Why is Paris so expensive?

[SaharaSahara]

Just looking at flights and hotel for 2 nights away for 2 adults. The flights are okay but the accommodation is pricey. For such a short amount of time I don’t see the point in staying too far away from the main attractions so looking at close to the Eiffel Tower. Am I overreacting to think around £150 a night is expensive? Because that’s the cheapest I’m getting no matter what days I put in. Trying to avoid a weekend as well.

A capital city. Close to one of the most recognisable landmarks on the planet. Unfortunately I think you're being a tad unrealistic

£150 sounds about standard for a capital city, London and Edinburgh would be similar if you looked.

You'd pay that for a Premier Inn (and more besides) in some UK cities.

Paris is expensive to stay in, but I agree that London, New York, Rome, etc are all expensive too if you want a good, central location. Stay a bit further out if you want to save money - the metro is excellent and very quick for getting into the centre.

£150 a night in the centre of one of the worlds major capital cities is a perfectly reasonable price.
If you had quoted a substantially higher figure I would not have been surprised.

£150 per night in a major capital city isn't too mad.
The area near the Eiffel Tower is pretty dull though

£150 I'd worry that the hotel was a dive!!

I'd expect about £3-400/night for a nice place in a decent location.

Also - I realise it depends where in the UK you are. But Eurostar is always my preference for Paris.

thats cheap for a decent hotel in a major city that gets millions of tourists every year
im looking at £250 a night in new york in a holiday inn express

£150 is nothing for a city center location

I paid more for a premier inn near London last year

i just checked back, i was last in paris in 2017 and hotel for 1 night cost 86 quid, and this wasnt central it was about a 20 mins walk from the arc de triomphe

Have you seen London prices lately? Sounds reasonable. Remember the £ is weak too.

£150 for a room for two people isn't expensive.

The holiday inn Montmartre is lovely, it's usually around £110 a night. It's walking distance to Sacre coeur and Moulin rouge area. Also two mins from tube so easy to get elsewhere.

You don't need to be that close to the eiffel tower, Paris is v easy to get round on the metro. Exploring on foot is part of the fun too. Look for a location near a metro station and you'll be fine

I've also just looked and the hotel that was booked for DP when he stayed there for work earlier this year £230 two nights.

I went with him and just wandered around Paris for the weekend and we had dinner together each night. The hotel was fine, room a little small, but clean, good shower and nice breakfast. There was a Metro station a couple of minutes walk away, and a tram line and it wasn't that far from the Eiffel tower either, maybe 10/15 minutes on the Metro?

I always have a wry smile when someone on here comes up with 'I'd expect to pay £400 a night or else it will be a dump, as if that's a totally normal amount to pay for a single night's accommodation. Surely most people don't pay anywhere near that and stay in perfectly nice places?

The tourist sites of Paris are actually spread out; you don't need to stay near the Eiffel Tower and the surrounding area is pretty boring. Take a look at the Canal Saint Martin area; very cool and walking distance from Gare du Nord. You're never far away from a metro station, which means you can stay in less expensive areas.

That said,€150 is not a lot for Paris.

Targeted at me.

Centrally located hotels in famous cities aren't for "most people" though, are they? The vast majority of people won't have a city break to Paris. So it's kind of a moot point.

Here's a some 4* hotel prices for 2 nights.

They're not nearly the most you can pay in Paris.

Personally reviews mean more to me than star rating. But I wouldn't personally feel comfortable in a city unless I was in an area that I knew was good for transport and wouldn't be walking far to the metro or down side streets at night etc. So maybe I do pay more than lots of others.

On holiday I like to feel like I'm on holiday. Not somewhere cramped or grubby or unsafe feeling.

You might find it cheaper to look over a weekend. Weekday prices are often higher as they're often intended for business travel, and businesses tend to have larger budgets than individuals. But eitherway £150 in a capital city, near one of the most famous landmarks in the world sounds quite cheap.

Thanks everyone, I needed to be reassured and now I am, it’s a reasonable amount to pay. I think it’s probably the total that’s throwing me out a bit, when it’s all tallied up it just seems so many pounds for two nights away. Two nights isn’t a long time.

OP I went interrailing this summer and all capital cities were coming in at around this price minimum so while I agree with pp that it's the going rate I share your surprise as it seems accommodation has gone up a lot recently. In my head £75 is what a mid price chain should be and budget hotels less. Especially as I can stay in a premier Inn in loads of places for £30-40. Is weird.

Hotels are coming up a tad cheaper on Expedia.com

We just paid £35 for a night in a hotel in Paris - we used Premiere Classe

Interesting area. ....

You see so much more strolling around a city too and often stumble on lovely cafes and bars. I could wander around Rome on foot all day

Wow, £150 a night in central Paris sounds amazing!!!

We went over the summer holidays and paid £144 a night in the 11th arrondissement, not particularly close to the sites but safe and clean with plenty of places to walk and eat. Best thing was there were 2 different metro lines nearby with 3 minutes walking distance and metro tickets are cheaper than paying a premium to be nearer the action.