The first European Olympic Games since London 2012 is about to get underway. A dramatic Olympics opening ceremony is set to take place on Friday evening along the Seine in the heart of the French capital.
In an unprecedented move, all three Paris airports will be closed as a no-fly zone the size of Belgium is imposed across northern France during the ceremony.
On the ground, the UK Foreign Office is warning: “Until Friday 26 July, you will need a digital pass to travel to some areas of Paris because of preparations for the Olympic opening ceremony. Different rules will apply depending on whether you are travelling on foot, by bike, or by car or another vehicle.”
Yet once the Games begin in earnest on Saturday 27 July, last-minute visitors can cash in on bargains.
These are the key questions and answers about how travellers can enjoy the world’s greatest sporting tournament
How frenetic will it be ahead of the Games?
Reaching Paris before the opening ceremony is a race against time. The last flight to land on Friday is expected to be an Air France flight from Edinburgh to Charles de Gaulle airport, due to arrive at the gate at 5.10pm.
After that the skies will close until around midnight.
Almost all planes will be banned from a circle with a radius of 80 nautical miles centred on Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris from 6.30pm to midnight, local time.
Normally the final Friday of July would be one of the busiest days of the year for aviation, with 350,000 passengers passing through the giant Paris airports – Charles de Gaulle (CDG) and Orly – as well as Beauvais, a key budget airline base north of the capital.
But only flights by military, customs, police, gendarmerie, civil security or emergency aircraft will be allowed in the area, along with “aircraft in charge of filming for the 2024 Olympic Games” and flights carrying dignitaries accredited by the French foreign ministry.”
What’s caused the closure?
The no-fly zone has been imposed due to fears of a terrorist attack. The French Civil Aviation Authority (known as DGAC) says: “A temporary prohibited area (ZIT Ceremonie) is created to ensure the implementation of the special air security arrangements as part of the protection of the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games 2024.”
Britain’s biggest budget airline, easyJet, has cancelled almost 100 flights to and from the French capital because of the airspace closure. Normally those aircraft would have carried around 18,000 passengers.
Even if you are not going to Paris, many air routes from the UK normally go over the French capital – and they will have to detour around the exclusion zone, adding to congestion in the skies. Routes that would normally pass straight over Paris include Bristol to Milan, Edinburgh to Marseille and from Nice to London Heathrow or Manchester.
What will Paris be like on Friday?
Very different. Eleven key Métro and RER (suburban rail) stations in the central area are already closed, including those serving the Eiffel Tower, the Place de la Concorde and the Champs Elysées. Road closures for the massive security operation surrounding the opening ceremony are expected to cause chaos. A system of passes for vehicles – as well, in some areas, for cyclists and pedestrians – is in place.
When asked about traffic, the French transport minister, Patrice Vergriete, told a news programme: “We no longer guarantee anything.” The key difference, though, is that the millions of tourists who would normally flock to the city in late July and August will be absent.
Certainly there will be a good few Olympics enthusiasts in attendance. But nothing like the numbers who are keeping away because they are worried about disruption, high airfares and expensive hotels. While the Foreign Office says “airports and main line train stations will be busier than usual”, my sense is that they will be quieter than usual.
How expensive will it be to travel to France?
In the very short term, very expensive. Eurostar is running 15 London-Paris trains on Saturday, with the lowest fare shown at noon on Thursday as £247. Five of the departures are sold out. But by 5pm the cheapest ticket had fallen to £195.
The first flight departure from the UK to Paris after the airspace opens is believed to be the 5.55am on Air France from Manchester to CDG on Saturday morning. It is currently priced at £1,069. The early London Heathrow to Paris CDG departure on Saturday morning, also on Air France, is currently priced at £745 in economy class – for a journey that typically involves only 40 minutes in the air.
The two BA flights on the Heathrow-CDG route on Friday sold out at a price of £461 one way. On Saturday the cheapest flight with British Airways is £200, but you may find availability with Avios, BA’s frequent flyer currency.
But on Thursday fares for travel on Saturday from Leeds Bradford and Belfast International to Beauvais on Ryanair both fell to about £80.
What about later in the Games?
Once the Games are fully underway, airfares tumble. On Tuesday 30 July, for example, you can fly from Belfast International, Edinburgh or Manchester to Beauvais on Ryanair for £27 or less. The lowest fare on Eurostar trains from London to Paris on this day is £124).
A week later – Tuesday 6 August – you can add Birmingham to the list of really cheap deals on Ryanair to Paris, at £27.
Flights from London are only about £10 more; for example on Vueling from Gatwick to Orly or on easyJet from Luton to CDG.
Even on the prestige British Airways route from London Heathrow to Paris CDG, the fare is as low as £49 – remarkable considering Air Passenger Duty and Heathrow airport charges amounting to £35.
The cheapest Eurostar ticket on 6 August is £72.
How much will it cost to stay in Paris?
Much less than a normal summer in Paris, for hotels. Tourism officials tell me they expect about one in three hotel rooms to be empty during the Olympics. During a normal summer only one in 10 rooms is available,
Certainly some five-star hotels are heavily booked with rooms at £1,000 a night or more. But most hoteliers are revising down their expectations of getting very rich, very quickly, and are reducing their rates.
For months the stylish Hotel Mademoiselle (well located in a quiet street a 10-minute walk from Gare du Nord and Gare de l’Est) has had no availability from 26 July to 11 August. A few weeks ago rooms became free once again, and in the past couple of days rates have dropped to €144 (£121) for double including breakfast – an excellent off-peak rate.
The NH chain of four-star hotels has just launched a sale, with 25 per cent off “all stays until 15 September” showing how long the Olympic slump is expected to continue. Rooms available in NH’s fancy, well-located properties cost around £180.
Will ‘normal’ tourism be possible at this unusual time?
Definitely. There are some oddities – for example, the Louvre requires advance booking – but overall the city’s tourist haunts could be ghostly quiet. Just be prepared for getting around to be slower than usual.
The Foreign Office says: “Make sure you plan your journey and leave plenty of time to reach your destination.”
Is it possible to buy Games tickets?
Yes, very easy. The Paris 2024 tickets app, handily in English, is very good at showing what’s available with prices starting at €15 – and increasing to €1,600 for tonight’s opening ceremony. Many thousands of tickets are available for men’s and women’s football.
Judo, fencing and badminton are among many other sports on offer – but not, at the moment, big athletics events.
In addition there are 26 fan zones where, say the authorities, you can “enjoy the spirit of the Games for free throughout Paris, to keep up to date with the Games, watch the broadcasts of the events and enjoy the festivities”.