Paris Honeymoon + Travel Agent Advice

I went to Paris to visit my brother 2 years ago when he was doing a study abroad program. I stayed in a hotel and didn't limit spending since I had saved up for this trip. I stayed for a week and in total with flights, hotel, transportation, food and fun money, I spent on just myself $4,000. I think it's doable, it just depends where you stay - aside from flights, that was the most costly part of my trip (but I wanted to treat myself and have the true 'Paris' experience so I could have spent less on my hotel realistically). As you get closer to the Eiffel tower, hotel prices increase.

I also booked everything myself. There were NO cons. We saw Notre Dame, the catacombs, went to the Louvre and saw the Mona Lisa, saw Napoleon's tomb and the lock bridge before they got rid of it. It was amazing and I can't wait to go back.

Okay, that's so reassuring to hear! FH has never been out of the country, so I'm dying to take him!

My FH hasn't been either! Paris is so easy to navigate honestly. It's very clean and the subway is a cinch compared to NYC. You'll love it. Not to mention the food is amazing as expected. Only con for me was I got a cold, but I still climbed to the second tier of the eiffel tower lol.

Europe is crazy busy, hot and crowded in August, can you wait a month or more?

I used Google Flight Tracker for tickets to Rome after returning in spring. We are going again next spring because I received an e mail that the fare had been reduced by half.

Can you stretch it to two weeks? The flight is overnight so you arrive the next day. Returning is also a whole day.

Tripmasters.com

Go now!!

@Nonna, thanks for the advice! He has two weeks off that will start on 8/17 and end on 8/31, so we could technically go for nearly two weeks. Unfortunately, delaying the honeymoon a month isn't an option -- we'd have to wait for March or July to have another trip opportunity, and he really wants to go right after the wedding.

Is there any particular reason it's so crowded in August? And is it Paris or like, the entire continent of Europe?

It's super hot in Paris in August. Also, everyone (mostly) takes off the month or most of the month of August in France and many European countries, so some stuff won't be open (like restaurants or shops that are smaller) because their owners are on holiday.

ETA: I'd still go if it is the only time you can, although I would probably personally wait until March.

Totally doable, no question at all. If you are not looking for top-of-the-line everything, you will seriously have zero issues with that budget.

You can rent a lovey apartment in a nice area for under $100 a night on Airbnb. If flights are $1500 and you spend $900 on 9 night accommodations, that leaves you $2600 for food and entertainment. That's almost $300 a day. (But functionally more than that, since a 9 night stay will have a travel day on either end, which means your active days would be 7 instead of 9.) A nice dinner with a first course, entree, dessert, and wine at a high quality but not famous restaurant will run you $30-$50 per person, and it's easy to economize from there. A nice lunch is less than half that. $5 will get you a beautiful pastry and a coffee for breakfast. Museum tickets are cheap any you can wander all day. Wandering the streets is free and delightful.

I am generally pro travel agent, but I don't think it would make sense for your trip. All inclusive resorts--definitely use an agent! But they don't earn any commissions from flights or Airbnb, so there is really no incentive for them to work with you. You may find yourself pushed toward hotels and tour groups when that's not your style.

It can totally be done.

My sister and I stayed in a hostel so it was super cheap, it stayed away from the Eiffel tower. We booked our sightseeing before we left. We also bought snacks and refillable water bottles so we wouldn't spend money on food too much other than actual meals.

Have fun!

I think you'll be fine on that budget! I did a year abroad in Paris. It's an expensive city--particularly to eat and drink out. But it's easy to save there. At dinnertime, look for signs outside of restaurants that offer "entree plat and dessert" (or sometimes you'll just see a combo of two of those, so just two courses rather than three) for a set price. FYI, entree is what we'd call an appetizer, and plat is what we'd call the entree or main course. That confused me when I was first learning French!

You can easily get an inexpensive breakfast or lunch at a boulangerie. They usually have pre-made sandwiches on baguettes, quiches, and of course, beautiful pastries. If you see those crepe stands around the city, definitely get those! They make them warm right in front of you, and the crepes are cheap, filling, and delicious. They make a good lunch, or drunk snack You can usually get something savory, like ham, egg and cheese, or sweet, like Nutella or jam.

Another good bang for your buck is a restaurant called Le Relais de l'entrecote. There are a few locations around the city. I wanna say it was 18 or 20 euros per person at lunch time, maybe a little more at dinner, and you get unlimited steak, french fries, and bread with a salad. And that's all they really have. The only decisions you get to make are how you like your steak cooked and whether you want more of it!

Have FUN! I loved my time in Paris.

Looking at the temperatures that Paris experienced this past August, it still would be reprieve from what we're used to in Texas. Although, without A/C, maybe less so...

I'll talk to him about a possibly delayed honeymoon, but otherwise I feel super encouraged that we could pull this off! International travel has always seemed so daunting to me (I've only been with my parents when they did all the planning and paying), so yeah...I feel a lot better already.

