The biggest event in the world in 2024 is the Summer Olympics arranged in Paris between July 26 and August 11. The competition with roots back in ancient Greece is something athletes and fans look forward to, and the fact that it will be arranged in the most beautiful city on earth only makes it more attractive and interesting.
It was on 13 September 2017 in Peru that Paris was awarded the Summer Olympics in 2024. It was either Los Angeles or Paris, but in the end it was decided that France would arrange the Summer Olympics for the third time. The country has earlier arranged the Winter Olympics three times as well, making this the sixth Olympic Games ever arranged in France. Since Paris arranged the Summer Olympics in 1924, this is a perfect chance to celebrate the 100-year anniversary since the city previously arranged the Summer Olympics.
Some interesting numbers regarding the Summer Olympics in Paris.
Based on the estimations from earlier Summer Olympics and similar events, these are some of the numbers we can expect from the Paris 2024 Olympics Games.
- There will be about 9,7 million spectators watching the events at the different venues in Paris during the 19 days of competitions.
- There are 41 different locations in which the competitions will take place.
- More than 10,500 athletes will come to Paris for the event.
- A total of 31,500 volunteers will help everything go smoothly during the Olympics.
- There are more than 300 different competitions during the Summer Olympics.
- Breakdancing will be a part of the Olympic Games for the first time in Paris.
What venues will be in use for the Summer Olympics in Paris?
The Summer Olympics in Paris will be a fantastic event. The participants in the Beach Volleyball tournament will compete at Champ-de-Mars, just in front of the Eiffel Tower. The athletes will focus on the competition, but the rest of us will surely enjoy the beautiful view of the tower in the background as well!
The Judo and Wrestling competitions will take place only a few meters away in the Champ-de-Mars Arena. Opposite the River Seine, you find the beautiful Trocadero (also with a view towards the Eiffel Tower). Here several competitions connected to athletics will take part, including road cycling, race walking, swimming, and marathons.
The football competition starts a few days before the actual Olympics. Parc des Princes is the home field of PSG, but during the Summer Olympics, it will host several matches from the football competition. The other matches will be spread throughout the country and played in cities such as Marseille, Bordeaux, Nice, Lyon, Nantes, and others.
The matches of the handball and the basketball competitions are also spread out throughout the country, and the sailing competitions will take place in Marseille. One very interesting fact is that the Olympic surfing competition will take place far, far away from France… in Tahiti. In other words, if you want to watch the Olympic surfing competition, don’t order a plane ticket to France!
The main arena for the different athletics competitions is Stade de France, the biggest arena in all of France. This is very close to the Aquatics Centre which will host the swimming, diving, and water polo competitions.
Another beautiful area in use during the Summer Olympics in Paris is the castle of Versailles. They will host the equestrian competitions there, and also the modern pentathlon competition.
Let us not forget about Roland Garros either, the famous arena in the heart of Paris… the perfect place to host the tennis competitions of the Summer Olympics. Maybe you didn’t know it, but the boxing competitions during the Olympics will also be arranged at the Roland-Garros Stadium.
Schedule for the Summer Olympics in Paris.
Would you like to know what happens when during the Summer Olympics in Paris? Below you can see a schedule presenting what activities will take place on the different days of the Olympics. The competitions in the Aquatics Centre will take place during the first part of the Olympics, while the Athletics competitions will take place in the second part of the Olympics.
Now that you know when the different competitions will happen, it is time to think about buying tickets for your favorite events.
Tickets for the Summer Olympics in Paris.
Would you like to buy a ticket for a football match during the Summer Olympics, or maybe a ticket for an evening event at Stade de France during the Athletics competitions? The cheapest tickets for football matches start at 24 euros, but you shouldn’t be surprised if the cheapest tickets for other matches cost about 50 euros.
To witness the competitions at Stade de France during the Summer Olympics (athletics), you must pay nearly 400 euros for the cheapest tickets to the evening events. That is quite expensive considering that during the World Athletics Championships in Budapest in 2023 the cheapest tickets for an event started at 25 euros. But, if you want to be there at Stade de France to watch the finals in 1500 meter competitions, or maybe for the finals in Pole Jump, that is the price you must pay.
You can buy tickets and take a closer look at the price for the Summer Olympics in Paris at https://tickets.paris2024.org/en/
An official platform for re-selling tickets you have bought for the Summer Olympics in Paris will open during the spring of 2024. More information about this platform will be shared later.
There are special tickets available for people with disabilities, so if you use a wheelchair, there are special tickets available for you at the official ticket site.
Practical questions about the Summer Olympics in Paris.
Transportation during the Summer Olympics
What is the best way to travel to France for the event?
