A trip to Paris is very exciting, especially when it’s your first one.

And if you’re traveling for a second or third time to the City of Lights, it’s even more so because you know what’s coming and that is extraordinarily thrilling.

But I think that the best reason to travel to Paris is that you’re scoping it out because you’ll be living there for work or school or, in my case, retirement.

However, before we get too far down that road, let’s talk about taking that first trip to Paris and address some of the basic questions that are probably on your mind:

• What exactly does a trip to Paris look like?
• What should I plan for?
• How much is it likely to cost?

This will all depend of course on what you want your trip to be but I think I can generally offer some good advice and guidance on all of these topics.

To begin with, let’s start with some assumptions. I’m going to guess that your first trip is for two people, that you both want to stay in Paris itself (whether it’s a hotel or AirBNB or other lodging) and not on the outskirts of the city, that you’d like a decent amount of time to enjoy the city, that you are interested in a higher quality of activities rather than a higher quantity, and that you plan on spending a reasonable amount of money to enjoy your trip, being neither frugal nor extravagant.

With all these in mind, we’re off!

Flights. You’re one airplane flight away from France. Well, that is, if you live on the East Coast of the United States. And since I live in the southeastern part of the country, I’m going to talk about direct flights from Atlanta to Paris on Delta Airlines because that’s what I’m familiar with and Delta has a partnership with Air France.

Generally speaking, if you fly coach and book far enough in advance, you should be able to book two round-trip tickets from Atlanta to Paris Charles de Gaulle for about $1,500.00/per person or about $3,000.00 total.

Keep in mind that this number is just an estimate and can vary widely – I’ve seen it lower than $1,000.00/person and over $2,000.00/person. Also, if you’re flying from New York, Chicago, or another big American city, you live on the West Coast, or you have to book connecting flights (i.e., you’re not able to fly direct), these can all dramatically affect ticket pricing.

Lodging. Always a major consideration not just for cost, but for location. I cannot recommend strongly enough that you spend a little more money in this category. Paris, like many other cosmopolitan cities, has some dicey areas and you don’t want to come back from your beautiful day or enchanting evening only to be concerned for your safety. Choose your lodging wisely and don’t skimp.

If you stay in or near the tourist areas and are not travelling during a peak time such as the Tour de France, I suggest that you have a spending target of at least $200.00/night on lodging, including taxes, and preferably between $200.00-$300.00/night. Under no circumstances would I recommend spending less than $150.00 per night.

How Long to Stay. Great question and I’m glad you asked. To do Paris right – and by right I mean being able to complete at least one significant activity during the day and one at night without running yourself into the ground – I recommend at a 10-day trip. Why 10 days?

• 1 full day is lost to travel and the difference in time zones. Because France is 6 hours ahead of the East Coast of the United States, you will essentially lose one full day of your trip due to both travel (flight time from Atlanta to Paris is 11 hours) and the difference in time zones (Paris is 6 hours ahead of Atlanta and the Eastern Time Zone). FYI – France, like the United States, recognizes Daylight Savings Time and adjusts their clocks accordingly so Parisians are always 6 hours ahead of the U.S. East Coast.
• 1 full day is lost to jet lag. Although some people can definitely rebound from jet lag better than others, jet lag will likely rob you of at least part of your second day in Paris.
• 7 days to see Paris. Once you’ve recovered from the flight and jet lag, one full week in Paris is probably the right amount of time needed to see everything that you want to see and do everything that you want to do.
• 1 full day is lost returning to the U.S. due to travel time and reverse jet lag. Because you’ll be gaining six hours heading back to the States (due to the change in times zones) and the return flight is slightly shorter at just under 10 hours (because you’re flying with the wind), only one full day is likely to be lost to travel and jet lag.

How much should I plan on spending each day? Another great question and one to which I can only provide a subjective answer. In general, I recommend spending $250/day/person so that would be $500/day per couple while in Paris. This includes budgeting for one day time activity, one night time activity, breakfast/lunch/dinner, beverages, transportation, and all other additional costs. Of course, if you economize, your costs can be significantly lower and, if you splurge, then obviously the sky’s the limit.

$9,100 for a 10-day trip to Paris. This includes a budget of:

• $3,000.00 for roundtrip airfare for 2 people
• $1,800.00 for lodging ($200/night)
• $3,500.00 for activities ($500/day/couple x 7 days)
• $800.00 (~10% buffer for unanticipated costs)   

Travel Tip. Bring twice the money you think you’ll need and half the clothes you think you’ll be wearing (you won’t). Trust me, you’ll see and want to do things you hadn’t been planning on and you’ll definitely be wishing you wouldn’t had brought as much to (not) wear so you would have more room in your luggage to bring back what you actually did buy while in France.

Bonne chance !