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.”
