This summer promises to be an extra special one in the city of light.

Why, you might ask? Because the Olympics are here in Paris, of course!

Maybe you’re concerned that traveling to Paris during the summer Olympics will be chaotic and unpleasant, but we’re actually convinced of the opposite. We think it will be a truly unique time in the city that you won’t want to miss (especially if you love sports!). Besides, how often do you end up visiting a country at the same time it’s hosting a worldwide event as legendary as the Olympics?! It’s a once in a lifetime experience to be sure.

Yes, some things will be different than normal, but no less magical!

So if you’re planning a visit, here is all of the information you might need for understanding what the french capital will look like during the Olympic Games (whether you have tickets or not!)

Photographed by us for our super fun clients during the Rugby World Cup in France this last year! Can’t wait for more sports loving clients!

If you HAVE tickets to any of the Games (lucky!), then you will find plenty of helpful information here for navigating the capital.

If you do NOT have tickets and are planning a tourism visit to Paris that happens to coincide with the Olympics, (you are also lucky!) you will definitely want to use this blog as a resource for your trip. That way, you can plan accordingly and make sure you get the most out of your time in this beautiful city.

It’s been 100 years since the 1924 Paris Olympics… and now Paris will be hosting the Olympic Games again (for the third time in olympic history), from July 26 to August 11, and, for the first time, the Paralympic Games from August 28 to September 8, 2024!

The competitions will take place in the heart of the city, in temporary stadiums near some of the capital’s greatest monuments (and of course, our favorites): the Eiffel Tower, the Grand Palais, Place de la Concorde, Alexandre III bridge, etc…

The Olympic Village is a 5-minute walk away from the Stade de France stadium (7 km from the center of Paris). The Olympics will mostly occur in the Saint-Denis, Ile Saint-Denis and Saint-Ouen districts.

Want to know more about the olympic program?

Here are the Olympic Events in Paris: (including all the new sports and their olympic venues)

Bercy Arena: Basketball, Artistic Gymnastics, Trampoline

Champ-de-Mars Arena: Judo, Wrestling

Eiffel Tower Stadium: Beach volleyball

Grand Palais: Fencing, Taekwondo

La Chapelle Arena: Badminton, Rhythmic Gymnastics

Invalides: Archery, Athletics – Marathon

La Concorde Stadium: 3×3 Basketball, BMX Freestyle, Breaking, Skateboard

Parc des Princes: Football

Alexandre III Bridge: Marathon Swimming, Cycling Road, Triathlon

Iéna Bridge: Cycling Road, Athletics – Race Walk

Roland Garros Stadium: Boxing, Tennis

South Paris Arena: Handball, Table Tennis, Volleyball, Weightlifting

Here are the Event Venues Outside of Paris:

Aquatic Centre: Artistic Swimming, Diving, Water Polo

Château de Versailles: Equestrian Dressage, Equestrian Eventing, Equestrian

Jumping, Modern Pentathlon

Elancourt Hill: Mountain Bike

Golf National: Golf

La Défense Arena: Swimming, Water Polo

Le Bourget: Sport Climbing

Vaires-Sur-Marne Nautic Stadium: Canoe Slalom, Canoe Sprint, Rowing

Paris Nord Villepinte: Boxing

Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Velodrome: Track Cycling

Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines BMX Stadium: BMX

Stade de France: Athletics, Rugby, Closing Ceremony

Yves-du-Manoir Stadium: Hockey

For anyone curious about sports happening on overseas territories outside of the mainland...the Surfing competition will happen in Teahupo'o, on the French territory of Tahiti (French Polynesia)!

Alright, let's talk about how the organizing committee has adjusted the city access...

So basically, the Paris police headquarters has established 2 perimeters (red and blue) around the competition sites to ensure the safety of spectators, athletes, and local residents during the summer games.

These perimeters mean that there will be access restrictions for motorized vehicles. The good news is that traffic restrictions will NOT affect pedestrians, cyclists, or scooter users in the red and blue perimeters.

There will also be disruptions caused by the setup and take-down of venues, which will extend the amount of time that certain locations are inaccessible to the public.

Here is a breakdown of the Perimeter system:

Red & Blue Perimeters (See Maps Below):

The red perimeter prohibits motor vehicles entirely, so you will NOT be able to drive in these zones. The blue perimeter is open to cars, but still limited.

