How to plan a trip to see the Olympics - without going to Paris
THIS year, millions of sports enthusiasts will make their way to Paris as the city hosts its most monumental event in recent history: the 2024 Summer Olympics and Paralympics.
Preparations are well underway, from infrastructural projects such as road and rail improvements within Paris to constructing a new arena at Porte de la Chapelle as well as the Olympic and Paralympic Village. Yet former French Transport Minister Clément Beaune has been issuing warnings that transport conditions during the Games will be “hardcore,” while Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo has made comments that the city will fail to meet its deadline to upgrade and boost service to the metro before the competitions.
Adding to that is the challenge of finding available and reasonably priced accommodations in the capital. Even renting an apartment via Airbnb, an official Olympic partner, is likely to come at a steep cost, as prices in the Greater Paris region had already grown by 300 per cent as of October.
There is some good news, however: It’s entirely possible to take in the Olympics without setting foot in Paris. Outside the host city, 11 venues in other French destinations and overseas territories will host full tournaments, qualifiers and finals. Below, some of the events to catch and where to stay along the way.
Versailles
It may be located within an hour of Paris by train, but the royal grounds of the Palace of Versailles will still feel removed from the core action of the Olympics. Here, the Etoile Royale esplanade-located at the heart of the palace’s gardens-will serve as the backdrop for several disciplines, including equestrian competitions and most of the modern pentathlon. (The fencing round will take place in the North Paris Arena, in Seine Saint-Denis.)
Horses will be a prominent part of any trip here this summer, whether or not you’re ticketed for related events. Inside the château, for instance, a special exhibition called “Cheval en Majesté” will display 300 works dedicated to the role of the horse in European civilization. And among several new guided tours meant to highlight the links between art and sports, one will focus on equine creatures, while another will look at the athleticism of gods and heroes.
To mark the grand occasion of the Summer Olympics, several restoration projects on the grounds of Versailles will reach completion by spring, including Apollo’s Fountain, the gilded 17th century architectural marvel that sits between the Grand Canal and the Great Lawn.
Bordeaux
This elegant city on the Garonne river, two hours southwest of Paris by high-speed train, is better known for the wine country surrounding it than the exceptional urban transformation it’s seen over the last 15 years. The latter is thanks to then-Mayor Alain Juppé’s marquee renewal projects, which added trams and widened pedestrian access to the newly cleaned-up historic city center.
For the Summer Olympics, Bordeaux will host seven matches in the men’s and women’s football (soccer) tournament, including the quarterfinals, at the Bordeaux Stadium north of the city. This makes for an opportune moment to get reacquainted with Bordeaux and its Cité du Vin, a modern museum devoted to the history and culture of winemaking that opened in 2016, along with the city’s booming natural wine and craft cocktail scene, which is at its best at bars like Symbiose and Soif.
Where to stay: For someplace central, the InterContinental Bordeaux–Le Grand Hôtel is hard to beat. Le Grand Hôtel has loomed large and luxuriously over the Place de la Comédie, at the heart of the city, for 200 years. It now features Gordon Ramsay’s two-Michelin-starred restaurant Le Pressoir d’Argent and a Guerlain spa. A thirty-minute drive outside the city puts you at Les Sources de Caudalie, a much more relaxing stay; an offshoot of the beauty brand Caudalie, its spa is known for its “vinotherapy” (or wineinspired) spa treatments.
Marseille
Besides serving as the starting point for the Olympic Torch Relay route, France’s second-largest city will play host to football and sailing competitions-its constant winds and sunshine make the coastal hub ideal for regattas. Expect those to take place in the Roucas-Blanc Marina, located between the city center and the fishing village of Les Goudes, on the edge of the Calanques National Park. Football matches, meanwhile, will be held at the Stade Vélodrome; it’s France’s second largest stadium (with a capacity of 67,394) and home to the city’s legendary team, Olympique de Marseille. Beyond the sports, visitors will find that the city has been thriving since the pandemic, surging with new projects from Parisian chefs, artists and entrepreneurs who’ve moved south to create new opportunities. It’s never been a more exciting time to visit (and eat in!) Marseille. — The Washington Post