Fares to Paris for Olympics now tumbling as visitors shun the Games

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

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Eurostar is now cutting fares from London to Paris in late July as British travellers shun the Games. Some fares have fallen by more than one-third in just two weeks.

Air fares to the region, too, are falling – with some Ryanair flights to Beauvais priced at just £15.

The Independent has monitored ticket prices for departures from the UK to the French capital on the day after the opening ceremony, Saturday 27 July.

Two weeks ago, The Independent recorded the prevailing one-way fares from London St Pancras International to Paris for that specific date. The mean ticket price at the time was £229, and the lowest was £143.

Normally prices rise as the departure date approaches. But with tourism chiefs in Paris predicting a sharp drop in the normal summer levels of hotel occupancy, the average Eurostar ticket price has now dropped by £26. The cheapest one-way fare is now below £100 for the first time, at £98. Overall, the decline in two weeks is 11 per cent.

On the 6.01pm departure, the lowest ticket price has dropped by 35 per cent to £143. Standard Premium class is cheaper too, falling by £26 to £207.

Air fares are plummeting even more steeply. On Saturday 27 July, the 505-mile flight from Belfast to Beauvais in northern France – which Ryanair describes as Paris – costs £15. The fare from Manchester is £27 and from Birmingham £35.

To the more central Charles de Gaulle airport, easyJet is charging £97 for flights from Bristol.

Almost half the rooms in the French capital are still unsold during the Olympics, which run to 11 August. Rates for double rooms in mainstream budget hotels are now starting to fall below £100 per night.

It appears that from a tourist perspective, the city is likely to be empty. There will be challenges getting around, but the reward will be enjoying the attractions of one of Europe’s most beautiful cities in splendid isolation.