Checked October 2026: Every price quoted below is a 2026 figure published by an official body or reported by a major news source, and it is dated where it appears. Hotel, restaurant and flight prices change too fast for fixed figures to stay accurate, so this guide explains what drives them instead. Most fixed prices in France are revised each January.

France Trip Cost Guide: Budget, Mid-Range, and Luxury

How much a trip to France costs depends far more on a few choices than on the country itself: where you sleep, how often you eat in restaurants, how far ahead you book trains, and how much time you spend in Paris. This guide separates the costs you can pin down in advance, such as transport tickets, museum entry and taxes, from the ones that move with season and demand, and shows how budget, mid-range and luxury trips differ on each.

Fixed Costs You Can Check in Advance (2026)

These prices are set by public bodies or major institutions and change, usually, once a year:

Item	2026 price	Notes
Paris Métro/RER single ticket	€2.55	Bus-tram ticket €2.05
Paris weekly Navigo pass (all zones)	€32.40	Runs Monday to Sunday
Louvre, EEA residents	€22	Free under 18, and for EEA residents under 26
Louvre, visitors from outside the EEA	€32	Higher rate since 14 January 2026
Tourist tax (taxe de séjour)	€0.20 to €4.90 per person per night	National scale before surcharges; three times the base rate in Île-de-France
ETIAS travel authorisation	€20 once it starts	Not in operation as of October 2026

Sources for each figure are listed at the end of this guide.

What Drives the Cost of a Trip

1. Accommodation

Accommodation is the largest single cost for most visitors, and the widest-ranging. The main factors are:

Location: Paris is the most expensive place to stay in France, followed by the Riviera in summer and the Alpine ski resorts in winter. Smaller cities and rural areas are generally much cheaper.
Season and events: prices peak in July and August on the coast, during school holidays and around big events such as trade fairs, sporting events and festivals. Spring and autumn are usually better value.
Type: hostels and chain budget hotels at the low end; independent two- and three-star hotels, chambres d’hôtes (B&Bs) and rented apartments in the middle; four- and five-star hotels, château hotels and the small group of hotels holding France’s official “Palace” distinction at the top.
Tourist tax: every option above usually adds the taxe de séjour, charged per person per night. Each commune sets the rate within the national scale for that category of accommodation, so a five-star hotel pays a higher rate than a campsite. In Paris and the rest of Île-de-France, an extra 200% regional surcharge applies, which triples the base tax.

Budget tip: in Paris, staying near a Métro or RER line slightly outside the centre can cut the room price without adding much travel time. Outside Paris, the best value is often in chambres d’hôtes.

For short-term rental rules, see our France Airbnb regulations guide.

2. Food and Drink

Eating well in France does not require a luxury budget, but restaurant dinners every night add up quickly.

Budget: bakery breakfasts, market and supermarket picnics, and the occasional set-menu lunch.
Mid-range: a café breakfast, a set lunch menu (formule or menu du jour) most days, and a bistro dinner.
Luxury: gastronomic restaurants, including Michelin-starred tables, where tasting menus and wine pairings can cost more than a night in a good hotel.

The most reliable saving is to eat your main meal at lunchtime: many restaurants offer a set lunch menu that costs much less than ordering à la carte at dinner. Tap water (une carafe d’eau) is free with a meal, and service is already included in menu prices (service compris), so tipping is optional.

For more, see our French dining etiquette guide and French food culture guide.

3. Getting Around

Trains between cities. SNCF’s high-speed TGV INOUI fares rise as a train fills up, so the same journey can cost several times more when booked late. OUIGO, SNCF’s low-cost high-speed brand, has lower fares in exchange for stricter luggage limits and fewer stations. Regional TER fares are lower and change less. Frequent travellers can buy an SNCF discount card. Rail passes from Interrail (for European residents) or Eurail (for everyone else) only pay off for some itineraries, since most high-speed trains also require a paid seat reservation.

Within Paris. In 2026, a single Métro-Train-RER ticket costs €2.55 and a bus-tram ticket €2.05. If you are staying a week and arrive early in the week, the weekly Navigo pass (€32.40 for all zones, Monday to Sunday) is usually better value than single tickets. Other cities, including Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux and Nice, sell day passes for their trams, buses and metros.

