Hi,
I'd like to plan 5 whole days in Paris May 5-9. I'm concerned that the Olympics may push many people to plan their vacations sooner to not get caught up in the Olympic crowding. Does anyone have thoughts about this concern?
Posted by
la la land...
1004 posts
Paris in May 2023 was the most crowded I have ever seen in many years of visiting in May...
Your hypothesis makes sense to me. Given my experience this past May, I think Paris will be jammed in May 2024.
So you should test your own theory by looking at hotel websites, or an aggregator like booking, to see if there is availability for May. I believe you will find that some hotels have already been booked; I have a friend who works in the bookings side of a 5 star Paris hotel, and she told me in May 2023 that her hotel was already solidly booked for next summer - June, July, and August - telling me that the rush for hotels in Paris is already happening, including prior to the Olympics...
Posted by
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
4582 posts
I don't have any factual information to share, just my opinions. Many of the Olympic sites are in public tourist hotspots such as along the river and Versailles. I can't help but think that some of these areas are going to be shutting down around then or have restricted access to prepare for such things as event seating and media/camera locations, among other things.
I could be wrong, but those preparations can't begin the night before the games begin, and media and other stakeholders are going to start spilling into town to begin the preparations.
Posted by
San Diego, California
5604 posts
I think your concerns are valid. And not just Paris, but many other locations inside France will be affected.
Advance / support staff all come in early.
When I was living on the Central Coast of CA for the 1984 Olympics in LA, many of our pools, tracks, and gyms were populated by athletes coming in early to adjust to the food, water, climate, and time zone. And- We were two hours from LA.
A sweet memory of 1984-
At a local community college pool, as my daughter was finishing up her two -year old swim lessons, the US Women's synchronized swim team was coming in to practice. The little girls from the swim lessons were trying to imitate the deck practice of the Women Swimmers, hands sweeping in air with heads back. We then had the honor of watching the Team practice in the water. This will always be such a fond memory of mine.
So note that not all competitions are in Paris proper, such as sailing, beach volleyball, rowing, and soccer, etc.
There's already been extended discussion here, which you can Search. The consensus is to avoid France next spring and summer, but it's your trip, so have a great time!