Paris strike daily transport updates -- final update (for now)

Thanks Andrew for volunteering to do this. I'll be following closely to advise my grandson.

Not sure this is the appropriate forum for what I need, but here goes. Our youngest son is currently in Paris for a college study abroad program. He is scheduled to fly back to the US on December 19th. Based on what I have read so far, it is my understanding that the strikes could extend beyond December 5th and possibly intermittently during the entire month of December. We are thinking about booking a hotel room for him at the Charles de Gaulle airport for the night of December 18th. Assuming that the strikes continue into the middle part of December, does anyone have any suggestions as to getting transportation to the airport on December 18th?

@robertgiberson There are several hotels right there. The Sheraton is AT the airport, but can be pricey. The Hilton Roissypole proports to be right there - I just booked that for us the night before our departure for the same reason. Go on google maps and zoom in. loads of options. Maybe pay the uncharge to not be prepaid so if the world implodes he has alternatives. Hope he had a great abroad experience!!

@Andrew thank you for this!!

@ryl3y2006 Thank you so much for the information. Our son has had a great experience in Paris. It has not only broadened his view of the world, but has also added to his self-confidence.

For those who want to stay near the terminals the night before a flight, there are 2 newer moderately priced hotels within covered walking distance of the tram system that goes to the terminals, CDGVAL. They are a Holiday Inn Express and Hotel Mercure.

Kim,

When you wake up in the morning can you give us a post on what it is like in Paris?
Obviously if you save for a major trip and your locked out of the Eiffel Tower, Orsay, etc it is highly upsetting, aggravating etc.

On the flip side it appears the worst was less then anticipated— RER is getting in from CDG, no roadblocks stopping cars/rentals/taxis from getting to/from the airport. More Metro running then was anticipated. I’m taking these as positives that the “shut the city/country down for a month“ attitude with the supporting public may not be there.

We're in Paris now (from Pennsylvania). Landed this past Thursday and took a rental car to Strasbourg. Drove back into Paris yesterday and are staying near Gare Du Nord, which would have been an ideal location for our trains and metro use in a normal circumstance. We've replanned our whole day for today because they stopped all metro lines (except 1 and 14). Every bus I've seen has been jam packed with people. Lots of available taxis near Gare Du Nord, if needed.
We leave tomorrow morning and booked a transport instead of waiting to hear if the airport train is running. France is always a good trip, this one is just a bit more stressful.

Thanks all for your hard work regarding the updates. My husband and I are trying to decide what to do--supposed to arrive in CDG at 9:55 Tuesday AM. Have a car service to get to hotel but not sure what else will be open, esp. given the call for more strikes on the 10th. Trying to decide if we should last-minute replan our entire trip to just visit some friends in Switzerland. Any thoughts on how. things will be Tuesday in Paris? Thanks again.

Andrew and Ashley,
Thank you for doing this!

I am in a similar situation to Meg above. My wife and I are headed into Cdg Tuesday morning at 9:45. We are trying to decide if it is best to continue with our trip or reschedule. It is difficult to figure out exactly how bad it is or may get based on various news sources. Any insight would be appreciated.

Thanks all for your thoughts and sharing what you know. We have decided to cancel tickets and rebook for another destination. We had only a week, and so felt as though we had less room to be flexible. Terribly disappointed but trying to keep perspective (and grateful for a cheap flight to Munich that we found this AM). Good luck, all!

Thank you for the information Andrew. Like Meg we just decided to cancel and try for another time. This forum has been a big help overall.

Monday December 9 update for buses

Contrary to what RATP has published last night, they are NOT able to run 1 out of 2 buses today, Due to strikers blocking bus depots (and thus preventing buses from leaving the depot), they are only able to operate 1 out of 3.

Also please note that the means that the authorities use to measure traffic jams around Paris and its environs (including on the boulevard Périphérique and on the A1 to/from CDG airport), they are finding that the traffic jams this morning are DOUBLE what they normally are at this time of day,

At 8 am, it's 600 km of « bouchons » — the all-time record is 620 km.

Also, the very little bit of the Metro line 4 that is open (and that only during rushhour) is experiencing technical difficulties.

