Season 1 · Leg 3
Let's Ring a Bell in Paris and Sleep Near a Castle in Provence
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The route map
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Pins are approximate and show the on-the-ground route in Paris and Provence. Download the KML for Google My Maps / Google Earth
Why go here?
This is the leg for anyone who loves Paris but secretly wants to see the parts the postcards skip. We'll find a famous tea shop, climb a cathedral tower, walk through the actual sewers, and then catch a fast train south to a hilltop castle in Provence. Glamour and grime in one day. That's the Amazing Race spirit.
Getting there: LA to Paris
I checked SNA and LGB first, but the good Paris fares leave from LAX. Google Flights showed a $615 round trip on Royal Air Maroc (Google Flights). Then we ride the train down to Avignon and back up again at the end, which is cheaper than flying home from Marseille. Ouigo runs Paris to Avignon from €16, in about 2 hours 40 minutes (Ouigo).
Total cost for flights and trains: about $651 per adult (round-trip flight $615 + two Ouigo legs at €16, about $36)
Where we're staying
Two nights in Paris at Le 7 Eiffel, with rooms at €122–137 (Le 7 Eiffel), then one night in Provence at Hôtel l'Amandière in Saint-Rémy. It has a pool and rooms from €190 (Alpilles en Provence).
Total cost for 3 nights: about $260 per adult, two sharing (Le 7 Eiffel €274 + l'Amandière €190, about $520 total)
Stop 1: Mariage Frères (the Fast Forward)
The Fast Forward sent teams to find the Mariage Frères tea shop on the Left Bank, at 13 rue des Grands-Augustins. The counter is open Monday to Saturday, 10:30 to 19:30, and closed on Sunday. The tea room is "reopening soon" (Mariage Frères), so plan on taking tea home. I'd pick a tin as the souvenir and call it a win.
Running cost: $0 (the tin is up to you)
Stop 2: The Detour, Tough Climb or Easy Walk
Teams either climbed Notre-Dame's tower to ring "Quasimodo's bell," or hunted for Foucault's pendulum at the Panthéon. I'm doing the climb. The towers are €16 with a timed online slot, and it's 424 steps with no lift (Notre-Dame towers).
If your knees vote for the Easy Walk, the Panthéon is €13 from October to March (€16 in summer), and the pendulum swings right there under the dome (Panthéon).
Running cost: $18 per adult (Tough Climb)
Stop 3: The Paris sewers (Roadblock)
Yes, we're going into the sewers, and yes, it's a museum. It's €9, and it's open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00, closed on Mondays (Musée des Égouts). It smells exactly like you'd think for about five minutes, and then you're too fascinated to care. Afterward, we come up and walk to Place du Châtelet like the teams did.
Running cost: $28 per adult
Stop 4: Down to Provence
From Avignon TGV station, a taxi to Les Baux runs about €63–80 (1map route). For the budget version, bus 707 leaves from Avignon's central station for €2.70–3. I'd splurge on the taxi going out, because we're racing, and take the bus back.
Running cost: about $76 per adult (half an €80 taxi + €3 bus)
The Pit Stop: Château des Baux
The castle ruins sit on a rocky spur above the village, with views across the olive groves. Entry is €10 for adults (Château des Baux). Walk to the top of the ruins, catch your breath and fix your hair. That's where we'd meet Phil!
Running cost: about $87 per adult
Total cost of this leg for Pit Stop Passport racers: about $998 per adult (estimate, two adults sharing rooms: flights and trains $651 + hotels $260 + activities $87. It doesn't include meals, Paris Métro rides or tips. Prices checked Oct 23–25, 2026, at €1 ≈ $1.12, and they will change.)
Family Pit Crew
Kids love this leg, especially the sewers. I'd swap the tower climb for the Panthéon if anyone is small, and give the castle a full afternoon.
Age rules, stop by stop
| Stop | What the rules say |
|---|---|
| Notre-Dame towers | Free under 18 with a timed online slot and an adult. It's 424 steps with no lift, and climbing isn't recommended for under-6s (Notre-Dame towers). |
| Panthéon | Free under 18 (Panthéon). |
| Paris sewers | Free under 18 (Musée des Égouts). |
| Château des Baux | €7 for ages 7–17, free under 7, or a €27 family ticket (Château des Baux). |
What I'd skip with kids. I'd skip the tower climb with anyone under 6 and do the Panthéon's pendulum instead, which is honestly the better magic trick. I'd also skip the tea-shop hunt with restless kids and send one adult in alone.
Family-friendly places to stay
- Le 7 Eiffel, Paris. Two adjoining rooms sleep four (Le 7 Eiffel).
- Hôtel l'Amandière, Saint-Rémy. Family rooms at €190–270, with a pool (Alpilles en Provence).
- Hôtel Jardins Eiffel (budget pick). Connecting rooms from about €100 (Jardins Eiffel).
Total cost for the Family Pit Crew: about $3,701 (estimate for two adults and two kids: four $615 round trips with kids at the adult fare = $2,460; Ouigo both ways for four at the adult fare = about $143; two Le 7 Eiffel rooms for 2 nights = about $614; l'Amandière family room at €270 = about $302; Panthéon for two adults = about $29, kids free; sewers for two adults = about $20; taxi out = about $90; bus back for four = about $13; château family ticket = about $30. It excludes meals, the Métro and tips. Prices checked Oct 23–25, 2026.)