Paris 2024: everything you need to know about restricted zones, transport and the QR code to travel in the capital during the Olympic Games

“ To cross Paris, you will not need the QR code “. Or almost. This statement from the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, during an update on the security system on April 9, is intended to be reassuring in the run-up to the Olympic and Paralympic Games. But if we believe the maps of zones and perimeters, the confused and approximate speeches on transport, there is reason to doubt, and even to be lost. We’ll explain it to you.

► Perimeters: what color for what restriction?

Blue, red, black, gray? As many colors on the maps of the Paris police headquarters as there are forms of travel restrictions.

Let’s start with the worst: gray area. This zone, set up in March for the assembly of structures, will demarcate the heart of the sites where the competitions will take place. Only athletes, ticketed spectators or accredited spectators will be able to access it. No vehicles will be able to drive in this area.

Around the gray areas there will be black areas : protection perimeters, also called “Slit” (Internal security and fight against terrorism). This is where you will be checked, searched and patted down by the security services. You will not be able to access it if you do not fill in the boxes in the gray area (being an athlete, being a spectator or an organizer).

THE red zones then, around the competition sites or the Olympic village for example. Buses will not be able to travel there and it will be prohibited to go there with a motorized vehicle. Except if you have a “pass” generated after validation on the digital platform of the police headquarters, which will open on May 10. The people who can and should benefit from this “pass” are, for example, those who work in the area and have no other means than to use their vehicle to get to their work, but also professionals in the field. repairs, people providing home service or those with motorized vehicles because they have a disability. Pedestrians and cyclists will be able to move freely there.

And finally, around the red zones: the blue zones. Within this area you can freely move around on foot or by bike. And if you want to go there by car you will need to show “free proof”, explaining your reason for traveling to an address located in this area.

► What about moving competitions, like cycling?

During traveling competitions such as the marathon or cycling, where access will not require tickets, a red zone will be deployed all along and around the circuit for a few hours. Crossing points will prohibit vehicles without an exemption from circulating in the area, three hours before the race – except for local residents who will be able to access them until 1 hour 30 minutes before the race.

► A perimeter, a QR Code and closed stations for the opening ceremony

A week before and during the opening ceremony on July 26, which should be attended by 326,000 people, any travel within the “slit” perimeter (black zone) will be prohibited. Only organizers and spectators will be able to access it on the day. And the week preceding the opening ceremony, all residents or professionals on foot, by bicycle or by car must present an identity document and a QR code, accessible after request validated by the State, by registering on the police headquarters platform.

This “slit” perimeter, which begins in Ivry-sur-Seine, encompasses all the Parisian quays over several kilometers. Ile Saint-Louis and Ile de la Cité are part of it. The perimeter also concerns the Austerlitz station and certain tourist places such as the Louvre, the Tuileries, the Arab World Institute or the Trocadéro – which will even be connected by secure access to the Champs-Élysées. Without a ticket for the museums concerned, it will not be possible to travel there.

There will thus be a “ virtual cessation of circulationn” from 1 p.m. on July 26, all around the perimeter, reported Gérald Darmanin in an interview with Parisian. Around fifteen metro stations will be closed around the banks of the Seine where the ceremony will take place. In this area, the metros will be able to circulate… without stopping. The airspace will also be paused between 7 p.m. and midnight on July 26.

► The “Olympic lanes” closed to traffic on certain roads

From July 15, and for certain roads until mid-September, 185 km of lanes will be reserved exclusively for vehicles transporting athletes, accredited journalists, emergency vehicles, taxis, public transport and security . They will be notified on the roads by a sign on which the symbol of the Olympic and Paralympic Games will appear.

These lanes are located in particular on the A1 between Roissy Charles de Gaulle and Porte de la Chapelle, on the circular boulevard (La Défense), or on the A4 between Collégien and Porte de Bercy.

The same goes for the famous Parisian ring road. The left lane will be closed to the general public, between Porte de Vanves and Porte de Bercy, in both directions. Enough to fear additional traffic jams.

► And public transport?

“ Telework or postpone your trips », This is the invitation addressed by the RATP to Ile-de-France residents. Already little known for bringing happiness to Parisians and commuters, public transport traffic will suffer from the arrival of the Olympic Games.

A map developed by the government shows the different occupancy levels expected according to busy times on the metro lines, RER or Tram lines. Ranging from “to avoid” to “to favor” via “extremely busy” or even “very busy”. A long list of metro, RER and tram line numbers will be “impacted” by the Games. To what extent and how, we don’t yet know…

But it has already been announced that the Concorde, Tuileries, and Champs Elysées Clemenceau stations will be closed from June 17 (June 1^er July for Champs-Élysées), and until September 21. As for trams, the Porte d’Issy, Porte de Versailles and Colette Besson stations will not be served from July 25. The long-awaited extension of line 14, nicknamed the Games line, will be inaugurated, if all goes well, next June. It is expected to transport up to 1 million people per day. That’s twice as much as today.

To get to the most distant events, you can take one of the ten free shuttle lines, chartered especially for the occasion. This will be the case for canoeing or rowing competitions in Vaires-sur-Marne, mountain biking in Élancourt. 150 transport lines will be set up especially for athletes.

In addition to the journeys which promise to be long, slow and crowded, their price also raises eyebrows. Between July 20 and September 8, the price of the t + ticket (metro, tram, bus) will increase to 4 euros, the RER ticket to 6 and the buses for Roissy and Orly to 16 euros. The 5 million subscribers, already daily users of the Ile-de-France network, should be spared since Navigo passes will not be impacted.

A “Passe Paris 2024” pass will be accessible on the “Transport public Paris 2024” application (the launch of which is planned for May). For a day, it will cost you 16 euros. The price is decreasing if you buy it for several days, but you will still have to be able to pay 140 euros… for 14 days.