Hello, We will be in Paris the first week of April. We are taking our 16 year old grandson with us. He plays highschool soccer and mentioned he would like to see a professional soccer field in France. Has anyone taken a tour of the above stadium, and is this in the St Germain area? We will be staying at the Hospital Hotel Dieu across from Notre Dame, so I wondered if we could walk to it? Thanks for your reply! Sharon
Posted by
New Paltz, NY
9110 posts
Never been on the tour, but it's located near the Exelmans metro stop-line 9; I'm sure your grandson will love it: http://goo.gl/maps/Ta1ki If he's a soccer nut be sure to visit the official PSG store on the Champs-Élysées. Also nearby are large Nike and Adidas stores, with lots of jersey from around the world on display.
Posted by
OP
Byron Center, MI, USA
58 posts
Thanks so much Michael, you have been a great help. Yes he is a soccer nut so those shops you mentioned will be a must! Sincerely, Sharon
Posted by
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
4088 posts
It's a relatively new stadium located in the suburbs, not a particularly touristy area. It is on the train route to Charles de Gaulle Airport. The home team, Paris St-Germain, is one of the hottest sides in international football right now. That means they are eager to sell their brand around the world. You can see the stadium here: http://www.psg.fr/fr/Article/003001/Article/43880/Visites-virtuelles-du-Camp-des-Loges-et-du-Parc-des-Princes The club promises visits and has them listed in English, which tells you how international they hope to be: http://www.psg.fr/en/Club/6040001/Stadium-tour Having said that, it is in the poorer area of the city. You will want to check with the municipal transport system http://ratp.fr/en/ratp/c_5000/accueil/ to work out the route for your visit. I am not saying that it is dangerous, only that you should know where you are going, good advice for any tourist anywhere. Of course he should be doing this reseach for both of you. He's not a kid any more; young men only a year or two older are playing for international teams and earning big bucks. Well, big euros. My guess is that they will love to see an American teenager. He could wear his team shirt.
PS: I recently saw a financial analysis that identified Real Madrid as generating slightly more than a billion dollars cash flow last year, world-wide. That's why all of the big teams want tourists.
Posted by
OP
Byron Center, MI, USA
58 posts
Thank-you for the great info! I agree he should be doing this research on his own. I will give him the website you gave me and tell him he is in charge of getting us there! Thanks again! Sharon
Posted by
New Paltz, NY
9110 posts
"...It's a relatively new stadium located in the suburbs, not a particularly touristy area. It is on the train route to Charles de Gaulle Airport...." You've got your stadiums mixed up. You're referring to Stade de France, which was built for for the 1998 World Cup. It only hosts matches for the national soccer and rugby teams, and track & field meets. PSG plays all it's home games at Parc des Princes Stadium in the west of the city; built in the early 70s.