Thousands flocked to Paris this year for the 2024 Olympics, and while some visitors spared no expense in the French capital, others made do on a shoestring budget.

Although the prices of plane tickets, accommodation, metro and restaurants have skyrocketed, the event met the expectations of many people due to the effect of ticket prices.

So how much do Britons actually pay to experience the Games in the City of Lights? We spoke to attendees to find out exactly how much their trip costs them.

Alexandra Coutts, 35, with her wife Amanda and seven-year-old daughterAntonia

Two adults and one child, three activities, three nights in Lille and two nights in Paris = £4,931.63

Alexandra Coutts, 35, her wife Amanda and their seven-year-old daughter Antonia were thrilled to watch three sports competitions: Men’s Artistic Gymnastics, the Women’s Canoe Slalom Semi-Finals and Final in Paris and the Women’s Basketball Qualifiers in Lille.

Talk to IThe luxury travel expert, from Hove, said: “Amanda and I decided we wanted to go to these Olympics in 2019 when we saw that the option of going to Tokyo 2020 was prohibitively expensive.

“I pre-registered to purchase tickets and was granted access during one of the later purchase windows, May 17, 2023.

“At the time I bought the Basketball tickets in Lille and the Canoe Slalom tickets. Then, in November, suddenly other tickets became available and we were able to secure tickets to the Men’s Artistic Gymnastics Finals. It was great but also incredibly frustrating because I think I would never have bought the Canoe Slalom tickets if I felt I had better options.”

Tickets for the three cost £1,770.11 – more than a third of their total spend.

The family arrived by Eurostar on Saturday, July 27. The total cost of their tickets was £321 and, fortunately, Lille station was a short walk from their city aparthotel.

Their one-bedroom flat, with kitchen and washing machine, costs £809.

During their time in Lille, they enjoyed dinner out every day except to watch the Games, except for one day – when they cooked in the flat – which cost around £70 per meal. Light lunches and snacks on the way to the stadium cost around £25 per day. One day, as a reward for watching basketball, sausage sandwiches, arancini and chips at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy cost around £21.

The trio travelled by train from Lille to Paris on Tuesday, July 30, for £105.08, where they stayed for a further two nights, staying in a four-star hotel for £714.

As they were only a few minutes away from the Eiffel Tower, they decided to head to the top for a meal one night. In total, this cost £125.12, including lift tickets, a pizza to share, drinks and some souvenirs.

On Thursday 1 August it was finally time to fly back to the UK on the Eurostar, costing them £256. Because of train cancellations, they had to take a taxi home from the station, adding another £90 to their already high bill.

But Alexandra said: “We are so glad we went. The cost didn’t detract from the experience at all.”

Deepak Tailor travelling with five family members

One adult, two activities and a night in Paris = £419.73

But others have enjoyed the Games much less. Rugby fan Deepak Tailor from London managed to book an Airbnb in central Paris for just £48 a night – a bargain compared to the high prices many hotels are charging during the competition.

The Latestfreestuff.co.uk founder said: “I travelled to Paris on the Eurostar on Saturday 3 August as I had tickets to watch the Rugby Semi-Finals and Final.

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“I was only there for about 24 hours because I found a cheap British Airways flight home the next day for £37. That was a lot less than the £189 I paid for the Eurostar from London.”

Deepak wanted to keep costs as low as possible, so he kept his meals to a bare minimum. He spent £4.50 on breakfast on the Eurostar, £3.50 on a sandwich from M&S at King’s Cross station for lunch and £18 on dinner at a local French restaurant.

He only spent £1.50 on a bottle of water, £1.81 for a Paris metro ride and a couple of Fiji flags he bought from Amazon before the trip.

He added: “Despite the cost, everyone really loved it. My family grew up in Fiji and the only medal Fiji has ever won at the Olympic Games was in Rugby, so this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us to watch them live and win an Olympic medal.

“The last time they won a medal at the Olympic Games, they declared a public holiday in the country – that shows how important it is for them. Now we are part of that history too.”

Judith Annakie-Eriksen travelling with her husband Jesper

One adult, three activities and seven nights in Paris = £3,670.50 (approx.)

Judith Annakie-Eriksen, 60, and her husband Jesper splurged on a package of tickets called ‘Category A’ in February last year. This included access to the Men’s Gymnastics qualifiers – £112 each, Men’s and Women’s archery – £43 each and Women’s Volleyball qualifiers – £103 each.

The couple spent around £56 to get from their home in Langdon Hills, Essex, to London St Pancras before boarding the Eurostar, which they booked in November last year and paid £476 for a return ticket. They were two of the unlucky few caught up in the travel chaos on Friday, July 26 – the day of the Opening Ceremony – so after their long day of travelling they decided to take a £61 taxi from Gare du Nord to their hotel in Paris.

The ceramic artist and pottery teacher said: “Our hotel was quite expensive – we paid £2,259 for seven nights in a standard double room at the Ibis Hotel. It was very small for two people but during our stay we left the hotel straight after breakfast and usually returned late after dinner, by which time we were ready for bed.

“We ate out every day. We’d have a light lunch and a larger dinner in a restaurant, depending on what we were doing or how hungry we were. Our average spend for two people was around £100 a day, including alcohol – usually a couple of beers for my husband and a mocktail or prosecco for me.

“Other than that, we spent £15 a day on treats and £80 on products. But for me, visiting the Olympic Games has always been a dream so I didn’t mind spending money to enjoy it.

“I think the experience was worth the money.”