Paris Begins Another Fresh Air Tradition
Currently, Paris closes particular neighborhood streets on Sundays. The Paris City Council has now added a famous avenue to the list. Below you will find links to maps of those neighborhoods, information on new neighborhoods being added this summer and details about the Champs-Elysées.
The exclusive Avenue des Champs-Elysées receives a breath of fresh air when certain dignitaries visit or during a special event. Beginning May 8, the avenue begins a new Paris tradition between noon and 8 pm when the Champs-Elysées opens to pedestrians and cyclists between Place de la Concorde and intersection of George V and rue Washington (more details on the Champs-Elysées map). The city council of Paris voted in February 2016 that the first Sunday of every month beginning May 8 would be strictly for pedestrians. Click on the small arrow at the top of this map to find the names of the neighborhood areas.
Example of a neighborhood map for Paris Respire every Sunday; the Marais – more information http://www.paris.fr/parisrespireParis Respire
Nine new areas of the city now fall under the Sunday/holiday parameters of “Paris Respire” (Let Paris Breathe/Breathing in Paris). The council plans to open those areas this summer 2016.
The map “Paris Respire” on the mayor’s website shows the current areas in green and the areas marked for summer opening in blue. These areas are closed to traffic every Sunday and holiday (except for residents carrying proper ID). The web page provides more details about the areas (in French). A neighborhood map (free download) is available for each area as well on their page.
The current Sunday/holiday closures:
Berges de la Seine (Right bank along the Seine) 9 am to 5 pm
Quartier Sentier 10 am to 6 pm and until 7 pm in the summer
Quartier du Marais 10 am to 6 pm and 7:30 pm in the summer
Quartier Mouffetard 10 am to 6 pm all year
Quartier rue des Martyrs 10 am to 2 pm
Quartier avenue Trudaine 2 pm to 6 pm and until 7 pm in the summer
Quartier Canal Saint-Martin 10 am to 6 pm and until 8 pm in the summer
Quartier d’Aligre 10 am to 2 pm
Bois de Vincennes 9 am to 6 pm and until 8 pm in the summer
Quartier rue Daguerre 10 am to 6 pm
Bois de Boulogne 9 am to 6 pm
Quartier rue du Poteau 10 am to 2 pm
Quartier de Montmartre 11 am to 6 pm