Airport transfers. Public transport (the RER B or buses from Charles de Gaulle; the Métro line 14 or buses from Orly) is the cheapest option. Official taxis charge fixed fares between the two Paris airports and the city, with the fare depending on whether your address is on the Right Bank or the Left Bank; check the current fare before you get in.

Driving. Car hire is the main extra cost in rural regions. Add fuel and motorway tolls, which are charged by section and add up quickly on long journeys, and parking in cities.

For more on trains, see our French train system guide.

4. Sights and Activities

Many of the best things to do in France cost nothing: parks and gardens, markets, churches and cathedrals (towers and crypts are often charged), beaches, and walking through historic centres.

For paid sights:

The Louvre charges €22 for EEA residents and €32 for visitors from outside the EEA (2026). Entry is free for under-18s, for EEA citizens and residents under 26, and for all visitors on the first Friday evening of the month after 6 pm, except in July and August.
Versailles is free for under-18s and for under-26s living in the EU. Since January 2026, it, like the Louvre and the Sainte-Chapelle, has charged visitors from outside the EEA more than European visitors.
The Eiffel Tower prices tickets by level and by lift or stairs, and climbing the stairs to the second floor is the cheapest option. Book a time slot on the official website.
The Paris Museum Pass covers dozens of museums and monuments in and around Paris. It is worth buying only if you will visit several paid sites a day, and remember that many sites are already free for under-18s and young EEA residents.

Guided tours, wine tastings and cooking classes vary widely in price and are where luxury trips spend the most.

Costs Many Visitors Forget

Tourist tax: added per person per night, as explained above.
Toilets: Paris’s on-street public toilets are free, as are those in museums and cafés for customers. Some railway-station toilets charge a fee.
Luggage storage: lockers or left-luggage services at major stations and private storage services charge by the bag and by the day.
Phone and data: travellers with an EU mobile plan pay domestic rates in France under EU “roam like at home” rules. Others should compare their home roaming plan with a French or international eSIM.
Travel insurance: priced by age, trip length and cover. Visitors from outside Europe should make sure medical cover is included.
ETIAS: once the EU launches it, visa-exempt visitors will pay €20 for an authorisation valid for three years; applicants under 18 or over 70 will be exempt from the fee. As of October 2026, it is not yet operating.

Budget, Mid-Range and Luxury Compared

Spending area	Budget	Mid-range	Luxury
Sleeping	Hostels, chain budget hotels, rooms outside the centre	2–3-star hotels, chambres d’hôtes, apartments	4–5-star and Palace hotels, château hotels
Eating	Bakeries, markets, picnics, the odd set lunch	Set lunches, bistro dinners	Gastronomic restaurants, wine pairings
Moving	TER, OUIGO, early-booked TGV, Métro tickets	TGV INOUI, weekly passes, occasional taxis	First class, private transfers, car with driver
Seeing	Free sights, free-entry days, a few key museums	Main paid museums, a guided tour or two	Private guides, tastings, exclusive experiences

Build Your Own Budget

Rather than relying on a generic daily figure, add up your trip from its parts:

Flights: check fares for your dates on several booking sites, and look at nearby airports and different days of the week.
Nights × room price: for each city, multiply the number of nights by the price you find for your dates, then add the tourist tax for each person.
Trains: price each journey on SNCF Connect as soon as tickets go on sale, then compare against a rail pass if you are making many journeys.
City transport: for Paris, work out whether a weekly Navigo pass or single tickets suits your stay.
Sights: list the paid sites you really want to see and check their official prices, including any non-EEA rate.
Food: decide how many restaurant meals you want and how many picnics or self-catered meals.
Extras: insurance, data, luggage storage and a contingency for the unexpected.

Our France trip budget calculator walks you through the same steps, and the France travel guide 2026 covers entry rules and planning.

Sources

Musée du Louvre: Hours and admission (EEA and non-EEA rates; free-admission rules)
Le Temps: Louvre raises price for non-European visitors from 14 January 2026
Château de Versailles: Tickets and prices (free-admission rules)
France Transactions: Paris transport fares from 1 January 2026 (single tickets and Navigo passes)
Génération NT: Navigo and ticket prices for 2026
Entreprendre.Service-Public.gouv.fr: Taxe de séjour, 2026 rates (national scale and Île-de-France surcharge)
European Union: What is ETIAS? (fee, exemptions; not yet operating)
Interrail: France Pass (seat reservations on high-speed trains)