Parisians generally
prefer to watch sport rather than participate, although the annual
Paris Marathon in April is an exception.
The major spectator event, however, takes place in late July, when
swarms of cyclists hurl down the avenue des Champs-Elysées,
which is lined with crowds, in the final stages of the Tour
de France. The voluminous Stade
de France, St-Denis-la-Plaine (telephone number: (08) 9270 0900,
is the spectacular venue for international football matches and
rugby Six Nations’ Cup matches. The heady days when France
won the football World Cup at the stadium built for the event in
1998 and then the European Championship two years later in Rotterdam
have been replaced by more modest achievements of late.
Meanwhile, domestic football matches take place at the Parc
des Princes, 86 rue Regnault, 13th (telephone number: (08) 2507
5078, the base for the first-division Paris St-Germain football
team, popularly known as PSG,
and Le
Racing rugby team. After a number of years in the wilderness
PSG are back in the thick of things and qualified for the group
stages of the UEFA Champions League in 2004-2005.
The sports venue for everything from ballroom dancing to judo is
the Palais Omnisports
de Paris-Bercy (POPB), 8 boulevard Bercy, 12th (telephone number:
(08) 9269 2300) to the east of the city centre.
The major horseracing events include the Prix de la République
and the Grand Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe which
take place in the Bois de Boulogne to the west of the city centre
in October.
L’Officiel des Spectacles details sports events. Le Guide
du Sport à Paris, available at tourist offices and town halls,
lists sports facilities. The Mairie
de Paris (tel: (08) 2000 7575) offers information on municipal
facilities.
Tickets
Tickets for sporting events are available for purchase at FNAC
Forum des Halles, 1 rue Pierre Lescot, 1st (telephone number:
(01) 4041 4000) and various other FNAC ticket offices situated around
the city.
Virgin
Megastore, 52 avenue des Champs-Elysées, 8th (telephone
number: (01) 4953 5000), and online ticket agencies, Ticketnet
(telephone number: (08) 9239 0100) and Ticketclic (telephone
number: (08) 2508 7000) also sell tickets to sporting events.
Fitness Centres
A number of companies (such as Moving and Gymnasium) dominate
the gym scene in Paris but these tend to be open to members only.
Fitness centres open for one-off visits are listed in the Squash
section below.
Golf
Golf
Disneyland Paris, 77 Marne-la-Vallée (telephone number:
(01) 6045 6890), 32km (20 miles), located east of Paris, has a 27-hole
course, which is open all year round from 0830 at weekends and 0900
on weekdays. On weekdays, 18 holes cost €34, rising to €56
at the weekend. Annual membership is also available.
Squash
Squash
Montmartre, 14 rue Achille Martinet, 18th (telephbone number:
(01) 4255 3830), has four courts, saunas, fitness equipment and
a restaurant. It charges €14 per person per half-hour. Club
Quartier Latin, 19 rue de Pontoise, 5th (telephone number: (01)
5542 7788), with squash, fitness and swimming facilities, charges
€16 per hour.
Swimming
The underground Piscine Suzanne-Berlioux, Les Halles, 10 place de
la Rotonde, 1st (telephone number: (01) 4236 9844), is extremely
central and open daily, costing €3.80 per person.
Aquaboulevard,
4 rue Louis-Armand, 15th (tel: (01) 4060 1010), has a selection
of indoor and outdoor swimming pools, as well as seven large water
slides, which are open daily; admission costs €20 (concessions
available).
Tennis
To play on municipal courts, application for a Carte Paris-Tennis
should be made at the Mairie (see above). Alternatively, visitors
can simply turn up and hope for the best. Courts cost approximately
€6 per hour. There are also private clubs, which often charge
high membership fees. Forest Hill Tennis at Aquaboulevard
(see Swimming above) is open daily and charges €23-€31
per visit. |
