When Are Paris Hotels Cheapest?

Paris hotel rates are usually lowest from January to early March and in November, outside the holidays. They usually climb through late spring and early summer, and again in September and October, and fashion weeks, big trade fairs and the Christmas and New Year period push them higher still. After the month, three things move the price most: the arrondissement, because the 9th to 12th are often cheaper than the 1st to 8th, the per-person tourist tax, EUR 5.53 to EUR 8.45 a night at a 3 or 4-star, which is often shown next to the rate rather than in it, and how far ahead you book.

Paris is the second most searched European destination on TravelHack in the period July to September 2026, after London. A Paris search on our platform typically returns around 1,040 bookable properties, among the deepest supply of any destination on the platform, and about 6% of Paris searches return nothing bookable. Choice is rarely the problem. The week you pick and the area you pick are what decide the price.

Which months are cheapest for a Paris hotel?

Paris has two kinds of demand: leisure travellers, who favour spring, summer and the holidays, and business travellers, who fill hotels in autumn and on weekdays. The cheapest months are the ones where both are quiet.

January to early March and November are usually the cheapest months. Hotels have more rooms to fill, though fashion weeks and trade fairs can lift rates for a week.
Late spring and early summer are usually expensive. Mild weather and holiday travel meet, and June is often the single most expensive month.
September and October are often among the most expensive months. Business travel and conferences return.
August is often softer, especially at business hotels. Many residents and business travellers leave, though the areas around the main sights stay busy.
Christmas and New Year are usually expensive. The holiday weeks sit outside the low season.

The day of the week matters too. Hotels in business districts, such as La Défense and Bercy in the 12th, often cut rates on Friday and Saturday nights.

Which event weeks push Paris hotel prices up?

A single event can matter as much as the month. When a big one lands, rates rise, most of all near the venue.

Fashion and couture weeks fall in four periods a year: January, March, June to July, and late September to early October. The spring-summer 2027 womenswear week runs from 28 September to 6 October 2026. The official calendar sets menswear for 19 to 24 January 2027, haute couture for 25 to 28 January, womenswear for 1 to 9 March, menswear for 22 to 27 June, haute couture for 5 to 8 July, and womenswear for 27 September to 5 October 2027.
Roland-Garros, the French Open, is played in the 16th for about two weeks from late May into early June, with a qualifying week before it.
The Paris Air Show is held in odd-numbered years at Le Bourget, north of the city. The 2027 edition is scheduled for 14 to 20 June.
VivaTech, the technology fair, is scheduled for 16 to 19 June 2027 at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles in the 15th.
Maison&Objet, the design fair, runs from 14 to 18 January 2027 at Paris Nord Villepinte. With menswear and couture weeks after it, most of the second half of January is busy.

Moving a trip by one week can change the rate more than moving it by one arrondissement.

How much is the Paris tourist tax, and is it in the price?

Every hotel stay in Paris carries the taxe de séjour, a tourist tax charged per adult, per night, by the hotel's official star rating. For 2026, according to the French government's service-public site, the total per person per night is:

2-star hotel: EUR 3.25
3-star hotel: EUR 5.53
4-star hotel: EUR 8.45
5-star hotel: EUR 11.70
Palace: EUR 15.93

Those totals include the surcharges added to the city's own rate: one for the department, one for the region and a large one that funds public transport in the Île-de-France region. The City of Paris, on its tourist tax site, has said the 2027 grid will stay the same, unless national law changes it. Guests under 18 are exempt.

French rules require the room price shown to consumers to include all taxes, so VAT, charged at 10% on hotel accommodation, is already in the rate. Taxes that cannot be included must be shown next to the price. That is why the tourist tax often appears as a separate line, and it is often paid at the hotel.

It adds up. Two adults in a 4-star hotel for seven nights pay EUR 118.30 in tourist tax alone. At a 3-star, it is EUR 77.42.

Which area of Paris is cheapest to stay in?

Paris has 20 arrondissements, numbered in a spiral from the centre. The price usually falls as you move away from the Seine and towards the east.

The 1st to 8th, around the Louvre, the Opéra and the Champs-Élysées, are usually the most expensive.
The Marais, in the 3rd and 4th, is one of the most popular areas in the city, and budget options there are thin.
Saint-Germain, in the 6th, is residential, polished and expensive.
The 9th to 12th, around the Grands Boulevards, République, Bastille and Gare de Lyon, are often a clear step down in price, a short Metro ride from the Louvre.
Around Gare du Nord, in the 10th, there are many simple independent hotels, and the RER B to Charles de Gaulle stops here.
Bercy, in the 12th, and Montparnasse, in the 14th and 15th, often offer good value, especially at weekends.
Montmartre, in the 18th, has plenty of lower-cost options, though the area around Abbesses has become pricier and the hill means stairs.
The 19th and 20th are largely residential, with rates often below the centre and longer rides to the sights.
La Défense, the business district just west of the city, often cuts rates at weekends and in August. Metro line 1 reaches the Louvre in about 20 minutes.

How do you get around Paris and to the airports?

Since 2025, one Metro, train and RER ticket covers the whole region, except the airport stations. In 2026 it costs EUR 2.55. Paper tickets are no longer sold, so you load tickets onto a Navigo Easy card, which costs EUR 2, or onto your phone with the official app. Paying with a contactless bank card is only starting, on buses and at a few stations, and costs more per trip.

