Good question right? Here are items to consider when planning your budget:
Plane Tickets
Play with days of the week to take advantage of cheaper flights. Coach flights from the US to Paris can range between $500-$1200 depending upon your city of departure. Beware that when planes are not full, airlines have been consolidating flights and changing direct connections to stop-overs. Use frequent flyer miles to book or upgrade your seats to save costs.
Hotels
Consider picking a hotel w/breakfast included – you can’t imagine how expensive a cup of coffee and croissant can be a-la-carte. Also, if you load up on breakfast you can save money on lunch which gives you more money to splurge on dinner and wine! Reasonable rates can be found at small boutique hotels in some fabulous locations if you price shop. I love Best Western’s website which gives you very user-friendly options to search. The gal pals typically split a room with two single beds for $180-$225 per night per person. If we book at the last-minute we can get the same rooms for $150 per night per person.
Excursions
You can see so much of what is great about Paris for free if you take advantage of free museum days - The Louvre is free the first Sunday of each month and July 14th. Other excursions can be pricey, but well worth it. I loved taking the Paris Vision day trip to the Champagne region and feel it was worth the $150 price tag because we saw so many places in one day. This January the gal pals will do a wine and cheese tasting lunch at O Chateau in Paris which costs $100. It looks amazing and I feel if you are doing something new in place that cannot be duplicated at home then it’s usually worth the splurge.
Food and Beverage
Breakfast – If you stay at a hotel with free breakfast you are all set there, if not there are many places to pick up a croissant and cup of coffee without breaking the bank (they are typically small hole in the wall places your concierge can point out to you) - just don’t count on them being open very early in the morning!
Lunch – For a lovely quick meal with great people watching there are of course the famous cafés like Café de Flore and Café des Deux Magots which will cost you around $22-$25 per person without wine. For less expensive options, visit the local sandwich shop to get one to go and have a picnic at your favorite park nearby.
Dinner – Bistros and Brasseries will run you anywhere from $25-100 per person. It’s great to go early when most have Prix Fixe specials with three courses and some include wine. The gal pals usually take advantage of this option the first night in town since we are tired early and want to hit the hay early. Le Procope usually has a great option for this! More expensive places that should be on everyone’s bucket list include Laurent and La Tour D’Argent. These two options are not for the faint of heart – the price cost of luxury dining will run you $150-$350 or more per person including a decent bottle of wine. See #7 of the Gal Pal Rules to find out the most clever way to avoid paying the large bill at these two fab restaurants!
Transportation
When you arrive at CDG - head to the train and purchase a Metro card once you hit Paris proper. You can buy a card for the week or a book of 10 called a carnet. See my info hereon the best ways to travel in Paris. Taxis are the least favored option at $80+ one way to/from the airport plus tip. The Metro and busses are the only way to go cheaply!