The red and blue perimeters will be activated simultaneously around the venues for every competition. They will be activated 2 hours and 30 minutes before the start of the first event, and will be lifted 1 hour after the last event ends.

If you have tickets to the games, the doors to the competition venues will open 1 hour and 30 minutes before the event starts.

Of course, only people in possession of a ticket will be able to access the organizer site.

SILT Perimeter:

Several days before the opening ceremony (July 26, 2024), the Police headquarters will set up a protection perimeter (referred to as SILT) which will also ban traffic. This is basically for extra security. Traffic will also be prohibited within the SILT perimeter on the day of the ceremony.

All residents and professionals in the area will be asked to obtain a pass by registering in advance on the Police Prefecture platform. All modes of travel (pedestrian, cyclist, motorized, etc.) will be affected.

This year, the opening ceremony will be held on the River Seine, which will take the form of a river parade! We're so excited!

Here are Maps of the Perimeters in Paris:

Map of Perimeters around the Trocadéro, the Eiffel Tower, the Champs de Mars, Invalides, Grand-Palais, Pont Alexandre III, and La Concorde

Map of Perimeter around Arena la Chapelle

Map of Perimeter around Roland-Garros, Parc des Princes

Map of Perimeter around Porte de Versailles Arena

You might be wondering how public transport will work…

Metro Closures:

Getting around the heart of Paris during the Olympic Games will be a bit more complicated than usual, since certain metro lines/stations will be closed for security reasons. But don't worry, there are still plenty of transport options available. It just requires planning out your routes in advance since there will be a very large audience coming for the Paris games.

Public transport in Paris and the Ile-de-France region will serve 25 venues (13 in Paris and 12 in the inner and outer suburbs) for the Olympic Games and 17 venues (including 10 in Paris and 7 in the inner suburbs) for the Paralympic Games, These include the Arena Porte de la Chapelle, Stade de France, Les Invalides, Pont d'Iéna, Parc des Princes, Le Bourget climbing site, Château de Versailles, and Stade nautique de Vaires-sur-Marne.

The city is encouraging passengers to look for their line a little further away than normal, and to walk or cycle a little more, whenever possible.

Metro stations within the red and blue perimeters will remain open. In the SILT perimeters, however, metro stations will be closed and inaccessible to passengers.

Transport lines most affected:

Metro: lines 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13 and 14

Tram: T3a and T3b

RER: lines B, C and D

Transilien: lines J (Argenteuil branch), L (towards Versailles Rive Droite), N, P (towards Meaux) and U

Closed Metro Stops: (all of these stops are located very close to the competition venues)

Tuileries

Concorde

Champs-Élysées - Clemenceau

Metro stations to avoid: Gare du Nord and Palais Royal - Musée du Louvre (these stops are not recommended between 9 and 11am and between 6 and 9pm.

Other stations designated as extremely busy: Miromesnil, Saint Augustin, Havre-Caumartin, Saint-Lazare, Madeleine, Châtelet-les-Halles, Pigalle, Porte de Clichy, Porte de Saint-Ouen, Laumière, Jaurès, Stalingrad, Jacques Bonsergent and Porte d'Orléans.

Closed Tramway Stops:

Colette Besson (served by the T3b tram line)

Porte de Versailles (T2 and T3a tram lines)

Porte d'Issy (T2 tram line)

For further information, click HERE

Places We Recommend Visiting that are Outside the Olympic Zone/Perimeters:

Jardin du Luxembourg
Saint-Germain-des-Près
Le Marais
Montmartre
5th Arrondissement + Jardin des Plantes
11th Arrondissement + Bastille Area
10th Arrondissement + Canal Saint Martin Area
La Vilette + Cité des Sciences
Arc de Triomphe

If you plan on taking the high speed train in France (TVG) during the Olympics or Paralympics in Paris France, the SNCF site has opened ticket sales through September 2024! Book here: https://www.sncf-connect.com/

We hope you have an unforgettable experience this summer and that you're able to fully absorb the magic of the games, as it spreads beyond the venues and into the cobbled streets of Paris! The whole of France will be celebrating the Olympics Games Paris, so bring your energy and enthusiasm! This will be such a cool moment of history to witness and you're in the right place!

If you're looking for something to do in Paris while you're here, the Katie Donnelly Photography studio will be OPEN during the Olympic games! We would absolutely love to help you create lasting memories in the form of professional, museum-quality portraits so you can remember this trip forever.

If you would like to book an indoor or outdoor session with us, click HERE