TL;DR — RACE WEEKEND GAME PLAN
- 1.Stay inside a 10-minute walk. The Hôtel Paris Vaugirard, Novotel and Le Bellune cluster removes every transport variable from race morning.
- 2.Fly into Orly if the schedule allows — cheaper taxi flat rate to the Left Bank, faster metro link, less time lost.
- 3.Metro line 12 exits onto the venue forecourt, so if you book close you can skip transport entirely.
- 4.Buy transport on your phone before you land: Île-de-France Mobilités app, EUR 14 airport ticket, no kiosk queue.
- 5.Shop on Saturday for anything you need on Sunday. Pharmacy, running shop and the venue supermarket all shut on Sundays.
- 6.Race morning: wake 2h45 before your wave, eat in your room, walk to check-in at the start of your 90-minute window with a physical ID.
- 7.Adjust for wave time. Morning waves get cool air and short queues; evening waves get a warm hall and a full day of waiting.
- 8.Recover at Banya No.1 the day after, not the day of, and book it before you travel.
- 9.Book physio in advance if you race Saturday or Sunday — almost every sports cabinet in the 15th is closed at weekends.
- 10.Check the event page in the final week for the pavilion assignment, the lap count and your start time, published around three days out.
QUICK TAKE — IS THIS A GOOD DESTINATION?
VERDICT: YES
Seven race days at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles: Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 December 2026, then Wednesday 16 to Sunday 20 December 2026. This is the easiest major HYROX venue in Europe to reach — the Porte de Versailles metro station on line 12 exits onto the venue forecourt, under a minute on foot, which removes almost all race-morning transport risk. Four hotels sit inside a 10-minute walk. Cost level is moderate to high: Paris rates in December are softer than summer, but the 15th arrondissement fills up around Expo events. Travel friction is low.
⚠️ Caveat: The complications are seasonal, not logistical. You are racing in the darkest week of the year in a wet city, with waves from 08:00 to 20:30 across seven days, so your start time shapes your trip more than your hotel does. HYROX has not published the pavilion assignment or the lap count for this edition, and the walk from the metro to Pavilion 6 is materially longer than to Pavilion 1 — check the event page in the week before you travel.
Door-to-door metro access, a compact hotel cluster inside a 10-minute walk, and no transfer required. The only stress is the December weather and the size of the crowd.
Flat indoor hall, sea level, cool outside air feeding a big venue, and no travel fatigue if you fly in the day before. Marked down because a seven-day event means bigger fields, longer queues and more variability in hall conditions.
FAST COURSE?
Depends. Indoor exhibition halls are flat and predictable, which helps. HYROX has not published the lap count or the hall layout for this edition, so treat the running distance as unconfirmed until the race pack lands.
CITY VIBE — WHAT ATHLETES NEED TO KNOW
Paris Expo Porte de Versailles is the largest exhibition park in France, on the southern edge of the 15th arrondissement between the Boulevard Périphérique and the Boulevards des Maréchaux. Everything you need sits inside a 15-minute radius: two supermarkets, a pharmacy, a bakery and four hotels are all within 10 minutes on foot. The catch is opening hours. The Monop'Daily on the venue forecourt opens 07:00 Monday to Saturday and closes on Sunday, and the Franprix at 405 Rue de Vaugirard opens 08:00 Monday to Saturday and 09:00 on Sunday — both useless for an 08:00 wave on Sunday 13 or Sunday 20 December. Les Fournils de France Damier Gourmand at 405 Rue de Vaugirard opens 06:30 seven days a week, two minutes from the venue, and is the only reliable early-morning food option near the hall on a Sunday. In this part of Paris, Sunday afternoon is a dead zone: buy what you need on Saturday.
TYPICAL WEEKEND COSTS
Language: French, with English widely spoken in hotels and around the Expo. Currency: euro. Card is accepted almost everywhere and contactless is standard, and French taxis are required to accept card, but carry a little cash for market stalls. Service is included by law in restaurant prices, so rounding up or leaving a couple of euros is all that is expected. Paper metro tickets are gone — load fares onto a Navigo Easy card or your phone via the Île-de-France Mobilités app before you land.
BEST BASE NEIGHBOURHOODS
Porte de Versailles and Saint-Lambert (15th)
Best for: Eliminating transport risk entirely. Everything in this guide sits here.
Issy-les-Moulineaux (92)
Best for: Value. One or two tram stops on T2 or T3a, and still a 15-minute walk if the tram fails you.
Vanves (92)
Best for: Value with an even shorter walk in, just south of the Périphérique.
Montparnasse (14th and 15th)
Best for: Food and evenings. Direct on line 12, roughly 8 minutes out, far more restaurant choice.
