Riots in Paris
 

These are interesting times to be in Paris. From television, you see cars on fires, make shift barricades, burning tires, tear gas, stun guns, water cannons, high end stores being looted - and all of this in prime tourist areas with the Champs Elysees looking like a war zone, the Arc de Triomphe covered in graffiti and Place Vendome overtaken by a bonfire of Christmas trees! Galleries Lafayette and others forced to close...

Any first hand reports from FTers ...

Following as we've got a weekend booked for next Saturday and Sunday at Place Vendome, which I understand was one of the hotspots last night. We'd re-book, but change fees on the Eurostar are basically what we paid for the tickets to start with, which is frustrating. Would be very interested to hear perspectives from people on the ground.

You will be fine, really. Am sure next week, IF there will be another protest, it will have more control. 95% of the city is just fine. And life is going on.

The Champs wasn't touched. Though the Etoile and part of the 16th were touched.

I was finishing my market on Avenue Wilson, when I saw them coming down Avenue Marceau. Went to my usual cafe had my coffee and went home.

The graffiti will be cleaned up.

If you are planning on visiting, do, lots of tourists in my area, out enjoying the lights.

I'm also deciding whether to cancel a France trip in the coming week.

Any news about issues in/around CDG? Any highway closures (A3/A5/A6) or difficulties getting fuel? How about secondary/tertiary cities like Dijon or Beaune?

I've spent Christmas week in Paris almost every year for the past six years. After the November 2015 attack, friends suggested I cancel. I said no. This year, again friends are saying I should cancel. Again, I said no. It would take a lot more than a protest to keep me from one of my favorite cities but I am a native New Yorker and was raised to be both tough and cautious. I am counting the days until I'm back in Paris. :-)

I was in Paris as well last weekend, life went on as usual for most people. Indeed, for most of the day, I didn't realise how badly things were panning out except on TV. I knew stuff would happen but didn't cancel the trip (via TGV).

Only time I knew something was up was when add'l métro stations were no longer served as the protests spread. And the Gare St-Lazare smelled a bit burnt. Late in the evening when things calmed down, I witnessed some of the damage near the jardin des tuilieres and Opéra district- really despicable and sad.

But overall, no worries. I wouldn't worry about security as long as you use some common sense and a sense of awareness. I was also impacted back on the 17 Nov when I was in Strasbourg but I just got to know all the little back roads around the blockades ;)

Probably too late to change plans for those going to Paris this weekend but apparently lots of places will be closed on Saturday: Gilets jaunes, acte IV : Paris ville morte ce samedi - Le Parisien

For those who don't speak French: the titel is: Paris, ghost town on Saturday. Eiffel tower closed, lots of musea closed (Louvre, Musée d'Orsay, ....), shops strongly advised to close, pubs asked to keep tables and chairs inside

One day, the French will rule the world. but not tomorrow, tomorrow we're on strike :-)

Hello,
My first post here :)
Are any additional issues foreseen around ORY? I am planning for a one-day meeting in Evry, and thinking that staying around ORY and taking local transport maybe easier, as compared to CDG and staying in Paris. I usually use CDG and take RER to/from the city.
Thanks for any insights.
Freddy

Welcome to FT :)
no problem in ORY/Evry !

Please don't. The manifestations are ONLY on Saturdays. Not the rest of the week. Sunday things are going back to normal. So on Saturday, if you are in Paris, put your feet up, drink some wine, have some cheese and watch movies. It will be cold and rainy, so relax. Sunday, do whatever you want.

There really isn't any danger of being physically attacked, they do building etc damage but not human.


Am glad that you love my little beautiful town. If you come here this year, let's have a drink.

The manifestations are ONLY on Saturdays, the rest of the week life is normal. Really.

Well, December 8th has arrived and the city has battened down the hatches. All of the major museums are closed, as well as the department stores and 45 metro stations. It will be an excellent day to visit Montmartre, the flea market, Père Lachaise, the Buttes Chaumont and the Parc de la Villette, the zoo in the Bois de Vincennes, wander around the Cité Universitaire or the Parc Martin Luther King... I hope that some visitors will finally get off the beaten track.

I'm glad I made my train trip last weekend then !

There's really so much to see outside of the immediate centre: I've been to Paris so many times and everything it's something new. I meant to go to the Bois de Vincennes last weekend but the weather and well; usual chores got to me. But I think given so many tourists go in guided groups, there's not a huge chance people will get off the beaten track.

(good for the rest of us, I guess :cool: )

My flight is Saturday morning and I'm staying near the Opera, so I take the RoissyBus. I'm going to head to the airport Friday evening and spend my last night at the Sheraton CDG, so I won't need to worry about any potential incidents affecting my travel to the airport - that is my one concession this year.

