“Parisians out!” read a sign in Plogoff; “Non aux Parisiens” was scratched into a car in Plobannalec-Lesconil, while in Penmarc’h tourists were told they were less desirable than migrants.

Parisians have long had a reputation for their character and moodiness, with a clear line often drawn between “the French” and “the Parisians”. Has the war between the two turned more brutal this summer?

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Several cars bearing Île-de-France licence plates were vandalised in the Finistère seaside town of Plobannalec-Lesconil, with inscriptions reading “non au Parisieim” [sic] and “Parigots dehors” – parigot being a derogatory slang term for a Parisian.

Mayor Loïc Le Fur expressed his “disgust” on social media, calling the vandalism “deeply shocking”.

“Our municipality has always been, and must remain, an open, welcoming and respectful municipality for everyone. I offer my full support, and that of the council, to the victims of this vandalism.”

He did not say whether that “support” extended to paying for the damage.

The hostility was not confined to Finistère. In Saint-Suliac, Ille-et-Vilaine, graffiti appeared on private properties, reading “Bobos out” and “Saint-Suliac is losing its soul”.

“Refugees welcome, tourists go home”

Parisians were not the only ones targeted. After severe heatwaves and wildfires swept through southern France this summer, tourists flocked to the cooler coasts of Brittany in search of some fresh air, placing an additional burden on towns and villages unaccustomed to and, in some cases, unprepared for such numbers.

In Penmarc’h, the words “Refugees welcome, tourists go home!” were daubed on a wall, while a jogger was verbally abused by two people on a bike after telling them, when asked, that she was not from the area.

The town’s mayor, David Le Berre, also took to social media to denounce the phenomenon. He insisted that the behaviour had nothing to do with “the welcoming spirit of Penmarc’h”, promised that the graffiti would be removed promptly and “firmly condemned” any form of verbal abuse.

Penmarc’h has around 5,600 residents, but its population triples to more than 17,000 in summer, straining roads, parking and a housing market already squeezed by second homes.

Between April and September last year, Finistère recorded 7.4 million overnight stays, making it the most visited department in Brittany. According to 2023 figures from Tourisme Bretagne, French tourists account for four-fifths of overnight stays in the region, with nearly a third coming from the greater Paris Île-de-France area.

But is this really new? Anne Gallo-Kerleau, president of Tourisme Bretagne, told Le Parisien that such expressions of discontent had always existed, and she denied that the incidents resulted from an exceptional influx of visitors this summer. She said that July visitor numbers were no higher than usual. A Tourisme Bretagne study cited by the newspaper found that 89% of Bretons consider tourism acceptable.

@rmc_off

Des tags anti-touristes en Bretagne… Plusieurs voitures immatriculées en région parisienne ont été rayées la semaine dernière dans le Finistère Sud avec messages hostiles comme "Parigot, dehors" ou encore "Non aux Parisiens."

♬ son original – RMC

Coolcations bring new pressures

If forecasts and travel trends are anything to go by, more holidaymakers will continue to desert the increasingly scorched Mediterranean south in favour of “coolcations” along the Channel and Atlantic coasts.

Brittany is not the only region experiencing a backlash. On the Île de Ré, “Parisians go home” leaflets have reportedly been circulated, and the situation in Corsica has reportedly become more threatening. A dormant independence movement resurfaced this summer to warn second-home owners: “Do not consider yourselves safe on our national territory.”

L’article Anti-tourist backlash in Brittany targets Parisian visitors est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

59-year-old Sophie Lainault was a flight attendant for Air France from 1989 to 2019, and later worked as a purser on long-haul flights. Overall, she accumulated over 12,600 flight hours, 6,500 of which took place during the night.

In 2019, Lainault was diagnosed with breast cancer. During her treatment, it became clear that there were no genetic or lifestyle-related factors contributing to her diagnosis. Only after five years, a possible link to her profession became apparent.

