How the pope’s visit will disrupt Paris
Paris is preparing for major security measures and transport disruption as Pope Leo XIV arrives in the capital for a two-day visit on Friday and Saturday.
Around one million people are expected to visit Paris for the papal visit, with up to 250,000 people expected along the route of the popemobile on Friday.
The Pope will walk from Notre-Dame-des-Champs to Place Saint-Michel on Friday, before visiting Notre-Dame Cathedral and heading to the Stade de France for an evening prayer vigil attended by around 80,000 young people. On Saturday, he will celebrate an open-air Mass on the Place de la Concorde.
Don’t miss our journalists’ daily news roundup from France
READ MORE: ‘A mass for 600,000’: What you need to know about Pope Leo’s visit to France
The large crowds mean extensive security perimeters, road closures and public transport disruption across several parts of Paris.
Champs-Élysées and Place de la Concorde
The area around Place de la Concorde and the Champs-Élysées will be particularly affected. Some roads in the 8th arrondissement have already been closed, with further restrictions coming into force starting Friday.
On Saturday, when the Mass takes place, the security perimeter will be considerably larger. Parking will be banned in the area from 2pm on Friday until 8pm on Saturday, while traffic restrictions will apply in some areas from 10pm on Friday until 8pm on Saturday.
Several metro stations will also be closed, including: Charles-de-Gaulle-Étoile, Concorde, Champs-Élysées-Clemenceau, George V, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Tuileries and Argentine.
Bus services will also be disrupted in the affected areas.
The Pont de l’Alma RER station will close from 5.30am on Saturday, while Ternes and Saint-Philippe du Roule will become inaccessible from midday. The restrictions are expected to remain in place as the security installations are dismantled.
Traffic will remain prohibited on the central carriageway of Place de la Concorde until October 10th.
Along the Pope’s Friday route
A security perimeter will be established from Thursday along the route between Notre-Dame-des-Champs and Place Saint-Michel.
Parking will be banned until 8pm on Friday, while traffic will be prohibited from 6am to 8pm.
Between 10am and midday, only local residents and authorised people will be allowed into the area with proof of eligibility. From midday, worshippers will be allowed to enter.
Shops along the route will close from 10am on Friday, with businesses in the event area remaining closed until between 5pm and 7pm depending on their location.
A number of metro and RER stations will also close.
From 9am: Alma-Marceau and Iéna.
From 10am: Saint-Michel-Notre-Dame, Port-Royal, Luxembourg, Vavin, Cité, Odéon, Cluny-La Sorbonne, Duroc and Saint-François-Xavier.
From 1pm: École Militaire and Ségur.
Around Notre-Dame
Access to Notre-Dame Cathedral will also be heavily restricted.
Parking will be banned inside the security perimeter from 11am on Thursday until 8pm on Friday.
Traffic restrictions will begin at 9pm on Thursday on the Quai du Marché Neuf, Pont Saint-Michel and Petit-Pont. From 6am on Friday, restrictions will extend to the rest of the security zone around the Île de la Cité, parts of the Île Saint-Louis and sections of the Seine riverbanks.
River traffic will also be suspended on parts of the Seine on Friday afternoon. The metro station Cité and the Saint-Michel-Notre-Dame RER station will be closed from 10am to 8pm on Friday.
Shops inside the security perimeter, including the second-hand bookstalls along the Left Bank, will also have to close during parts of Friday.
Stade de France
The Pope’s Friday evening prayer vigil at the Stade de France is expected to attract around 80,000 young people.
The area around the stadium will be subject to a security perimeter, with parking and traffic restrictions from 8am on Friday until 1am on Saturday.
READ ALSO: The big issues facing Pope Leo during his trip to France
