I Went to the 2024 Paris Olympics and This Is What It Cost

When my friend initially invited me to watch the Olympics, I assumed she was organizing a watch party. But she quickly cleared up the misunderstanding: We would be traveling to Paris, the city of love, bed bugs, and baguettes, to watch the Olympics in person. My friend had managed to cop tickets for four sporting events during the first week for my entire college friends group. I mulled it over and decided to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

I booked my flight, made sure I knew where my portable steamer was, and spent about a year finalizing plans. When it was finally time for the big trip, I flew straight to Charles de Gaulle Airport and flung myself into the Parisian festivities, but not everything went smoothly. My trip was derailed by a series of mishaps, including bed bugs, a severe allergic reaction, a missed bus, and a flight cancellation that left me stranded in Europe.

From start to finish, the trip was a combination of sweaty chaos, sore feet, questionable food, and itchy accommodations—along with lots of time cheering on Team USA with my friends. In the end, I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. Here’s a day-by-day look at what I spent on a trip to the Paris Olympics.

Job: Content strategist and freelance writer
Annual salary: $81,000-100,000
Location of residence: Orange County, California
Age: 23

Where: Paris
How long: Eight days—in theory. I had planned to fly home from London, but my flight was canceled and I am still finding out how many extra days this will add onto my trip.
Planned budget: $4,500

Flights: $889.55. I flew one way from Los Angeles to Paris. I also booked a flight home from London to Los Angeles.

Hotels/lodging: $481.12. I spent $402.88 for six nights in an Airbnb in Les Lilas, a suburb of Paris, where I split the cost with six friends. For my final night, I booked a hostel with a friend—but after I found a bedbug in my bed, I received a full refund. I ended up fleeing to the Caulaincourt Square Hostel at Montmartre, where I received a discounted rate of €71.80 ($78.24) for a room with a private shower.

Public transit: $208.46. I purchased a seven-day metro pass as well as an additional day pass for the eighth day for $85.60. I also purchased an overnight Flixbus ticket to London, where I planned to catch my flight home, for €112.49 ($122.86). My friend and I accidentally missed our scheduled bus, so we had to purchase another ticket for the same price. However, we’re in the process of requesting a refund since our Flixbus had no working bathroom.

Relevant prior expenses: $811.23. I spent $661.82 on tickets to see Olympic soccer, gymnastics, tennis, and volleyball competitions. We also spent money on a few non-Olympic attractions: a visit to the Dior museum (€14.70, or $16.05), a trip up the Eiffel Tower (€22.90, or $25) and a tour of the Catacombs with a Seine River cruise (€99.26, or $108.36).

Total cost: €101.43 ($110.76)
My brother dropped me off at LAX and I basically slept through my entire 11-hour flight, landing in Paris at 9 am. I’m not sure if it was the linen pants I opted for instead of my typical airport leggings (which TikTok advised me not to wear, lest I offend French fashion sensibilities), but everyone I encountered during my journey started speaking to me in French instead of English.

My Airbnb didn’t allow me to check in until 1 pm, but I didn’t want to explore the city with my luggage in hand. So I opted to kill time in the airport before heading to my lodging. I accidentally typed the wrong city into my Uber app, a mistake that increased my transit cost by over double its original price, totaling €75.33 ($82.21).

After arriving at the Airbnb, my friends and I settled in and then headed to the Dior museum, where we gazed at the incredible exhibit of John Galliano designs. Once we finished looking at Dior’s gorgeous garments, we stepped into a nearby Italian restaurant. For €26.45 ($28.85), I had a small, salty portion of carbonara. While the rest of my friends, who arrived a day earlier, explored the Eiffel Tower at night, I turned in immediately after dinner because jet lag was already taking its toll.

Total cost: €122.12 ($133.37)
My friends and I woke up full of excitement, ready to enjoy a day in Paris. We stopped by a small bakery for pain au chocolat, which cost €3.00 ($3.27). We explored the neighborhood a bit before heading to our first event of the day, a conference Athleta was throwing in partnership with the Female Quotient. At the event, we heard from gold medallists like Zhang Hong, actresses like Sophia Bush, and the president and CEO of USA Gymnastic, Li Li Leung. Afterwards, my friend and I got a chance to meet Zhang Hong.

Our next stop was Parc des Princes Arena for an Olympic women’s soccer match (Brazil vs. Japan). It was an amazing experience. To see the crowd waving flags and cheering on their favorite countries, despite the intense heat of the day, was exhilarating. Everyone was sweating, and you could both feel and smell it.

