How Much Does it Cost to Attend the Olympics in Paris?

For billions of sports fans around the world, the chance to see the Olympic Games in person is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The chance to see people compete in games that highlight their skills and dedication to training has been attracting spectators for thousands of years.

You read that right. The first iteration of the Olympics was held in 776 BC in Olympia, Greece, and they would be held there until 393 AD.

The earliest version of the Olympics was part of a religious festival designed to honor Zeus, the most important figure in Greek mythology. It took thousands of years for the Olympics to return to Greece.

The version of the Olympics that you’re familiar with today, typically known as the modern Olympics, was held in 1896. Organizers of the event took the game back to its roots by bringing the event to Greece.

That year, athletes from 14 nations converged on Athens, Greece to resurrect the largest event in global sports.

Greece, the host country, along with France, Great Britain, and Germany sent the most athletes to the inaugural games. All told, there were 311 athletes involved. The games looked much different then than they do today.

For instance, the 1200-meter swimming competition saw organizers take the competitors 1200 meters from the shore, drop them off in the sea, and then have them swim back to shore. Alfred Hajos, the Hungarian who won the event, said that his “will to live completely overcame” his desire to earn a gold medal.

Perhaps the most interesting fact about the first iteration of the modern Olympics is that a ticket cost 16 cents. For less than the amount of change that you probably have rattling around in your car’s cup holder, people were able to see athletes compete in the resurrected Olympics.

One hundred years later, the Games were held in Atlanta, Georgia. Tickets for that event cost $39.72 on average, nearly 250 times higher than the tickets for the first Olympics of the modern era.

If you’ve been following the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, you’ve likely wondered how much it would cost to go to the Olympics.

Today, learn more about what you could expect from ticket prices, lodging, travel, and other factors. The 2028 Summer Olympics are scheduled to take place in Los Angeles, California, which means it could be your chance to be a part of history.

Discover the truth about Olympic ticket costs and more so you can start planning your trip to Los Angeles in 2028.

A Brief History of Olympic Ticket Prices

Before we dive into the cost of going to the Olympics in 2024, let’s take a brief stroll through history to see how ticket prices (and the Olympics themselves) have evolved.

1900

In 1900, the Games were awarded to Paris, France, just like the 2024 Summer Olympics. However, organizers put together a version of the Olympics that is still considered an embarrassment.

Instead of scheduling a cohesive lineup of competitions over a two-week period, the French reportedly sold $1,000,000 in tickets to a fair that lasted for months. During the fair, competitions were held, but most of the competitors didn’t know that they were taking part in the Olympics.

1904

You only need to look to 1904 to see one of the first changes in official Olympic ticket prices. This version of the Games is remembered for somehow being a bigger disaster than the 1904 Games.

Originally, the 1904 Olympics were scheduled to take place in Chicago, Illinois.

However, the city ran into funding problems and became the only host city in Olympic history to “give the Games back” to the International Olympic Committee.

The IOC moved the games to nearby St. Louis, Missouri, a city that was not big enough to host the Olympics, nor did it have the resources.

Because of the lack of organization, many European athletes stayed home, so some of the competitions only featured Americans. Tickets for the 1904 Olympics cost between .50 and $1.

1984

Fast forward to the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, which will also host the 2028 Summer Olympics, and you’ll find more affordable ticket prices.

On average, tickets cost $17 for the 1984 Games. Some single-event tickets were as cheap as $3 with the highest cost coming in around $95, which were for basketball and boxing.

Ticket Costs for the 2024 Olympics

Ticket prices for the 2024 Summer Olympics varied wildly.

For instance, some of the cheaper tickets for the opening ceremony cost around $98.25 while more expensive tickets, those that were closer to the Seine River, cost more than $2,900.

The gap in ticket costs for the closing ceremony is just as pronounced, with cheaper tickets costing around $47 and more expensive tickets costing approximately $1,746.

Tickets to the medal ceremonies also cost a pretty penny.

For instance, getting a ticket just to see the medal ceremony for the track and field competition costs approximately $1,075. Tickets for the medal ceremonies for swimming and basketball are about $10 cheaper, coming in at $1,064.

For all of the other competitions, ticket costs depend on how close you want to sit to the action, and which stage of the competition you want to see.

If you wanted to see Simone Biles and the Team USA women’s gymnastics squad qualify for the competition, you could have done so from the upper level for around $25. However, if you wanted to sit closer to the action, those tickets cost around $284.

When it comes to basketball tickets, not only does proximity to the court matter, but ticket costs also depend largely on who’s playing.

With names like Steph Curry and Lebron James on the roster, tickets to Team USA’s qualifying game were going from anywhere between $54 and $218, which was significantly more than tickets for some of the games that weren’t going to feature NBA stars.

Ultimately, there are some events that you can get tickets to without breaking the bank.

If your goal is to simply say that you went to the Olympics in person, you can go to multiple events that might be considered less popular by the masses for less money than you would spend to go see a more prominent event like the basketball gold medal game.

Cost to Travel to the 2024 Summer Olympics

Since the airline industry relies so heavily on the laws of supply and demand, you can rest assured that tickets to Paris, France for the 2024 Olympics were going to cost more than they would cost a week before or after the Games.

For instance, flights between July 25 and 27 out of Columbus, Ohio cost anywhere between $1,100 and $2,600. Those flights included one layover and took anywhere between 10 and 21 hours to complete. Nonstop flights out of New York City were going for around $1,300 during the same period.

Cost of Lodging at the 2024 Paris Olympics

According to Nerdwallet, hotel rooms in Paris saw a major uptick in cost because of the Olympics. The financial website reported that hotel rooms in and around the city were 226% more expensive on the night of the opening ceremony than they were just two weeks earlier.

Since 10 million tickets were sold for the Olympics, the city of Paris was flooded with visitors for the games.

Overall, research indicates that hotel rooms during the Games cost around $570 per night. Those same hotel rooms normally cost around $250 per night.

Budgeting for the 2028 Olympics

With these numbers in mind, it may seem like going to the Olympics isn’t feasible, but there are some things to keep in mind.

First of all, the 2028 Summer Olympics are taking place in the United States, which is great news for American sports fans who want to see the historic event. It also means that you may not have to deal with airfare depending on your location.

While you can rest assured that some of the most popular events are going to incur hefty ticket prices, be willing to negotiate by sitting a little further from the action if it’s an event that you really want to see.

Additionally, experts recommend booking your hotel or short-term rental as early as possible to take advantage of lower rates.

Ultimately, going to the 2024 Paris Olympics costs around $5,000 for international travelers. That figure only includes tickets, airfare, and lodging, which means that food, souvenirs, and other costs would only make it higher.

The Olympics are a major world event, and as such, they’re not cheap. If you want to go to LA in 2028, start saving now.