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The countdown has begun: there are only 100 days left until the Summer Olympics in Paris, which this year will take place from July 26 to August 11 (followed by the Paralympic Games from August 28 to September 8).
And the last tranche of tickets will go on sale tomorrow.
With tickets to the opening ceremony currently on sale for €2,700 (£2,300) via (entries.paris2024.org) might think it’s too late to grab a bargain and leave. But we have some tips and tricks to help you save some money on a trip to Paris for the Olympics.
This is the first time in Olympic history that tickets are sold on a single centralized website; In total, more than 10 million tickets will be made available.
Advance sales began with drawings, when people registered to buy tickets from February to May of last year. In the first draw, from February 15 to May 15, 2023, more than 3.5 million tickets were sold.
Another draw was held in May. And on November 30, more than 400,000 entries were released.
An artist’s impression of what the opening ceremony of Paris 2024 will look like
Can I still get a cheap ticket?
You’ll have to be quick. To celebrate that there are 100 days left until the opening ceremony, the last tranche of more than 250,000 tickets will go on sale tomorrow, only on the official ticket sales website (tickets.paris2024.org) – at 9:00 a.m. French time, one hour more than in the United Kingdom. Half of them will sell for €100 (£85) or less, and almost 20,000 tickets will sell for €24 (£21). If you miss them, official ticket resale will reopen in May on the same website; Create an account so you can receive updates. Aside from that, think outside the box and book tickets on the website for events outside of Paris – you can still buy tickets for basketball in Lille for €50 (£43) or football in Bordeaux, Lyon, Nice, Nantes and Marseille for 24 €. (£21).
Watch the action for free
While plans to allow tourists to watch the opening ceremony along the Seine for free have been scrapped (only guests will receive free seats, and safety concerns may mean the ceremony has to be scaled back), many events in roads and rivers are free. They include open water swimming in the Seine, as well as the triathlon and marathon, which can be seen from the streets of Paris. One of the best places to watch the road cycling events will be the Butte Montmartre, the final stretch before the finish line at the Trocadero. Consult olympicgames.com for schedules and maps of race routes.
Free parades of the previous day’s medal winners will also be held at Champions Park, beneath the Eiffel Tower, where the open-air stadium will show live projections of the events. Other screens will be installed in Club 2024 areas both in the city and throughout France; Find out where they will be on the map of the game released at the end of April (olympicgames.com).
Eurostar has not raised its prices for the Olympic period but tickets are selling fast
Get there for less
Eurostar has not raised its prices for the Olympic period but tickets are selling quickly; It has sold twice as many tickets as last year at this time. As with all modes of transport, the cheapest one-way fares are on weekday nights (from around £64) and return early in the morning, which means additional accommodation costs. You can totally save on accommodation during the Olympics by doing a day trip, but the cheapest rate I could find was £213 return per day. Flying can be cheaper; I found return flights in easyjet.com from Gatwick at £106.40. Skyscanner.net It has a ‘full month’ search tool so you can see which days are least expensive during the event, as well as a ‘nearby airport’ search.
Is it cheaper to drive?
If you’re traveling as a family or small group, taking the ferry or Channel Tunnel may be less expensive during the event in July and August. I found a return crossing from Dover to Calais on P&O Ferries (poferries.com) for £163, and around £200 using the Channel Tunnel (leshuttle.com). Remember to budget for both tolls and gas. If you take your car, stay on the outskirts and look for accommodation with parking. Booking.com has Hotel le Chantilly for a three-night weekend from £722 during July dates. Or consider Meaux, 36 minutes by train from Gare de l’Est. I found a beautifully decorated one-bedroom apartment sleeping five people close to the station and Disneyland Paris and with parking from £209 a night on Airbnb.
Chantilly is home to a beautiful castle and loads of cream.
Save on your stay
While central Paris isn’t complete, you’ll have to shop around to find a deal: I found a studio in Montmartre for £128 a night at the end of July on Airbnb (which you can now search by competition). venue, such as the Stade de France) and £162 per night at the Hotel Sunny on booking.com. You’ll get a much better deal if you stay in the Paris region, connected by RER to the center in about 30 minutes for €5 (£4). In Chantilly, home to a beautiful chateau and loads of cream, I found a modern apartment opposite the station, which connects to Paris’ Gare du Nord, for £87 a night on Airbnb. Or try historic Saint-Germain-en-Laye, where a stylish apartment for four with views of the castle costs from £263 a night. If you’re staying in the suburbs, it’s worth purchasing a Paris 2024 pass, an urban travel pass that lets you use the metro and buses for €16 (£14) a day, or up to €70 (£60) a week . It is valid for transportation from airports and to Disneyland Paris. (iledefrance-mobilites.fr))
Should I book now or later?
Book your transportation as soon as possible, as prices rise every minute. For hotels, there is a chance that prices could drop if properties don’t get enough bookings. This is exactly what happened during the London 2012 Olympic Games. According to a Santander study, some hotels charged premiums of up to 300 percent, but then some had to discount their prices as the games approached to increase bookings. . However, it’s a risk if you wait to book your accommodation, especially if you have tickets to a specific event.
Can I save on merchandise?
If you register on the official site store2.olympics.comYou can save 15 percent on your first order and you’ll receive emails detailing future promotions and exclusive discounts.
Prices were correct at the time of publication.
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