The 4-day cost breakdown (per person, 2026 prices)
| Cost line | Budget trip | Mid-range trip |
|---|---|---|
| Sleep (4 nights) | Hostel dorm, €25–€45/night → €100–€180 | 3-star hotel €140–€200/night, shared by two → €280–€400 |
| Food & drink (4 days) | Bakeries, lunch formules, picnics, €30–€40/day → €120–€160 | Café breakfasts + bistro dinners, €55–€80/day → €220–€320 |
| Local transport | Metro singles at €2.55 (~3 rides/day) to day passes at €12.30 → €31–€49 | |
| Sights | Louvre €32 (non-EEA) + Eiffel Tower by stairs €14.80 → ≈ €47 | Louvre €32 + Eiffel summit by lift €36.70 → ≈ €69 |
| Airport transfers | RER B from CDG, €14 each way → €28 | |
| Total for 4 days | ≈ €325–€465 | ≈ €645–€865 |
EEA residents pay €22 instead of €32 at the Louvre, which trims €10 off both columns. Travelling as a pair? The mid-range column already splits the hotel room; a taxi from CDG (flat €56 Right Bank / €65 Left Bank) can then beat two or three train fares. Convert your total into your own currency with our currency converter.
Sleep: the arrondissement is the price dial
Paris hotel prices are set by geography. Hostels in the 10th, 11th and 18th arrondissements keep dorm beds at €25–€45; budget hotels in the 9th, 10th and 14th run €70–€110; and a solid central 3-star costs €140–€200 a night in 2026 — roughly double near the Champs-Élysées or in fashion-week weeks. The trick locals approve of: stay one métro stop beyond the postcard zone. The flat €2.55 fare means distance costs you minutes, not money.
Getting around: one fare for the whole region
Paris simplified its fares in 2025 and held them for 2026: a single metro, train or RER journey costs €2.55 anywhere in Île-de-France — Versailles included — loaded onto a €2 Navigo Easy card or your phone (the old paper carnet is gone). Ride five or more times in a day and the Navigo day pass at €12.30 wins; staying Monday to Sunday, the weekly pass at €32.40 even covers the airports. Paris Visite, the tourist pass, costs noticeably more for the same days — €30.60 for a single day — and rarely wins the maths.
The big two: Louvre and Eiffel Tower, priced honestly
The Louvre changed its pricing on 14 January 2026: €22 for EEA citizens and residents, €32 for everyone else. Under-18s are free, EEA residents under 26 are free, and the first Friday evening of the month (outside July and August) is free for all — but every visit, free or paid, needs a timed slot booked online. The Eiffel Tower is a separate operation with four official 2026 prices: stairs to the 2nd floor €14.80, lift to the 2nd floor €23.50, stairs-then-lift to the summit €28.00, lift to the summit €36.70. Lift tickets are released 60 days ahead and prime slots sell out; the stairs ticket, sold 14 days ahead, is the budget traveller's back door — shorter queues, €22 saved against the summit lift. The Paris Museum Pass (€85 / €105 / €125 for 2 / 4 / 6 days) covers the Louvre and 50+ other sites and pays off at two paid museums a day — but it never covers the Tower.
Food: the formule is the whole strategy
Paris rewards one habit above all: make lunch the main meal. On weekdays, bistros serve a two-course formule for €16–€24 — the same kitchen that charges €32–€45 for dinner. Breakfast is a €4–€6 bakery run (croissant, baguette tradition), and dinner can be a market picnic by the Seine. That rhythm lands at €30–€40 a day; full café-and-bistro mode lands at €55–€80. Coffee maths, too: an espresso at the counter costs around €1.50–€2.20, the same coffee on the terrace €3.50–€5.50. Stand up, save €2.
From total to departure
Take your column's total, then work backwards: our savings goal calculator turns "€450 by March" into an exact weekly amount, and the Europe budget trip planning guide shows how to chain Paris with cheaper cities so the average day costs less. Pairing this page with our Amsterdam cost breakdown — the Eurostar between the two starts around €35 booked early — gives you a two-capital trip with both budgets nailed down before you spend a cent.
❓ Paris Trip Cost FAQs
How much does a 4-day trip to Paris cost in 2026?
Per person, about €325–€465 on a budget (hostel dorm, bakery-and-formule eating, the Louvre plus the Eiffel stairs) and about €645–€865 mid-range (a shared 3-star room, bistro dinners, summit tickets). Flights to Paris are not included.
How much is the metro in Paris in 2026?
One flat fare: €2.55 per metro, train or RER journey anywhere in the Paris region, loaded on a Navigo Easy card (€2) or your phone. The Navigo day pass costs €12.30 (all zones, airports excluded) and the Monday-to-Sunday weekly pass €32.40, airports included.
How much are Louvre tickets in 2026?
Since 14 January 2026 the Louvre charges €22 for EEA citizens and residents and €32 for visitors from outside the EEA. Under-18s enter free, EEA residents under 26 enter free, and everyone gets in free on the first Friday evening of the month (except July and August). Book a timed slot online either way.
How much does the Eiffel Tower cost in 2026?
Official 2026 adult prices: stairs to the 2nd floor €14.80, lift to the 2nd floor €23.50, stairs plus lift to the summit €28.00, and lift all the way to the summit €36.70. Lift tickets go on sale 60 days ahead on the official site and the best slots sell out.
Is the Paris Museum Pass worth it?
It costs €85 for 2 days, €105 for 4 days and €125 for 6 days, covering 50+ sites including the Louvre and Versailles. It pays off if you visit two or more paid museums a day — but it never covers the Eiffel Tower, and the Louvre still needs a separate free timed reservation.
How much does it cost to get from Charles de Gaulle Airport into Paris?
The RER B train costs a flat €14 airport ticket in 2026. A taxi is a fixed fare — €56 to the Right Bank, €65 to the Left Bank — which can beat the train for three or four people travelling together.
How much should I budget for food in Paris per day?
About €30–€40 a day on a budget — a €4–€6 bakery breakfast, a €16–€24 weekday lunch formule and a picnic or crêpe dinner — or €55–€80 a day mid-range, once a proper bistro dinner (€32–€45) enters the plan.
More Europe guides: Amsterdam on a Budget 2026 · Barcelona Travel Guide 2026 · Europe Budget Trip Planning Guide