As a Parisian, Here’s How I’m Preparing for the Olympics

Article Summary:

• I lived in London during the 2012 Olympics. Now, as a Paris local, I’m preparing for the 2024 summer Olympics. 
• There will be major transportation delays around the city. Be aware of closures, delays, and designated zone changes. I plan on walking and biking. Check out official maps that show zone changes and Olympic venues locations.
• Be prepared for price increases across the city. 
• Many Paris attractions will be booked up or closed. Planning and patience is key. 
• Be mindful of health and safety measures. The city will have an increased security presence. I also plan on masking to stay healthy with the influx of visitors. 

The Olympics can be a joyous time, full of amazing and record-breaking feats. But if you’re attending (or just visiting Paris at the same time), planning is essential.

I lived in London during the 2012 Olympics. Before it started, I hadn’t thought much about it—I wasn’t getting tickets to any events, so why would the Olympics affect me? But the Olympics changed my life for two weeks, from riding the tube to visiting my favorite sites.

So, when I saw that the 2024 Summer Olympic Games were coming to Paris—where I live now—I knew that I’d have to make preparations! And I doubled down on this when I saw that the city is expecting 16 million visitors [Source]—that’s eight times Paris’ population!

If you plan on visiting Paris this summer, whether it’s before or during the Olympics, it’s time to get ready! 

Here’s what I’m planning to do to make the experience easier on my daily life in Paris:

Getting My Walking Shoes Out

Paris has been preparing for these Olympics for years. But in the past few months, I’ve really started to notice a lot of changes in my daily life. The most visible of these? Métro notices and stop closures.

Even in June, Métro stations like Concorde and Tuileries shut down as the city prepared for events to take place there. And Google Maps wasn’t aware of this—when I timed my trip to Concorde in mid-June, it listed the station as open. It was only once I got onto the subway and saw the stop crossed off on Line 1’s map that I realized it was closed.

There are lots of ways around this, and lots of metro and bus stations are still open. But with eight times as many visitors as residents, I’m expecting Paris public transportation to be jam-packed.  

One of my favorite things about Paris is how walkable it is, and I’m lucky to live in a fairly central area. So, for the two weeks the Olympics are on, I’m going to walk as much as possible.

Buying a Bike Helmet

Paris is walkable—but it could take me hours to visit friends in the outer districts or suburbs on foot. Normally, I’d take a taxi to or from these places, particularly late at night. But that’s going to be a little bit trickier due to the Olympics.

During the Olympics, Paris will be divided into red zones and blue zones. [Source] No traffic is allowed in red zones, and blue zones have modified traffic. The zones come into effect 2.5 hours before an event starts and an hour after it. 

Rather than trying to keep track of all of this, I’m planning to bike when I can’t walk. I don’t own a bike, but Paris’s bike-sharing program, Velib’, is cheap and easy to use.

But with all the visitors in the city, I’ll be using the designated bike lanes very carefully—and I’ll be wearing a helmet.

Keeping Up With QR Codes

There’s been a ton of confusion among Parisians about this, but basically: the government will require QR codes to enter certain areas. I live in a popular area, so I was certain I’d need one to get back to my apartment—it turns out, I don’t.

In addition to the red and blue zones, Paris is also setting up two perimeters, one gray and one red. There are very specific rules for each perimeter. 

Luckily, the city’s made it easier to figure out if you’ll need to get this code with an interactive map. This map takes into account the place, date, time, and method of transport you’ll be using, so be sure to check it out as you plan your Paris itinerary.

Boosting My Budget

We’re already seeing big price bumps on many goods and services in Paris, but the biggest one for most people’s daily lives is yet to come. 

From July 20, subway tickets will rise to €4 (from €2.15), while bus tickets will rise to €5 (from €2.50). This won’t just affect you if you’re in Paris during the games: the fare hikes will last until September 8.

Depending on how much you’re planning to use public transit, this could affect your budget a ton or not at all.

But prepare for other costs to skyrocket, as well. I wouldn’t be surprised to see food and restaurant prices go up during the Olympics, for example. And you can be sure that Uber will be using some extra surge charging during that time!

Locking Down Plans

Transportation isn’t the only thing that’s getting disrupted this summer. The other day, I planned to walk through the Tuileries on my way to meet friends. But when I got there, I found that part of the gardens had been gated off in preparation for the Games.

I’m making sure that everything I plan to do between July 26 and mid-August is, first of all, still open! 

For example, the Eiffel Tower will be closed on July 26. And the Tour de France, which normally starts in July and ends in Paris, began in June this year and took a different route.

I’m making reservations for all my favorite Paris restaurants, even those where I don’t normally need to wait for a table. If I were planning to visit Paris museums during this time, I’d be booking those tickets in advance, as well. 

The same goes for Paris tours. A lot of guides are canceling or rescheduling: they can’t guarantee that their groups will have access to regular routes and destinations.

Keeping Away from the Olympics (If You’re Not Going)

I keep reminding myself that 16 million people aren’t coming to Paris just to come to Paris—they’re coming for the Games. And that means that the biggest crowds are going to be around Olympic venues.

I’ve already bookmarked the official map of Olympic venues. To the best of my ability, I’m going to avoid these areas during the Games. Not only are a lot of them going to be in the gray- and red-zoned areas, but they’ll also be some of the most crowded spots in the city.

Prepping for Security

It can be surprising to see groups of armed police officers walking up and down the street. And that’s exactly what they’ll be doing during the Games. Plan on seeing lots of security forces, particularly around event sites and monuments.

France is planning to put around 45,000 police and gendarmes on the street every day. In addition, they’ll add around 18,000 members of the military and around 20,000 private security forces.

Other countries, including Spain and Germany, will also contribute officers to help keep Paris safe during this time.  

Staying Healthy

There are lots of bugs going around Paris right now as travelers pour into the city. Anecdotally, several friends have been struck with various viruses. I only expect this to get worse as more people from around the world come into the city.

Remember that colds and viruses can travel on surfaces, during person-to-person exchanges, and in the air. I’m planning to mask as much as I can, even outside, and to stock up on hand sanitizer.

Expecting Delays (and Hoping for Pleasant Surprises!)

With eight times Paris’s population visiting, even the best-laid plans may go awry! Above all, my biggest plan during the Olympics is to be patient. 

If a particular subway train is too crowded to get on, I’ll wait for the next one. If a street is blocked off, I’ll take the long way around.

Normally, I give myself a lot of time to travel through Paris, but I’m adding even more time into my schedule during the Games. While I might normally add ten minutes to a Google Maps route, I’ll likely add 20-30 while the Olympics are in town. In the worst-case scenario, I’ll have more time to enjoy crowd-watching!

A Final Word

Don’t get me wrong—the Olympics are incredibly exciting, and they’ll likely do a ton to boost Paris’s economy. But if you, like me, are planning to be in Paris for other reasons, a little planning will go a long way.