A 73-year-old Australian who flew more than 20 hours to reach Paris summed up the situation bluntly: "Stay home!" Anne Boland arrived to find the Louvre barricaded by a small group of demonstrators, her museum plans cancelled on the spot. She was one of thousands of visitors caught in the middle of the unrest sweeping the French capital.
The trouble stems from a wave of cost-of-living protests that drew roughly half a million people across France on Saturday. What began as school student demonstrations escalated into some of the country's worst street violence in years, with marches, road blocks and tear gas disrupting central Paris. The Yellow Vests movement, which organised the rallies, has called for another round of protests the following Saturday, while the government weighs partial, targeted curfews.
For visitors, the impact has been immediate. Protesters blocked the entrance to the Louvre's glass pyramid, turning away crowds who settled for selfies in front of the closed palace. A Dutch cyclist described touring the city and finding debris from fires and broken glass instead of the charming streetscapes he'd expected. Taxi drivers at Charles de Gaulle airport warned arriving passengers that blocked roads might stop them reaching their hotels altogether.
The stakes are high: Paris tourism is worth an estimated 14 billion euros ($16 billion) a year. The US embassy has urged its citizens to exercise caution, and a British newspaper questioned whether France would be safe for family holidays during the upcoming school break. Families back home have been messaging worried travellers asking them to confirm they're safe.
Not everyone is alarmed, though. Some tourists shrugged it off — a couple was filmed sipping drinks on a terrace while a fire burned in the road nearby, and one American professor in town said she'd seen nothing concerning. Many visitors noted similar cost-of-living protests are happening worldwide, from Ireland to Australia.
The practical takeaway for anyone with a Paris trip booked: keep an eye on the news, build slack into airport transfers and museum plans, and check attraction openings before heading out. City-centre landmarks and routes can be blocked at short notice, especially on Saturdays when protests are scheduled. Travellers already in the city are advised to steer clear of large crowds and demonstrations rather than trying to cross them.
The Bolands, for their part, have now visited the Louvre twice and still never made it inside — first the queues, now the barricades. They're taking it in good humour, but their experience is a useful warning: even carefully planned Paris trips can be derailed overnight while the unrest continues.
Daily Sabah Travel