Live update from Paris, this morning is an absolute mess. Heavy rain means that the usual backup solutions (bikes, scooters, long walks) aren't available, buses that were scheduled to run are not running... Trying my luck going to the office, but I'm not sure I'll make it there!

A great Twitter account to follow for cultural institutions is Elodie's Paris (and especially helpful now, as she updates on shortened hours or closures):

@ParisbyElodie
*** (the Forum has read this address and reformatted it -- it should be
@Paris(underscore)by(underscore)Elodie

For traffic in the Ile de France, another real-time map is available at

sytadin.fr

My sense is that on Thursday and Friday (and perhaps over the weekend), the impact of the strike wasn't so crippling, because so many Parisians built it into their schedule and just decided to stay home.

That has definitely changed this morning. And with more people trying to get to work on what are still very limited transport links, and many taking to the roads, it is a huge mess.

I could tell the difference not only by watching the news this morning and reading online news sources, but also from the crowding on my (automated) Line 1 metro train -- there were simply significantly more people on the train today than there were on Thursday or Friday.

I think those who cancelled their trips this week have done well to do so, sadly. I had friends here last week and they actually did okay. The real problems are starting now.

I did make it to the office (bless line 1), but 1h15 to cover approx 3.5 miles as the crow flies is record-breaking in the opposite sense of the term. Much as I love my city, I would say that a visit in those conditions would be extremely frustrating, especially for people coming from countries where things are typicaly orderly (and yes, I consider that the US and Canada fall into that category :-) ).

We are scheduled to arrive in Paris CDG on January 3rd. Is there any indication of whether strikes will continue into the New Year?

No, there is no word yet.

We arrived today and I had booked Paris shuttle to hotel; called when we arrived at approx 10 AM; was told shuttle would be an hour in arriving due to traffic, but he did arrive within 30 to 40 minutes. When we were finally able to get out of the airport it was 11 AM- did not arrive at hotel in 5th at 1 PM- traffic was HORRENDOUS, and he had a couple of more passengers still to drop after us. He was great and i believe he did his best in a terrible situation, but best advice is to take a taxi, so you at least dont have to worry about dealing with other drop off’s. Also utilized the HOHO Batobus, which was wonderful, but got stranded at Eiffel Tower; fortunately can relatively easy to locate. Good luck folks- i had thought we could rent bicycles or scooters but after the chaos I saw today, there is no way! Walking, boats and cabs for us.

We were going to book Supershuttle ahead of time --- I thought the taxi queue might be too long---does anyone know if that's the case? We are flying into Orly on Tuesday.

Ashley, thanks again. We are assuming the strike will still be ongoing, we would normally have taken public transportation but don't want to risk it/hassle this time. I just assumed the taxi line would be very long during the strike as many might opt for that who would normally take public transit. I'm so hoping this weekend it will be over for a while, but see another strike the day before our arrival (12/17).

Advice for heading to CDG tomorrow (Saturday) for 11:55AM flight? Staying near Richard Lenoir metro stop (which is of course closed). Hotel reserved a cab for us but warned that it may not come. Four people plus bags. Also concerned about possible blockades on roads tomorrow? Thanks for all of the helpful info so far; really glad I found this page!

They say the RoissyBus (From Opéra) is still running — but of course you still have the issue with getting to Opera.

Same thing — they have reinforced the service on the Bus Direct buses, but you would have to get to Gare de Lyon (the closest stop from where you are staying).

Does anyone know if the RER A will run tomorrow during rush hour (even though it’s a Saturday)? I’m traveling from Disneyland to Les Halles and am unsure would like to take the train if I can since the traffic sounds bad (if I book a car). Thanks!

Almost certainly not — see response on other thread.

Thanks for the update Andrew, this is so helpful! I decided to book a car just in case.

Help! Due to arrive in Paris on 12/19–flying into CDG; hotel in 8th district—-will I be able to get taxi to hotel due to strike? Do you recommend taxi versus Super Shuttle, etc. Appreciate any advice.

Hi Andrew, I just wanted to thank you for maintaining this thread! I'm back home now, but this was invaluable while I was there last week at Disneyland and Central Paris.

