For the Olympics, Many Parisians Left the City—Some Wish They Had Stayed Instead

Paris est une fête! Especially during the Olympics. The French title of Hemingway’s legendary memoir A Moveable Feast is an apt encapsulation of what can only be called a dramatic vibe shift in the French capital in the last few weeks. Indeed, Paris is a party. The opening ceremony elated even the most hardened of local skeptics of the Olympic Games—locally: les Jeux Olympiques, the JO. Since then, the city has been suspended in a Disney-esque euphoria; the JO is now a multi-week carnival of good cheer.

But this wasn’t always the mood in town. In the last year, the messaging from our leaders fostered cynicism about the Olympics. Posters in public spaces and transport stations strongly advised locals to work from home and avoid ordering food online; we were told that traffic and zoning restrictions would heavily impact deliveries. Public transport costs were to double, and doomsayers within the RATP and President Macron’s cabinet warned at the end of 2023 that navigating Paris would be “hardcore.” On top of all that, the first half of 2024 was rife with political tension related to this year’s elections—and not to mention that Olympic ticket prices were extortionate.

Faced with the promise of overcrowding, security threats, and restrictions left and right, it’s no surprise that locals like me planned to flee. Before it all kicked off, British friends reminded me that they experienced similarly pervasive negativity in the run-up to the 2012 London Olympics, but all of it was swiftly replaced by joyful celebration. Had I taken them at their word, I might have stayed in Paris—with or without tickets to the sporting events.

Then the Olympics finally came. Events and public transport have been running smoothly. Everyone, from the police to the metro workers, has been jovial. The energy in Paris has been nothing short of electric. I watched the opening ceremony from a plum (and dry) perch overlooking the Pont Neuf—but soon after, I still left the city in favor of the French countryside, staying in a place near Burgundy. Still, I have been watching my two countries, France and the United States, win big with great pride—from afar.

Hindsight is always 20/20. Now that it has all played out, I regret not leaving room to adapt our plans, to maybe even stay in Paris for just a few days, to sample just a bit of that Olympic excitement. I wondered: Are there other Parisians who feel the same way? I asked eight locals whether they stayed in Paris or left, and if they regretted not taking in the Olympics up close.

To feel the Olympic joy, one doesn’t need to be in Paris

“I left a few days before the opening ceremony and was in Paris for just one day during the Olympics. I started in Puglia because I love this part of Italy and wanted to swim and write without distractions. Then I went to Les Vosges, a region in the east of France where my dad is from, to spend time with my sisters and close friends. My travels weren’t designed to escape the Olympics, per se. I needed some real time off before my team went on holiday, so it was more like, Oh, good timing—I also won’t be there for the big mess. I don’t regret the decision to leave at all. I had a great time. Also, it allowed me to defend the opening ceremony abroad. (I was asked twice by people in Italy, ‘Why The Last Supper?’ I was able to tell them, first of all, it was actually a banquet on Mount Olympus; and secondly—and this, I relished telling them—we love our drag queens in France.) I don’t think I’d do anything differently: I loved the build-up, the grumbling, and the joy, and I think you don’t need to be in Paris to feel it!” —Fanny Boucher, jewelry designer and founder of Bangla Begum