Eventually, I ventured to the extremely long water line, where I was charged €3.50 ($3.84) for water, as well as €2.00 ($2.18) for an Olympic-themed cup. I ended up keeping the cup, though I had the option to return it to get back the €2.00. I also ended up buying three Paris 2024 Olympics hats (for myself and my family), which came out to €30 each, or €90 ($98.28) in total.

My friends and I split up, half of us on a quest to find jerseys (the store near the arena was closed, of course), the other half (including me) to battle it out with Paris’s public transit, which kept closing and reopening certain lines. My friend and I gave up on the metro and decided to take an Uber to the Parc de Bercy arena (€13.27, or $14.50), where artistic gymnastics was taking place.

At the arena, my friends and I met multiple people from the US who were visiting in hopes of seeing Simone Biles compete. Before long, we really got into the spirit, collectively chanting “USA! USA! USA!” in near-cultish excitement. I’ve never felt so patriotic in my life. I didn’t end up seeing Team USA compete, but as a big gymnastics fan, I was still hyped to see Rebeca Andrade and Team Brazil beat the odds.

An hour-long train ride later, we were back at our Airbnb when I noticed I hadn’t eaten anything since our morning pain au chocolat. It was after midnight at this point, so I stopped at a nearby McDonald’s for a quick snack, and to try their garlic sauce, which they don’t have in the US. My meal cost €10.36 ($11.30).

Total cost: €57.49 ($62.74)
We walked 20,000 steps on Sunday, which means on Monday, we woke up sore. While we got ready to go see the highly anticipated Nadal vs. Djokovic tennis match, one friend brought us baguettes and croissants for breakfast.

On our way into the arena, we struck up a conversation with a woman who asked me where I got my mini fan. After chatting for a bit, we learned she was the mother of Rajeev Ram, the Indian-American tennis player who just won silver with Austin Krajicek in men’s doubles. My friend Mihir is an avid fan, so of course he freaked out when she suggested we meet Rajeev if our schedules aligned (unfortunately, they didn’t). Before getting settled in the stadium, I grabbed a new-to-me French Haribo gummy snack called Croco and a water refill, which came out to €7.47 ($8.15).

While the stadium’s favorite was clearly Nadal, Djokovic ended up winning. After the game, our group split up. Mihir and I grabbed a vegetarian hot dog, which happened to be the best meal we’d had in Paris thus far for €14.44 ($15.76). We decided to explore the tennis grounds and ended up taking pictures with Gaël Monfils.

We ended our day with a 30-minute metro ride and a walk along the Seine to Le Train Bleu, a visually stunning restaurant with two Michelin stars conveniently located in the Gare De Lyon train station. My friend and I split the delectable sea bass and a Neapolitan rum-infused ice cream, which came out to €35.45 ($38.83) each. The ambiance, amazing staff, and incredible food was a brilliant combination, and our group spent three hours just talking with the staff and catching up on our lives.

Total cost: €138.12 ($150.73)
Team USA was anticipated to win big during Tuesday’s event—swimming—so of course we practiced our eagle noises and patriotic yells. My friends and I met at UC Berkeley, and one of our fellow Golden Bears, Jack Alexy, was scheduled to compete. I took a Bolt, or Europe’s version of Uber, to the stadium for €18.61 ($20.31).

My friend Ivy was a former swimmer, so she was screaming at the top of her lungs for Katie Ledecky who, of course, dominated her heat. The energy throughout the arena was incredible—probably the most lively crowd we have been in thus far, and finally being able to see Team USA compete live made it even more exciting.

Afterwards, we stopped by a nearby French pharmacy where I picked up some France-exclusive La Roche Posay products for my brothers. The prices were much cheaper than in the US, and the diversity of available LRP products was unmatched. My haul came out to €59.11 ($64.53).

The day was incredibly hot, so we took a break from sweating to grab a coffee (€5.97, or $6.52) and a banh mi (€5, or $5.48). As a Vietnamese person, I have very high standards for banh mi, and unfortunately this one didn’t meet them.

Despite being drenched in sweat, we thought it was a great idea to walk 35 minutes to a scheduled Eiffel Tower tour. Unfortunately, there was an issue with their elevator so we could only get to the second floor (we’re in the process of trying to get a partial refund). Still, I snagged some souvenirs, which cost €29.98 ($32.72). As my friends and I were trying to find the exit to the tower, we ran into Khoi Young, an American Olympic gymnast, and took photos with him.