The weekly Navigo pass costs EUR 32.40, covers every zone including both main airports, and runs from Monday to Sunday only. It goes on a Navigo Découverte card, which costs EUR 5, needs a photo and is sold at main Metro and RER ticket offices. Arrive early in the week, and two airport trips at EUR 14 each already cover most of its cost.

Charles de Gaulle: the RER B usually takes 30 to 40 minutes to Gare du Nord and Châtelet. The Roissybus stopped running at the end of February 2026. Since 1 March, express bus 9517 links the airport with Saint-Denis Pleyel, for Metro lines 13 and 14, on a standard bus ticket; allow about 30 to 55 minutes, depending on traffic. The CDG Express train from Gare de l'Est is scheduled to open on 28 March 2027.
Orly: Metro line 14 has served Orly since 24 June 2024 and reaches Châtelet in about 25 minutes, on the EUR 14 airport ticket.
Beauvais: the official coach to Porte Maillot takes about 1 hour 15 minutes, longer in traffic, and costs EUR 17.90 one way when booked online.

Paris taxis charge fixed fares between the city and both main airports, set by the police prefecture.

What should you check before booking a Paris hotel room?

Two rooms at the same price can be very different stays.

The room size. Rooms in central Paris are often small, especially in older buildings. Look for the size in square metres.
The beds. A "chambre double" has one bed for two. For two separate beds, look for "lits jumeaux", or twin beds.
The lift. Older hotels, especially at one star, may have no lift. Check if you have heavy bags.
Air conditioning. Some older Paris hotels have none. For June to August, check that the room description says air-conditioned.
Breakfast. Hotels must say whether breakfast is included. Check the rate description before booking.
The cancellation terms, especially for event weeks.

For a week or more, look at an aparthotel, known in France as a résidence de tourisme: studios and apartments with a kitchenette, for stays from one night to a month or longer. Making some meals yourself can matter more over a week than a small gap in the nightly rate.

How far ahead should you book a Paris hotel?

For late spring, early summer, September, October and any event week, book early. Rates tend to rise as the dates approach, and the best-value rooms go first.

For quiet months, you can often wait. From January to early March and in November, outside fashion weeks and fairs, rates can soften closer to the date. Book a refundable rate and check again a few weeks before arrival.

How do you plan a cheaper week in Paris, step by step?

A worked version of the above, for a seven-night trip for two:

Pick the month first. January, February, early March or November, rather than late spring, September or October.
Check the event calendar for fashion weeks, trade fairs and Roland-Garros, and move your dates if one lands on them.
Choose one base in the 9th to 12th, rather than paying the 1st to 8th premium for the whole stay.
Compare the full cost, with breakfast and the tourist tax, EUR 8.45 per adult per night at a 4-star, added to each rate.
Arrive on a Monday if you can, and buy the weekly Navigo pass to cover the airport trips and the Metro.
Book a refundable rate, then check again a few weeks before arrival in quiet months.

Done in that order, the biggest savings are made before you look at a single property.

How do TravelHack member rates help in Paris?

TravelHack members see member-only rates, with savings of up to 60%* against public rates. That sits on top of everything above rather than replacing it: a member rate in fashion week is still a rate in fashion week. Timing and area are what make the room cheap. A member rate may then bring the price down further. Add the tourist tax and compare the full cost either way.

You can see how membership works on the pricing page, or start with a free trial and see member rates for your own dates. More guides are on the Travel Hacks blog.

*Based on publicly available retail rates for the same properties at the time of booking.

What is the quickest way to pay less for a Paris hotel?

Decide the week and the arrondissement before the hotel. Aim for January to early March or November, check the fashion week and trade fair dates, look at the 9th to 12th before the centre, and add the tourist tax to every rate you compare. Those decisions, made in that order, do more for the bill than anything you do at the moment of booking.

Common questions

What is the cheapest month to book a hotel in Paris?

January, February, early March and November usually offer the best hotel rates in Paris, outside the holidays. Demand from both leisure and business travellers is lower, so hotels have more rooms to fill. Watch for fashion weeks and trade fairs, which can lift rates for a week even in quiet months. Late spring, early summer, September and October are usually the most expensive.

How much is the tourist tax in Paris hotels?

The Paris taxe de séjour is charged per adult, per night, by star rating. For 2026 the total, including regional surcharges, is EUR 5.53 at a 3-star hotel, EUR 8.45 at a 4-star and EUR 11.70 at a 5-star. Guests under 18 are exempt. The tax is often shown next to the room price rather than in it, and is often paid at the hotel.

Which arrondissement is cheapest to stay in Paris?

Rates usually fall as you move away from the Seine and towards the east. The 1st to 8th are usually the most expensive. The 9th to 12th, around the Grands Boulevards, République, Bastille, Gare du Nord and Gare de Lyon, often offer better value a short Metro ride from the centre. La Défense, the business district, often cuts rates at weekends and in August.

How do you get from Charles de Gaulle airport to central Paris?

The RER B usually takes 30 to 40 minutes to Gare du Nord and Châtelet, on the EUR 14 airport ticket in 2026. The Roissybus stopped running at the end of February 2026, and express bus 9517 now links the airport with Saint-Denis Pleyel on a standard bus ticket, in about 30 to 55 minutes depending on traffic. The CDG Express train from Gare de l'Est is scheduled to open on 28 March 2027. Taxis charge a fixed fare set by the police prefecture.

Is breakfast included in Paris hotel prices?

Often not. French rules require hotels to say whether breakfast is served and whether it is included in the room price, so check the rate description before booking. For stays of a week or more, an aparthotel with a kitchenette lets you make breakfast yourself, which can matter more than a small gap in the nightly rate.