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“I was asked questions about breastfeeding, whether I was on the pill or taking hormone replacement therapy for the menopause, but nobody asked me what I did for a living,” Lainault told the French media outlet France Info.

In 2024, after a union campaign made her aware of an increased cancer risk due to her profession, the flight attendant decided to seek legal recognition of her case. With the help of her lawyer, Elisabeth Leroux and the CFDT union, she managed to do so after two and a half years of legal combat.

On 25 August 2026, the District Court of Bayonne ruled that Sophie Lainault’s breast cancer was indeed linked to her profession, after two regional committees previously declined any possible link. The night work, exposure to ionising radiation, and passive smoking in particular are said to have been decisive regarding her diagnosis after a series of medical tests proved Lainault showed no genetic or lifestyle-related risk factors.

The ruling sets an important precedent for occupational breast cancer in France, in the aviation industry and beyond. Breast cancer is currently not included in France’s official list of occupational diseases, making such recognition a lengthy process for patients.

“It is truly my dearest wish that this opens the way for other women who might not have dared until now,” said the former flight attendant following the ruling.

No appeal has been filed, making the ruling final. It also means that Lainault will be able to retire early and that all her breast cancer-related treatments will be fully reimbursed by French social security.

“The airline was not a party to these proceedings and has not been informed of the grounds for the court’s decision. Air France stresses that the occupational health and safety of its employees is an absolute priority. The exposure limits applied by Air France are three times lower than French regulatory limits. Epidemiological studies published to date have not established any causal link between working as aircrew and the occurrence of certain diseases,” Air France said in a statement shared with The Independent.

Although Lainault’s case is the first time for breast cancer to be recognised as an occupational disease for a flight attendant in France, a French nurse won a similar legal battle in 2023, after establishing a link between her breast cancer diagnosis and 28 years of night shifts and radiation exposure.

L’article Former French flight attendant wins recognition of breast cancer as occupational disease est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

The project has roots in a 2024 visit to Saudi Arabia, when Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman discovered a shared interest in Dragon Ball Z. Qiddiya Investment Company, a subsidiary of Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, has been developing the world’s first Dragon Ball theme park in Saudi Arabia since 2024, prompting discussions about a similar project in France.

On Monday, 24 August 2026, French President Emmanuel Macron was finally able to take to X to make an “extraordinary” announcement: a €6 billion investment by Saudi Arabia in an entertainment complex in the town of Cergy-Pontoise near Paris. A total of three theme parks have been planned, one of which will probably be dedicated to Dragon Ball Z.

“You are aware of my interest in manga. You also know of my determination to attract investment to France that creates jobs and makes the most ambitious projects possible. Together with Saudi Arabia, we are making an unprecedented announcement. Three theme parks are to be built in Cergy-Pontoise. €6 billion in investment. 22,000 jobs created. Unprecedented since Disneyland Paris. A new global destination. Right here in France,” Macron wrote.

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The agreement was part of a wider series of deals struck between France and Saudi Arabia during Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to Paris. A memorandum of understanding for the project was signed by French Economy Minister Roland Lescure and the chief executive of Qiddiya Investment Company.

Qiddiya Investment Company’s recent interest in theme parks and other forms of entertainment is part of a wider push by Saudi Arabia to diversify its economy, reducing its dependence on oil and investing in other sectors, including tourism and entertainment.

“Thank you to Qiddiya and Saudi Arabia for their confidence in our country, our talent and our future. That is the very essence of Choose France: to seek out the most ambitious projects and make France the country where they become a reality. To create jobs. To promote France’s reputation. We haven’t finished surprising the world yet. I am very proud of this achievement,” Macron added.

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While several potential locations were initially considered, the entertainment complex is set to be located on the grounds of Mirapolis, a former theme park that has been closed since 1991. Qiddiya reportedly favoured the location because of its proximity to both the French capital and Disneyland Paris.

