Everything You Need to Know About Planning a Trip to Paris This Summer

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More than 15 million visitors are expected to travel to Paris during the 2024 Summer Olympics, which will take place from July 26 to August 11. But as the world's attention turns to the City of Light, even non-Olympic related trips to France may feel the ripple effects of the games over the next few months.

“Paris is always popular for the summer, but this July, it’s attracting even more interest—and it’s not just Paris that is seeing the Olympics effect,” says a spokesperson at Expedia, whose data shows a triple-digit increase in searches for surrounding cities like Yvelines, in the western part of Île-de-France, whose views are up a whopping 520%.

This year, page views for listings on Airbnb have been 11 times higher than last year for French cities hosting competitions, such as Nice, home to the Olympic football tournament; Versailles, host of the Olympic and Paralympic competitions; Colombes, in the suburbs of Paris, where the hockey competitions will be held at the Yves-du-Manoir stadium; and the town of Ile-Saint-Denis, which will host part of the Olympic and Paralympic village.

Whether you're planning an Olympics trip or trying to avoid the crowds, here's everything you need to know about traveling to France this summer with tips and insight from experts on how and when to travel to Paris before, during, and after the 2024 Olympics.

When is the best time to book flights to France this summer?

This summer, fares to Europe are 10 to 12% lower than last year, and major airlines like Air France, JetBlue, and Delta have increased the number of nonstop flights to cities like Paris. “This could make Europe overall a more approachable option in 2024, but Paris may be the exception, since airfare typically surges when there’s a marquee event,” says Sean Cudahy, an aviation reporter for The Points Guy. “The airfare surge likely won't be as dramatic as we saw for Las Vegas during the Super Bowl this past winter—which spiked hundreds of percentage points over normal levels—since the Olympics is a more drawn-out event, but don’t expect a bargain, either.”

Round-trip airfare from many US cities surrounding the time of the Olympics is currently in the $700 to $900 range, but a spokesperson at Expedia says booking 30 to 60 days out is “the sweet spot for international flights,” with savings around 15%.

Paris-based, affordable long-haul airline French Bee—the only nonstop carrier flying into Orly from the US—recently increased flights from Newark to Paris to once a day (from mid-May to mid-September, that amount will jump to 10 times per week) and the number of flights on routes from Los Angeles and San Francisco will be upped to six times a week during peak summer travel.

If you plan to hop to a few Olympic Games host destinations throughout France, such as Marseille or Lyon, French Bee’s Train + Air partnership with SNCF (the French railways) combines itineraries and guarantees a spot on board the next available flight or train at no extra charge if there's a delay.

Where should I stay in Paris?

“While we are now just under 100 days to the Opening Ceremony, the timing can actually work in our favor,” says Nick Cunningham, France expert and Scott Dunn’s destination manager for Europe. “When tickets and hotel accommodations first went on sale, pricing was exorbitant and many top hotels imposed a large minimum stay—some requiring 14 to 18 nights—but now many of our partners and other top properties have reduced those minimum stays to five to seven nights.”

Hotels like boutique J.K. Place Paris, in the landmark-heavy Latin Quarter, has seen booking patterns shift, with travelers making reservations only one to two weeks before their trip, “a stark contrast from the previous years when bookings were made well in advance,” says general manager Riccardo Ortogni.

The best dates to get a Paris deal this summer are the weeks leading up to the Games, when hotels are only 20% full, or the night of the Closing Ceremony, when occupancy is at its lowest during the Olympics. And while luxury hotel brands like Four Seasons and Park Hyatt are forecasted to jump 9% in rates during the Olympics, rooms at Hyatt Regency, Hilton, or Marriott properties are expected to skyrocket nearly 73% in price, according to the real estate database CoStar.

How will I get around Paris?

Paris will be closing several major metro stations in the lead-up to the Olympics, including the Concorde, Tuileries, and Champs-Elysées-Clemenceau. France's Ministry of Transportation has set up a website mapping out road restrictions and public transportation closures and delays, with the option to sign up for local flash alerts.

As Paris transforms landmarks like the Champ-de-Mars, Eiffel Tower, and Trocadéro into competition sites, these areas will also restrict traffic, bicycles, and pedestrians so temporary spectator stands and makeshift stadiums can be installed. (Transport apps like Citymapper will offer the latest traffic updates in real-time, plus Olympic-specific features.)

Place de la Concorde has already halted traffic to prepare for sports like skateboarding, BMX, and 3x3 basketball, and bridges along the Seine like Pont d’Iéna, Pont de l’Alma, and Pont du Carrousel will close in early July. Don’t worry—if you’re planning a river cruise on the Seine, you can hop on a boat up until five days before the Opening Ceremony.

Will Parisians stay for the Olympics?

The question floating around Paris now in the months leading up to the Games: Who is staying in town during the Olympics?

While international travelers flock to the City of Light for the olympics, many Parisians are booking domestic trips to escape the crowds during the games, instead heading to destinations like Lille, Nice, Corsica, Lyon, and Toulouse, data from the travel marketing platform Sojern found.

According to Air France, residents have tended to leave town during past editions of the Games, and despite selling 23% more seats in 2024 compared to this period last year (bookings also continue to rise as summer approaches), the airline says the event has deterred some travelers. Business-class-only La Compagnie, which offers year-round direct flights between New York and Paris and seasonal routes to Nice, has seen bookings to Paris for summer 2024 slump—whereas flights to Nice are up 14%.

“Many Parisians have already rented out their homes and opted to escape the city during those few weeks, so for travelers expecting to experience the usual summer joie de vivre in Paris, it will likely not be the case in Paris for this period of time,” says Cunningham, adding that sightseeing will also be a challenge since sporting events will be scattered across the city.

Catherine Down, a Paris-based food and travel writer and culinary tour guide, won’t be running tours during the Olympics since the logistics will be too challenging. “It’s hard to know what we can truly offer at the level and quality we’re used to,” she says.

Other locals are worried about getting around Paris during the Games and the chaos that comes with an event of this scale held in one of the most-visited cities in the world. But the unknown about what Paris will be like during the Games isn’t necessarily a bad thing. “I have two separate groups of friends in London who debated leaving during the 2012 Summer Olympics because they heard the same dire reports about what the situation would be like during the Games,” says Down. “But then they stayed and had the time of their lives."

Originally Appeared on Condé Nast Traveler