Including how to get around, how to secure tickets and the most unmissable events.
The City of Light is about to shine even brighter in 2024 as it hosts the Summer Olympics. Paris is promising a never-before-seen spectacle, with the opening ceremony unfolding along the banks of the picturesque River Seine and sporting events teeing off right across the country and beyond. From ticket information to travel logistics, this is your top-to-tail guide to celebrating the Paris Olympics.
Read on to discover more.
When & where are the Paris Olympics?
Kicking off on 26 July 2024, Paris is opening the games right in the heart of the city with a 10,500-athlete-strong ceremony along the recently spruced River Seine. Viewing spots on the upper quays will be free to the general public, but more intimate front-row seating on the banks will be available for a fee, allowing over 600,000 spectators to witness the lighting of the torch. The games themselves will be held until 11 August with events extending to Paris’ outer suburbs and cities further afield such as Nice and Bordeaux. If you have stock in the surfing rounds, those competitions will be held in France’s overseas territory of Tahiti. The Paralympics then kick off on 28 August until 8 September, with events across the city of Paris.
Stay in the heart of Paris
How to secure a seat at the Paris Olympics
Securing a ticket is easy with all allocations offered through the official website’s ticketing portal (which requires a registration). This is considered the only trusted channel for purchasing tickets. At the time of writing, there are still spots left for select Olympic events including football, basketball, boxing and athletics, as well as limited seating allocations for both the opening and closing ceremonies. With over half of the 10 million tickets already sold, you can also opt to wait for the spring 2024 resale period to snap up seats to your preferred event.
Tickets for Paralympic events went on sale on 9 October and there are still tickets available across a wide variety of sports including swimming, table tennis and rugby, as well as the opening and closing ceremonies. There are also Discovery Passes available so ticket holders can attend multiple events on the same day.
How to get around the city
If you manage to graduate from tourist to ticket holder, you will need a way of getting to your event, which can prove challenging when millions of others are hot on your trail. Thankfully, Air France has partnered with the games to fly spectators across 835 daily routes including France’s wider host cities and French Polynesia. You can expect the events to be sprinkled across Paris, Bordeaux, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Nantes and Nice which are also accessible by train. Important information about France’s train network, airports in each city, visa requirements and more can be found on the official website’s practical information page.
Discover France
What’s on in the city during the Paris Olympics
France is set to throw its biggest party in history over a thrilling four months, sparing no expense with more than 300 events planned for the once-in-a-lifetime occasion. The whirlwind begins on 8 May with the arrival of the torch in Marseille and ends in high spirits at the closing ceremony of the Paralympics on 8 September. Game-goers can rejoice daily opposite the Eiffel Tower at the Trocadero, coined ‘Champion Park’, which will be fitted out to celebrate the days’ medal winners. The Parc de la Villette and its Grande Halle will also be transformed into ‘Club France’ at which over 700,000 people will be able to come together and celebrate French wins.
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