Hi Andrew- I just returned home from 8 days in Paris, and your updates were absolutely invaluable! I cannot thank you enough for your timely updates. It was definitely a challenging travel experience, but would have been so much worse without your help.

Just for others benefit, if in a similar situation, we were able to catch the RER A from Les Halles at 7 AM to Disney without issue. Also returned on RER; had intended to depart from Disney about 7 PM, but were just too tired, and returned about 6pm- crowded, but still had seats, and I think 7-7:40 departures would have likely been ok too. This was on a weekday (Monday 12/16)

Hi
When I checked status of my train for 23/12/19 - 17:58 from CDG to MontPellier, one said cancelled, one said full train. Do you know what does this mean? thanks.

We are scheduled to arrive in Paris on December 30 and are taking the Eurostar to London on January 3, with return to Paris on January 7 return flight home. I really do not want to cancel but I also do not want to have a stressful vacation. Thoughts all? Many thanks in advance and Happy Holidays.

ncroteaujohnson wrote:
"We are scheduled to arrive in Paris on December 30 and are taking the Eurostar to London on January 3, with return to Paris on January 7 return flight home. I really do not want to cancel but I also do not want to have a stressful vacation."

I am more or less in the same boat. I am scheduled to arrive at CDG on January 9 (day of big street protest!). As much as I look forward to my much-anticipated week in Paris, I am seriously thinking of canceling. I too don't want to risk the stress of figuring out how to get to and from the airport or getting around town. I don't speak French. Last time I was in Paris I was on a train when something was announced on the speaker and everybody stampeded out. I followed the herd without knowing why. My hour-long direct train ride turned into a 3-hour commuter train ride, jam packed. I have also seen photos of the metro stations during this strike, with people packed like sardines. I don't need that on a vacation.
By the way, I have concert tickets for Jan 10, 11, 14 in Paris. If anyone is interested, please drop me a note. I will give them away if I can't be there.

We are leaving for Paris on 1/1. We will stay in the city until a.m. on 1/7 when we will travel to Normandy.
It has been over 20 yrs since I have been to Paris and I need help knowing what the transportation is, the difference in the types of trains, etc. I’m savvy but can someone please explain it all to me as you would you favorite granddaughter. I will be the basic leader of a 3 generation family trip and I need to get this right, especially so with many transports/lines not running. Maps and websites would also be helpful. We want to do day trips to Versailles & Chartres.
Also, can anyone tell me if they have recently taken a train from Paris to Mont St Michel? If I buy a non-refundable ticket, because it is less, and the train doesn’t run, do I get my money back for that non-refundable ticket?

Has anyone ever hired a driver to take them around Normandy? We will start at Mont St Michel, head to Utah beach area and then over to Rouen before heading home - from 7th-11th In Normandy we want to do D-day beaches, Utah is most important, and chase sight connected to William the Conqueror and Joan of Arc.
And has anyone gone from Rouen to Montrueil sur Mer? How did you do it? Is it worth it?
Maybe I should post about drivers and Montrueil sur mer in a separate post?
Thanks, yall!!! I appreciate your help; I need to get this trip right for my family.

Andrew/Ashley,

My wife & I are scheduled for a Eurostar train tomorrow from Paris to London at 16:13. Planning on getting there no later than 15:00 and leaving our hotel near Rue Cler around 14:15 or 14:30, should we expect to run into any issues? It sounds like the protests will be moving around after using Gare du Nord as a meeting place, but any additional advice you may have would be very helpful.

For all others, other than not being able to get around quickly via the Metro and therefore having to budget extra time into plans for Uber/taxi rides, the strikes haven’t impacted our plans within Paris much. Due to increased road traffic, though, I would advise against any big bus tours!

Hello , I’m schedule to arrive in Paris Friday January 10th staying in St.Germaine will I be able to walk to The Louvre and Eiffel Tower ? Also flying into CDG should I book a car service to my hotel?

Yes, see reply on your other thread.