By the end of the day, we were exhausted and sweaty. We mustered up the energy to grab mediocre boba (mine cost €8.91, or $9.72) and some McDonald’s (€10.49, or $11.45). When we got back to the Airbnb, I showered and immediately passed out with my contacts still in.

Total cost: €97.25 ($106.14)
This was our only day without any games to see, so some of us started the day early to check out some vintage stores we’d heard about. First we went to the popular brunch spot Kozy in the Bosquet area. They specialized in lox on everything (even pancakes!) and my friends and I grabbed different variations of the same dish, along with a coffee, for €18.83 ($20.55) per person. Right next door was the iconic bookstore Shakespeare and Co., and I bought two of their exclusive editions of books, including The Hunchback of Notre Dame, for €37.05 ($40.43). We also checked out a small flea market, where I found vintage pants for €3 ($3.27).

We made our way to our Catacombs tour, which was so eerie I found myself running through it as quickly as possible. Exhausted, my friend and I split off to grab a quick snack and my first taste of French escargot. I’d grown up eating escargot in Vietnamese cuisine, but I didn’t like this version as much. The escargot and an order of onion soup came out to €14.27 ($15.75).

After our snack, we trekked to the Seine for a drive around the river. With little to no energy left, we made our way to popular Italian restaurant Pink Mamma. I split risotto and truffle pasta with a friend, which came out to €19.50 ($21.34) each. My eyes were so dry, and while my feet were able to avoid aching for most of the trip because of my trusty Salomon sneakers, I was starting to feel like death. I ran into a nearby pharmacy to buy contact solution, which cost €4.40 ($4.80).

When I got back to the Airbnb, both my legs were swollen and hives erupted all over my body. It got so bad my friends considered taking me to a hospital. I’m still not sure what I was allergic to, but the reaction was painful.

Total cost: €273.59 ($297.94)
I woke up with swollen feet and hives all over my legs. While my friends took the metro, I opted for a more comfortable Bolt to the Louvre for €12.71 ($13.89). Running around museums is always my favorite part of any trip, so I frolicked through the Olympic-specific exhibit and saw incredible statues, architecture, and paintings by iconic artists like Monet. We had to see the Mona Lisa as well, even though it meant being stuck in a swarm of people holding their phones out. I spent five hours in the Louvre but only got to see a handful of exhibits and grab souvenirs, which came out to €28.29 ($30.87).

On my way out, I happened upon a PopMart store, which sells the cutest blind box figurines. I splurged and spent €89.68 ($97.89) on figurines and a free tote bag.

I hopped on the metro to meet my friends for a volleyball match, but my train was delayed and I ended up missing it. Dejected, I made my way to a Vietnamese restaurant to comfort myself with spring rolls. There was a €10 minimum to use a card and I wasn’t carrying cash, so I grabbed a bunch of extra drinks and snacks. The meal came out to €11.73 ($12.80).

Since my feet were still swollen, I took a Bolt to meet my friends for our last group dinner of the trip (€14.21, or $15.51). We ate at a Chinese restaurant, where I ordered the beef chow fun for €15.50 ($16.98). It started pouring rain, complete with thunder, like we were in a movie.

Most of my friends were leaving the next day, and all of us would be departing the Airbnb, so I headed back to the Airbnb to pack up. Since I wasn’t leaving Paris just yet, I purchased a last-minute ticket to the boxing quarterfinals (€101.50, or $110.00) for the next day.

Total cost: €123.23 ($134.53)
I didn’t realize how sad it was going to be to slowly watch my friends head to the airport. After saying our emotional goodbyes, my friend Mark and I set out to our hostel in the Montmartre neighborhood.

The first red flag? The hostel refused to take our payment in card, which they did not list on their website. Many other travelers were also confused, and we went to withdraw money from a nearby ATM after getting assistance from locals via Google Translate. We paid €6 ($6.57) to store our luggage in the hostel’s lockers and headed out for the day.

After a quick metro ride, we arrived at the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre and climbed what felt like a million stairs to the top, where we met our friend for our last brunch together. As we ascended the stairs, a man called me “China” for not paying attention to his scam attempts. Great start to the morning!

We then headed to the Hardware Société, where I had some of the best French toast I’ve ever eaten—I’m still dreaming about it—for €24.42 ($26.75) before shopping around the gorgeous neighborhood. My friend and I managed to make our way to an A.P.C to catch a sale and I bought a top for my brother for €57.61 ($62.85).

