Heading to Paris for the Olympics or Paralympics? Discover the dining and shopping spots staying open this summer. Photo / Unsplash
If you’re travelling to Paris for the Olympics or Paralympics, you will likely find more dining and shopping options open for summer; a time when most Parisiens usually shut up shop and head off ‘en vacance’, writes Lindsey Tramuta
Anyone who’s visited Paris in late July and August knows the word “ferme.” It adorns the darkened windows of chic indie boutiques and cosy bistros whose owners, with other locals, have fled the city on their annual holidays.
This summer, with Paris expected to draw nearly 15 million visitors between July 26 and September 8 for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, that ritual is anything but certain. Many shopkeepers, bakers, restaurateurs and tour guides — citing patriotism as well as profit — say they’re planning to stay open.
READ MORE: Bizarre French laws that could trip up Paris Olympics tourists
It’s a decision that comes with unpredictability. The 2012 London Olympics have cast a long shadow in Paris. Before those Games, warnings of overcrowded roads, congested transit and security concerns emptied out much of the popular city centre and the West End, causing a tourism slump in those areas. Small-business owners in Paris are hoping history does not repeat itself.
The French capital is in a better position than the British capital was, insisted Pierre Rabadan, Paris’ deputy mayor for sports. Most of the events in London were held in one section of the city, he said, while in Paris, they’re taking place all over. “So when businesses have asked if they should stay open,” he explained, “we tell them we’re trying to create the conditions for this to be a real opportunity and for the city to function normally.”
With streets restricted, Metro stations closed and public transportation likely to be jammed, “normally” might be a stretch. But if you’re travelling to Paris for the Olympics or Paralympics, you will most likely find more dining and shopping options than you would otherwise see at that time of year. Here’s what to expect.
“If you want to have your ‘Emily in Paris’ trip to Paris this summer, you absolutely can,” said Olivia Gregoire, France’s minister of Tourism. Most popular attractions will remain open as normal, but a few closures could complicate plans.
The Place de la Concorde has been blocked off, even to pedestrians and cyclists, as of June 1, and three nearby Metro stations will close until September 21.
The Eiffel Tower will remain open except for the eve and day of the opening ceremony, on July 26. The region’s airspace will also be closed for six hours before and during that event. And because the opening ceremony is set to take place on the Seine, river cruises, among the city’s most popular sightseeing experiences, will stop seven days before the ceremony and resume on July 27 at noon.
Owners of businesses that focus on tours and cultural experiences are banking on earlysummer visitors to soften the blow that might come from a drop-off during the Games, after the Paris Tourist Office reported that participation in cultural activities was down by 15 per cent during the London Olympics.
Fat Tyre Tours, a leading bike tour company, will run special Olympics-themed tours in early summer, then pivot to bike rentals during the Games to compensate for an expected drop in tour bookings.
Jane Bertch, a co-owner of La Cuisine Paris cooking school, which offers English-language classes in a location near City Hall, said she had noticed a sharp drop in bookings for late summer, but will “run as many classes as possible”.
The Olympic crowds will bring appetites for Paris’ renowned cuisine, but for months, restaurateurs have been worried that restrictions on motorised vehicles in security zones around the city’s 25 competition venues could curtail deliveries. City officials have calmed some of those nerves.
“We don’t want restaurants to close during this monumental event because they’re worried about deliveries,” said Gregoire Ambroselli, a co-founder of the food logistics start-up Choco, during an Olympics-related conference in March.
Now, armed with more clarity on how to adapt to delivery challenges, most restaurants and bakeries report they will stay open during the Games, with one big caveat: Many plan to take a break between the closing ceremony, on August 11, and the start of the Paralympics, on August 28.
Maslow, a soaring, centrally located vegetarian restaurant facing the Seine, wouldn’t dream of closing, given its proximity to the Olympic action. But that decision comes with some unease. “We’re staying positive because the energy will be incredible, but we’re a bit worried about how hard it will be for our staff to get to work,” said executive chef Mehdi Favri, who is also a co-owner.
Commuting has ranked high among businesses’ concerns. However, locals have faced similar hurdles getting to work before. In 2019, trains across France and public transport in Paris were severely disrupted for nearly two months during a nationwide pension reform strike, forcing workers to walk or cycle long distances.
André Terrail, the owner of the Michelin-starred restaurant La Tour d’Argent, which overlooks the Seine, doesn’t think the Olympic commutes will be quite that complex but admits such challenges, in general, are the price of doing business in Paris. “It’s going to be complicated. We’re all going to be running around. But it’s also going to be amazing,” he said. “If other host cities have found solutions, so will we.”
Etheliya Hananova, a co-owner and sommelier at the contemporary French restaurant Comice, is perhaps the most enthusiastic about the summer ahead — enough to remain open seven days a week for three weeks to August 10. “It’s one of the biggest events in the history of Paris. We’re here to be part of the welcoming committee,” she said.
The scaling-back of the opening ceremony on the Seine has given the antique booksellers, or “bouquinistes”, that line its banks a reprieve, and many plan to stay open. Shoppers will also be able to browse in department stores such as Galeries Lafayette, Printemps and Le Bon Marche. For those seeking something unconventional, the Saint-Ouen flea market will sprawl out as usual, offering antiques, vintage clothing and more.
Outside the tourist areas, popular restaurants and bars such as Holybelly, Folderol, Kubri, Abricot Le Mary Celeste and Fulgurances aim to draw visitors seeking a break from the crowds. “We’ve decided to open six days a week,” said Rebecca Asthalter, a co-owner of Fulgurances. Likewise, independent boutiques such as Landline, which sells home goods in a residential neighbourhood east of the Bastille, are hoping travellers branch out to calmer parts of the city.
Back in the thick of the action, Marin Montagut, an artist and illustrator who sells hand-painted table accessories, stationery, silk scarves and candles from an apothecary-style boutique near the Luxembourg Gardens, is planning a Paris-inspired display of his wares. “I’m looking at this like it’s the World’s Fair. I want to honour the city and be open to all,” he said. “If I’m not optimistic during this period, when will I be?”
GETTING THERE
Fly from Auckland to Paris with Qatar Airways, Emirates, and Cathay Pacific with one stopover.
DETAILS
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Written by: Lindsey Tramuta
©2024 THE NEW YORK TIMES
Telegraph: “A bingo card of disappointments.”