Aside from the three parks, the site is expected to include hotels, catering facilities and housing for young workers and students. Moreover, some 50,000 square metres of green space will be dedicated to biodiversity. At the time of writing, no exact timeline has been announced for the project, but construction is expected to take several years.

L’article Saudi Arabia to invest €6 billion in Dragon Ball Z theme park near Paris est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

The French flag carrier’s Business lounge in Terminal 2E, Hall L, originally featured two private saunas as part of a 550-square-metre wellness area when the redesigned facility opened in 2018. The saunas have now disappeared from the airline’s current list of amenities and the former entrance has reportedly been converted into a staff-only area.

The closure was revealed by aviation website Live and Let’s Fly, whose founder Matthew Klint discovered during a recent visit that the sauna signs had disappeared and the door was locked with a “Staff Only” sign.

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After a member of staff confirmed the facility was “finished”, Klint asked a lounge manager whether the closure was temporary. According to his account, the manager confirmed it was permanent and explained that passengers had been “doing things in there that they should not have”.

Reports point to sexual activity

The manager did not explicitly describe what passengers had been doing, but Live and Let’s Fly reported that his reaction when asked to elaborate left little doubt that he was referring to sexual activity.

The story has since been picked up by other media, including Portuguese broadcaster SIC, which reported that inappropriate behaviour by passengers was one of the main reasons behind the permanent closure.

There is, however, an important distinction between the reported conversation with the lounge manager and Air France’s official position. The airline has not publicly confirmed that passengers were having sex in the sauna, nor has it issued a statement saying sexual activity was the reason for closing it.

The allegation therefore remains based on Live and Let’s Fly’s account of its conversation with an Air France lounge manager rather than an official statement from the carrier.

Too much privacy?

The sauna was one of the most distinctive features of Air France’s premium ground experience at Charles de Gaulle. Its facilities included a private changing room, a large walk-in shower and a wood-panelled sauna capable of accommodating several people.

Despite its size, the entire suite could be used privately, something that made it particularly attractive for passengers wanting to relax before a flight or during a connection.

That privacy, however, may ultimately have contributed to its disappearance.

Air France’s current information for the Hall L Business lounge continues to promote a range of wellness facilities, including showers, relaxation areas and complimentary Clarins treatments, but the sauna is no longer listed.

The disappearance leaves considerably fewer opportunities for frequent flyers looking to sweat between flights. Finnair continues to advertise a traditional Finnish sauna in its Platinum Wing at Helsinki Airport, available to eligible passengers travelling through the non-Schengen area.

L’article Air France closes Paris airport lounge sauna after reports of passengers having sex est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

Monte Carlo Beach, a hotel located in the French town of Roquebrune-Cap-Martin just outside of Monte Carlo, has been a well-loved destination for years. It was famously immortalised by photographer Helmut Newton and has retained an iconic reputation ever since.

Nowadays, the hotel is a Relais & Châteaux property, featuring 40 rooms and suites and overlooking the sea. on-site, guests can enjoy a beach club with private beach access, tennis courts with sea-view, an Olympic-size swimming pool a spa, and even an 18-hole golf course. Several bars and restaurants, including the Michelin-starred Elsa Marcel Ravin, complete the idyllic offer.

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In the summer of 2025, French designer Simon Porte Jacquemus collaborated with the hotel for the first time. The beach club was clad in a combination of yellow, black, and off-white, giving the entire space a sepia-like feeling.

Given the success of last year’s edition, Jacquemus and Monte-Carlo Beach have once again joined forces for the summer of 2026. This time, the designer went for a more pastel-hued setting.  Combining white and blue stripes, “elegance meets Mediterranean leisure” in a universe heavily inspired by the beach clubs from the 50s.

