For any city-breakers heading to Paris this summer, you might want to take a closer look at your budget.
That’s because the cost of travel in France’s city of love is about to dramatically increase in price.
Paris’ public transport authority are about to raise the prices of Métro tickets by more than 85%, while the cost of a bus ticket will double.
As of 20 July, a ticket for a single journey in the Métro will now set you back €4 (£3.43) instead of €2.15 (£1.85).
Meanwhile, the price for a city bus ticket will double from €2.50 (£2.15) to €5 (£4.29).
The hike comes into force just six days before the Olympic and Paralympic Games begin in the French capital, and will remain until the 8 September, the day the games finish.
City officials have insisted that regular travellers, such as local commuters, will be unaffected by the higher tariffs because they have transport passes, for which the prices have stayed the same.
The Île-de-France regional authority has made a website to help locals plan their journeys around the upcoming Games, but it also has key info for tourists planning to hop on and off the Métro.
In particular, tourists will want to be aware that three busy stations – Champs-Élysées – Clémenceau, Concorde and Tuileries – will close before the Games and will not reopen again until September.
So, to save money, your best bet is to buy the aforemention weekly travel pass instead.
Laura Evans-Fisk, head of digital engagement at eurochange, explains to Metro.co.uk:‘It’s a great idea to get hold of a weekly pass to save quite a bit of cash.
‘There a weekly and monthly travel passes are valid on all forms of public transport in the Île-de-France region, including Métro, RER, bus, tram and train, with the exception of the Orlyval, SNCF train lines with reserved seating, and the Optile special fare lines.’
The pass comes in two forms – and London commuters will be familiar with how it all works.
You can either buy an ‘all zones’ travel pass, which allows you to travel across all zones, every day of the week. There’s also the ‘2-zone’ pass, allowing you to travel outside your two zones and only pay for the extra distance travelled.
Weekly passes are priced at €30.75 (£26.39) for zones 1 to 5 while a Navigo Day Pass costs €8.65 (£7.42) to travel across two zones.
A Paris Pass is also on offer, which is specifically aimed at people visiting for the Olympics and Paralympics between July 20 and September 8, 2024.
The pass, which works like a season ticket, can be used for up to seven days and prices start from €16.
When is the best time to get Euros?
Don’t leave it until the last minute to convert your pounds into Euros. ‘Typically, the EUR rate only moves very slightly over any given month,’ Laura tells Metro.co.uk.
‘Even when the exchange rate differs marginally when buying larger amounts, it can soon add up, so it’s worth keeping a close eye on the exchange rate before you head to Paris.
‘I would always recommend buying your euros before you get to the airport or Eurostar train station, as the exchange rates tend to be far lower than if you were to buy in branch or online in advance.
‘Typically, Monday through to Thursday is the best time to buy your euros, as these are the least busy days for transfers, so you might see a little less fluctuation in the mid-market rate.’
You can find out more about tariffs and how to buy them here. You can also buy passes at any ticket desk or at any of the kiosks at stations around the city.
‘It could be worth looking at which zone your accommodation is in, and where you’ll be travelling to each day, to see which pass would suit you best,’ Laura warns.
Have hotel prices changed because of the Olympics?
It’s not just transport that’s been affected. Hotels have also upped costs for the huge sporting event.
French consumer group UFC-Que Choisir found that on the night of the opening ceremony, a double room in a three or four start hotel will cost on average €1,033 (£899) compared to €317 (£273).
And if you still haven’t got your hotels sorted, you may be too late.
Half of the hotels surveyed for the UFC report in late December reported being fully booked and 30% of them had introduced a minimum two-night stay requirement for bookings.
There are properties available on Booking.com during the first weekend of the Olympic Games (two nights between July 26-28) however, many of the four-star hotels have limited rooms left. For a room with a ‘very good’ rating, you can expect to pay around £800 at the time of writing.
You can stay in Musée d’Orsay during the Opening Ceremony
Holidaymakers will have a chance to sleep in a museum this summer because it’s becoming an Airbnb for a limited time.
The holiday rental platform announced its new ‘Icons’ category this week, which includes astounding destinations for travellers to book, including Musée d’Orsay in Paris.
But there is a caveat; there’s a lottery system in place and the bedroom will only be available for one night – the day of the Opening Ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games on July 26.
Booking will be made available from Tuesday May 21, 2024. From this date, Airbnb users guests will be able to request to book through the app. The lucky guests who are selected will be able to stay there for free.
You can find out more information on how to book the Airbnb here.
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