Photo credit: Tikanuismith/Instagram.
Paris has hosted several Olympiads: 1900 and 1924 and will host in 2024. This year marks the 100 years since Paris has hosted the Olympics. To make this event one to remember, new sport categories have been introduced. In this blog post, I share some tips for better plan a trip to Paris 2024 Olympics.
Here are some tips for better plan a trip to Paris 2024 Olympics:
Table of Contents
When is the Paris 2024 Olympics games
The Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games will start on July 11 to August 11, 2024. The opening ceremony will begin at 7.30 p.m. CET time ( Central European Time). For this special Olympic event, the city of Paris introduced for the first time four new sports that are vey popular on social media and that would most likely attract younger viewers. These new categories are:
- Breaking
- Skatebording
- Sport climbing
- Surfing
Where will the opening ceremony take place
The opening ceremony will take place in the heart of the French capital with atlhetes from all over the world parading on boats on the Seine River and not in a stadium.
Where to stay to see the opening ceremony?
The best way to see the ceremony for those not into big crowds is to book a hotel room or an apt located along the Seine River or bordering it. The best arrondissements to stay in located along the Seine River are just to name a few:
- 1st
- 4th
- 5th
- 6th
- 12th
- 13th
- 16th
This way, you get to watch the opening ceremony from you hotel balcony or window away from massive crowds. Here’s a list of some of the best hotels along the Seine River to book your rooms and see the festivities:
- Novotel Tour Eiffel
- Notre Dame Saint Michel in central Paris
- Off Paris Seine, a floating hotel in the 13th arrondissement
How to attend the Paris Summer 2024 Olympics
To attend any of the major events, you will need your tickets. You can get yours here. You can also attend by becoming a volunteer or working for one of the many official sponsors that will be on site. Furthermore, kindly note that Tickets for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games are only on sale on the official ticketing website . No other sales platform is authorized to sell tickets.
Olympic events venues in Paris
A significant number of the Olympic event venues chosen are easily reachable via public transportation and Uber. These venues include:
- Bercy Arena in the 12th district or arrondissement
- Grand Palais in the 8th arrondissement
- Roland Garros Stadium in the 16th arrondissement
- South Paris Arena 6 in the 15th arrondissement
- Stade de France (Saint Denis, outside of Paris)
Stade de France will be accessible from Gare du Nord for visitors arriving from central London or any parts of London. from Gare du Nord, the suburban trains B and D will make stop at Stade de France.
What to do for free in Paris during the Olympics Games
The city of Paris has planned a lot of free activities for locals but also for visitiors. If you would like to know more about the things that you can do for free, I wrote a blog on “Free events to do during the Paris 2024 summer Olympics here. “
Plan the essentials
First things first. If you plan to be a spectator plan accordingly starting with the essentials:
- Make sure to have a valid passport or a ID card ( EU citizens only)
- You need to have a valid visa
- Plan your transportation by booking your flight or train tickets early
- Visa credit card if the only card payment option accetped or cash
- jet lag can be hard on some people so plan accordingly
- Translating apps
Paris is major city with an international airport. Many major airlines such as Delta, American Airlines, United Airlines, Air France… have flights going there. For a list of essentials to pack for a Paris trip, you might be interested in this post,
- 14 Essentials to pack for an ultimate Paris trip.”
- 30 Useful French phrases to know for Paris 2024 Olympics
Olympic host French cities for the 2024 summer Olympics
If you are looking for the perfect get away from the city for a day trip or more, there will be host cities accross France. These cities are:
- Lyon
- Marseille
- Saint Étienne
- Bordeaux
- Villeneuve-d’Ascq
- Teahupo’o (Tahiti French Polynesia)
- Nice
If you happen to attend a game or any festivities in Nice, I recommend this French Carribean restaurant, Le Hamack Kreyol. The food is just too good to keep it to myself. The address is 24 Av de la République, 06300 Nice.
Events in host cities
Marseille will host the sailing events while Villeneuve-d’Ascq near Lille, the hand ball games. Teahupo’o in Tahiti, French Polynesia is the right place to hold the surfing events.
How to get to the host cities
The host cities can be reach by train or by plane. Make good use of the opportunity or time that you have to visit these cities and see another face of France. For example, Lyon is a quick 2 hour drive from Paris. While you are there, I highly recommend that you visit a bouchon restaurant.
Security during the summer 2024 Olympics
Security as you can expect will be heavy so expect long lines and massive crowds. Give yourself enough time to get to a host city or an event.
Have fun and enjoy the moment
Wheter you are visiting Paris for the first time or not, remember to have fun and to enjoy the moment. Pack a huge dose of patience no matter where you will be going. We are just a couple of months away so you still have time to finalize a few things.
Conclusion
The Olympic games will be soon upon us. Sports enthusiasts, supporters and athletes will gather in Paris to watch and partake in the competition. The most important thing is to finalize your planning and hopefully the tips mentionned above will help you better plan a trip to Paris to exprience the 2024 Olympics.
