Despite a recent agreement preventing an airport strike in Paris on 17 July, one union is still threatening to walk out in the lead up to the Olympic Games.
13.07.2024 - 09:53 / lonelyplanet.com
Jul 12, 2024 • 5 min read
Paris will be buzzing with Olympic and Paralympic fervor this summer, but for those seeking a break from the sporting hustle or simply wanting to explore more of what the city has to offer, there are plenty of alternative events and attractions taking place.
Here are some of the best exhibitions, walking tours, foodie celebrations and other unique experiences in Paris you can enjoy this summer.
The city’s annual Paris Plage event is back for another summer, which will see parts of the city transformed into a “beach” between July 6 and September 8. The main event is seeing the banks of the Seine lined with deckchairs, parasols and palm trees and, if the weather holds out, sunbathers making the most of it, but there are other spots to explore too.
The hip Canal St-Martin is getting in on the action this year, with activities ranging from boules and table tennis to a quayside exhibition. And despite the will they/won’t they buzz around whether Olympics athletes will be competing in the Seine, Parisians can brave the water at various spots around the city, including three open-water swimming pools set up at the Bassin de la Villette on the Canal de l'Ourcq. Different parts of the city are in action at different times, so it’s best to check the dates online.
The Hood has been a neighborhood favorite for all-day Asian food since it opened in the 11th arrondissement back in 2016. For summer, the team will be hosting daily apéro evenings (the French shortening of apéritif), serving up five plates and five wines for €5 each. Head by on weekdays from 6:30pm to 8pm and weekends from 4pm to 8pm for Asian dishes such as Singapore satay, vegan fried tofu with homemade wasabi mayonnaise, and veggie spring rolls. Saké fans should also put July 28 in the diary, when The Hood will be pairing the apéro menu with a selection of Wakaze sakés, a French-made sake that uses Japanese techniques and Camargue Japonica rice. Events tend to fill up quickly, so it’s best to reserve ahead online.
Every year, there’s an exhibition in Paris that becomes the city’s summer blockbuster. This time around, there’s no clear (gold) winner, but instead a few sports-themed contenders. Those interested in the history of the Olympics should book tickets for Olympism at the Louvre (April 24 to September 16, 2024), which tells the story of how the modern Games were founded back in the 19th century. MATCH: Design & Sport - A Story Looking to the Future (from March 11 to August 11, 2024) at the Musée du Luxembourg presents historical and iconic design pieces that have contributed in some way to the world of sport, from the first-ever sports bra, the Jogbra, to the Speedo LZR Racer swimsuits, which was partly created by NASA
Despite a recent agreement preventing an airport strike in Paris on 17 July, one union is still threatening to walk out in the lead up to the Olympic Games.
The Skift Travel Podcast is continuing its series on the Paris Olympics. This episode features a discussion with Patrick Mendes, Accor’s CEO for Europe and North Africa. Accor is an official partner for this year’s Games, as well as Europe’s largest hotel group.
As Paris gears up for the Summer Olympics, the city has been a study in contrasts. Typically busy quarters like the Marais seem quieter than usual, while others, such as the areas around the Hotel de Ville and Notre Dame, hum with activity.
Games wide open! The Paris 2024 Summer Olympics are here—so, expect to hear the roar of that slogan in the weeks again. There’s simply no way to quantify, or perhaps, prepare for, the already-electrifying energy infiltrating the host city and the largest Olympic ceremony ever. Despite the Games’ 300,000 spectator capacity, Paris is expected to receive around 15 million visitors, including 2 million from abroad, in the coming weeks.
With just hours to go until the Opening Ceremony for the Paris 2024 Olympics, chaos has hit the country’s transport network. On the night of Thursday, July 25, a series of fires spread across France’s high-speed rail lines, causing delays, cancelations, and disruptions to the rail system.
I've traveled around the world, but even after a dozen visits, Paris remains my favorite city. I never tire of its cafés, restaurants, parks, or opportunities to practice my French.
France's rail network has been thrown into chaos today following a series of arson attacks, just hours before the nation officially opens the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Delta Air Lines has been in the spotlight of the airline industry this week following a five-day-long operational meltdown that led to more than 5,000 flight cancellations and stranded passengers and their checked bags for days.
Paris is expected to welcome 11.3 million visitors during the Olympic Games, significantly increasing its population density. This surge in visitors is spurring travel demand to international destinations, such as Italy and the United States, that harness this desire to leave crowds behind, also benefiting United Kingdom, Spain, and Greece, as well as farther destinations, such as Thailand or Japan.
Over the coming weeks, some 15 million visitors will descend upon Paris for the 2024 Olympics. And many will linger longer, hitting the country’s hotspots such as the much-loved Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, which already teems with travelers. So if you’ve been eyeing a hotel nestled in the quaint town of Gordes, or dreaming about a dip off the coast of Antibes or Saint-Tropez, you might want to think again. But that doesn’t mean you have to rule out a sojourn to the South of France altogether–other sunny locations including lesser-trafficked Marseille and the Luberon Valley, sans Masseratis and glitzy Gucci slides, are indeed worthwhile for a quiet city break.
Step 1: Board the train. Step 2: Climb into bed. Step 3: Wake up at your destination.
Visitors to the upcoming Paris Olympics will soon have an easy way to save money on transportation. Uber, the popular rideshare app, will be offering an automatic 10 percent discount on rides for passengers from Paris airports between July 22 through Sept. 8. The discount applies to arrivals from both Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) and Orly Airport Aéroport de Paris (ORY). Passengers can also save 30 percent if they use UberX Share within the city, as long as they are matched with another rider during the trip.