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[title]The countdown has begun for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics – and while catching your favourite sport live from the stadium, pitch, course or court while basking in the sun is a pretty stellar way to spend the day, not all of us were lucky enough to snag tickets.
But if you find yourself in Paris during the games, there are still plenty of public places to immerse yourself in that competitive, friendly, thrilling atmosphere (sometimes with an even better view than if you were there for real).
It’s worth noting that there are some events such as the marathon, triathlon, rowing, open water swimming, some cycling and even parts of the opening ceremony that’ll be visible to non-ticket holders (you can view the entire schedule here). But if you’re keen to catch some curling, dressage or just some good old-fashioned athletics, here are all the best places to watch the Olympics across the city.
Best places to watch the Olympics in Paris
Parc de La Villette will be home to Club France, where French athletes and fans will come together to celebrate and watch the games. Zones for other nationalities’ teams will also be set up in this area.
Parc des Marnes promises to be an excellent spot to catch a glimpse of the women’s marathon, which is the final event of the games.
At the Trocadéro in Champions Park, medal winners from the previous day will take part in parades and meet members of the public, and live screenings of the day’s major events will be shown.
However, Paris City Hall has set up a whole host of ‘fan zones’ across the city, which are free to attend – and many will have screenings. Here’s the list of fan zones, according to Paris Je T’aime.
- Parc Rives de Seine and Quartier Jeunes (1st arrondissement)
- Fabrique de la Solidarité (2nd arrondissement)
- Académie du Climat (4th arrondissement)
- Arènes de Lutèce (5th arrondissement)
- Place Saint-Sulpice (6th arrondissement)
- Parc Monceau (8th arrondissement)
- Parc Rives de Seine and Quartier Jeunes (1st arrondissement)
- Fabrique de la Solidarité (2nd arrondissement)
- Académie du Climat (4th arrondissement)
- Arènes de Lutèce (5th arrondissement)
- Place Saint-Sulpice (6th arrondissement)
- Parc Monceau (8th arrondissement)
- Mairie (9th arrondissement)
- Canal St-Martin and the Grange aux Belles district (10th arrondissement)
- Allée Vivaldi (12th arrondissement)
- Parc de Choisy (13th arrondissement)
- Centre sportif Elisabeth (14th arrondissement)
- Parc Sainte-Périne (16th arrondissement)
- Parc Clichy Batignolles Martin Luther-King (17th arrondissement)
- Jardins d’Éole and the Square Léon Serpollet (18th arrondissement)
- Place Stalingrad, the Bassin de la Villette (19th arrondissement)
- Complexe sportif Louis Lumière (20th arrondissement)
Not likely to make it to Paris for the Games? You can check out how to watch, listen and stream all the action right here. And here are all the best things to do in the French capital, Olympics or no Olympics.