World City Guide

Sport

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-Elyses, which is lined with crowds, in the final stages of the Tour de France. The voluminous Stade de France, St-Denis-la-Plaine (tel: (08) 9270 0900; website: www.stadefrance.com), 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Cup at the stadium built for the event in 1998 and then the European Championship two years later in Rotterdam have been replaced by more modest achievements of late.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 (tel: (08) 2507 5078; website: www.psg.fr), the base for the first-division Paris St-Germain football team, popularly known as PSG (website: www.psg.fr), and Le Racing (website: www.racingclubdefrance.org) 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 2004-2005. The sports venue for everything from ballroom dancing to judo is the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy (POPB), 8 boulevard Bercy, 12th (tel: (08) 9269 2300; website: www.bercy.fr) to the east of the city centre.

The major horseracing events (the Prix de la Rpublique and the Grand Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe) 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 Paris, available at tourist offices and town halls, lists sports facilities. The Mairie de Paris (tel: (08) 2000 7575; website: www.paris.fr) offers information on municipal facilities.

Tickets for sporting events are available for purchase at FNAC Forum des Halles, 1 rue Pierre Lescot, 1st (tel: (01) 4041 4000; website: www.fnac.com) and various other FNAC ticket offices situated around the city. Virgin Megastore, 52 avenue des Champs-Elyses, 8th (tel: (01) 4953 5000; website: www.virginmega.fr), and online ticket agencies, Ticketnet (tel: (08) 9239 0100; website: www.ticketnet.fr) and Ticketclic (tel: (08) 2508 7000; website: www.ticketclic.fr) 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-Valle (tel: (01) 6045 6890; website: www.disneylandparis.com/fr/golf), 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. Yearly membership is also available.

Squash: Squash Montmartre, 14 rue Achille Martinet, 18th (tel: (01) 4255 3830; website: www.slot-montmartre.com), 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 (tel: (01) 5542 7788; website: www.clubquartierlatin.com), with squash, fitness and swimming facilities, charges 16 per hour.

Swimming: The underground Piscine Suzanne-Berlioux, Les Halles, 10 place de la Rotonde, 1st (tel: (01) 4236 9844), is extremely central and open daily, costing 3.80 per person. Aquaboulevard, 4 rue Louis-Armand, 15th (tel: (01) 4060 1010; website: www.aquaboulevard.com), 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.