2000k for a week in Paris?
 

Is 2000 USD enough money for four people to enjoy a week in Paris? This would not include the cost of staying in a hotel/apartment, but would include airfare costs. So basically, is 2000 USD enough for:
- Food (nice meals, not super lavish, but nice)
-Activity fees (ex: getting into Versailles, seeing the Mona Lisa, maybe taking a day trip to either Luxembourg or the Loire Valley).

"would include airfare"

From where?
Are these four adults?
Do they drink?

We spend about 100 USD or a little more for two adults each night for dinner in Paris, with no alcohol. So 200 per night, for 7 nights, is 1400 USD.

That doesn't include any real splurges or breakfasts, lunches, or snacks.

A day trip to another area will add a lot to that total.

I'm sure airfare can't possibly be included, can it?

Or do you mean $2000 per person? If so, forget everything I said. Also, it's not what you said, so I'm confused.

You may not be able to find airfare for four people for under $2,000 so the answer is dependent on the plane ticket price.

You can find the admission prices from a guide book or from the venue web site. Usually E10 for many Paris museums. Versailles is more (I thin E25). You can check train prices on line as well. I would budget about E100 per person per day for meals, based on your criteria.

I spendt more tham that on two airline tickets last fall.

Including airfare? Not possible even if you are flying from the UK. Where are you going to find airfare under $250 per person??????? Even spending half of you budget/$1000 on airfare (which would be pretty much impossible) - that would only leave about €25 per person per day for other expenses.

Are you <i>sure</i> you meant the $2000 includes airfare? If so, ss this a serious question?

If you meant the $2000 does not include airfare or hotels - then yes, it is doable but tight-ish. That would equal approx €50 pp per day.

I read it that the the $2K includes airfare - and frankly I don;t know where you can get airfare from the US for that for 4 people. So unless I have misunderstood - sorry - no way.

If the $2K is for everything but air and hotels it's plenty of money for nice meals (NOT super luxury) and everything you would want to see.

Whoops- I meant wouldn't include airfare. Should've proofread!

So basically, no airfare or hotel costs- just activity and food costs. I really need to learn to be more clear.

Phew - that helps :)

But still just a bit tight. Are all 4 adults / older teenagers? If so you are talking about €50 per person per day. Metro, food, admissions, drinks - you could manage but would have to pinch pennies. Some days will be cheaper, some much more expensive - but to average €50 per day pp you'd have to . Renting an apartment would help a bit since you could fix some meals in.

If two are younger children you'll have an easier time since they will get free or reduced admissions and will probably eat less/

Okay, so airfare and hotel you have covered. We are fairly thrifty travelers and that would be a stretch for 2. Are you planning to rent an apartment? If so then you can eat at "home" and save money. Buy foods from markets and stores.

Are you a family or 2 couples? That would make a difference in accommodations. Do you need an apartment with an elevator? You could get a deal on a walk up apartment. What kind of shape are you in? (not to get personal but it could make a difference in what you spend.)

We are traveling as a family. Parents are in their early 50s, but very fit. Kids are 12 and 14, decent travelers, able to walk all day, very happy to see the sights, etc. We hope to stay in a nice apartment in the Marais district.

Our total budget for the week would be ~6,800 USD, not including airfare, but including the apartment fee and train fare.

OK - I'm getting confused. First you say $2000 not including accommodations. But now it is $6800 to include accommodations. Why the $4800 difference?? Few apartments will cost that much.

Essentially you have $6800 for flat or hotel, admissions, metro, food, drinks. That is certainly doable. Generous even.

From what I'm seeing, would 3k, even 4k, be more doable? I didn't realize 2000k only meant 50 Euros per person per day (should've done the math), and that seems tight.

I've even managed to get myself confused! Here it is, officially:
-4000 USD for an apartment (expensive, but that's what we would spent on a hotel).
- 3000 USD for activity expenses and food
- 480 USD for the train ride from London to Paris
- Airfare is part of a separate budget

$3,000 for admission fees and food will not get you the "nice meals" that you say you want. It's $107 per person per day and you can do it for that but you'll need to lower your meal expectations and tell the children that they cannot have soft drinks as that will greatly increase the bill.

Staying in an apartment will help with the food bills as you can eat breakfast reasonably and keep snacks and drinks plus get some take out foods for your evening meal; no need to eat in a restaurant every night.

You'll also need money for the metro/buses and for getting from the train station to the apartment. That will have to come out of the $3,000. Paris is very walkable but you can't walk from one end to the other so some sights will need the metro plus you need to pay to get to Versailles.

You should consider everything you want to do to get an accurate determination for your budget. I think you're heavy on the apartment expense and are not allowing enough money for meals and activities.

Why so much for an apartment? Just because you've spent that much for a hotel - wonderful apartments can be found for $3000 (or less)

But if money is no object - yes -- $4000 for accommodations and $3000 for 'stuff' is a fine budget.

(Maybe start thinking in € instead of $ )

Please tell us what your budget is in euros, and exactly what it is supposed to cover. I'm totally confused at this point.

I think Lexi is confused too ;)

For almost 8 grand for a week in Paris, excluding airfare, you should have an excellent time, as you keep you expenses down. (Insert ironic face.)

No worries, Lexi – it’s a lot of details to juggle in trip planning. I think I get what you’re currently thinking for budget. My response has more to do with making your budget work no matter what you decide to do. But it might be safer to at least double your initial daily euros and consider spending less on an apt – agree that you can do a lot better on weekly rent. Paris is a good place for economizing and still getting a great experience. For your apartment, also consider being near the Marais, but having a more local experience by staying in the 2nd near Montorgeuil (a great pedestrian streets with shops and cafes just a 10-15 min walk north of the Louvre and west of the Marais) or stay in Oberkampf near Parmentier (just across the boulevard from the Marais to the east).

Since you will have economies of scale as a family, you can eat really well by shopping in fabulous food shops and outdoor markets (part of the fun of being in Paris!) and picnicking along the Seine or in one of many great parks. List of weekly markets: http://chocolateandzucchini.com/paris-markets/ You can also eat well and cheaply in the Marais’ Mediterranean district with places like L’As du Falafel (best falafels) and Chez Marianne (great Mezze platters/atmosphere). Or crepe places like Breizh Cafe, West Country Girl, or out in the 14th/Montparnasse (great Sunday art market). Many good cafes typically have great prix fixe lunch deals. So you can balance eating well cheaply with a splurge.

Agree it would be good for you to make a list of all you want to do and then cost it out. If you have a lot on your sights list, consider getting a museum pass (2,4, or 6 days) http://en.parismuseumpass.com/ - be strategic and plan you’re your sightseeing focusing on pass days – the pass covers a majority of the sights in Paris (including Versailles, but not the Eiffel Tower) and you can bypass lines. Buy the pass at your first visit at a low-key museum, not the Louvre, for instance.

For getting around, this is an informative site on the Paris Metro: http://parisbytrain.com/category/passes/ - you can compare whether it’s worth getting passes for the week. But because Paris is such a great walking city, what you may want to is buy a “carnet” a packet of 10 tickets at a time, which has a good discount. You can only buy tickets from the machines in the metro with change (American credit cards won’t work), so you would otherwise want to find a station that is manned and purchase from an attendant. There’s a lot to do in Paris, but if you really want to do a day trip, cost of train can be reasonable, but carefully choose your time of travel as time of day can greatly vary the cost. I don’t know if Loire would be worthwhile without a car – you might consider something good by train such as Rouen, Dijon, Chartres.