Heading To Paris During The Olympics 2024? Read This First
The 2024 Olympics and Paralympics are just a few weeks away. To prepare for the games, Paris is closing many of its famed attractions with a gradual reopening occurring two to three months later. In the heart of Paris, the Trocadéro, the Eiffel Tower, the Champ de Mars, the Esplanade des Invalides, the Pont Alexandre III, the Place de la Concorde and the Place de l'Hôtel de Ville will be among seven places hosting events. Grandstands will be set up along the Seine for the Olympic Opening Ceremony.
If you’re heading to Paris soon, here are a few places which will remain closed to you for the duration of the games and beyond.
Place de la Concorde
The Place de la Concorde is a major public square in the city's eighth arrondissement, at the eastern end of the Champs-Élysées. It will host the BMX freestyle, breaking, skateboarding and 3×3 basketball events. It will be closed to all traffic, including pedestrians, till September 7, when a partial reopening will take place. The entire western section will reopen from September 25.
Pont Alexandre III
The magnificent Pont Alexandre III will be closed for the cycling, triathlon, marathon swimming and para-triathlon events. Pedestrians can use the bridge's upstream sidewalk but vehicles will have to wait until September 20 to traverse it. Furthermore, most of the bridges between the Pont d'Iéna and the Pont d'Austerlitz will close by July 1.
Champ de Mars
The Champ de Mars, a large public park where visitors can gaze at the looming Eiffel Tower, will be entirely closed to the public for the duration of the competition. Since the venue contains both a basketball court and a football field, it will be the site of beach volleyball competitions for the Olympics and five-a-side football at the Paralympics.
Jardins du Trocadéro
Created for the 1937 World’s Fair in Paris and part of the Champs de Mars complex, the Trocadéro Gardens, which have the spectacular Fountain of Warsaw, will be closed to traffic and pedestrians beginning July 1. The Place du Trocadéro will be similarly closed starting July 16. The area will begin to reopen on July 27 until deconstruction is completed by October 8.