually, with the winner supplying the Elysee for a year. Rue Montorgueil, rue des Martyrs and the Marche d'Aligre are the food streets residents actually use. Falafel on rue des Rosiers, Breton galettes near Montparnasse, and a jambon-beurre from any decent boulangerie beat most tourist menus.
What first-timers get wrong in Paris
A single Metro ticket costs 2.55 euros and, since the fare reform, reaches any station in the network with zones abolished for visitors. Metro and bus tickets are no longer interchangeable, so switching between them requires a second ticket. Airport journeys use a separate 14-euro flat fare. Say bonjour on entering any shop. Service is included in restaurant prices, and rounding up suffices.
Paris with kids, realistically
The Jardin du Luxembourg still rents wooden sailboats to push around the basin with a stick, and its puppet theatre plays Wednesdays and weekends. The Cite des Sciences at La Villette has a dedicated under-fives zone. Only line 14 is fully step-free, and most Metro stations have stairs and no lift, so travelling with a pushchair means using buses, which are entirely low-floor across the network.
When the weather turns in Paris
Paris drizzle is persistent rather than dramatic. The covered passages, Galerie Vivienne, Passage des Panoramas and Passage Jouffroy, chain together a dry hour near the Grands Boulevards. The Galeries Lafayette dome, the Bourse de Commerce under its glass rotunda, and the Grande Galerie de l'Evolution at the Jardin des Plantes all deliver. Save Sainte-Chapelle for a bright day, since its glass needs direct sun.
When to go to Paris
| Best months for budget per day | Avg daily high | Rain days |
|---|---|---|
| July | 25°C / 77°F | 9 days |
| September | 22°C / 72°F | 10 days |
| August | 25°C / 77°F | 11 days |
The month to avoid is December — around 9°C (48°F) with roughly 15 rain days. Prices and crowds track the weather here: July is the sweet spot, December the month most people skip.
Pack for peak season: Summer clothes, plus one light layer for air-con and evenings, A packable rain shell or compact umbrella earns its space, Comfortable walking shoes — every guide on this site assumes you'll use them.
Where to base yourself in Paris
- Le Marais — Boutique shops, falafel, cafés, queer-friendly.
- Saint-Germain-des-Prés — Literary cafés, antiquaires, the publishing-world quarter.
- Montmartre — Sacré-Cœur, narrow stairs, the artsy hill.
- Belleville — Multicultural, street art, panoramic views.