The specific promotions described in this article have now passed, but it remains online so that the resources named will be of future use to travelers.
Fancy a quick getaway but think that it would be way too expensive to consider Paris? Well think again. There are plenty of bargains out there, including super cheap airfares and discounted air and hotel packages, so go ahead. If you need an excuse to justify your trip, you can always say that you need to brush up on your high-school French, improve US-French international relations, you have nothing to wear to that wedding this summer, or that you are craving an authentic souffl¿.
France Vacations (tel. 800/332-5332; www.francevacations.net) has a Los Angeles to Paris ¿Supersale¿ starting at $579 per person for a five-night package. Choose from five, six ($629) or seven-night ($679) trips that include round-trip air from Los Angeles on Air Tahiti Nui, hotel accommodations, daily breakfast, city taxes, and a 10 percent discount coupon for Galeries Lafayette. For trips that include Valentine¿s Day (February 9 to 13, 2006), add $200 and you'll receive private transfers from the airport to your hotel, 1/2 bottle of Champagne, a five-day Metro Pass and on Valentine's Day, a dinner cruise on the Seine. These prices reflect a savings of $80 off regular package prices but do not include airport tax/fuel surcharge/security fee of approximately $196. Valid for departures between now and March 31, 2006. Must be booked and ticketed by February 15, 2006. They also have a slightly different ¿Hot Deal¿ for Valentine¿s Day (February 9 to 13, 2006) with a package priced at $799 that includes round-trip air from Los Angeles, private transfers, six-nights hotel including city taxes, breakfast daily, 1/2 bottle of Champagne in room, Seine river cruise, five-day Metro Pass and dinner and dancing at "Les Copins D'Abord" on Valentine's Day.
Air France Holidays (www.airfrance-holidays.com) has a six-night ¿Paris Affair¿¿package valid for travel until March 25, 2006. Priced from $679 per person, it includes round-trip airfare on Air France from Boston, New York or Philadelphia, six-nights accommodation at the Comfort Hotel Lamarck in Paris, continental breakfast daily, hotel taxes and service charges, a Seine River cruise and Paris city map. Add $20 from Washington DC, $70 from Chicago or Miami, $120 from Detroit and $200 from San Francisco or Los Angeles.
Virgin Vacations (tel. 888-937-8474; www.virgin-vacations.com) is offering a ¿Paris Getaway¿ that includes round-trip airfare from New York, three-nights accommodation at the Pavillon Pereire Arc de Triomphe Hotel, continental breakfast daily, hotel taxes and service charges is priced from $399 per person. Their ¿Paris Special¿¿includes round-trip air from New York, six-nights accommodation at the Comfort Hotel Lamarck, continental breakfast daily, hotel taxes and service charges from $449.
Purchase deadline for both these deals is February 16, 2006 and travel is valid between now and March 25, 2006. Add $20 from Boston, $40 from Atlanta, $50 from Washington DC, $60 from Miami, $70 from Chicago and $100 from Los Angeles.
You can always rely on 1800 Fly Europe (tel. 800/359-3876; www.1800flyeurope.com) to have discounted round-trip airfares to Paris as well as flight/hotel and fly/drive packages. But you¿d better be quick -- these deals have a purchase deadline of January 31, 2006. Sample Winter Fly/Drive packages (economy car rental) include:
- New York/Washington DC $337 (3 days) $379 (7 days)
- Boston $348 (3 days) $390 (7 days)
- Chicago $395 (3 days) $437 (7 days)
- Los Angeles/San Francisco $419 (3 days) $461 (7 days)
Prices from departure cities are below for Spring Air and Hotel Packages including round-trip airfare, three-nights at a three-star central hotel and daily breakfast.
- New York $510
- Boston $521
- Chicago $595
- Los Angeles/San Francisco $689
Valid for departures from April 1 to May 31, 2006. Taxes and fuel surcharges (of up to $110) are additional.
Likewise, Gate1Travel (tel. 800/682-3333; www.gate1travel.com) always provides the traveler with a budget option. Their ¿Six-day Paris in Spring¿ package is priced from $449 per person for a few Wednesday departures in April and May 2006. It includes round-trip flights from New York to Paris and four-nights accommodation at the two-star Kyriad La Villette Hotel. Most importantly this price also includes the requisite airline fuel surcharge. Their ¿Six-day Paris value Vacation¿ is just that -- value for money. Priced from only $399 it includes the same as the above package but is valid for Wednesday or Thursday departures throughout February and March, 2006. Other departure cities are available for additional cost.
British Airways (www.ba.com) is currently having a worldwide airfare sale that includes flights to Paris. Travel must be between January 31 and April 2, 2006 and you must book by February 2, 2006. As an added bonus, your roundtrip ticket price includes two free nights hotel accommodation at your choice of 12 hotels located throughout London, so you have a stopover built in. The lowest fares are Monday-Wednesday, but other days start at just $30 more. You can fly to Paris via London from any of British Airways' 20 U.S. departure cities. Sample round-trip fares include:
- New York $220
- Philadelphia $265
- Chicago $323
- Dallas $337
- Los Angeles $403
- Denver $557
You will also receive a $20 discount on your ticket purchase when you login/register on the British Airways website. Fuel surcharges and taxes are additional (and are approximately $260 to $270 on a round-trip ticket). Please note that some flights arrive at one airport in London (i.e. Gatwick) and depart from another (Heathrow) after the two-night stopover.
Air France (www.airfrance.com/us) has a ¿Great Paris Sale¿ with the following one-way fare (based on a round-trip purchase):
- New York $160
- Chicago $217
- San Francisco $221
- Miami $231
- Los Angeles $246
These fares are valid for travel any day of the week with no weekend surcharges until March 31, 2006. A minimum seven-day advance purchase and a Sunday night stay is required. Purchase deadline is February 7, 2006.
If you are looking for something a bit more homey accommodation wise, you may like to rent an apartment and live like a local (usually in a very small space). Paris Sweet Home (www.parissweethome.com) has a selection of over 100 well-priced studios, one bedroom and multi-bedroom apartments located in central Paris. Prices star as low as 320E per week (for two people) in a small studio in the 5th arrondisment. On the other end of the scale, more luxurious apartments that can comfortably sleep six guests are priced up to 2,464E per week. Discounts are available for monthly stays.
For a seriously cheap flight to Paris, you really can¿t go past the current round-trip fare from New York on Icelandair offered by Travelocity (tel. 888/872-8356; www.travelocity.com). The taxes may cost almost as much as this $193 price. Valid for restricted date departures from now until April 2, 2006. Sure you have to fly through Reykjavik, but at this price it may well be worth it.
Bon Voyage!
