15 reasons to visit Paris during the Olympic and Paralympic Games
Dossier
Updated on 17/05/2024
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With the Olympic and Paralympic Games coming to Paris, visiting the French capital this summer could be the opportunity of a life time. Sports, free concerts, fun and games for children, a sense of community… We've chosen to list 15 reasons why you won't want to miss out during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Every day will be a party!
It's a pretty good reason, and one that may never come up again. Parisians usually leave the capital over the summer but the party like atmosphere could change a lot of minds! Throughout the Games, arrondissement town halls will be organizing free festivities to enjoy with family, neighbors and friends!
The aim is to keep the guinguette spirit alive throughout the city. If you like karaoke, concerts and dancing, you're in for jam-packed evenings!
Start working on your dance steps for this summer!
Credit
Henri Garat / Ville de Paris
Terraces open til midnight!
More good news for party-going tourists: it's official, the summer terraces are back, and this time you'll be able to enjoy them until the end of the night - or at least until midnight.
It's a great excuse to experience Parisian night vibes, eat out until the early hours or even celebrate your nations medals in a local bar.
Enjoy drinking and eating outside all night long this summer!
Credit
Joséphine Brueder / Ville de Paris
Free initiations to a host of Olympic and Paralympic sports!
Fencing, blind soccer, diving or break dancing… Sports you've dreamed of trying your hand at in front of your TV.
You'll be able to dabble in what ever takes your fancy at the many initiation and beginner classes scheduled every day and all over Paris. Even if medals won't be up for grabs, you'll be able to take part!
A muscular initiation
Credit
Ville de Paris
Let the kids have their fun!
During the Games, youngsters won't be left out, festivity organizers around Paris have pulled out all the stops to put on a great range of activities.
These include mini-tournaments, recycling awareness workshops, mobile game libraries, juggling, basketball, yoga classes, shows, outdoor libraries, film screenings and more.
The only worry is that kids could end up having a better summer than their parents!
During the Games, children won't have time to get bored.
Credit
Emilie Chaix / Ville de Paris
We'll be surrounded by the world's best athletes!
If you missed out on competition tickets, don't worry, there'll be plenty of free events!
You'll even be able to watch them take place in central Paris. The marathon will run along the Seine and cycling races are going ahead in the east and south of Paris.
Running into marathon runners on the way to pick up a baguette…
Credit
Joséphine Brueder / Ville de Paris
Meet the world!
Have you been brushing up on your foreign languages? Because this summer, 16 million visitors are expected in Paris. To experience this multi-cultural coming together, what better place than the Parc des Nations in La Villette (19th arrondissement).
Foreign Olympic Committees will be set up in a dozen or so pavilions, designed by several architectural schools. These pavilions will be a meeting place for all nations, as well as a place for everyone to exchange ideas and share experiences.
Parc des Nations, at La Villette (19th district)
Credit
Florian Hulleu
We'll finally see athletes swimming in the Seine!
Swimming events were originally held in the Seine at the 1900 Paris Games, near Bercy. But who was around to see them?
A good reason to stay will be to watch the swimmers take to the river, which is currently prohibited. And who knows, maybe these events will inspire Parisians and tourists alike to take a dip in the Seine themselves. Next summer, swimming in the Seine will be made possible for everyone!
Who's got the best crawl?
Credit
Guillaume Bontemps / Ville de Paris
Learning about para-sports!
Almost 350,000 visitors with disabilities are expected in Paris during this period. With the aim of making the Games inclusive and accessible, the city has rethought its disabled-access to enable as many people as possible to get around and enjoy its facilities.
It's also an opportunity to put the spotlight on para-sports and clubs. What's more, there are still tickets available at low prices for Paralympic Games events. Go for it!
A game of wheelchair tennis
Credit
Jean-Baptiste Gurliat/Ville de Paris
Museums will be packed with sports related exhibitions!
Bringing the worlds of sport and culture together is also the aim of the Cultural Olympiad. If your favorite sport is running around museums, you'll be delighted: many of them are hosting exhibitions linked to the Games. The themes are sometimes surprising, but always enriching.
It's a great opportunity to see sport in a different light, with your friends, family or on your own!
Painting of a rowing team
Credit
Musée intercommunal de Nogent-sur-Marne
Parisian monuments transformed!
Some Parisian landmarks have been around for ages but if you think you've seen them all before, think again. This summer will see them transformed into competition sites and venues.
While some of them will be transformed into sporting theaters, others will benefit new special lighting effects or original facade decorations. A great way to showcase Paris' splendid heritage.
At the foot of the Eiffel Tower, nothing less… than a stadium
Credit
Paris 2024
Reviving the spirit of France 98!
If there's one sporting event that's never forgotten in France, and remembered as a symbol of fraternity and shared happiness, it's the 1998 soccer world cup final. Complete strangers embraced, friendships were forged as everyone got behind Les Bleus. A rare moment of communal joy that everyone wishes could happen again.
Head to festivity sites to follow the events on big screens with like minded fans!
A sporting and festive event for all to enjoy together
Credit
Joséphine Brueder / Ville de Paris
Celebrities will be around every corner!
Famous faces are not unusual in Paris. But where global events mean global stars!
Celebrities with close or distant links to the world of sport, such as former champions, relay players or popular singers, will be coming to support their compatriots. One American TV channel, for example, has confirmed Snoop Dogg as a commentator.
So get ready for a quick selfie!
Make room on your smartphones…
Credit
AdobeStock
Follow the torch relay to some unusual places!
The torch relay is an essential tradition marking the start of the Games. Lit in the sanctuary of Olympia in Greece, the flame will travel through France, with several stops in the capital.
On July 14th and 15th, Parisians will be able to watch torchbearers relay the flame free of charge in locations specially selected for the occasion: places of remembrance, history, worship and culture, but also working-class neighborhoods, transformations and even parks and gardens.
A great way to set Paris on fire!
The Olympic flame, lit in Olympia, is on its way!
Credit
Paris 2024
Enjoy Paris beaches!
For those of you who think summer is all about idleness, Paris Plages is the place to be! Swimming spots and deckchairs, as well as sporting and cultural activities will be on offer on the dedicated sites.
Three sites will be open this summer. First off, the emblematic Bassin de la Villette which is dedicated to young people and families. The banks of the Seine (Paris Centre), will also be accessible after the opening ceremony and a brand-new site, the Canal Saint-Martin, will be opened for the occasion!
Everyone in the water!
Credit
Henri Garat/Ville de Paris
A once-in-a-lifetime experience!
What will we remember about these Games? Surely the fervor and celebration, the encounters and sharing between the competing nations. Memories for a lifetime that will make you say "I was there!"
Unless of course you've already planned on going to Los Angeles in 2028…
We might as well make the most of this rare event!
View of Los Angeles
Credit
Adobe Stock
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