Closure of metro stations, access by car prohibited… As every year, the arrival of the Tour de France on the Champs-Élysées leads to the deployment of a security system in the capital.
The 109th edition is no exception to the rule.
We take stock of the disruptions to be expected this Sunday.
The last stage of the Tour will start from La Défense Arena this Sunday, for a route that will cross the Hauts-de-Seine and part of the Yvelines, before arriving in the capital via the Porte d'Issy.
Cars prohibited in the center of Paris
The runners will continue their race on Boulevard des Maréchaux as far as Porte de Châtillon, then Place Denfert-Rochereau, they will then pass around the Jardin du Luxembourg, Place Saint-Michel, Pont-Neuf, and finally the Palais du Louvre, before ending on the avenue des Champs-Élysées.
Arrival is scheduled between 7:25 p.m. and 7:45 p.m.
Before that, the first race of the women's Tour de France, starting from the Warsaw square (16th century), will start at 1.30 p.m. for an arrival on the Champs around 3.30 p.m.
Consequence: the parking of any motor vehicle is prohibited in Paris-Centre, as well as in the 8th and 14th arrondissements on certain lanes, from Saturday July 23 at 12 p.m. to Sunday July 24 at 11 p.m.
Certain streets of the 7th and 16th centuries are also prohibited from parking on Saturday at the same time, until Sunday 6 p.m.
In general, "traffic will be restricted over large portions of the West and in the center of Paris between July 23 at 12 p.m. and July 24 at 11 p.m.," said the police headquarters, which "strongly" recommends motorists to circumvent these areas.
To access these protective perimeters on foot, it will be necessary to pass through filtering points and submit to visual inspection of jackets and bags, their search as well as security pat-downs, indicates the police headquarters.
On the public transport side, the Charles-de-Gaulle-Étoile, Georges-V, Franklin-D.-Roosevelt, Champs-Élysées-Clemenceau, Concorde and Tuileries stations will be closed from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday.
On the other hand, the underground corridor of the Franklin-D.-Roosevelt and George-V stations will remain open to allow crossing of the Avenue des Champs-Élysées underground.