Are you flying to Paris to watch one or more events during the Summer Olympics? Or maybe you are traveling to Marseille, Lyon, or Bordeaux? If you come by plane, the easiest option is probably to fly with Air France. The main airports in Paris are Orly and Charles de Gaulle, and those are easily connected to the city center of Paris using public transportation, taxis, or buses. With Air France, it is possible to fly between Paris and Bordeaux, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Nantes, and Nice, making it very easy to visit other important cities in France for different events during the Olympics.
Another good option is to travel to Paris by train. There are fast trains connecting London to Paris, and there are lots of direct trains between Paris and other big cities in France, and also in countries such as Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Spain. You can check prices and book train tickets for France at https://www.sncf.com/en.
If you want cheaper plane tickets, you might be lucky if you are early and book plane tickets with low-cost airlines such as WizzAir, EasyJet, RyanAir, Eurowings, and a few other companies. Some of these airlines fly to Charles de Gaulle and Orly, while most of them also operate with flights to Paris Beauvais. That is a low-cost airport about 100km from the city center of Paris, meaning that you can expect a travel time of about 90 minutes between the airport and the center of Paris (or more if there is a lot of traffic).
What is the best way to travel in Paris during the Summer Olympics and between the different venues?
Paris is a fantastic city and the best way to travel in Paris is using the metro system with all the different metro lines connecting all the parts of the city. It is very efficient and if you change lines a couple of times, you are almost able to travel all around Paris. You can read more about the metro system in Paris and ticket prices here. If you plan on using the metro system a lot, the best is probably to buy a day pass or a one week pass.
While it is possible to walk around Paris, the distances are quite big, meaning that you might miss out on important events because you have decided to walk between the different venues for the competitions during the Summer Olympics. If you watch a tennis match at Roland Garros and want to walk to the Eiffel Tower for more action there, then it is useful to know that the distance is approximately 4km and it takes approximately 60 minutes to walk at a normal pace.
Can I park my camel in front of Stade de France during the Athletic competitions?
That was a valid question during the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, but it is not a frequently asked question among people coming to Paris for the Summer Olympics.
How can I buy tickets for public transportation in Paris? Which is the best ticket for me?
If you come to Paris for the Summer Olympics and plan on traveling a lot with public transportation, the Paris Visite ticket is the best for you which can be bought for 1, 2, 3, or 5 days. You can use this on buses, trams, and metros in the city center of Paris. Notice that the Paris Visite pass is set to work for different zones. Before you buy it, make sure that the places you are visiting are within zones 1-3. If you plan on visiting locations outside these zones, then you need to buy some other pass, or additional tickets for those trips.
How can I travel between the different airports in Paris and the city center?
We have three different guides in our Paris Guide with information on how to travel between the different airports and the city center of Paris. Click the links below to find the information you are looking for.
- How to travel from Beauvais Airport to Paris?
- How to travel between Charles de Gaulle Airport and Paris?
- How to travel from Orly Airport to Paris?
Where to stay in Paris during the Summer Olympics?
What hotel/apartment should I choose if I come to Paris for the Summer Olympics?
Where you should stay in Paris during the Summer Olympics depends greatly on your requirements and how much money you want to spend on accommodation. Paris is a very expensive city when it comes to hotels and apartments, and during the Summer Olympics, everything will be even more expensive. Below you can see a map showing you the city center of Paris with different accommodation options and price examples. Look around and you might find something suitable for you. Be aware, the hotels and apartments will get fully booked extremely fast, meaning that it will be hard to find suitable options if you wait until the last minute.
If you don’t do any scrolling, then you by default see Champ de Mars on the left side of the map above. This is where the Eiffel Tower is located, Grand Palais, Trocadero, and other locations that will be frequently in use during the Summer Olympics. This is also close to Les Invalides, the location for the archery competitions. In the center-top of the map, you can see Place de la Concorde, the location for the competitions in BMX freestyle, breaking, skateboarding, and 3×3 basketball. This area is not only ideal for the Summer Olympics, but also for discovering the famous attractions and buildings of Paris such as the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, Arc d’Triomphe, Champs Elysees, Notre-Dame, and other famous locations in the French capital.
Which is the best hotel if I want to live close to Stade de France and the different athletics competitions?
There are lots of apartments close to Stade de France, but most of them are already booked for the time of the Summer Olympics in Paris. There are, however, some hotels very close to the venue, meaning that you can walk to the different events within 2-10 minutes as you leave the main entrance of your hotel. If you want to book a room in one of these hotels, you better book your room as quickly as possible.
- Ibis Paris Saint Denis
- Courtyard by Marriot Saint Denis
- Ibis Saint Denis Stade Ouest
- Novotel Suites Stade de France
If you don’t like any of those hotels or if they are fully booked, you will receive suggestions for other places you can stay close to Stade de France instead.
