It's Still Possible to Book a Last-Minute Trip to the Olympics in Paris
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I’ve been planning my trip to the Olympics since March 2023. I’ve spent countless hours pouring over the ticketing platform, researching the best neighborhoods to stay in Paris, figuring out the Metro, and finding any way to save money.
When my parents and I secured our first round of Olympics tickets in May 2023, the time came to book our Airbnb. We wanted to stay in the city center of Paris, but apartment rentals were going for more than $25,000 at the time. So when we booked a three-week stay in Rueil-Malmaison, a suburb of Paris, for roughly half the cost—about $13,000—I thought it was a steal.
Fast forward to a month before the Games. A friend visited me here in Spain, where I’m currently based. She lives in Paris and explained that she heard hotels and Airbnb hosts were having difficulty filling their listings, as prices were exorbitantly high and people were canceling. As a result, many places were offering steep discounts to try to get bookings.
Upon hearing the news, I thought, What if…? Since our Airbnb in Rueil-Malmaison had a free cancellation policy anyway I did some searching on Airbnb to verify if what my friend said was true—and it was. I found a two-bedroom apartment in the 11th arrondissement, steps away from Place de la Bastille and the neighborhood of Le Marais. It’s about 230 square feet larger than our booking in the suburbs—and it even has air conditioning, a rare feature but a big bonus during the hot Paris summers. The best part: It only costs $9,000 for three weeks. I booked this apartment and canceled the other booking, resulting in a net savings of more than $4,000.
It’s true, last-minute travel to the Olympics is still possible
It’s not just an anecdotal thing; even big travel platforms are clocking the trend. “It’s fantastic news for people who haven’t given up on their dream of going for Olympic Gold in Paris this summer,” explains Gilbert Ott, a spokesperson for point.me, a flight search and service that finds the best ways to book travel with points and miles. “Airline seats bookable with credit card points and airline miles are wide open right now, both to Paris and nearby cities, which can be a great hack for finding opportunity if Paris is tight from your city.”
A good mantra in life and in travel: It's never to late. “As we get closer to the Summer Games, we see that Americans are still looking to book last-minute trips to Paris,” says Ben Harrell, the US managing director at Booking.com. “Searches to Paris are up 69% compared to last year, with growth in both single travelers and couples looking to stay in the French city during the Games.” Everyone's still trying to get to Paris—and so should you, if seeing the Olympics is on your bucket list.
If you want to turn your Olympics dreams into a reality, here are some strategies for booking a last-minute Olympics trip, from flights and Airbnbs to the Games themselves.
Be flexible about how you’ll travel to Paris
To start, determine the best option for flying to Paris that meets your needs. The beauty of Europe is that major cities and even other countries are close together and often accessible via train, says Hayley Berg, a lead economist at Hopper, the cheap flights search tool: “Avoid the crowds at Charles de Gaulle airport and you can see more of Europe while you travel.” If you can’t find an affordable flight into Paris, try flying into London, Brussels, Amsterdam, or even Munich and taking the train over.
When you’re looking for your options, remain flexible. Search one way at a time, Ott says, because sometimes roundtrip fares are more expensive than booking two one-way flights separately: “Plus, the more people you search for, the less likely you are to find the hidden gems.”
A search engine with flexible options like Google Flights can be extremely helpful in finding cheap fares: First, select your departure city; then, enter “Europe” as the destination. This way, you’re able to see the cost of flying into different cities at the same time. You can also choose flexible dates, as you can often save hundreds of dollars by flying a day or two before or after any specific event you’re traveling for. (And the old rule holds true: Flying on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday tends to be more expensive.)
Flying with low-cost carriers isn't the only way to snag cheap last-minute flights.
Keep an eye out for last-minute hotel and Airbnb deals
Once your flight is solidified, you’ll know the dates for which you’ll need accommodation. Luckily, plenty of Airbnbs and hotels are still available in Paris during the Games. This is partly because there has been a dramatic increase in available listings on Airbnb to try to accommodate the influx of people visiting. A study recently published by Airbnb says that there’s an increase of nearly 40% in active listings in the Paris region compared to one year ago.
And even though hotels tend to be more expensive on any other day, don’t count them out this summer. “Some package vacation companies sell off last-minute trips at huge discounts when customers cancel—the same is true for hotel rooms,” explains Laura Lindsay, a global travel trends expert at Skyscanner. Hotels are hoping for maximum capacity during the Olympics, so if there are last-minute cancellations, there will be last-minute deals.
How to snag last-minute tickets to Olympic events
Most people purchased their tickets to the Olympic events more than a year ago. A lot can have changed in people’s personal schedules in that year, so some folks are reselling their tickets using the official ticketing platform. New tickets are released every Thursday at 10:00 a.m. local time in Paris, giving you an excellent opportunity to score some last-minute tickets.
In the past couple of weeks, I purchased tickets to the men’s 10-meter platform diving semi-finals for just 260 euros (about $279) per person and a qualification round for swimming for just 85 euros (about $91), which were impossible to get last year. I’m still looking for a gymnastics event, but those are some of the hardest to come by and the most expensive. But you can bet I’ll still be trying up until the opening ceremony begins.
Where to stay
As of this writing, here are some stays worth booking in Paris for the Olympics, whether you prefer Airbnb or hotels. Each option is affordable for a regular summer in Paris, much less a summer when the city is hosting the biggest sporting event in the world. (If they’re all booked up for the Olympics by the time you read this—hey, they’re still nice places to stay in Paris. Bookmark them for next time.)
Zoku Paris is a charming hotel near the Arc de Triomphe. It’s a fantastic option for anyone who works remotely, as it has a co-working space and a rooftop terrace you can enjoy during your trip. The Zoku Room costs just $1,329 for four nights during the Olympics, or you can upgrade to a larger loft for less than $100 more.
Relais Hôtel du Vieux Paris is a boutique hotel swimming in Parisian charm. It’s located just steps from Notre Dame and offers four nights' accommodation for $1,410 during the Olympics.
Hotel Fior d'Aliza is a 15-minute walk from the Moulin Rouge and has soundproofed rooms that are individually decorated based on famous 19th-century poets. You can stay for four nights for $1,265 during the Olympics.
This Airbnb near the Abbesses Metro stop is a spacious apartment located just eight minutes walking from Montmartre. You can stay for four nights for just $866 or extend your stay to a week to receive a weekly discount and pay just $1,365. That averages less than $200 per night.
This Airbnb in the Marais with a rooftop balcony is just a few blocks from the Seine and a 15-minute walk from Notre Dame. You’ll pay $962 to stay for four nights, including taxes and fees.
This Airbnb by the Arts-et-Metiers Metro stop is located in the third arrondissement, just a 25-minute walk from the Louvre or a ten-minute walk from the Centre Pompidou. It’s a tight space, but it's perfect for a couple and has 30 five-star reviews. You can stay for four nights during the Games for just $635, including taxes and fees.
Originally Appeared on Condé Nast Traveler
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