“Conceived as a natural extension of the Mediterranean summer, Jacquemus Monte-Carlo Beach is continuing the dynamic initiated last year … reaffirming its Mediterranean roots and a particular vision of the art de vivre. The overall concept draws on the aesthetic of 1950s beach clubs, where elegance meets Mediterranean leisure,” Monte-Carlo Beach explained in a statement.

Umbrellas, sunbeds, and towels were all kitted out with the Jacquemus make-over.

@hello_monaco summer’s favourite address #montecarlobeach #jacquemus #monaco #beachclub #riviera ♬ Self Aware – Temper City

Guest can also make use of a photo booth inspired by Jaccquemus’ Plage collection, which features a backdrop using the Jacquemus Hippocampe scarf, and shop a capsule collection including a towel, T-shirt, and beach bag at two exclusive Jacquemus boutiques. The shops are open seven days a week and are open to all.

Simon Porte Jacquemus’ take-over of the Monte Carlo Beach will run until 27 September 2026 and the collaboration will also be promoted through a dedicated window display at the Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo.

Although the collaboration between the French designer and the iconic hotel feels more subtle and integrated than most, the hospitality and fashion industry are increasingly working together. By creating exclusive, branded spaces, customers have the opportunity to fully immerse themselves in a designer’s universe.

Earlier in 2026, designer Elie Saab designed an exclusive cabin interior for the company’s Global 8000 aircraft. Meanwhile, Dolce & Gabbana transformed the Sardinian Luxury Collection Hotel Hotel Cala di Volpe with its Maiolica Gialla print and Burberry settled in at Hôtel Belles Rives in thee French city of Antibes.

L’article Jacquemus transforms Monte-Carlo Beach into 50s riviera paradise est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

On 23 July 2026, the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation organised the 20^th edition of its Spirited Awards. Since its start in 2007, the competition has been recognising beverage professionals, products, establishments, journalists, and media across every facet of the spirits and cocktail industry on a global scale. The categories include Bartender of the Year, Best Bar Team, and Best New Spirit or Cocktail Ingredient.

This year, the winner of the ‘Best New International Cocktail Bar’ category was De Vie. Located in the Montorgueil neighbourhood in Paris, the bar opened its doors in 2025 and has been gaining international attention ever since. For example, it came out 34^th in Europe’s 50 Best Bars list in June 2026 and was named Cocktail Bar of the Year by Time Out in 2025.

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De Vie is the brainchild of Alex Francis and Barney O’Kane, who have been active on the Parisian culinary scene for a while. In 2025, they opened their new three-story concept in Montorgueil, featuring a fine dining restaurant called Comptoir De Vie, a wine cellar called Cave De Vie, and an underground cocktail bar named Bar De Vie with room for just 11 people at a time.

“Bar & Comptoir De Vie is a multiple concept space, home to a hyper-seasonal tasting & seasonal à la carte menu utilising the best of French produce. The experience centres on our seasonal drinks menu that is available with & without alcohol, featuring a selection of cocktails and sustainably made specialty drinks such as fruit wines, digestifs, and aperitifs upcycling waste ingredients from the kitchen and bar,” De Vie explains on its website.

The cocktail bar stands out from the crowd thanks to its unusual approach to cocktails, which is reminiscent of local produce-oriented fine dining. The menu changes almost daily, drinks often centre around one particular fruit or vegetable, and local ingredients stand centre-stage.

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De Vie’s principal feature is a 5-step seasonal drinks tasting menu over a 1h30 seating, which includes snacks. Additional a la carte dishes are available against a supplement. Each drink is served in a tasting portion to ensure consumption is both enjoyable and responsible. At the end of the tasting session, customers will have had the equivalent of 3 standard cocktails to drink, while an entirely non alcoholic option is also available.

For the so-called Omakase Tasting Menu, customers will have to pay €50 per person. Although the available drinks change on an (almost) daily basis, some of the featured options on De Vie’s sample menu include Beetroot (beetroot molasses eau de vie, wild raspberry eau de vie, and dry vermouth) and Fennel (fennel leaf cordial, clarified apple juice, and fermented fennel stem brine).

