© Paris 2024
You may not know it, but most of the events taking place in the streets of the capital or in the Seine are free to watch. This applies to the triathlon, marathon and road cycling.
The swimming (1.5 km), cycling (40 km) and running (10 km) events in the triathlon take place right in the centre of Paris: in the Seine, along the quays, on the Champs-Élysées... Visitors along the route can watch the athletes go by and cheer them on.
Only the stands situated at the level of the bridges Alexandre-III bridge (start/finish area) and ** Champs-Élysées bridge** are ticketed (paying).
An opportunity also to do some sightseeing: the Alexandre-III bridge, Invalides, the Assemblée nationale, the Musée d’Orsay, the Grand Palais and Petit Palais, the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, the Arc de Triomphe, etc.
© ASO - A. Vialatte
On 10 and 11 August 2024, marathon runners cover 42.195 km in a circular route between Paris and Versailles. They set off from Paris City Hall in the direction of Boulogne-Billancourt, Sèvres, Ville-d'Avray, Versailles, Viroflay, Chaville, Meudon and Issy-les-Moulineaux, and finish on the Esplanade des Invalides.
Like for the triathlon, spectators can stand for free along the route and cheer on the runners.
The same applies to the marathon swimming events, with 6 loops of 1.67 km each in the Seine, between the Alma bridge and the Alexandre-III bridge.
All the road cycling events - the time trial on 27 July 2024, the men's route on 3 August 2024, and the women's route on 4 August 2024 - are accessible free of charge to anyone standing along the route.
These events start at Trocadéro and the athletes will head to Rambouillet in the Yvelines, via Versailles (but also via Saint-Germain-en-Laye and Élancourt for the men's route). Spectators can also watch the final sprint across the Butte Montmartre.
The time trial route will loop around the Bois de Vincennes after starting out from Alexandre III bridge and will finish at Invalides.
© Florian Hulleu
The Paris 2024 Games Opening Ceremony is unique in that it is the first time it has taken place outside a stadium. In fact, the parade of athletes from all the participating nations will take place on the Seine. This particularity means that anyone who wants to can watch the ceremony, free of charge, from the quays.
It takes place on 26 July 2024 along the Seine, through Paris, from east to west, over a distance of six kilometres arriving in front of Trocadéro.
People who have purchased tickets for the opening ceremony are seated in the (paying) stands on the quays below, between the Austerlitz bridge and the Iéna bridge, and on some bridges in the capital.
But spectators without tickets can enjoy watching the celebrations from the upper quays via 80 giant screens and a sound system that will broadcast the event throughout the capital.
.jpg)
© Paris 2024
Also, for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games event, Paris City Hall is setting up 25 fan zones in many parts of the capital.
These are free spaces in which the Olympic events are broadcast ongiant screens. Plus, there will be special activities, refreshment stands, play areas and awareness raising spaces.
Among the different zones, the most important are Champions Park at Trocadéro which is freely accessible every day and where fans can greet the previous day’s medal winners, Club France in Parc de la Villette, and the square in front of City Hall.
Discover how to experience the Paris Games during the Games
© Gustavo Ferreira - Unsplash
France Télévisions has the exclusive broadcasting rights for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Good news for everyone who wishes to watch the various events for free, without the need to subscribe to a pay channel or platform.
The broadcasts can be seen on the group's channels (France 2, France 3, France 4, and France 5 and on its digital platform.
%20(2).jpg)
© Felipe Ribon
Another free event to attend as part of the Paris Games is **the Olympic Torch Relay ** which starts in Marseille on 8 May 2024.
The Olympic Flame traverses the whole of France and will be in Paris on 14 and 15 July 2024, and in Île-de-France from 19 to 26 July 2024.
All the towns and sites traversed by the Olympic Flame are listed on the Paris 2024 website.
© Julien Scussel - Paris 2024
To coincide with the Paris 2024 Games, the City of Paris has renovated a large number of buildings and sports grounds to encourage Parisians, and visitors to the Paris 2024 Games, to enjoy their favourite sporting activities in a pleasant setting.
These include the capital's open-air 3x3 basketball courts, some of which have been renovated and repainted in collaboration with artists, as for example the Luquet court (4 rue du Transvaal in the 20th) renovated by the NBA, the Pailleron court (6 cité Hiver in the 19th) or the Philippe Auguste court (68 avenue Philippe-Auguste in the 11th).
_landscape_3-2_xs.jpg?ver=1700703932)