I want to live as cheaply as possible, and I don’t mind using public transportation. Where should I live?
Would you rather spend money eating croissants for breakfast, drinking delicious French coffee, and maybe enjoying a cold beer while watching the competitions during the Summer Olympics, than spending a lot of money paying for a hotel room?
If you are willing to live outside the inner city center, you can save a lot of money as you book a hotel or an apartment. But, since all prices increase due to the Summer Olympics, you will still have to pay a lot, no matter where you decide to live in Paris.
Would you like to find the cheapest of all solutions for hotels and apartments in Paris during this period? Click the link below!
Once you visit the site, make sure to change the dates to the dates of your stay in Paris. You will then immediately find the cheapest accommodation options in all of Paris during the dates of your stay in Paris during the Summer Olympics. Do not forget to set the main filter to “lowest price first.”
What are the activities I must do during my spare time in Paris?
Even though you come to Paris because of the Summer Olympics, you shouldn’t let this magnificent chance to explore the city get away. Certain activities are obvious, meaning that if you haven’t been to Paris before, you should visit the Eiffel Tower. But, due to the enormous number of visitors coming to Paris during this time, you should be very early with booking tickets because it might very well be sold out and impossible to visit if you plan on dropping by on a random day during the Summer Olympics. The truth is, you will often stand in line for 2-3 hours (minimum) on a normal summer day if you want to visit the Eiffel Tower. Can you imagine what it will be like when you add the Summer Olympics with all its visitors in addition to the normal number of tourists?
A natural place to visit in Paris is the Champs-Elysees. This is the number one avenue for expensive shopping, but also for seeing some of the most famous locations in Paris. Along this avenue, you can find Place de la Concorde where there will be BMX, Skateboarding, and 3×3 Basketball competitions. Why not combine one of these events with looking at the fantastic pillar brought in from Egypt in the middle of the square? At the start of the avenue, you can also find the fantastic Arc de Triomphe, a victory arch created based on the order of Napoleon in 1806. If you walk all along the avenue and continue on after reaching Place de la Concorde, you will end up by one of the most famous museums in the world, the Louvre Museum. Why not visit the museum to say hello to Mona Lisa during your trip to Paris? Once again, you should definitely buy your tickets and timeslot before you arrive, because it is very crowded during the summer.
Another great place to visit in Paris is the famous Notre-Dame Cathedral. Unfortunately, it isn’t open yet, and it is only set to open before Christmas in 2024. In other words, you can take a look at the cathedral from the outside, but you will not be able to enter the cathedral if you come to Paris during the Summer Olympics in 2024.
If you want to get a nice overview of Paris, another popular activity is a river cruise. There is a wide selection of such trips on the River Seine available. Many of them are normal tourist boats with a guide onboard, while others are all about eating, drinking, and just enjoying life. Once again, you should be very early if you want to book some sort of trip on the Seine during this period.
It is also worth noticing that Paris is a city of fantastic museums. As we have already mentioned, the most famous of them all is the Louvre Museum. But, if you want more modern art, the Orsay Museum is fantastic. There are all sorts of historical museums, art museums, and also special tours for those interested in the Da Vinci Code and other popular movies and books. In other words, if you want to learn and grow in knowledge while in Paris, there are many options to choose from.
Would you like culture in a different way? If you book early, you might be able to experience an evening in the magnificent and legendary Moulin Rogue. And while in the area, you should visit the Sacre Coeur Cathedral. A walk between the two popular locations (1km) will give you a nice way to discover Montmarte, and in that way, get to know Paris in an even more personal way. It is also worth knowing that the Sacre Coeur Cathedral is only 2,5km distance from “Arena Porte de la Chapelle“, the brand new venue that will be used for badminton and rhythmic gymnastics during the Olympics.
There is much more to see, but one of the most beautiful places to visit on your trip to Paris is Versailles with its magnificent castle. There will be equestrian and pentathlon competitions here during the Summer Olympics, but there will also be chances for you to visit the area as a normal tourist. Reserve your entrance tickets early, because it is going to be very crowded.
Where can I stream the Summer Olympics online?
In France, the national broadcasting France will broadcast the event. You can stream a lot of the events live at their website at https://www.france.tv/. You need to have a user registered for free at the website to watch the live stream, but it is also crucial that you are located in France. Why is that? The live streams on the website are only available to people with a French IP address, that is, people located in France.
If you are sitting in a hotel room in Paris, or elsewhere in France, you can just turn on your TV and watch the events there, or register a user at france.tv and watch the events there. Would you rather watch everything happening on a TV channel elsewhere in the world in English or in some other language? There are lots of guides online telling how you can stream the Summer Olympics online, but if you want to learn more on the topic, the following article is one we can recommend.
