We are planning on traveling to Paris next week and are a little concerned about the potential impact box the Yellow vest Demonstrations Paris might have on our visit. Has anyone visited there recently that can update us on the situation for tourists? Can you recommend a way to stay updated on parts of the city to avoid?
Thank you,
Larry
I'm headed out this week to Paris. When I was there in March the thing that was most helpful was downloading the RATP app. This is the Metro app and it will tell you what Metro stations are closed. Check it Saturday morning when you are at breakfast and plan your day from there. Do you have specific plans for that Saturday?
You know they only demonstrate on Saturdays, right? It is also just a couple of hours and generally doesn't disrupt a full day.
On the 21st they were trying to get some momentum back and did some protesting on the Champs Elysées, but really, I wouldn't be worried about much impact at all, if any. As the previous commenter said, it's on Saturdays, so that already limits impact.
If you're very concerned, you could try checking this website as well (Google Translate if you need it in English). When you click on the manifestation you want more info about, you can see what they know if anything yet, including meeting place, time, and potential metro stops impacted. For the 28th, for example, they don't have any info yet about location.
But generally, just don't worry. You've always got a good chance at seeing SOME kind of demonstration somewhere in Paris, but that's just kind of normal and not a big deal. I remember the first time I ever went to Paris thinking I was so lucky to get to see some kind of protest, not realizing just how common that is!
If you happen to be nearby, why not see what the protest is all about and learn about it firsthand. Talk about interesting experiential travel!!
Thanks Amy - had not seen that Demosphere site. So that is how they tell protestors where to gather?
Larry, while I use Firefox for my regular browser I've got Chrome downloaded and open up a page if I need a lot of stuff translated on a webpage. Works well on the Demosphere site.
@Continental: due to the French Police's liberal use of teargas against such Yellow Vest protests, this is a bad idea. A march during a regular strike day, however, can be interesting to see.
Pam - I think the site is more of a gathering site for information as it spreads - a lot of these protests get planned on social media, and then they keep track of what all is being tossed out there.
As of right now, they've updated September 28 to say that there is some talk of an 8 p.m. protest on the Champs Elysées. The thing is, this info can change quite a bit so it's definitely not gospel (if you've ever been involved in protests as a participant you're probably used to that already!). Always good to check back later.
Thank you all for the information. I'll rest at ease knowing we can avoid the demonstrations.
Hi Larry - We were in Paris on Saturday Sept 7 with intentions to stroll the city all day from Ile St Louis to the Eiffel Tower and back. We saw the yellow vests twice while walking (around Champ de Mars and Champs Elyees) and just stood back while they passed with no issue. There was certainly a heavy police presence (the police move throughout the city it seemed to get ahead of the demonstrators or try to corral them at certain locations) which just made us feel even more comfortable enjoying the lovely day. Enjoy your visit!
We’ve been in Paris for a couple weeks, unless you were at the Arc de Triomphe/Champs Elysées last Saturday you wouldn’t even know it was happening. It did slow down some bus routes though...
Not recent , but during protests , we were there in June , and over a Saturday, never ran into anything .