I would really enjoy that, you've always been an FTer whose posts I've found interesting. I arrive the afternoon of 23 December and leave the morning of the 29th - I don't know if you're all booked up that week with holiday plans but if you can squeeze me in, I would love to meet you. :)

My son arrives on Saturday the 15th, he is taking a taxi home.

We then leave the 16th, but back to Paris on the 27th. So if your dates (the ones you posted) are for 2018, then let's meet up the 28th.

Looking forward to meeting another fellow fter. Still have not made it to GLF nor Printemps to see their windows, did you see them? How are they? Worth going?

I have to say LBM's are wonderful and worth trekking there.

Yes, the dates are 2018 and meeting on the 28th works for me. I'll PM you my details.

I haven't seen the windows yet as I don't arrive in Paris until 23 December, but my hotel (Indigo Opera) is just a few blocks from GLF/Printemps, so I'll see them soon. I usually make a trek to LBM since I always have a rive gauche shopping day, so I'll see those as well.

You HAVE to see the LBM's windows and video them if you have kids or nieces or nephews. I even sent the videos to adults.

I was in Paris today, staying the past two nights at the IC Marceau. When I went down to breakfast this morning there were police in riot gear grabbing coffee. I thought that was a bit odd to see in a luxury boutique hotel. Then I saw more and more police walking into the lobby, then opening the door to the stairwell and heading up. I guessed they had a command center there. Then, around 10:00 am I decided to leave a bit early as I had to go to Gare du Nord to pick up a car at Hertz there. I asked the police and others and it seemed the best choice would be to walk the 500 meters to the Champs-Élysées, cross and grab a taxi there, as Avenue Marceau was blocked. When I walked out of the hotel I saw why it was the police HQ. The street was filled with parked police cars, swat team cars (CRS) and armored vehicles. So I walked over to the Champs-Élysées and just before I got there a group of police asked me where I was going and wanted to look into my bag. I passed the test and continued, crossed over and one block later ordered an Uber to go to the station. On the way we passed the Place de l'Opéra where about two hundred gilet-jaunes were standing around, mostly taking selfies of themselves. Up til then I only saw a few gilet-jaunes and lots of foreign journalists doing stand-up reports. Also there were many people like me who were just going about our business. I also saw lots of broken windows, and stores with plywood sheets covering their windows, and the luxury shops with all the inventory removed.

I finally reached the station and grabbed a Renault from Hertz and headed out of town. No real issues for me at that hour. But had I waited til the afternoon I think it would not have gone so well.

Oh, and according to reports, the major museums were open today.

Paris is one of the worlds greatest cities, so of course there is a lot to do apart from the museums. Culture, sport, shopping, dining, etc. That said, I think this will mostly be over in January. Spending all day outside in frigid weather is not a popular activity. If the protests continue, there won't be too many people involved by then, IMHO.

there were considerably less protesters today in Paris (2200), and very few incidents, all minors.
Department stores were open. Definitely a "more normal" saturday. It was time :rolleyes:

I went to my Marche, on Ave Wilson, it was open (last Sat it wasn't), but after a while the CRS asked the merchants to close. Lots of GJ were enjoying the market and eating. But the CRS were super serious. We finished our shopping, as we were walking back, one CRS stopped us and we told him we were going home. Crossed the bridge, saw one GJ being arrested PEACEFULLY, saw a couple of super serious armored cars. But really nothing much. My son went the the Champs in the afternoon, there were some tear gas but nothing big. We then went by the Comedy lots of GJ, but they didn't stop our car or where we wanted to go.

Seems like today was pretty minor, but for the previous Saturdays was there a time that everything wound down by? Asking in case things flare up again in the new year.

My family (including kids 8 and 2) arrive at Orly around 4:30 PM on Saturday Jan 5th - stopping in Paris on the end of a longer trip. We are staying a couple blocks north of the Arc de Triomphe. We are still coming to Paris regardless - our flight back to the US is from CDG - but have until Jan 2nd to decide whether to move our hotel a little farther out from the center.

We passed by the Champs around 9pm and it was open for cars and people. From what I read, they are losing support (at least in Paris) and there might not be any more manifestations. From what I saw, and I was stuck in a couple of them and my son went to check out the Champs, things were very calm. People walking around peacefully.

We will be back as a family after Christmas to celebrate the new year on the Champs-Élysées as we have done each year since the 2015 terrorist attacks. Thousands stood up against terrorism and for liberty that year and I'm sure they will stand up again this year. We will stay by Place de l'Opéra as always and I'm sure it will be a great time.

Arrived in CDG on 17 Dec, took the RER-B followed by RER-D to Evry. All normal, also the stations. 18 Dec flew out in the afternoon from ORY, also no issue.