Go to the Horse Races in Paris
This page is now in the archives.
Current 2018 race information for all the major courses: France Galop, Auteuil, Chantilly, Deauville and Saint-Cloud (place and dates) can be found on the France Galop website calendar page.
How to bet is under the title “Day at the races/ Fancy a Flutter?”. (The France Galop’s “Fancy a Flutter” page is having technical difficulties). Check now and then to see if they have reconfigured the page.
Memories of Qatar in 2010 and Betting Today
Much has changed since 2010. Instead of wandering around and wondering how to bet in 2010, now kiosks can walk me through the steps.
If you are new to betting, someone counsels you on “how to have a flutter”. In their Practical Guide to Betting, the France Galop explains betting, the odds, the paddock, how to read the card, etc.
Out of all the rainy, chilly days, Sunday October 3, 2010 could not have been a better, warmer autumn day for the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. The hats were on and the kids were in their strollers. The betting windows were busy and although I had spent eight euros on a few bets, I walked away with three euros twenty cents and felt like a winner.
The entry price has different criteria on a Sunday. If you are over 60, the entry is half price; or if you are female and wearing a hat, the entry is free.
The betting windows are 2, 10 and 20 euros. Bet for a winner and a place and it will cost you four euros. If you want to get more involved in the betting, the instructions are found in French in the free booklets decoratively stacked on tables.
Getting to the hippodrome was a cinch! Take the Line 1 metro to Porte Maillot. Take exit (sortie) 6 and a free bus (navette) will whisk you to the hippodrome. When it is time to leave, catch the same style bus, but the traffic will delay your arrival to the metro entrance.
Check the France Galop Web site for dates, times, and races. The English version of France Galop will send you to Mappy for directions; I suggest you visit the RATP Web site for more travel information. If a free bus is not scheduled when you plan on going to the races, take bus 244 to reach the Hippodrome.
For the Sunday race, buses leave from Porte Maillot every 10 minutes and from Porte d’Auteuil (Saturday and Sunday)
between 11 and 4. The return buses begin running at 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
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