Al and I went to Paris for JUST THE WEEKEND back in November and I wanted to tell you all about it and break down that cost for ya. Not much thought went into going to Paris for just 3 days, we just saw the flights and decided to go despite having just gotten back from there less than two months previously. It was our 7th trip, which played into actually going. We do know the city pretty well so we already know how to get around, where we like to go, etc. but that shouldn’t deter you from doing the same if you want to maximize your PTO, especially once I break down the cost. If you don’t have much time off and think you can only go a few hours away for a long weekend, think again! In this post, I will share our experience and cost of spending a weekend in Paris for two people, including flights, accommodation, food, and activities.
Flights
We were able to find last minute flights from Nashville for $550 each, but thanks to some use of points, we were able to bring that down to just $198 each. Even if you don’t have points to use, $550 from Nashville is a heckava deal. Especially less than two weeks out from our departure date. I like the don’t-spend-more-than-$600-on-flights-to-Europe rule, and that applies to any city. How to find those is another post for another day, but they’re out there or will always pop up!
Airbnb
Next up, accommodation. We spent $533 for three nights in a cozy Airbnb. Sure, it wasn’t Le Maurice, but who needs a fancy hotel when you’re in the most romantic city in the world? It was all we needed for those few days. Plus, we saved some money by having breakfast in the Airbnb (croissants and eggs ftw). We usually do have some meals in our Paris Airbnbs on regular trips, but we decided to just eat out all our main meals this time since it was such a short trip.
Food n stuff
Now, let’s talk about the extra yet necessary stuff: food and activities. We spent a total of $641 on all of our meals, including cafes or bistros, higher-end restaurants like Procope, and some supermarket (Carrefour or Monoprix usually) items like snacks and a few things for breakfast. This also includes any time we popped into somewhere for just a carafe of wine for a little bit. We also spent around $150 total on museum tickets (went to the l’Orangerie this time) and some shopping (some good thrift and brocante finds).
Transportation money went to train tickets, $40, and $100 for Ubers to and from the airport ($50 each way).
Overall, our entire trip cost us around $1800 for two people which I think falls under “Paris On A Budget”. That’s right, we were able to fly from Nashville to Paris for 3 nights including all food and activities for around $900 per person. If you pay full price for the flights with no points (and “full” price is still a steal) you’re looking at around $1250 per person. I think that’s a dang good price tag for what you’re getting, and it can be done even cheaper by not eating all your meals out, if you’re there in warmer weather having lots of Carrefour food picnics (truly one of my favorite things to do in Paris), visiting musuems on their free days, or finding cheaper accomdation.
So, if you’re thinking about a spontaneous short trip to Paris, don’t let a tight budget or not much PTO hold you back. With some careful planning and a little bit of luck with catching flights, you can easily fly from the United States to Paris for just the weekend. Bon voyage!
