Simon Calder reveals there will likely be Paris journey bargains through the Olympics

On Friday 26 July, the Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics will start – with all of the airports serving the French capital closed through the occasion.

But as soon as the competitions get beneath approach, Paris may really feel like a ghost city – with anticipated customer numbers approach down on a standard summer season. That spells bargains for British vacationers through the Video games.

Virtually half the rooms within the French capital are nonetheless unsold through the Olympics, which run to 11 August. Charges for double rooms in mainstream price range lodges at the moment are beginning to fall under £100 per evening.

Air France says it’s “experiencing strain on projected unit revenues for the summer season season because of the upcoming Olympic Video games in Paris, with visitors to and from the French capital lagging behind different main European cities”.

The French nationwide service says: “Worldwide markets present a big avoidance of Paris.”

From a vacationer perspective, town is more likely to be empty. There will likely be challenges getting round, however the reward will likely be having fun with the points of interest of one in every of Europe’s most stunning cities in splendid isolation.

These are the important thing questions and solutions.

Gained’t Paris be brim-full with athletes, organisers, media and spectators?

All of these cohorts will definitely be there in massive numbers – however lots of the tens of millions who usually vacation in Paris in July and August will keep away. This is identical sample as we noticed 12 years in the past at London 2012, with massive tour teams staying away en masse.

The massive distinction is that the tourism authorities are being open in regards to the scale of the stoop. Corinne Menegaux, who’s director-general of Paris Area Tourism, instructed me she expects at most seven out of 10 resort rooms to be stuffed – in contrast with 91 per cent in July final yr.

Whereas there will likely be many spectators, most of them will likely be from round Paris or coming in for the day on high-speed trains from cities corresponding to Bordeaux, Strasbourg and Lyon – without having to remain in a single day.

What does that imply for resort charges?

Many lodges have been pricing their rooms extraordinarily excessive, believing the Olympics will show the perfect get-rich-quick scheme ever. Some will do very effectively, having offered massive numbers of rooms to delegations, the media or specialist sports activities tour corporations.

However previously couple of weeks a few of the lodges that I’m watching and which had been exhibiting as “offered out” have now reopened to bookings through the Video games – presumably as a result of corporations had been holding them on possibility.

Charges are nonetheless fairly stable at extra upmarket properties – sometimes €300-€400 for a double room in a classy four-star property.

However lots of the mid-to-low-budget lodges at the moment are slicing their charges under €100 an evening, which for peak summer season is excellent worth. That was taking place largely within the suburbs, however previously few days lodges within the centre have additionally began slicing costs.

How can I attain Paris?

Apart from Friday 26 July through the Opening Ceremony, when a swathe of northern France the scale of Belgium will change into a no-fly zone and the Paris airports will likely be closed, it’s simple and reasonably priced.

On Eurostar, trains from London St Pancras, which all the time instructions a premium, the most affordable one-way fares to Paris are round £110 on Saturday 27, July however decrease on each day thereafter all through the Video games. Coming again, the typical Paris-London lowest fare every day is £64, with a little bit of a surge on the ultimate day, 11 August.

Air fares are less expensive than going by practice. On Saturday 27 July you’ll be able to fly from Manchester to Beauvais (Ryanair’s model of Paris) for £25 – and later within the Video games the standard fare on that route is nearer to £15.

From Bristol to the closer-in Paris CDG, easyJet has simply lower its 27 July fare by £10 to £87.

How regular will town be, although?

Count on a really excessive safety presence and plenty of roads closed – however primarily forward of and together with the opening ceremony.

A couple of Metro stations will likely be closed through the Video games:

Due to the stoop in customer numbers, although, in all probability the oddest phenomenon would be the capability to get pleasure from nice museums such because the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay with out the same old summer season crowds.

I heard they’re charging further for the Metro …

Sure. The value of Metro tickets is sort of doubling from 20 July to eight September 2024, from €2.10 to €4. However you will get round that by shopping for them on-line now and storing them in your smartphone.

Homeowners of the iPhone ought to open the Apple Pockets and click on on the + image on the high proper. This reveals choices together with Journey Card. Choose this, then wade by a listing of Chinese language transit playing cards till you attain France/Navigo/Paris. You might be supplied choices from one €2.15 “t+” ticket (legitimate for a single journey) to a one-day, all-zones go for €20.60.

For Android telephones, first obtain the Ile-de-France Mobilités app. The transport authority says: “The service is out there on nearly all of NFC telephones from Android 8 model.”

Once you use them, maintain your telephone towards the Navigo smartcard reader on the ticket gates and they’ll open.

Can I nonetheless get tickets for occasions?

The massive athletics tickets have all gone – although you could find tickets for soccer, and occasions such because the marathon and biking are going to be on town streets.

For extra journey information and recommendation hearken to Simon Calder’s podcast.