Bookings are open two months in advance, and a deposit of €30 per person is required to secure the seats. The amount will be subtracted from the final bill and is refundable, provided reservations are cancelled with no less than 48 hours’ notice.

L’article Parisian De Vie named best new cocktail bar in the world est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

The initiative, designed and operated by Extime Travel, Groupe ADP’s airport retail and hospitality brand dedicated to tourism experiences, aims to transform connection time into an opportunity for travellers to discover Paris rather than simply wait at the airport. The service is particularly targeting international visitors, as around 50% of Air France customers arriving at Paris-Charles de Gaulle are connecting to another destination.

Air France and Extime Travel unveil Paris Stopover, allowing the airline’s customers with a long layover at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport to make the most of their time between flights by discovering Paris and its surrounding region.
Learn more: https://t.co/1gYfLWqw4n pic.twitter.com/fhLtQrPDwU

— Air France Newsroom (@AFnewsroom) July 22, 2026

Available when booking an Air France flight, passengers can choose to extend their connection in Paris on either their outbound or return journey and select a Paris Stopover package through Extime Travel. The offers are available for stays ranging from one to four nights and include services such as accommodation, transfers and curated activities, with options adapted to travellers’ preferences and stopover duration.

The programme includes experiences designed to showcase Paris and the surrounding region. The initial packages include “Paris Essentials”, featuring four-star hotel accommodation, airport transfers, a Seine River cruise and a guided visit to either the Eiffel Tower or the Louvre, as well as a Disneyland Paris option including accommodation, transfers and entry to the parks. Both packages start from €449 per person.

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The launch comes as demand grows among connecting passengers for opportunities to leave the airport and explore destinations during longer layovers. A study published by the Pégase Chair in April 2026 found that 81% of customers with a connection in Paris were somewhat or very interested in using their time between flights to visit Paris or attractions near Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport. Interest was even higher among Brazilian and Indian travellers, at 92.3% and 90% respectively. 

Paris Stopover is part of the “Connect France” strategic partnership signed by Air France-KLM and Groupe ADP in June 2025, which aims to strengthen the international appeal of the Air France hub at Paris-Charles de Gaulle and promote France as a leading tourism destination. The service makes Paris-Charles de Gaulle the first major European hub to offer such a tourist experience between flights.

The offer is available to all eligible Air France customers travelling in Economy, Premium, Business or La Première cabins. Bookings can be made through Extime Travel up to 48 hours before departure, subject to availability, for passengers whose itinerary includes a minimum connection time of 27 hours.

With Paris Stopover, Air France is seeking to encourage travellers to add an extra chapter to their journey, turning a traditional layover into a short city escape. The initiative follows a growing trend among airlines to turn layovers into opportunities for destination discovery. Turkish Airlines’ “Tour Istanbul” programme, for example, allows eligible passengers with layovers of between 6 and 24 hours to take part in free guided city tours, with hotel accommodation options available for longer transit times.

L’article Air France launches Paris Stopover programme to turn layovers into city breaks est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

The Louvre, the Grand Palais, the Villa Carmignac, the 24 Hours of Le Mans circuit and La Seine Musicale: Cinéma Paradiso has already transformed many an iconic location into an unforgettable cinema. Ever since the start, the aim of the event, organised by arthouse cinema network mk2, has been to take cinema out of the traditional movie theaters and into the open.

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Until now, however, the Eiffel Tower had never been a part of Cinéma Paradiso’s network. Yet the organisation has announced this is about to change, as the Salle Gustave Eiffel – located on the Eiffel Tower’s first level – will host the movie festival from 24 until 27 September 2026. Perched at a height of 57 meters and equipped with grand glass walls, the event room offers stunning views over the French capital, blending first-class movies with a grandiose location.

