Overnight curfews are in force in parts of several major French cities after a weekend of protests turned violent, with more than 2,400 arrests and trouble flaring from Paris to Marseille. If you have a trip booked, here's the state of play.
Curfews were imposed on Monday night in districts of Paris, Nice, Lille and Marseille, with Lyon and parts of Paris extending them into Tuesday. Helicopters circled over central Paris and police taped off areas including Place de la République, where cobblestones were torn up, a fountain vandalised and storefronts smashed over the weekend. By Tuesday, Paris police said public peace had been restored in the locked-down zones, and prime minister Sebastien Lecornu told parliament the localised curfews had 'helped restore calm' — though it's unclear where or when further curfews might be announced this week.
The unrest began at high schools in Paris' suburbs last month over staff shortages and poor facilities, then spread nationwide. On Saturday, roughly half a million people marched about the rising cost of living, according to the Interior Ministry, and violent fringe groups exploited the crowds — looting hundreds of businesses in Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Rennes, Strasbourg, Grenoble and Nice, and burning buildings including Lyon's tourism office and the 19th-century City Hall in Limoges, whose roof collapsed. One protester died of cardiac arrest in Paris. President Macron called the violence unprecedented and pledged a firm response.
It isn't over yet: organisers have announced an 'Act II' demonstration for Saturday, 24 October, and the government says the deployment will be 'massive', with the military sent in alongside police.
So should you cancel? The UK Foreign Office has not advised against travel to France, which matters a lot: without that warning, you have no automatic right to a full refund from your holiday provider, and travel insurance won't cover cancellation on safety grounds unless the advice changes. Conditions depend on your operator, so contact them directly if you want to postpone. Some policies include cover for events that prevent you reaching your destination — worth checking the small print and calling your insurer.
The FCDO's standing advice is worth following regardless: demonstrations and strikes in France can pop up with little or no warning, so monitor local media, check your operator's updates, and if you find yourself near a protest, move away and follow police instructions. Curfews can be introduced at short notice, so if you're already in France, know which neighbourhoods are affected and plan evenings accordingly.
The practical bottom line: trips to France are going ahead as normal, and the vast majority of the country — countryside, smaller towns, most of any given city — is unaffected. But if your itinerary centres on Saturday demonstrations or city-centre nights out in the affected areas, stay flexible, keep an eye on the news, and don't expect refunds if you choose to pull out. This is one for watching closely over the coming week rather than panicking over.