A friend who arrived at CDG two days ago says:

1) Able to get from CDG to Gare du Nord by slow, crowded, delayed train, then "the world's most expensive Uber" to his apartment.
2) The few Metro and RER lines that are running are extremely crowded.
3) Best way to get around is by electric scooter and rental bike. Make sure your cell phone is working so you can use the rental apps. Drive carefully, saw life flash before eyes at roundabout near Trocadero Plaza.
4) Stores open, supplies fine, no problem shopping for groceries.

We are in Paris right now. Road traffic has not been bad and we have had minimal problem finding taxis as long as we take the time to go to an actual taxi stop. As expected, the Metro is basically useless except lines 1 and 14, and on certain weekend hours. The buses are crowded due to running a reduced schedule.

The major museums are still not holding evening hours due to being understaffed - as reported, some of their employees simply can't commute to work. That said, we're loving the small crowds and easy entrances. We had no tickets for the d'Orsay on a Saturday, showed up at noon, and got inside in ten minutes.

No problem at the airport for us personally. We arrived from Los Angeles to CDG at 3 pm on Friday and got to our 16th arrondissement flat 45 minutes later.

My personal opinion is that you should only postpone your Paris trip if you have poor mobility. The current situation favors walkers. If you don't mind covering several miles per diem on your feet, you're golden.

Thank you, coachlbridges. It's good to know that some fellow Californians are managing well in Paris.

There were protests held earlier today Saturday January 4, but according to tweets, the crowds were small.

But next week is dicey: Per www.thelocal.fr (yes, I paid for a short membership), "French unions have called for two more national days or protests and strikes against the government's pension reforms on Thursday January 9th and Saturday January 11th." These strikes can potentially involve more than transportation workers ... possibly including air traffic controllers!

And there is a gasoline blockade that has been called for Jan 7 - 10.

I am tempted to go, but my flight lands on ... the 9th!

Next weekend (1/10) we're flying in to Gatwick (London) (from LA) and then on to Paris for a few days before going on to Barcelona for business meetings. After booking our flight to Paris today, I thought about doing Eurail instead so that we could also ride the rails to Barcelona and possibly on day trips from there. But after a little Googling, I discovered that the rail strike is still going on and seems to be affecting international travel through Paris as well as the Metro. So that has me pondering whether to choose another destination (maybe Lisbon) or just fly in and out of Paris to avoid the chance of getting stranded in London or Paris waiting for trains. We visited Paris 16 years ago and loved it but don't know much about any alternative destinations this side of Italy. Any thoughts? I've got about 14 hours to cancel the flight if another option seems like a better way to go. It looks like there are creative alternatives to the Metro, such as self-serve scooters, so perhaps we don't need to worry about that.
Merci beaucoup

Hi all! Just wanted to say sorry I missed today's update (for Monday 6 January) -- I had a bit of a personal emergency yesterday (Sunday) so was unable to get to this all day. However, I'm back on track now -- and emergency is all solved -- so I will be updating today for Tuesday once that's available.

Apologies again!

Thanks SO much for all the updates.

From the US, there is little and conflicting news about Paris so it has been the only way to anticipate the situation for our arrival. Do you have any particular precautions for an arrival at Gare du Nord on January 11th? I know that there is protest scheduled for that day (Saturday).

Andrew, no need to apologize. It’s extraordinary that you made it this many days before missing a single one!!
Hope all is okay with the emergency and sorry you had to experience that.

Thanks all for your support!

Today's update (would have been yesterday's update for today Monday had I completed it) was the first day since the start of the strike that I got rid of the no service section on the Métro! I know it's still very limited (rush hour only, parts of lines out, etc.).

It’s funny, as you think about that, and that it takes longer to write as more lines or sections of lines are open, it seems things are getting better — and they are; however, then you stop and think — oh here I am getting excited about this — when it’s still only a fraction of the service, and only during rush hours!!!!. (And for a few of the lines, not even BOTH morning and evening rush, but only one or the other!!!)

Calgon take me away!!!

Thank you, Andrew, for your tireless effort to provide information crucial to us. Happy New Year.

I so wish things in Paris were back to "normal" in Paris, but, hey, what IS normal these days?

My heart goes out to the French commuters who have endured this ordeal for over a month! May there be peace soon.

You're doing a wonderful job, Andrew, and it has made all the difference in our successful trip; we're in Paris right now.

For those who read French, an interesting article from Le Monde: Pour les usagers du métro à Paris, le service est bien inférieur à « un train sur deux » ou « sur trois » ("for Paris metro riders, the service is a lot less than 'one train in two' or 'in three'").

Apparently a group called Plus de trains has done their own measurements of actually available and they claim that the number of trains provided is far below what the RATP has claimed. I have no idea how they're measuring this, nor am I in Paris to provide any personal perspective, but interesting nonetheless!

According to the RER C schedule, service to Versailles Chantiers is actually running. The stop right next to the palace, Versaille Rive Gauche, is closed, but you can get off at Chantiers and walk one mile.

Also, we have been covering long distances around Paris with easily obtainable taxis. They are running well and it's an affordable deal for the four of us. Tomorrow, January 9, traffic will be much heavier, of course.

Thanks for the catch coachlbridges! Went over that a little too quickly, oops.

RATP Facebook page also noting that 14 at a Saint Lazare will be closed as of 3 pm

Note from Big Strike Day: the right bank is paralyzed but the left bank is fine. If a right bank road can be blocked, it is, but we had no issues with a taxi from southwest Paris to Invalides.

Note from Big Strike Day: the right bank is paralyzed

You can say that again!!!

Andrew, do you have any particular advice for an arrival into Gare du Nord on Saturday (January 11)? My Thalys train is not cancelled. At around noon, I will have to get to the 16th arrondissement to check in.

I read that there is another march scheduled for Jan 11 between Gare de L'est and Gare du Lyon. Other areas to avoid?

Thanks so much

Boston01: Andrew is not in France -- he very generously does this forum from his U.S. home for the benefit of those who do not read French.

I am in Paris now, having arrived yesterday Jan 9 in the morning. Even though the demonstration did not start until the afternoon, car traffic from the airport to the right bank was miserable. Grid lock everywhere. My taxi moved at a snail's pace in many places. And it doesn't help that it is rainy. Not sure what to expect for tomorrow Saturday Jan 11, but I imagine the road traffic will be bad. Be prepared for the worst and hope for the best.

Hi Boston01 -- sorry for responding later. As mlliu2006 says, I'm not in France, so I've generally shied away from responding to these "on the ground" type questions, since my info source is more or less just the Internet, and I have not been keeping myself updated on a regular basis on marches/protests/the non-RATP ground transport situation (like taxis and all that). I see that you've posted a separate question and gotten some good answers -- bonne chance with your arrival in Paris!

Please note that there is a separate, completely different protest slated to depart from in front of Gare du Nord at 1 pm Saturday 1/11 (in support of the Kurds and Sudan, according to RATP, which warns of disruptions to bus routes in the area).

Thank you, Andrew and all. Arriving today and hoping for the best. I will post my “on the ground” experience.

Day 3 in Paris. I must say the strike has really put a damper to enjoying Paris. The streets are crowded, and it is challenging to get to concerts because many of the metro lines are running only during limited hours. It is a hassle to have to figure out how to get from point A to Point B depending on the time of day. Uber charges fluctuates depends on demand, and the roads are sometimes gridlocked, perhaps due to extra driving by the locals.

It is Tuesday January 14. Public transport is supposed to be the best since the strike started, but seems to me it is far from normal.

I went to Gare Saint Lazare to catch M12, which is supposed to run 7:30-9:30 in the morning. But for some reason the entrances to M12 platforms were closed off (Gare Saint Lazare is not listed among the closed stations on any of the metro lines). I was directed to take M13 then M1 to Tuileries and walk to the museum. It worked, but on an overcast and windy day like today, the walk was not entirely pleasant. I thank Andrew and Ashley for the information that got me prepared for this contingency. BTW I reached the d'Orsay before 10AM and the line for advance ticket entrance was just as long as for people waiting to buy tickets. Inside the museum there were the usual tourist groups and school groups, but I imagine not as crowded as normally.

One more day in Paris and I have managed to accomplish all I set out to do. This trip has been challenging.
Now, I just hope my advance G7 Taxi reservation for an early-morning trip to CDG on Thursday Jan 16 will come through.

mlliu2006 -- glad to hear you've accomplished your trip goals, despite the challenges!

As a heads-up, it looks like the reason you couldn't get on metro line 12 at St-Lazare is that it's only open (today/Tue) between Mairie d'Issy and Concorde, which is a couple of stops south of St-Lazare. It'll be the same tomorrow/Wed morning (6:30-10:00) on line 12, but in the afternoon (16:30-19:30) the entire line should open.

Public transport is supposed to be the best since the strike started, but seems to me it is far from normal.

Yes, it is definitely still far from normal, this is very true. It is also true that it is much better than it was earlier in the strike. Both are true!

Riding metro line 1 presently around 9pm. Many RATP workers on trains and in stations. The train is only half full. Many more metro stations appear to be open. Markedly more buses are running. There was a large protest around Invalides to Rue du Bac disrupting traffic this afternoon. Hundreds of police cars and gendarmerie. Could not get to the Rodin museum. The D’Orsay closed early. Nevertheless we are enjoying Paris, walking and taking an occasional bike or scooter.

Andrew wrote: "the reason you couldn't get on metro line 12 at St-Lazare is that it's only open (today/Tue) between Mairie d'Issy and Concorde, which is a couple of stops south of St-Lazare"

THANKS! It's so thoughtful of you to post that. This thing has been bothering me all day. I am glad I now know the reason. But, honestly, who can keep track of all that -- closed lines, partial route closures & fermé stations [stations are masculine in French?] ? Even some transit workers at Saint Lazare didn't seem to know about the partial closure, telling me that I could take M12 but not just then, since it was already 5 minutes to the morning shutoff time. There were some flimsy tapes strung out at the station to keep people from entering the M12 platform areas, but I saw several locals stepping over them.

Honestly, I think patience is wearing thin. With my luck, the ordeal would be all over the day after I leave Paris. I hope so, for the sake of the locals.

I am not out of the woods yet. My AA flight leaves before noon on Thursday Jan 16. I booked a G7 taxi to leave my hotel at 6am. I hope that works. Wish me luck.

Thanks again, Andrew and Ashley.

Boy, it sure seems there's no end in sight for this. My next trip to Paris is at the end of march. I may get to know my quartier better then I ever have before. Pas de probleme. I'll be happy being in Paris,

Thanks so much Andrew and Ashley. We enjoyed six wonderful days in Paris. Thanks for all your updates and advice which enabled us to follow the transportation news. Your posts were much more informative than locals.

We took the Metro when we could following your posts. And walked, bicycled and scootered the rest of the time. We took a taxi to and from Montmartre as lines 2 and 12 were not running full schedule.

Note to others: Allow plenty of time to get around by car/bus. And have more than one taxi or ride share app. Tons of traffic around rush hour. Never know when to expect a bottleneck. G7 did not work this afternoon. The app would not let us order a taxi to Gare du Nord at 4pm. Instead, thankfully, Uber worked like a charm. The ride took a full hour from Arc de Triomphe.

Interesting note for Americans. It’s still dark at 8am with sunrise around 8:50am and sunset is fairly late at around 5:30. So we had plenty of sunlight for sightseeing and getting around.

Again MERCI BEAUCOUP. Paris is still the most beautiful city.

Interesting note for Americans. It’s still dark at 8am with sunrise
around 8:50am and sunset is fairly late at around 5:30. So we had
plenty of sunlight for sightseeing and getting around.

A fun "cocktail party" or trivia fact: France is actually the country with the most time zones -- 12 of them! This is, of course, if you count all its dependent territories such as French Guiana, French Polynesia, the various other Pacific and Caribbean islands, etc. (By this count, the US has 11 time zones.)

Of course, if you only count the main/principal territory of a country, France only has 1 and Russia is the country with the most, at 11 time zones.

Andrew the fun fact I like is that Paris to Reunion Island is the longest domestic flight.

Just landed on U.S. soil an hour ago. Got up at 4AM to head to CDG this January 16 Thursday morning in Paris. G7 taxi advance booking (using downloaded app) worked well for me, costing 57 Euros from right bank plus 2E automatic tip. Got to airport by 6:30 and got through security by 7:10. My taxi zipped through to CDG. I saw heavy traffic on the other side of the freeway, however, even in the wee hours.

I hope today's "manifestations" didn't cause too much headache for Paris tourists.

I must say that I was relieved to leave the never-ending "la greve". Everything else in Paris has actually worked out for me otherwise. The weather was not bad and the major attractions were less crowded.

My advice to soonish Paris visitors follows. Have a Plan B for every trip. Allow plenty of time. Get acquainted with M14 and M1 if you do want to use the metro. Download the G7 app if you want to use taxi. Uber price can fluctuate significantly. And check this and Ashley's page. Pay attention to the hours of operation and the partial closure of metro lines.

Thanks again, Andrew and Ashley.

For sure I will double check on strikes and such next time I plan a trip to Paris, taking into consideration that one month is not long enough for troubles to subside.

Remember when air traffic controllers went on strike in the US. Reagan fired all of. them. No more strikes. Appeasement is not working.

Thanks, Andrew and Ashley for your updates — really helpful! Am in Paris now, where weather is mostly dry and temperate — great for walking! Had tickets for Leonardo exhibit this morning, (1/17) but there was a demonstration at the Louvre which kept it from opening. Oh, well. Paris is a city which provides many Plan B options, and this will be a good opportunity to explore those. Getting around mostly on foot, but have not had any trouble finding taxis or using Uber when needed this week. So far. Will heed advice of others to have more than one taxi app available on my phone. Thanks again for the updates!

So sorry you had to miss your tickets for the Leonardo exhibition. That stinks!

A very marked improvement in service for this Monday, assuming it's actually carried through of course!

Crossing my fingers, but it looks like I may be "out of a job" :) within a week or so -- we'll see how it goes this week!

Andrew wrote: "A very marked improvement in service for this Monday, assuming it's actually carried through of course!"

Well, just as I thought, things would improve soon after I leave Paris on the 16th! I estimate that the transport disruption cost me at least 200 Euros in taxi/Uber charges. But no matter, I am happy for the locals and fellow travelers.

Thank you Andrew, for doing your thoughtful job, gratis and well!

A BIG THANK YOU to Andrew! I had also ended my 3+ month transport strike thread, and posted a new thread with useful info gathered from this strike -- Paris & France Transport Strike Hedge Pointers. https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france/paris-france-transport

Ashley wrote: "A BIG THANK YOU to Andrew! I had also ended my 3+ month transport strike thread, and posted a new thread with useful info gathered from this strike -- Paris & France Transport Strike Hedge Pointers. "

BUT ... it's not COMPLETELY over yet, is it? Strangely, even though I have returned from my short trip in Paris, I keep checking in to stay updated on the development. Well, I am glad things seem to have quieted down, and I know I speak for many in thanking Ashley and Andrew.

Au revoir!

Ashley wrote: "the union-government standoff won't be over anytime soon..."

Thanks for the synopsis on the latest (and all your posts). Yes, I did read about the more drastic actions such as the power outages yesterday ... not good! I am generally sympathetic to unions but the intransigence of these "manifestations" seems insufferable. I remember my taxi inching through clogged streets on my way from the airport on January 8th, and I don't wish that on anyone. And just now I saw a Twitter post of a big demonstration in the Gare St. Lazare today -- I was in that place often during my week's visit!

Good luck, Paris! I hope "la grève" will be over -- eventually!

This is perhaps my last post on this topic.

This tweet has a video of the traffic jam that the protests can cause to the streets in Paris
https://twitter.com/varnaud77/status/1220737479004884993

In this case, it happened on January 24 Friday -- a designated day of demonstrations, and the street shown is the Haussmann Boulevard, site of big department stores Printemp and Lafayette Gallery and not far from my hotel. Had it happened a week earlier, I would have been affected. And I did see a similar traffic clog-up, elsewhere, on my way from CDG to the hotel on January 8.

Quick question: I’ll be in Paris in early March for a week. Does the strike affect the possibility of train travel to and from Normandy (Mont Saint Michel and Bayeux or Caen)? Trying to decide whether to stay in Paris all week and go by foot if need be or risk reserving trains and an overnight hotel in Normandy only to not be able to get there.