Your trip's timing would actually be good as far as the closings because most people return for the last week or two of August. There will be more stuff open then the beginning when people all leave for vacation.

I've been to Paris in August and November and much prefer August. The weather was perfect--high 70s/low 80s and I wore jeans and a blazer most of the time. It was not too crowded either as many of the locals are gone. Buy Rick Steve's Paris guide for tips on avoiding crowds and lines. And buy a Paris museum pass.

Both times we stayed in very nice and safe AirBnBs in Marsais for less than $100. Drinks and food are definitely less than we spend on a regular night in Miami and soooo much better! Wander a few blocks away from the tourists sites into the small local restaurants and cafes for great food for better prices.

Absolutely! We did 12 days in France for under $5000 incl our flight. We stayed in Paris for 5 days with day trips to Reims and Versaille, then we took the train south to Provence, Marseille and Nice (w/ day trip to Monaco). We used Airbnb in Paris and hotels everywhere else.

Just do your research. I like Lonely planet book and Rick Steves' has a lot of good info available online too. We got the Paris Museum Pass. The subway is easy to navigate and the cheapest/fastest way to get around.

ETA: We went in September

It is definitely doable on that budget, if you are just mindful of what you spend. First of all, Norwegian airlines is always pretty reasonable. I flew from Los Angeles to Orly on December 22 and returned on December 30 of last year with Norwegian and it was $800 round trip (bought last minute) (it was about $700 more for business which was much more comfy though). There are TONS of Air BnBs that are great, and if you don't mind staying a little farther away form the Eiffel Tower, you can actually find some hotels that are reasonable. I think I paid less than $600 for 6 nights (I know my nights don't match my dates, I spent a few nights in Stockholm too). I liked my hotel because it was a "European" type hotel not something I could find anywhere, and it was the Hotel de la Paix.

My suggestion is, to take the Metro for sightseeing. You can get something called a "carnet" which is a book of tickets (10 I think), but not always the most economical, if you are doing tons of trips round the city. A daily unlimited pass around most of the zones in Paris is just under $13 pp.

For getting into the city from the airport, a cheap yet easy way (under 9 Euro) would be to take the Orlyval train if you fly into/out of Orly airport, or the RER B Train to Paris from Charles de Gaulle (under 11 Euro), both of those are pretty quick.

ETA: You asked about "must do's". If you like architecture:

1) The Palais Garnier is AMAZING!!!!

2) Le Marais - awesome neighborhod and shopping.

3) Arc de Triomphe of course

4) Sacre-Coure

5) Notre Dame

6) Eiffel Tour

7) Champs Elysees

8) Luxembourg Gardens and Palace

EATING!!!! lol

Don't feel daunted! I think a lot of people have the impression that travel--and in particular, foreign travel--is exorbitantly expensive and highly complex.

The truth of the matter is that you can spend pretty much as much or as little as you want. You can stay in a hostel for 20 bucks or spend $2,000 a night on a hotel suite (or far more.) You can cook your own meals or eat simple grab-and-go foods for a few bucks a meal, or you can drop many hundreds on a world-famous restaurant meal. Most of us fall somewhere in the middle.

The same is true with logistics. You can plan everything out to the minute, go on a million guided tours, or just go with the flow and do/see/eat/drink whatever catches your fancy. It's only as complicated as you choose to make it, and there is no right or wrong.

How do you typically eat and drink and live and recreate at home? If you like local dives and unscheduled time in your daily life, it's perfectly acceptable to translate that style into your travel. If you typically go for gourmet meals and spa treatments, then plan on that level of luxury on your trip. But nowhere is it written or ordained that you must splurge on all the finest and most expensive things just because you are outside the US border.

For honeymoon, get a travel agent...it is no added cost and it cuts down on your time researching so you can spend on wedding planning.

We used Betty Crovo /Triumph Travel as her specialty is honeymoons. Highly recommend:

https://www.travelleaders.com/travel_agent/agent-details.aspx?id=28560

I love traveling alone and started when I turned 18. Copenhagen is the most expensive place I've been, and for 10 days I think I spent around 3,000 including flight. If you pick a place where you can make your own food, it reeeeally cuts down the cost. I usually do that and then have one or two "splurge" meals and feel like freakin royalty. ETA - I'm the same style of traveler. Simple, Airbnb, hostel type.

We did 10 days in Paris, Vienna, and Amsterdam for about $4,000 for both of us (including airfare). We did stay with friends a couple of nights in Vienna. We mostly did "free" things and spent most of our money on food (we love to eat). Totally doable if you don't need luxury accommodations! We also went in August (only time we could) and it was hot AF and there was a lot of places on holiday but we never had trouble finding food, etc. bc of it.

We are currently planning 8 days for Paris, London and Italy. We are planning everything ourselves, with no TA. It is a lot more fun and we avoid fees! you have plenty of time to plan and research.