It's not too late to plan an affordable last-minute trip to the Summer Olympics; you may just need to broaden your boundaries. Here's where to go, based on the sport you're most passionate about.
 |
Spoiler alert: The City of Lights isn’t the only setting for the 2024 Summer Olympics. Technically, it’s not classified information. Still, most people don’t know that the Olympic Agenda released last October declared, “Games no longer have to be held in one main city, but can be spread over several cities, regions, or even countries.” Why disperse the action? It’s far more sustainable, because fewer venues need to be built. But wait, it gets better. It also makes attending the Olympics more affordable.
For example, in three weeks my childhood bestie, Katie, will join me in Marseille to watch soccer, both men’s and women’s (tickets from $16), and sailing (hospitality packages from $350). Marseille is one of 17 cities and communes throughout France hosting Olympic events July 26 to Aug. 11. Meanwhile, French Polynesia (Tahiti to be precise), is where the surfing competitions will take place. While Katie and I love Paris — the Games’ main host city — we were just there in 2021. This year, the Cote d’Azur is calling, and in a surprise twist we never saw coming, we can afford it.
 |
Despite searches being up 80 percent year over year, according to Booking.com, Marseille still has plenty of comfortable hotel rooms under $300 per night, a price point that’s hard to find in Paris right now. For example, end of July rates at the 4-star NH Paris Champs-Elyssées start at $600 per night. Meanwhile, we just booked a room the NH Collection Marseille for $215 per night. That was only after imagining ourselves in the plethora of tempting properties on AirBnB.
Should we decide to splurge and venture east along the ritzy French Riviera, we’ll hole up at Hôtel Belles Rives (rooms from $600 per night). This 5-star beachfront Art Deco abode — where F. Scott Fitzgerald reportedly partied with Ernest Hemingway — boasts one of the world’s oldest water skiing schools. Perhaps we’ll invest in a lesson and discover we’re naturals/shoe-ins for when the Olympic committee adds water skiing to its lineup. Then we’ll take the train into nearby Nice to watch the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team take on Zambia. Tickets start at just $16. Bordeaux, Lyon, and Nantes are also hosting Olympic soccer matches, including the Men’s Quarterfinals (tickets from $70) and Women’s Bronze Medal Match (tickets from $38).
If you will be splurging on a Paris hotel and can't get tickets to all the matches you have your eye on, check your hotel's programming. Hotels like the luxurious Le Royal Monceau - Raffles Paris are hosting viewing parties for guests.
 |
If you’re most looking forward to the equestrian events, vacation in Versailles. You won’t find a room at the Waldorf Astoria Versailles - Trianon Palace for less than $1,400 per night. But AirBnB still has a handful of Versaille-area apartments starting at just $100 per night. While the only equestrian-related tickets left on the official Paris2024.org website are for hospitality packages starting at $1,200, Ticombo has sessions starting at $84. Just remember, any time you buy from a reseller, you’re taking a risk.
If basketball is on your bucket list, make Lille your home base. Both the men’s and women’s teams (tickets from $54) will play in this Flemish city bordering Belgium. In fact, it’s cheaper to stay in Brussels, just 38 minutes away via Eurostar express. While double rooms at Holiday Inn Express Lille Centre start at $257, you can still score a spacious king with a balcony at the Holiday Inn Brussels - Schuman for just $137.
And if watching golf is your goal (tickets from $26) you have a good chance of running into Scottie Scheffler in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines where both the men and women will tee off starting Aug. 1. This new Parisian suburb, built in the 1960s and just 20 miles west of the city, will also host the indoor cycling events (tickets from $194) in its 6,000-seat velodrome. With one-bedroom apartments starting at $100 per night, AirBnB will be your best bet here.
But what about flights? We’re not going over budget on those either. American Airlines, for example, still has roundtrip nonstop tickets from JFK to CDG starting at $765. From there, you can take a cheap train or plane to Bordeaux, Nice, Lille, Lyon, or Versaille. If you join us in Marseille, don’t be a stranger; say hi (or bonjour). We’ll be the two tourists dressed in head-to-toe Team USA apparel.