I then spent two and a half hours making my way to the arena for the boxing match. Online, my ticket said it was valid from 3 to 10:30 pm, when the match was supposed to end. However, when I got to the arena, the workers said my ticket was only valid from 3 to 6 pm, and I had arrived at 6:30. I am typically not a crier, but the exhaustion combined with the frustrating commute caused me to burst into tears. Thankfully, a staffer ended up giving me a spare ticket.

After watching boxing for an hour, I grabbed a keychain with the stuffed Olympics mascot, Phryge, for €14.90 ($16.26). Drained, I took the train halfway and my partner called me an Uber for the rest of the journey back to my hostel. I stopped by a local Asian eatery, which cost me €5.77 ($6.30). I reached my hostel a little past midnight, fully ready to turn in for the night. As I was about to get situated in bed, my worst nightmare happened: a bed bug, on my mattress. The hostel did not offer another room and instead told me to pick another bed, but I successfully asked for a refund and called a bunch of different hotels and hostels to find a new place to sleep.

The Caulaincourt Square Hostel had a room they hadn’t booked yet, so they gave it to me for a discounted rate of €71.50 ($78). I took a Bolt for €14.48 ($15.80) and collapsed onto the bed bug-free bed.

Total cost: €686 ($749.20)
On our last day in Paris, my friend and I decided to go shopping. First, I went to grab toothpaste and gifts for my family from a French pharmacy. The total for Skinceuticals C E Ferulic serum, a French toothpaste, and a La Roche Posay sunscreen was €189.56 ($206.82), but after the VAT refund it was €166.85 ($182.05).

I had a free breakfast at my hostel and stopped for some iced coffee (€5.15, or $5.62), which is a rarity in Paris. Despite much hype on TikTok about the Parisian flea market scene, we unintentionally went to a few that focused on selling practical goods, like household supplies, rather than vintage clothes or designer gems. My friend did find vintage Yves Saint Laurent cufflinks, which I ended up purchasing after negotiating a €5 discount (they came out to €40, or $43.68, in the end).

We then hit up iconic Paris department stores like Galeries Lafayette and Printemps, and also stopped for a crepe ($6.07). Then we went to Jellycat Patisserie, which served up cute stuffed toys like macaroons, madeleines, and eclairs. I snagged a few for my brother, a huge fan of the Jellycat series, for €49.88 ($54.42).

My friend and I split up, and I ran to Officine Universelle Buly 1803 in hopes of purchasing an engraved brush for my grandmother—to no avail since the line was too long and the engraving would take a day. Unfortunately I had a Flixbus to London to catch!

Demoralized, I got off at the République station, which I later learned is home to the fashionistas of France. I ran to Elevastor, a small boutique that sells iconic designers and up-and-coming brands making waves in the fashion scene. I purchased a Paloma Wool top for €84 ($91.79), which was a major discount.

I stumbled upon a vintage clothing pop-up shop run by Asian fashion and jewelry designers, and called my friend to join me. I found a vintage Christian Dior tank top that fit me perfectly for €98 (I negotiated down to €90, or $98.13), as well as a vintage Diesel baby tee for €27 ($29.44).

We walked around a bit to find a restaurant, and stumbled on Kubri, a Lebanese restaurant in Paris. Each and every dish was divine, from the hispi cabbage to roasted chicken. My meal came out to €31.50 ($34.37), and was worth every penny.

My friend and I attempted to catch our Flixbus at midnight by taking a Bolt from the restaurant back to our respective hostels and then to the Paris Saint Denis Université station, which cost €60.91 ($66.52). We missed our ride, of course, and had to book a new bus for €112.49, or $122.86. As soon as we left Paris behind, I considered my Olympics trip to be over and stopped tallying expenses, but unfortunately, the journey home hasn’t been smooth. Our wild, nine-hour bus ride included ferry rides, sudden passport stops, and lots of passengers with persistent coughs. When we finally arrived in London, I was exhausted and feeling a bit sick. I was planning to fly home from London, but my Delta flight was canceled at the last minute, and as of August 7, I’m still trying to figure out how to get back home. But despite all the mishaps that happened on this trip, I know these memories will stay with me forever.

Upfront and travel costs: $2,390.36
Costs from the week: $1,745.41
Final total: $4,128.27
How much I spent compared to my original budget: $371.73 under budget

Want more Thrillist? Follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube.