Paris - trash and strikes March 2023 travel

If you have a look at the map on this page, the trash situation is bad in the arrondissements (districts) in dark green + the 15th. Trash collectors in other districts are not in strike.
For example I was in the 12th on Sunday and there were bins and bags all over some sidewalks: I can only assume it got worse.
Cleanup will take many days once the strike stops, so even if it stops soon (it might, since the pension la that is causing the strike will pass today), I do not think it will not be back to normal by next Friday.

I live in the 3rd, outside of the strike area, it's still OK there. The 5th is unfortunately in the strike area, so there will be trash.
It is not warm thankfully, so not too smelly. And you can focus your city walks on the areas not in dark green: the Marais, the Seine banks, the 7th, Montmartre...

Also, the metro works basically normally at the moment. The RER is still troublesome but since the pension law should pass today, like for the trash, I do not know if the strike can last much longer - the workers need a salary, after all...

It's all very hypothetical, but I would stay that Paris is still very much "visitable". I would be reluctant to plan to visit another part of the country because long distance trains are on strike as well, so in the small chance that the strike goes on until the 24th and beyond, it would create a logistical problem.

This entire situation amuses me. People are actually canceling trips because there is some trash on the street.

I am from New York City; I'm charmed that they are going out of their way to make me feel at home when I visit.

Thanks for this, please update frequently...our trip to Paris is in May, hopefully there will be resolution soon, but regardless, we will not change our plans. We visited Paris in Dec 2019, during the peak of the strikes and transit issues, and while it imposed inconviences, it did not lessen our enjoyment.

@Astorienne - I'm north of you but as a kid, I vividly remember visiting NYC in JULY, during a trash strike (this was the 80s) and I'll take Paris 1000000x over NYC during a trash strike!

Ftr, I'm in Paris in a month and at no point will a strike OR trash deter me.

It's tolerable, sort of, if you are visiting for a few days, but it's no fun to live with. Friends in Marseille suffered through a three-week garbage strike last year. They found it disgusting. I dislike when people scavenging leave the bags open for stuff to fall out. I wouldn't cancel a trip over a few days, but the Marseille strike or the months-long strike in Naples would have me heading elsewhere.

Good Luck. My cousin is visiting Paris this week. There have been days when the museums have been closed. We visit in early April and hope the situation doesn't last that long.

Twitter is showing me fires in the streets in Paris right now. Is that in isolated areas, or are the protests escalating?

There's some trouble at place de la Concorde right now after the law got passed, nothing widespread.

Thank you so much for these responses. Any continued updates are appreciated!

The unions have announced a new day of strikes and demonstrations on Thursday 23 March.

The government having passed the law without a vote of parliament, this has reinforced the anger of the unions.

Many in the French press fear that the protests will now shift to more violent actions beyond the control of the unions.

To be continued...

Thanks for the discussion and especially to whomever posted the helpful map showing who collects the trash (or doesn't) and where. We're flying next week, to land Friday 3/24, and hoping that the intercity trains will be working as I've booked several travel days over a two-week period.
We're just going to hope for the best. It appears our Paris lodgings are in a non-strike arrond., and still over two weeks out -- I hope for a resolution that works for the French and for visitors.

Hello,
Good luck and keep us posted. We fly In April. How do you find which arrond are in strike ?
Thanks

Well...I often find myself in France during the midst of these things, and I take off from Atlanta to Paris this evening. Why not be part of the problem?

We will be staying in 9th arrondissement, starting 3/22. What is the strike/protest situation like there?

We will be in the 1st arrondisement. Curious to know the protests and strikes there. We are considering canceling our trip in early April if the situation continues

The protests are just in localized areas. There are usually plenty of ways to get around a protesting crowd.

It looked like most of the arrests were from protesters at the Place de la Concorde last night so that is a little bit away from anything in the 9th except The Ritz, lol.

@npathare where in the 1st? You should be OK but where actually are you staying? The Place de la Concorde is on the edge of the 1st in the 8th. And related to your question above about knowing which arrondissements are "in strike" - did you mean garbage or the protests? Balso gave a link in his post to where the garbage strikes are and they are not in the 1st.

https://goo.gl/maps/uF75PoqtMfJ1xEBT9

Again, this is very localized.

Hi thanks so much we are staying in an airbnb on rue sainte honore near lourve.. I just googled its about 25 minutes away from the Place de concorde

Bonjour! We’re in Paris right now (arrived on Tuesday) and staying in the Rue Cler neighborhood. To be honest, we haven’t been affected much by the strikes or protests or trash.

There are some metro stops closed, so you may have to walk further or get off a stop earlier/later. It’s not bad. The city is very walkable and the public transit system seems pretty resilient. The RATP app has been helpful with rerouting.

We haven’t had issues visiting the usuals: Louvre, Saint Chapelle, d’Orsay, l’Orangerie, etc. The only exception was the Arc de Triomphe. We were hoping to trek to the top. Unfortunately, when we arrived in the morning there was a sign saying it wouldn’t open until mid afternoon. C’est la vie. The weather has been beautiful, so it meant more time walking the Champs Elysees and people watching in the Tuileries.

Things seem to get a little rowdy by the Place de la Concord when the sun goes down, so we spend our evenings in other areas.

The only other thing that seems unusual is the larger than expected police presence. Lots of the cute beeyoobeeyoo sirens as they zip around town.

Anyway, it’s our first time here and it’s been wonderful!

Got a report from a Paris friend that garbage pick up had started. The news last night said the garbage workers were being individually summoned by the police to pick up trash or risk jail time and big fines

@ Bets....good to hear on the garbage pickup!

The only exception was the Arc de Triomphe. We were hoping to trek to the top. Unfortunately, when we arrived in the morning there was a sign saying it wouldn’t open until mid afternoon.

Ha,I don't think this was a strike issue. I think Netflix had rented it out -- I saw an influencer posting from up there that he (and the other Netflix folks on a press junket) were up there all on their own.

“Ha,I don't think this was a strike issue. I think Netflix had rented it out -- I saw an influencer posting from up there that he (and the other Netflix folks on a press junket) were up there all on their own.”

Oh my word….

You have a chance to be in the quintessential French experience. Maybe they will go to the barricades. Perhaps there will be a guillotine involved and then, “voila”. It could be a heady experience.
Don’t wear a crown, or eat cake.

Hi! I am in Paris and arrived on the 16th. I have seen heaps of garbage in the 1st, 2nd, 5th, and 16th arrondissements. I hear that some areas are being cleaned up via private contractors. The garbage has not been too smelly but it forces people to walk in the street to avoid the piles. I have seen huge crowds of demonstrators marching and fires along with obvious police presence. I haven’t had problems with transportation. I have been enjoying my trip and able to visit all the major sites of interest; I’ve met many kind and friendly people and I feel safe exploring at all hours. Hope this helps.

The trash situation is definitely easing up a little as of this morning. I am seeing crews emptying the sidewalk trash cans, and some blockades at trash processing facilities have been lifted.
There will still be 'heaps' in the worst-affected areas, but improvement seems underway.

I am in Paris now. Staying in 5th Arr. LOTS of BIG piles of trash throughout the city. It’s pretty gross. Have been using the metro without issue. No reason to cancel any upcoming trips to Paris in my opinion. Going to the Louvre today. Will post if I have any issues.

https://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2023/03/17/paris-france-street-protests-pension-retirement-cnntm-kiley-intl-vpx.cnn

Paris is burning: Protesters set city ablaze

No need to heap on the fuel Big Mike, CNN is already giving a false impression.
Tourists, who are already jumpy, will believe the worst and needlessly shy away. The CNN headlines are misleading-- They are designed for you to click which equals = currency$ no matter how misleading.

Thank you for this post and all of the residents and visitors currently there providing real time updates. We were in Barcelona during the 2019 Catalan protests and that significantly hindered our trip in that we could not use train, travel by car even (due to traffic being fully blocked) but were able to travel on foot to see all the Gaudi, et al. Never felt super unsafe though there was a moment when a crowd of runners were right outside the window of a restaurant we were in,, which scared the kids a bit. Still glad we went but I’m beginning to think it’s not the city, it’s us. :)

I am in Paris right now. And while a lot of garbage needs cleaned up - I'm having a blast as usual.

The manifestations tend to be 20somethings out late at night when most of us are in bed.

Any update on the trash pick up situation? Especially in the 5th and 6th? I had read yesterday that around 700 persons were summoned for a (partial) clean up, but it didn't say which arrondissements - the usual force is 4000+ anyways - and it appears they all still have to drive farther outside of Paris for disposal (which perhaps could affect 1st, 2nd, 7th as well, at some point...). I've seen pictures of piles of trash well over 2 meters/6 feet high and completely blocking many sidewalks. TIA for all updates!

According to the revolutionary tradition, it's time for "aux barricades" Bravo.

How often in French history that disaffection , demonstrations started in the middle , only to move to a more radical phase because of an event serving as catalyst was the proximate cause?

Quite understandable that the unions are even more incensed or unnerved at what was done without a parliamentary vote. I'll be staying in the 10th Arron....as usual.

Latest news here: https://youtu.be/mi-TmqTETJo
Sounds like they are having limited success forcing the trash workers back to work, in part because the incinerators are largely still blocked.
I'm supposed to depart this weekend, my trip is 99% refundable and I am seriously considering cancelling though it may cause a divorce. Too much money to go there and smell trash and teargas while trying to enjoy a fine meal.

🇬🇧 Britain’s King Charles is going to Paris for three days starting on Sunday. Macron’s hosting him for an official state visit during which he’ll be visiting the Musee D’Orsay with his skip-the-line ticket, the Arc de Triomphe and the Palace at Versailles.
Not sure about the optics of Macron and King Charles dining at Versailles right after Macron has decreed the French must work for two more years.
Anyway, the time to worry about visiting Paris
will be if King Charles cancels his visit—

@ttait...Have you traveled to Paris before? It would be highly unlikely you'd be on a cafe terrace in an area where the police and protesters would be clashing.

Is your hotel in one of the arrondissements where the trash is piling up? So far the location where I usually stay is not affected by the sanitation workers strikes but I expect to see garbage elsewhere although I'm about 3 weeks out from Paris.

Perhaps the other half who will be upset about the cancellation can go on their own if you're not comfortable with travel to Paris at this time.

Have any future strike/protest dates been announced? Or is it constant and spontaneous at this point? Is there a reliable source to check for updates/locations?

Thank you!

The Unions have just announced in the last hour they are calling a national strike day for next Tuesday, March 28.

It is the lead story at this hour on www.thelocal.fr. which is a union website. www.france24.com is another source for strike updates.
British new outlets can also provide some perspective.
Today’s General strike was scheduled last week. French strikes are pre-planned and announced in advance.

the strikes are planned in advance - cestlagreve.fr

Thank you for the updates! Is there a Tuesday-Thursday pattern with these prearranged General Strike Days?

Thank you for your update. We are heading to Paris on April 12 and are very concerned about recent events. We are staying in the sixth arrondissement. Please continue to post as we are thinking to shift our trip to Southern France after taking a Viking River Cruise from Lyon to Avignon.. I hate for a first step to Paris be a disappointment.

We would have to change our flights to Nice. Perhaps wait for a visit to Paris another time when things are calmer. Please keep the updates coming.

It would be our first time in France. The news last night looked even worse, lots of unrest, tear gas and destruction. News said the Eiffel tower was closed for the day Thursday. CDG terminal 1 was also blockaded. King Charles also cancelled:) Another big strike planned for Tuesday. I had booked a hotel in the 16th which is on strike. But we wanted to do a lot of Paris on our 7 day trip, walking tours etc so likely to encounter trash even if the hotel area did not. If the trip were not refundable I would still go and make the best of it, but it is (except for our Eiffel tower tickets). For the amount it was costing us for a "trip of the lifetime" I would rather not deal with the hassle of 20% flight cancellations, trash, and destruction, but prefer to reschedule to see Paris nearer to its best.

We did cancel.

Tim

If you do have the luxury to cancel or postpone free-of-charge (or nearly so), and if your trip relies heavily on intercity transportation, then cancelling/postponing/rerouting makes sense.
If it would cost you too much, there are transportation workarounds even on strike days, you will just have to stay unusually alert and flexible.

If your trip is "just" Paris, the hassle you will encounter is minimal. For example the Marais was bustling (and trash-free) yesterday, despite the nearby march. As a bonus, it was traffic-free thanks to the march.

Thank you, @balso for the encouraging update. We are heading to Paris in 10 days. We've paid for everything in advance, and although we have trip insurance, I don't know if we could apply it yet. We will be across the river from Marais. I'm hoping we will be able to go without major disruptions, and major loss of money. Kids are super excited.

We leave tomorrow am out of SLC for Paris. This is a trip for me and my 15-year old son.. It's a spring break trip and we really cant reschedule. It is just a Paris trip with the exception of a day trip formal tour to Normandy D-day sites. I am in touch with the tour company as the tour is scheduled for Tues the 28th the day of the next formal announced strike. It's a bummer that this is the way that it is but also have to keep in mind that France isn't Disney and does not exist for my entertainment. This is the nature of international travel-we experience what the world has to offer and its not a guarantee that we get the story-book fairy tale experience!

Like several of you, I am leaving tomorrow with my grand daughter for a one week stay in Paris during her Spring break. I have no intention of canceling but I wonder if anyone has information on places to avoid beside the Place de La Concorde at night. Given the situation, is it safe to be out after dark? Are there certain neighborhoods that we should avoid? We are staying in an apartment in the 5th

The danger areas are where the big demonstrations are taking place - check with your hotel staff about when and where they are planned. The Place de la Republique is a common major destination for them. Don't go to "see" a demonstration - if things turn nasty the French riot police are capable of giving a serious beatdown regardless of age, gender or behaviour.

But as long as you keep away from demonstrations you shouldn't have any problem. One thing from personal experience is that you should make sure you have a good understanding of the streets and the public transport system as roads may be closed to traffic and/or buses shut down without any notice.

Re: Ask your hotel - A lot of us with kids are staying in apartments so no hotel to ask for guidance/help or updates.

@sylvia - all the places I’ve heard of so far where protests are, or protest marches are routed, are on the right bank. March yesterday started at Bastille and went to Opera. Previously I had heard Concorde. So I don’t know if it’s changing with every new “event day” or whether the ones I’ve mentioned are “regular” locations. Internet access will be important. Not sure about being out after dark - probably depends on where. Definitely would avoid area where protest or March ended.
Next General Strike day is the coming Tuesday, the 28th..

This site seems to cover the upcoming strike news well, but I think they want a $5 subscription for access:
https://www.thelocal.fr/20230324/protests-flight-cancellations-and-fuel-what-to-expect-this-weekend-in-france

Another reason not to stay in an apt., where you have no one to ask on the current street situations.

I'm a regular at my 2 star hotel, the owner's son knows me by name or face, ever since he and his father were running the hotel along with the other staff. Now that the father has retired some years ago, the son is charge of the place, on whom I can rely to inform me of the latest info when I will be there in Paris starting the end of May. Canceling is not an option.

A momentous time in French history; in the "revolution of May 1968" at 18 , I was too young, too ignorant

The Local also reports that leading up to 4/21 there may strikes:
"Friday, April 21st - While no strike action has been called for this day yet, France's Constitutional Council has until April 21st to decide the fate of pension reform. The decision could come sooner, but this deadline could become an important date for action by unions."

It was also reported that the Louvre is closed today (monday) due to blockade by protesters. Clearly the protesters are using the tourist $$$ as leverage.

@Tim. I really appreciate this update. So protestors blocking the entrances to the Louvre, for one day, or ongoing? Have any American tourists yet wrestled their way through? I’m only half joking. I wonder, if the Louvre will refund tickets, when they are technically “open”, and tourists are caught off guard when they find their way there blockaded.

Thanks Balso for the link to the city of Paris and their progress cleaning up the garbage!

We are here right now and today was supposed to be our day to go to the Louvre. reserve time was 11 AM and we didn’t realize what was going on until we got to the Louvre pyramid and noticed the protesters blocking the entrance so we went to the carousel entrance and yet they were there too. There were signs saying to go Talk to museum officials about your reservations for today. The line was too long as there was only one information desk and two people sitting at it. We didn’t want to waste our day. It was already partially ruined. I think we will try for another day this week. I can say that all news report seems to say that the protest tomorrow, Tuesday are intentionally being ramped up so we shall see what happens in the coming days. At no point though have we felt unsafe, merely inconvenienced.

Thanks Balso for the link to the city of Paris and their progress cleaning up the garbage!

Well, I saw reports that another private contractor is now on strike, so whatever progress might get reversed and new areas might start filling up with trash. Oh well. I'm leaving the city tomorrow for a few days anyway!

@mrsashby - too bad about the Louvre. I'm trying to replan my trip and wondering when would be good... what a pain. Hurricanes, Blizzards I get, but labor disputes... new plan will likely have more time outside of Paris.

@Tim. Agree, it’s sad, especially blocking the entrance to the Louvre for those who’ve come from every corner of the world to see the art… some likely on once in a lifetime airplane tickets.

As far as planning advice, I’ve read this will likely last through April, but who knows.

@mrsashby. I’m so sorry to hear about your Louvre day. Was the museum itself closed (did the staff walk out)? I hope you have a better day ahead!

Sam, Yes, apparently it was Louvre Museum staff members who were on strike that blocked the entrances to the Louvre, according to the British newspaper “The Guardian.”

I am on the Eurostar right now heading to Paris. What are suggestions for activities when the key sights are closed?

A useful app for any time (and probably especially now) when visiting monuments and museums in Paris is Affluences. You can download it from any app store or visit the website affluences.com. It tells you whether a museum/monument is open and current wait times.
https://affluences.com/

The local had an article on what to do during strikes (for members, $5):
https://www.thelocal.fr/20230328/9-of-the-best-activities-to-do-in-paris-on-strike-days

But basically, parks, gardens, walks, churches, smaller museums, markets, cafes. Probably best to avoid the 8th around the Place de Concorde and neighboring blocks, from the news it seems that's where the violent confrontations are occurring. And of course check the trash pickup map posted earlier. Though I heard now that some private trash companies are also going on strike.

Hi- I just wanted to update that we’re there now and have been able to fully enjoy the city. We’ve noticed a fairly high police presence when walking around but there are also lots of people and tourists going about their business. We’re staying in the 5th and there are some trash piles but really not much worse than NYC, and mostly organized into clumps. We’ve seen lots of trucks working to pick up the piles. We haven’t noticed much disruption due to the strikes/protest today. We focused our activities to the left bank - visited d’Orsay, Rodin, Cluny. Rodin and Cluny were pretty empty and relaxing. Lots of school groups around in general and at touristy sites (d’Orsay, Eiffel Tower). We are glad to have the museum pass for d’Orsay especially but also to allow us to pivot as needed (not sure if Louvre will be open tomorrow). I’m glad we didn’t postpone our trip and have not felt at all uneasy. We are watching some coverage of the protests on the local news but it’s not near where we are. They did announce the location in the news so we were able to avoid. Honestly all of the media coverage seems blown out of proportion. Hope this is helpful for someone!

"Honestly all of the media coverage seems blown out of proportion. Hope this is helpful for someone!"

Yes, it should be very helpful to people who are on the fence and are getting advice from friends and family who don't travel!

I'm glad you are having a wonderful time!

Thank you for the update!

And for another good update, the striking public sanitation workers have decided to end their strike tomorrow (Wednesday).

Obviously it will take a bit for them to catch up in their arrondissements, but at least there is light at the end of the tunnel for those of us with City of Paris collection !! 🎉🎉

Also check out the "les Frenchies" channel community on Youtube, they have a lot of very helpful Paris travel videos and are also in Paris right now. Lots of other current and recent visitors are commenting there on their experiences too.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5m1fPLNTZCgLjIzO5iy-Ng/community?lb=UgkxHZeb24unVlaCb4C_im7H3qhYEqNNDglV

@Kim I'm so happy to hear that! I haven't seen official updates yet on their website, fingers crossed!

Am in Paris right now. We decided to play it safe and have dinner at our apartment in the 1st last night after seeing all the footage from the 23rd. In hindsight, I feel confident we would have been fine just avoiding the demonstration areas. The media is overhyping violence and while some outbursts happened on the 23rd, it does not seem anything happened last night. There have been trash mounds, some very large, in the 5th and 6th especially but nothing has stopped us from exploring and enjoying the wonders of Paris. We (my adult daughter and I) were checking this board and others before departing the U.S. and even then it seemed people on the ground were feeling different from news reports. Our biggest issue was the British Airways mess with flights, delays, cancellations on our arrival flights. Leaving tomorrow, sadly. It has been a wonderful week!

Aside from the trash, which us now bring collected, we were impacted by the closure of Versailles on Tuesday March 28th. We booked a bike trip there and the closure was announced after we had already cycled 2 hours to get there. Fortunately we had a beautiful ride, lunch from the Marche Notre Dame in the town of Versailles, and a great stop at St. Cleod. Our guide refunded the cost of admission (which the Versailles chateau refunded). The closure was not announced in advance, so on any "national strike" days - the next being April 6 - you may want to make plans that don't require tickets/admissions or have a back up plan!

It seems only the public sector workers like rail, trash, and ATC need to declare a strike 48 hours in advance.

We are here now - staying in the 5th. There are indeed some pretty big garbage piles but everything else so far has just been a normal visit to beautiful Paris. People are sitting in cafes eating, the big sites are open and crowds seem normal.

This thread has been quiet for a few days...can we take that as a positive? Any reports from the weekend, or upcoming strike action?

Nothing to report really! Next strike day is on 6 April, and the trash situation is much improved - still far from recovery but still, noticeably cleaner in many areas. The trash situation was bad in Rennes when I passed through on Tuesday, though.

I’m following this thread. I am most concerned about transportation. We fly into CDG on the 8th than catch an Easyjet to MXP. Then back to CDG on the 11th for our Heart of France tour. Hopefully, all will go well. Thanks for the updates

@ Linda - does your tour start on the 11th? I'd honestly want to be back in Paris the day before in case there is a hiccup in your transportation.

All quiet LOL! 😅. Not everything.
We're stuck in Naples because our direct flight to our home city in France was cancelled. Air controllers slow down for one week. The next scheduled flight is on the day of the next general strike. So that won't fly. We are flying into France tomorrow and hope the trains we've booked for the next day get us home.

Be careful traveling around if you have to be someplace at a certain day and time. And get insurance.

I realize there is no certainty on any given day, but just an update on our experience from 3/28-2/30. We stayed in the 7th and while we walked around (A LOT), we didn't see any demonstrations. We did see some garbage waiting to be picked up (mainly in the 6th) and armed police/military. As far as getting a taste of Paris, here was our schedule...

Tuesday Afternoon:
-Booked tickets to Musee d' Orsay and the Lourve for the next day (Lourve is closed on Tuesdays) - could only get 4:30 or later timeslot for Wednesday so took the 4:30
-Walked to Rue de Cler for lunch until we could check into hotel
-Walked to Arc de Triomphe then to Trocadero Square (which was a really neat way to see the full Eiffel Tower for the first time). Due to strike, we could not go up in the ET.
-Walked to a cafe on La Bourdannais Ave and then at 8:30 pm walked a few min to Champ de Mars to view ET lit up and the blinking show at 9pm.

Wednesday:
-Walked to Musee d'Orsay (saw the highlights in 2 hours)
-Walked to Luxembourg gardens and the Latin Quarter (not bucket list items but gave us different perspectives of Paris with all the walking)
-Enjoyed lunch outside at cafe as the weather was nice
-Walked to the Lourve. We knew we would be rushed so did some prior research on where the 8-10 key pieces were that we wanted to see. We saw most of them, but while the Lourve closes at 6pm, they actually start blocking hallways and routing people to the exits at 5:45.
-Since it was still light out and pleasant, we did a boat tour of river Seine from Port Neuf. Not on the bucket list, but didn't have anything else planned so why not enjoy the great weather and get a different perspective from a boat.
-Walked Napoleon's tomb (passed through Rue de Buci which was a popular area in the evening and a neat experience)

Thursday Morning:
-Took metro to Cluny La Sorbonne stop and walked up to the river
-Got excellent crepes at La Creme de Paris Notre-Dame
-Visited Sainte Chappelle and Conciergerie
-Walked around ile de la cite and got some views of Notre Dame cathedral (under construction of course)
-Ham and cheese baguette and beignets at Merci Jerome
-Metro back to 7th and ride to Orly for our flight to Dublin

Despite minor inconveniences (which we anticipated), we felt like we got a great taste of Paris and always felt safe.