We will Be in Paris July 20-26. Any suggestions for what to do on Sunday 23 July if we are NOT cycling fans? We will want to stay away from crowds on the Champs Elysees.
Rick suggests doing the Illumination tour by taxi/Uber on Sunday due to better traffic conditions. How late on Sunday might traffic be impacted on the Champs Elysees?
Posted by
Chicago
8166 posts
Take a day trip to Rouen or Chartres.
Posted by
OP
Calif
23 posts
We are planning to see those by car. We have 10 days with a rental (Normandy & Loire) before dropping it at Orly and spending 6 nights in Paris. We will be there Thurs to Wed. I'm trying to plan our days.
Any insights are welcome.
Posted by
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
8293 posts
Paris is a large city. Just stay away from the Champs. Go to a museum. Go to Chateau Malmaison, not far from Paris, or go to St. Denis to visit the dead kings. Take a Seine cruise or a visit to Pere Lachaise or Montparnasse cemeteries. Go to Dijon for the day or Rouen , or even Strasbourg.
Posted by
Long Beach, California, USA
3398 posts
Go to the Tour de France website and you can find detailed maps of the exact route it will take once it arrives in Paris. Just avoid those parts of the city and you'll be fine!
Posted by
755 posts
I would suggest taking the RER to Versailles. On Sundays the amazing garden fountains are all working and there is music. If you are staying in the Rue Cler area, be aware that the route this year will include the Esplanade des Invalides, around the Invalides metro station. So leave by noon wherever you decide to go, and check to see when /if any of the nearby Metro stations will be closed. The race itself is scheduled to end around 7:30, but the awards program can go long. The Champs usually stays busy after the Tour, because there are so many cycling fans in town. The website of the Mairie de Paris usually has road closure info a few days before, and the Journal de
Dimanche (Sunday newspaper in Paris) will also have this information. I've been in Paris many times for the arrival of the Tour, so hopefully this will info will be helpful.
Posted by
Florida
1450 posts
Another way to avoid the TdF is to elbow a competing rider into the barricade. The rules committe will then kick you out of the race and solve your problem for you.
Posted by
victoria, Canada
11507 posts
Ive been in Paris at least 4 or 5 times during Tour de France.. half the time I even forget its on.. as said its a large city and its easily avoidable if you stay away from Champs area ( which for me is easy to do ) .. since you arent driving a car you dont have to worry about roads closed etc.. I would say this is a non issue. Plan to do what you want that day.
I have never done a taxi tour, seems like a lot of money to do something I can do by walking around or taking a nice boat cruise instead.
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
16547 posts
Voting with the others here to just stay in Paris and avoid the Champs (which is not my favorite anyway). There are tons of other things to do which are nowhere near that area. Personally? I wouldn't do Versailles on a Sunday during high season either.
Posted by
Paris
2466 posts
Weekends are the most crowded at Versailles so I wouldn't recommend going then.
I would also avoid going on the Illuminations tour on Sunday, because security will be extremely tight, and Taxis/Uber will have to avoid certain areas.
Go on Monday or Tuesday, instead.