How Much Does a Trip to France Cost? Real 2026 Budgets

A trip to France costs about EUR 200 to 300 (about $230 to $345) per person per day for a comfortable trip in 3-star hotels, EUR 330 to 560 in 4-star hotels with 1st class trains and some private guiding, and from EUR 800 per day in palace hotels with a private driver, before international flights and for two people sharing a room. For a 10-day trip combining Paris and Provence or the Riviera, that means roughly EUR 2,000 to 3,000 per person at the comfortable level and EUR 3,300 to 5,600 at the premium level. Paris costs much more than the rest of the country, so the split between Paris and the regions moves the total more than anything else.

Below are the numbers behind those ranges, with every official price checked for 2026: hotels and tourist tax, trains and taxis, the main sights, meals, guides, and three sample budgets.

Daily cost per person at a glance

The ranges we use when we budget a 2026 trip, per person, two people sharing a double room, spring to autumn:

In 2026, EUR 1 is worth about $1.14. France is cheaper than Switzerland at every level, and outside Paris it is often cheaper than major US cities for the same hotel category.

Hotels: Paris versus the regions

Typical double room prices per night, as we see them in 2026, outside trade-fair weeks and major events:

Breakfast is often not included in French hotels, especially in Paris, and costs EUR 20 to 45 per person in 4-star and 5-star hotels. A café breakfast nearby costs a fraction of that.

Paris tourist tax in 2026

Paris adds a tourist tax per adult per night, which rose sharply in recent years with regional surcharges. From January 1, 2026:

For two people in a 4-star hotel for four nights, that is EUR 67.60, usually paid at checkout. Other French towns charge much lower rates.

Trains, taxis and cars

TGV high-speed trains are the best way to cover France. Paris to Nice takes about 5 hours 40 minutes on four or five direct trains a day; Paris to Lyon takes about two hours. Prices depend on demand:

TGV INOUI tickets go on sale up to about four months ahead, OUIGO up to six months or more. Booking early halves the cost. For a 1st class seat on the Riviera line, we book on the day sales open. More detail in our guide to Paris to Nice by train.

Taxis from the Paris airports have fixed fares in 2026: EUR 56 from Charles de Gaulle to the Right Bank, EUR 65 to the Left Bank; from Orly, EUR 36 to the Left Bank and EUR 45 to the Right Bank. A private driver with a meet-and-greet costs more, and is what we book for late arrivals or travelers with lots of luggage.

Cars: in Provence, the Dordogne, Burgundy or the Loire, a rental car or a private driver makes sense, since villages and wineries are poorly served by public transport. Budget for fuel, motorway tolls (paid on most long-distance autoroutes) and parking, and pick up the car after Paris, never in it.

Paris sights and museums: 2026 prices

From January 14, 2026, several major sites charge higher prices to visitors from outside the European Economic Area, which includes travelers from the United States and Canada.

Children under 18 enter the Louvre, Versailles and Orsay free, but should still book a time slot. The Paris Museum Pass covers the Louvre, Orsay, Versailles and the Sainte-Chapelle but not the Eiffel Tower. It pays off from about three or four major sites in two days. Our guide on how many days to spend in Paris suggests how to space them.

Food and drink

By law, French restaurant prices include service, so the bill is final. Locals leave a few euros for good service, and around 5 to 10 percent in a fine restaurant when the service was excellent. Our 2026 budget ranges per person:

The lunch set menu is the best value in France, including in starred restaurants, where the lunch menu often costs much less than dinner. In Lyon, a bouchon dinner is one of the best meals for the money in the country.

Guides and experiences

This is where a France trip changes character. We use licensed guides (guide-conférencier, a protected title in France) for the Louvre, Versailles and the D-Day beaches, and local experts for wine and food. Budget roughly EUR 250 to 400 for a private half-day guide in Paris for your party, more for a full day with a driver in Normandy or the Loire, and EUR 60 to 150 per person for a good wine tasting with a winemaker. A cooking class at a market in Lyon or Provence falls in a similar range.

Three sample budgets for 10 days

Per person, two people sharing, 9 nights (4 in Paris, 5 in Provence or on the Riviera), 2026 prices, excluding international flights.

How this compares with our trips: our French Riviera in 7 Days, from Saint-Tropez to Monaco, starts from EUR 1,899 per person; our Bordeaux and Dordogne road trip from EUR 1,499; and our Luxury France Honeymoon in 14 Days, from Paris through Burgundy and the Alps to Provence, from EUR 9,999. "From" prices correspond to the base hotel category and season, and each trip page lists what is included. Our 10-day France itineraries show other routes at that length, and our Europe trip cost calculator gives a first estimate for other combinations.

What makes a France trip cost more, or less

More:

• Paris during fashion weeks and major trade fairs, and the Riviera in July and August or during the Monaco Grand Prix and the Cannes Film Festival.
• Short stays in many places: each move costs a transfer and a night in a new hotel.
• Last-minute TGV tickets, which can cost four times the advance fare.

Less:

• Spring (April to early June) and autumn (September to October): mild weather and lower rates outside Paris.
• Fewer nights in Paris and more in Lyon, Burgundy, the Loire or Provence, where the same hotel category often costs 30 to 50 percent less.
• Lunch as the main meal, and a picnic from a market on travel days.

Where we advise against saving: the TGV in 1st class booked early (it often costs little more than 2nd class at that point), a guide for the Louvre or Versailles, and a hotel in the right Paris neighborhood, which saves time and taxis every day.

Costs for travelers with reduced mobility

Many Paris museums offer free or reduced entry to visitors with a disability and one companion, which offsets part of the extra cost. The extra costs are mostly transport: adapted vehicles for airport transfers and day trips, since much of the Paris metro is not step-free, and sometimes a higher hotel category to get a truly accessible room in central Paris. Budget about 10 to 15 percent more for logistics. Our guide to wheelchair-accessible Paris lists what we check.

To see what your own dates, hotels and pace would cost, ask one of our travel designers for a custom version and a line-by-line quote.