Anyone hear anything on any travelers experiencing any issues with their visits these last 2 + days. I saw highlights of Gare du Nord being blocked for a time, making it difficult for access to the inside. Just one example. Of course, we don't know when and how this will play itself out. Any concerns for travelling there now? I am there end of October.
Posted by
Belgium
24 posts
Wednesday, September 10, was been declared a national day of action in France.
According to the Interior Ministry's press release, 850 actions were carried out, bringing together 197,000 people. Even taking into account the usual discrepancy between the ministry's figures and those of the organizer, this mobilization is nothing exceptional in France, a country of 66 million inhabitants.
Wait and see what will happen next to these new forms of engagement capable of bringing together people who are not affiliated with any movement, and are content to follow a blocking order on social networks or Telegram and WhatsApp loops.
Posted by
Vancouver, BC
878 posts
We are travelling to Paris and other parts of France in 2 weeks and we have no plans to change our trip. We have been in France many times when there have been May 1st demonstrations, various strikes and also during the yellow vest protest movement. We have never felt unsafe and will move in another direction if there is a nearby protest or change our plans for the day if needed. We feel very safe travelling in Europe just as we do travelling in our own country, Canada.
Posted by
Somewhere out there
171 posts
Drove from Normandie to Paris CDG two days ago. On advice of French friends we avoided toll roads/main highways. Took a couple hours longer but was effortless.
Decided to forego a trip into the city though.
Posted by
Chicago
9303 posts
Was in Paris on the 10th and there was no sign in any of our wanderings that day that anything was happening. Most metro lines including the 3 that we use were running normally, all the shops and restaurants were open. Some of the RER lines were running at half. I went from Paris to Auvers su Oise on the 9th with a friend on various RER lines and we purposefully avoided this longer day trip on the 10th but on the 10th in Paris we didn't see any signs at all.
Demonstrations are a way of life in France. It is one of the reasons their food is so far superior, they have good public transport, they have good medical care and employment protection. The French fight for policies that are beneficial to 'the people' not only the billionaires. the US president just cancelled a policy that airline passengers have to be compensated if their travel is disrupted; in France this spring we received a refund of our ticket prices when we were bumped from a flight and delayed in our travels. You don't get policies that benefit people if you don't fight for them.
Demonstrations are not dangerous and you can easily turn and walk the other way if you see one and it makes you nervous.
Posted by
Vacaville, Ca (Sometimes)
1526 posts
I'm with Claire, been to Paris many times during strikes and protests with no issues. I arrive on 25 September for a month from Budapest and I'm looking forward to my time there. Starting a couple of days before my arrival in and departure out of Paris I will search Air France, France 24 & other sites to ensure my flights are still ok or if I need to find optional transportation.
Posted by
OP
New Jersey
215 posts
TY all for responding and allaying my concerns for now...lol. I guess one way of looking at this all part of the "RS" experience.
Posted by
85 posts
We just left Paris after a week there. We didn't see any sign of any demonstration anywhere.
There was also a "transportation strike." According to news accounts the only thing that was actually shut down was a Metro route from CDG to Paris Centre. Of course there were work-arounds on Metro. No reports of any impact on taxis, buses, RER, or anything else.
Posted by
Myrtle Beach, USA
12333 posts
To piggyback on Janet's comments, that's why I try to always use a European carrier when flying to Europe. There are consumer protections that aren't available on American operators, including cancelation and change protection. It's not a recent phenomenon.
As just one example, I was stuck in Iceland overnight. Our plane out of Paris took off two hours late (due to weather at Keflavik). When we landed, 69 of us had missed our connections. I went, as directed, to the customer service counter. They pointed me to a shuttle waiting to take us all to a hotel. At the hotel, they gave me a key and said dinner would be provided in the lobby. At dinner, they posted our travel connections for the next day and which shuttle to use to travel back to the airport. Breakfast was at another hotel, a short walk from ours.
I was happy. Can you imagine trying to get anything (meals, lodging or even transportation) from an American carrier if the delay is due to weather? Anything you do receive will be bought with serious arm-wrestling between you and customer service.
Brad