By Anne McCarthy
We here at Fat Tire Tours are overwhelmed with excitement at the fact that Paris is hosting the 2024 Summer Olympics, July 26 – August 11, 2024! During this time, we expect to see the city bursting with even more life, as well as world-class athletes, Olympics spectators, and so many events you don’t know where to turn.
If you’re planning a visit to Paris to enjoy the 2024 Olympics here, be sure to book one of our bestselling Paris tours. We offer bike tours, walking tours, Segway tours, Versailles tours, and more. If it’s in Paris, let us take you there! Note, too, that most Paris hotels won’t open their reservation calendars for the Games until approximately 400 days before the intended stay, so around July 2023. (Although some Paris hotels are currently taking bookings for summer 2024).
The city of Paris was honored with a 2023 Sustainable Transport Award this year, so it’s no surprise that there are some sustainability-minded aspects for the 2024 Games in Paris. Paris made environmental responsibility an integral part of its bid to host the Games.
Paris 2024 reports on the website that environmental responsibility is a shared goal of the Games, along with the partners, like Paris city council, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), local Parisian businesses, the French National Olympic and Sports Committee, and the French Paralympic and Sports Committee. Paris 2024 says on its website they “strive for [environmental] excellence” and will “assess each stage of the project as it develops.” It’s inspiring to see everyone come together with a shared goal for these Games.
They also committed to using 95% existing or temporary venues, thus minimizing the Paris 2024 Summer Games’ environmental impact. Reducing new builds means reducing the carbon footprint; even more reason to love the Paris 2024 Games!
And now, here’s a breakdown of some need-to-know facts about the 2024 Paris Olympics, whether you’re planning to visit Paris for the big Games or planning to watch at home. We’ve got you covered on planning ticket purchases, volunteering, learning about the Olympics’ newest and most surprising sport, and more.
- Dates for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris & Number of Events
The dates for the Olympic games are July 26 to August 11, however, the football and rugby competitions begin two days prior, on July 24. During the period of the Games, 329 events in 32 different sports will occur.
2. How to Get a Ticket Beginning May 11, 2023
Like a Taylor Swift concert ticket, Olympics tickets don’t come particularly easy! But close to 10 million tickets will be on sale, and roughly 3.4 million for the Paralympics.
Tickets go on sale on May 11, 2023, and all the tickets are available via a single website, making it somewhat more streamlined than a concert-ticket-buying process. You can buy your tickets at the Paris 2024 Olympics website.
The website notes, “because of the strong interest and demand, a draw will take place, to give everyone an equal chance of obtaining a ticket to the Olympic Games.” The prices start at €24 and €15 for all Paralympic sports. All major credit cards and debit cards are accepted for payment.
3. How to Become a Volunteer
Say what? Yes, you can be a volunteer at the Paris Olympics! How cool is that? This once-in-a-blue-moon experience could be yours. The volunteer application portal is open only until May 3, 2023, at midnight.
File your application today to see if you can become a volunteer!
4. Where to Find the Olympic Marathon Route
The marathon has been a staple of the Games since the first Games of the modern era, in 1896 in Athens. Marathoners train for a long time to get in shape to run a marathon, and Olympic marathon runners work even harder. So we can safely assume that Olympic marathoners and their coaches are delighted that the Olympic marathon route has been confirmed. The women’s marathon will be on the final day of the Games, on August 11, 2024.
This is the first year that the Olympics is hosting a version of the marathon for anyone. Yes, that’s right; anyone can join! Amateur athletes can run the Olympic route in Paris, making this years’ Olympics a true community event.
The route honors French history, too. The marathon route pays tribute to the Women’s March on Versailles from October 5, 1789, during the French Revolution. The route runs through nine Île-de-France districts and includes passing by some of Paris’s most famous monuments and parks.
Are you interested in learning more about the French Revolution? Sign up for our French Revolution Walking Tour and learn all about this pivotal piece of France’s history. Your expert guide will lead you on a two-hour tour, teaching you about the National Assembly, the storming of Versailles, key figures of the revolution like Robespierre and Danton, and more.
5. New Sports Category Debut: Breakdancing!
The global dance community is abuzz with excitement over the fact that breakdancing (also called “breaking”) has been officially added as an Olympic event. Breakdancing is the one and only sport making its Olympic debut at the Paris Games.
The event will include two events; one is for men and the other for women. In each event 16 “B-Boys” and “B-Girls” will have dance battles as solo battles. Dancers will improvise to the music provided by the DJ. In 2018, breakdancing debuted in the Youth Olympic Games in Argentina. We can’t wait to see all the moves the dancers have in store for Paris!
6. Opening Ceremony Details
The 2024 Paris Olympic Games opening ceremony will take place in the heart of Paris, so the experience can accommodate as many spectators as possible. It’s reported that at least 600,000 spectators will be able to participate in the celebrations along a four-mile route on the lower and upper quays of the Seine.
This route is approximately ten times the capacity of a typical Olympic stadium, giving people even more access to this historic event.
And it’s the first time in Olympic history at the Games’ opening ceremony will be held outside of a stadium. It’s going to be an incredible experience. On the upper banks of the Seine there will be free public viewing spaces to watch the ceremony and cheer on the athletes.
7. France is a Seasoned Olympics Host
The 2024 Paris Olympic Games will mark the sixth time the country of France has hosted the Olympic Games. It’ll also mark the centenary of the Paris 1924 Summer Olympics. This will be the first Olympic Games in France since the country hosted the 1992 Winter Olympic Games in Albertville.
If you’re coming to Paris for the 2024 Summer Olympics, we would love to see you on one of our Fat Tire Tours Paris tours!
Anne McCarthy is the Editor in Chief of the Fat Tire Tours Blog. She is a contributing writer to the BBC, The Washington Post, The Guardian, Wired, and many more. She splits her time between the U.S. and Europe.