“For over ten years, Cinéma Paradiso has been taking cinema beyond its walls and bringing it to venues that are part of the collective imagination. Following on from the Louvre, taking over the Eiffel Tower is a highly symbolic step: it brings this world-famous monument closer to the Parisians, brings it to life in a new way, and reaffirms mk2’s commitment to popular culture that is both sophisticated and accessible,” said Elisha Karmitz, managing director of the mk2 group, in an interview with the French media outlet Le Parisien.

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Cinéma Paradiso’s last edition, which took place from 1 to 4 July 2026, took place at another iconic Parisian location, the Louvre, and was attended by world-class directors Wes Anderson and Joachim Trier. The success of that event combined with the unique location of the September screening is likely to create high demand for the entirely free festival.

“The Eiffel Tower has a special relationship with the world of cinema, inspiring generations of filmmakers. Today, this connection is expressed in a new way: by offering visitors a unique cinematic experience right at the heart of the monument,” commented Patrick Branco Ruivo, Chief Executive of SETE, the firm that operates the Eiffel Tower.

However, film enthusiasts will need to wait a little longer before trying to get their hands on a ticket. Although the dates of Cinéma Paradiso have already been announced, the movies, guests, and other details of the event will be shared on 8 September 2026.

On that day, mk2 will also launch the ticket lottery. Those who are interested in attending can enter the lottery for free. A draw will then select the winners, who will be able to name their preferred screening from the planning in a registration form. Afterwards, tickets will be sent according to personal preferences and availability.

L’article Eiffel Tower to host free open-air cinema festival for the first time est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

The district is known for its skyscrapers and office towers, as well as the world-famous Grande Arche, not so much as a tourist destination. Straddling Puteaux, Courbevoie and Nanterre in the Hauts-de-Seine department, the district sits at the western end of Paris’s historic axis, a mere 8 km and fifteen minutes by RER from the centre of the French capital.

La Défense’s historical significance and how it came to close a circle in French history that began in 1806 with Napoleon’s victory and the construction of the Arc de Triomphe at the opposite end of this same axis, escapes most of its visitors.

And who can blame them? Most are either business travellers or conference delegates, visible during the lengthy lunch hour at the Hilton restaurant or, at the end of the day, sipping cocktails at the rooftop bar of the Meliá, which, incidentally, offers a formidable panoramic view of the Paris tourists usually come for, namely, the Eiffel Tower rising above the trees, the Arc de Triomphe, Gehry’s Fondation Louis Vuitton, the Bois de Boulogne and, on a clear day, the Sacré-Cœur and Montmartre in the distance. Paris, from up there, is incredibly green.

Officially designated a site of “major architectural creation”, La Défense remains the only high-rise district in France and today counts around sixty skyscrapers. The tallest is The Link, which at 242 metres recently overtook Tour First to become the tallest building in France, and will soon house TotalEnergies’ new headquarters. Hekla, with its jagged, volcanic silhouette, is probably the most striking; and Tour Total is known for its “organ pipe” stack of polygonal volumes, catching the light differently through the day.

Unlike London’s business district, built at the city’s centre and known simply as “The City”, Paris’ rose on its outskirts and took its name from a statue.

Unveiled in 1883, La Défense de Paris by sculptor Louis-Ernest Barrias, chosen over proposals by Rodin and Bartholdi, commemorates the city’s resistance during the siege of Paris in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71. The monument depicts Paris as a woman dressed in the uniform of the National Guard, leaning against a cannon, sword in one hand and flag in the other. At her feet, a wounded young soldier loads a final cartridge into his rifle, while behind her stands a young girl, cold and destitute, embodying the suffering of the civilian population during the long winter siege.

The name spread first to the roundabout, then to the whole district.

Had the French won, France’s business district might be called La Victoire today.

Walking the esplanade, past glass towers, it is hard to imagine the same place seventy years ago, when the area, still pockmarked from wartime bombing, consisted of bidonville-like shanties, workshops, small factories, and a handful of farms. For decades, the statue stood in its centre, in near isolation.

It would take a war, and its aftermath, to transform the area. Inspired by the United States, de Gaulle decided Paris needed its own business district, one that would help launch France back onto the world stage after years of occupation and destruction.

Construction began in 1958, when the state created the planning body EPAD and began clearing the neighbourhood. The district’s oldest structure, the CNIT, a gigantic triangular concrete shell, dates from that year.

From the offices of Cœur Défense, Europe’s largest office complex by floor space with some 160,000 square metres of office space across two 40-storey towers, a guide explained how EPAD went on to expropriate roughly 9,250 housing units and relocate more than 25,000 residents, in stages, between 1960 and 1971. The guide’s grandparents were among them, happily relocated to Drancy, she told us, though most went elsewhere, into transit housing and HLM blocks built locally in Nanterre and its neighbouring towns.

Today the district is delimited by the Seine on one side and the Grande Arche at the end, in a direct line facing the Arc de Triomphe. Johann Otto von Spreckelsen, the visionary architect who won the competition launched by François Mitterrand in 1982, wanted his Arche to be a monument to humanity, not to military triumph.

Between Napoleon’s celebration of victory in 1806 and Spreckelsen’s structure in 1989 lies almost two centuries of French history, passing through empire, defeat, occupation, liberation and reconstruction.

More than three decades after the Grande Arche opened, the results are hard to ignore, and France, it seems, has won its victory after all. Roughly 40% of its companies are French, the rest foreign, and it’s now said to be the fourth most attractive business district in the world, behind two in New York and one in Tokyo, and, as of the latest ranking, the top business district in Europe, having just overtaken London. The numbers are staggering: 180,000 people commute in daily to fill the towers, while only 20,000 actually live there.

Yet office towers alone do not make a city district, and Paris is now investing heavily in turning La Défense into a destination in its own right. Once the eyes get accustomed to the high-rises, one is struck by the abundance of major artworks dotting the place: not one or two but 70 of them, among them Agam’s Fountain, Calder’s Spider, and Raymond Moretti’s rainbow-striped Chimney, a 32-metre ventilation shaft wrapped in coloured fibreglass tubes that looks like a giant Paul Smith design. 

Even the benches are part of a public art initiative run by the district’s public body. No two of them alike, and they are scattered all along the Esplanade, offering a place to rest and stare at the surrounding architecture.

The last stretch of the esplanade is watched over by Daniel Buren’s La Ronde: sixteen ten-metre masts flying colourful windsocks, giving it an unmistakable beachy air.

Tucked away from all of it, are some of the most charming hidden gardens; 23% of the site is now green. Increasingly, the district’s future is being framed in terms of urban sustainability. Paris La Défense aims to halve greenhouse-gas emissions by 2030 and eventually become the world’s first post-carbon business district. New parks, cycling infrastructure and one of Europe’s largest pedestrian zones are all part of that ambition.

The shift is partly born of necessity. La Défense has survived the 1973 oil shock, which froze construction for years, the 2008 financial crisis, which hit especially hard in a district built on banks and trading floors, and Covid, which turned it into a ghost town and highlighted the risks of relying too heavily on office workers alone.

Since then, Paris has made little secret of its ambition to make the district more welcoming to visitors. The opening of the Paris La Défense Arena, Europe’s largest concert and event venue, has accelerated that transformation, bringing concerts, sporting events and entirely new crowds to an area once deserted after office hours.

It will remain a business district, but the ambition now is to have it both ways. Fifteen new restaurants opened here in the last year alone, proof of how quickly its character is evolving.

Le Collège de Paris, which opened a campus inside the Grande Arche in 2017 bringing together business, design and digital schools under one roof, is another sign of that evolution.

For travellers, the district’s functional design offers an unexpected perk. Because the offices empty out over weekends and holidays, La Défense quietly opens up to tourists. Its proximity to Paris, and excellent transport links, make it a smart choice for anyone who wants everything Paris offers without Paris prices. Hotels are reportedly around 30% cheaper than in the centre, a saving families in particular might appreciate, staying here and commuting into town each day. There’s also a direct train to Disneyland Paris.

Like a “mille-feuilles”, the district is built on three levels: the lowest for the métro, RER and underground transport; the middle for the highway and cars; and the upper platform, resting on both, entirely pedestrian. Walking from the Seine to the arena takes about 20 minutes for an able-bodied walker.

While La Défense may not justify an entire trip on its own, there are many reasons to spend a day here. Walk this axis end to end, and you’re really walking through three different ideas of what a monument owes its people: conquest, endurance, and, finally, humanity.

L’article Beyond the Eiffel Tower, a day in the other Paris est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

On 23 June 2026, a report called ‘Les points de blocage de la performance de la direction des services de la navigation aérienne et les moyens de les surmonter’ (‘The problems affecting the performance of the DSNA and how to overcome them’) was published by senator Vincent Capo-Canellas. The document is clear: France’s air traffic control is the worst in Europe, with 6.6 million minutes of flight delays in 2025, resulting in a loss of €800 million for airlines and significant inconvenience for passengers. By 2035, this could be up to €1.7 billion.

The report mentions that Eurocontrol, the pan-European civil-military organisation dedicated to supporting European aviation, believes France could become a weak spot within Europe’s airspace, a projection underlined by the fact that 30% of France’s air traffic controllers are set to retire between 2029 and 2035. With France acting as an important overflight country, the consequences are likely to lead to structural cancellations throughout the continent.

In a letter published on 2 July 2026, Ryanair uses the publication of the report as a lever to urge the French government to take action and to reform the DSNA.

“This French Senate report confirms what airlines and passengers have known for years – French ATC Europe’s weakest link: woefully mismanaged, understaffed, underproductive and still using technology that belongs in a museum. It is extraordinary that France is still using paper flight strips and outdated radio systems while its so-called modernisation programme is more than a decade behind schedule. This is not bad luck. This is not a funding problem. This is a management failure,” stated Ryanair’s Chief Operations Officer, Neal McMahon.

Some of the action points put forward by McMahon include uncapped controller recruitment to 2030, shorter training times, better rostering, improved productivity, and a dedicated budget that ensures ATC charges are reinvested in modern systems and capacity.

This aligns with the recommendations put forward by Senator Vincent Capo-Canellas in the report, who structured the measures that need to be taken into three themes.

1. To prevent France from becoming a major bottleneck within the European airspace, and given that the aviation sector self-funds the system, it is necessary to ease the budgetary and staffing constraints that weigh on air traffic control.
2. In return, the DSNA must make new, concrete commitments to enable French air traffic control to return to an acceptable level of performance, whilst ensuring complete transparency regarding the assessments of the effectiveness and efficiency of each of the measures taken with this aim in mind.
3. The DSNA must manage and address the issues of technical obsolescence that affect air traffic control.

The call for action published by Ryanair also mentions a guaranteed protection for overflights during French ATC strikes.

“It is also unacceptable that French ATC strikes continue to cause unnecessary disruption to overflights between two non-French countries. France already protects domestic flights during ATC strikes through minimum service rules, yet passengers flying over France, for example between Ireland and Spain, or the UK and Italy are still unfairly delayed or cancelled. The French Govt and the EU Commission must now protect overflights during French ATC strikes, while respecting the right of French ATC unions to strike. (…) The time for excuses is over. The time for reform is now,” wrote Neal McMahon.

When French air traffic controllers go on strike, this regularly creates a wave of chaos throughout the European airspace. In the past, Ryanair and easyJet have already called on the EU to intervene and ensure a continued service.

L’article Ryanair uses French Senate report to call for air traffic control reform est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.