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PARIS 2024 OLYMPICS

How to get tickets for the Paris Paralympics

If you were bowled over by the beauty of the Paris Olympics but missed out on getting tickets or were put off by high prices, then now is your chance. The Paralympics start in two weeks, using the same stunning venues with tickets still available from €15.

Published: 12 August 2024 10:53 CEST
Updated: 15 August 2024 08:19 CEST
How to get tickets for the Paris Paralympics
The Palace of Versailles will again be a Games venue during the Paralympics. Photo by Miguel MEDINA / AFP

Few could argue that the Paris Olympics weren’t spectacular – in particular with regard to the beautiful venues. From beach volleyball at the Eiffel Tower to fencing inside the Grand Palais, equestrian events in the grounds of the Palace of Versailles to urban sports in the Place de la Concorde, the Games had a strong look.

The Olympics are now over, but there is a second chance to experience all of those beautiful venues in person – at the Paralympics which start in two weeks.

Games organisers are keeping the temporary venues which have been set up around the city and Paralympics events will be staged largely in the same venues as the Olympics – including the more traditional sporting venues such as the Stade de France, which will host para athletics. 

And the good news is that tickets are still available and start from €15. Meanwhile for those outside Paris, prices for accommodation and travel have dropped to seasonal norms – making a last-minute Paris trip feasible for some.

Tickets 

Tickets are sold on the same platform as Olympics tickets – HERE – and the process is the same – buy tickets online and then download the Paris 2024 Tickets app to receive the ticket. As with the Olympics, there is no option for paper tickets. 

How to use the Olympics and Paralympics app

There is also the official resale platform – HERE – allowing people to sell tickets that they no longer want or cannot use.

Tickets for the Paralympics start at €15 with half of all tickets on sale for €25 or less. Tickets for event finals range from €20 to €100.

As of Saturday, around half of the 2.8 million tickets on offer have been sold, meaning that there are plenty of available seats even for the most popular events such as wheelchair basketball and the athletics events.

Dates

The Paralympics begin on Wednesday, August 28th and run until Sunday, September 8th.

The opening ceremony is at 8pm on August 28th – like the Olympics this will be held in the city centre, not a stadium, although this time there will be no river parade. Instead the athletes will parade down the Champs-Elysées and into Place de la Concorde.

The ceremony itself has been designed by Thomas Jolly – who also did the Olympics opening and closing ceremonies – so expect the unexpected.

Events 

Paralympic events follow largely the same pattern as the Olympics with various adaptations of the sports eg basketball becomes wheelchair basketball, volleyball becomes sitting volleyball.

The other difference is the event classifications according to level of disability, meaning that instead of one men’s 100m final there are several according to level of disability eg single-leg amputee, double leg-amputee etc.

As with the Olympics, the marathon and cycling road races will be held on a course going through the city for which no tickets are required – you can just go along and watch as the races come through your neighbourhood.

Fan zones

The Olympic fan zones will also largely be staying in place ready for the Paralympics, with the exception of the Trocadéro fan zone, which closes. Instead a selection of winning athletes will parade each day at the La Villette fan park.

Other fan zones will keep their big screens, entertainment and food and drink offerings.

MAP Where to find the free fan zones

Travel

Wondering if you could afford a trip to Paris for the Games? Well we’re not going to pretend that Paris is a cheap city, but travel websites are mostly listing prices during the Paralympics as at or even slightly below seasonal averages.

The hotel booking website kayak is offering hotels from around €100 a night (for a double or twin room) while Booking.com is offering hotels from around €100 a night and apartments at slightly less. Meanwhile Airbnb is listing apartments or studios that sleep two people from €65 a night.

When it comes to travel, prices are again looking about average for the season – if you’re happy to travel on a weekday Eurostar has tickets for €73 per person going from London, while Easyjet is offering outbound flights from €75 from London, returns from €35.

Flying from the US is naturally more expensive, but here too prices are within seasonal norms, with Skyscanner offering flights from New York from €500.

Go on, you know you want to . . .

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PARIS

Tickets and dates: All you need to know about Notre-Dame reopening

There are 100 days left before Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris will finally open its doors to visitors again. Here is what you need to know about getting tickets in advance, the reopening plans, and the status of the restoration.

Published: 30 August 2024 10:57 CEST
Tickets and dates: All you need to know about Notre-Dame reopening

August 30th marks a major milestone in the restoration of Notre-Dame in Paris, with just 100 days – or three intense months of work – remaining for the 500-plus artisans working against the clock to ensure the cathedral is ready in time.

The Cathedral has been closed to the public since it was badly damaged by fire in April 2019.

Since then, Parisians and visitors have been able to see a lot of the progress, as the outside work redefined the city’s skyline, but they have not been able to go inside.

But soon, visitors will be able to re-enter the famous cathedral. Here is what you need to know;

When exactly will the cathedral re-open?

The Cathedral is on track to re-open on time on December 8th – the Festival of the Immaculate Conception.

How can I get tickets?

Anyone planning to visit Notre-Dame after its grand reopening should be aware that, when it does throw open its doors to the public, you will need to have a pre-booked ticket to enter.

In anticipation of an estimated 15 million visitors a year, the diocese is taking steps to better manage the flow of people in the 6,000m2 of the building – which can accommodate 2,500 people at a time. 

A mobile app is due to be rolled out in the autumn, and the official website is being redesigned to allow visitors to book free tickets.

But officials are keen to point out that potential visitors do not need to rush to the website or app to book months in advance. Spaces are expected to be available probably a day or two in advance, and visitors will be able to book a visit at the cathedral itself on the day they intend to visit.

What about groups?

Be aware that admission will initially be reserved for individual visitors. Group bookings will not be possible until six months after the cathedral’s reopening, officials have said.

What is the status of the restoration work?

“We can see that we are close to the goal and that fuels our confidence that we will achieve the objective,”  Philippe Jost, president of the public institution responsible for the restoration of Notre-Dame de Paris, told Le Parisien, in an interview to mark the date.

The vault of the transept crossing was completed in May, allowing work to start on finishes to the interior of the building, and the gradual removal of scaffolding from the outside. The cathedral’s renewed silhouette has been visible throughout the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“Spectacular steps” have been taken in the past six months, Jost said, including the completion of the solid oak frames above the nave and the choir, and the installation of the lead roofs.

But, he said, there are still “an incredible amount of things to do in every corner” – including restoring the flooring, connecting electrical networks and installing new liturgical furniture. In just 100 days. “There is no question of falling asleep and telling yourself that it’s in the bag,” Jost said.

What can I do in the meantime?

You can still walk around the site and read the posters explaining the restoration process, though you will not be able to enter. Photos of the fire-damaged cathedral and its restoration form an exhibition on the barriers keeping people out of the site.

Guided tours exist in the area, including one offered by Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral and CASA volunteers. These tours are free and they go around the cathedral, lasting about one hour. More info for booking here.

Will there be other work in the future?

Even though Notre-Dame is reopening, the cathedral’s restoration work will continue for another four to five years. 

“The City of Paris … will be carrying out work around the cathedral, notably on the forecourt, for at least three years,” the diocese said in a press release.

Starting in 2025, the cathedral’s stone exterior will begin to be refurbished, using surplus funds from the huge pot of donations that poured in after the fire.

The plans include adding trees and vegetation to the square in front of the cathedral, as well as a small stream that will help to cool the area during hot weather. 

The space behind the cathedral will also be transformed, adding in a lawn and grassy area. Under the monument, the underground parking lot will transform into a visitor centre, offering an interior walkway that will give access to the archaeological crypt and will open up onto the Seine.

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