VENUE & LOCATION ANALYSIS
Paris Expo Porte de Versailles
1 Place de la Porte de Versailles, 75015 Paris
Seven pavilions spread across a large site on the southern edge of the 15th. The October 2025 edition of HYROX Paris ran in Hall 6 and drew about 20,000 participants over five days; the December 2026 edition runs across seven days, so expect similar or larger numbers. HYROX has not confirmed which pavilion this edition uses. Exit 1 from the station serves Pavilions 2 to 7 and exit 2 serves Pavilion 1, and the difference in walk time between them is real — check the event page in the week before you travel.
NEAREST STATIONS
- Porte de Versailles — Metro line 12 — exits onto the venue forecourt, under a minute on foot. First trains around 05:30
- Porte de Versailles – Parc des Expositions — Trams T2 and T3a, running from around 05:00
- Balard — Metro line 8, about 5 to 7 minutes' walk
- Buses 39 and 80 — Plus Noctilien night buses N13, N62 and N145
WALKABILITY
The metro exits onto the forecourt and four hotels sit within a 10-minute walk. Marked down only because the pavilion complex itself is large and the pavilion assignment is unpublished.
The Monop'Daily on the venue forecourt runs 07:00 to 20:00 Monday to Saturday and closes Sunday. Franprix at 405 Rue de Vaugirard is two minutes away, and Les Fournils de France Damier Gourmand next door opens 06:30 seven days a week — the only reliable early-morning Sunday food near the hall. Pharmacie Porte de Versailles at 395 Rue de Vaugirard is four minutes out but closed Sundays, and Decathlon Aquaboulevard, 14 minutes away, is the only nearby sports retailer open on a Sunday.
🏃 RACE MORNING PLAN
On-site registration opens 90 minutes before the first start wave of your division, so 06:30 for an 08:00 division. If you want to enter the hall before your check-in window, go via the Spectators Desk with your ticket and ID. Bring a physical ID card, not a photo of one, and note that you cannot check in on behalf of anyone else. Queues form at bag drop and the check-in desk 60 to 90 minutes before the big morning waves, so arrive at the start of your window rather than the end. If you are staying within a 10-minute walk you can skip transport entirely, which is the whole argument for booking close.
TRANSPORT LINKS
BEST AIRPORT: PARIS ORLY (ORY)
Closer, the metro line 14 link is fast and automated, and Porte de Versailles is on the Left Bank — the cheaper side of the regulated taxi flat rate. CDG works fine but costs more by every method.
Paris Orly — metro line 14 then line 12 (ORY)
Line 14 from Orly to Madeleine, change to line 12 direct to Porte de Versailles. EUR 14 on the Paris Region to Airports ticket. Line 14 runs from about 05:30. Lowest-stress alternative is a taxi at a fixed EUR 36 to 37 to the Left Bank, day or night — say "tarif forfaitaire" before you set off.
Time to venue: About 55 min
Charles de Gaulle — RER B then metro (CDG)
RER B to Châtelet-Les Halles, line 4 to Montparnasse-Bienvenüe, line 12 to Porte de Versailles. EUR 14 on the airport ticket, which covers metro and RER connections for two hours. Taxi is a fixed EUR 65 to the Left Bank. Beauvais is served by Aérobus coaches to Porte Maillot, La Défense and Saint-Denis Université, not covered by the airport ticket — budget 2h30 minimum.
Time to venue: 65-75 min
Getting to Paris Expo Porte de Versailles
PUBLIC TRANSPORT TIPS
- Metro line 12 exits onto the venue forecourt — the single best logistical fact about this race.
- Trams T2 and T3a stop at Porte de Versailles – Parc des Expositions, and line 8 at Balard is 5 to 7 minutes' walk.
- Paper tickets are gone. Load fares onto a Navigo Easy card or your phone via the Île-de-France Mobilités app.
- As of 1 January 2026: metro, train and RER single EUR 2.55, bus and tram single EUR 2.05, Navigo 1-Day Pass EUR 12.30, airport ticket EUR 14.
- The single metro ticket does not allow transfers onto trams or buses, and the airport ticket is not valid on trams — do not plan an RER B plus T3a route.
- More than four journeys in a day and the day pass wins. Staying within walking distance and only travelling in and out from the airport, buy singles.
- The Roissybus was permanently withdrawn on 1 March 2026 and the Orlybus went before it — ignore any guide that still recommends them.
🚕 Taxi / Uber / Ola
Reliable across Paris. Uber surges around the evening wave finishes, roughly 20:30 to 22:30, when several thousand athletes and spectators leave at once. The metro handles that crowd far better than the taxi rank does.
🚗 Driving
There is on-site parking accessed from the Périphérique at the Porte de Versailles exit, and it is not worth it. Paris traffic, paid parking and a venue with a metro station at the door make driving the worst option here.
WHERE TO STAY
Hôtel Paris Vaugirard
Near venueEUR 90-140 per night (as of August 2026)
Best for: Athletes who want to roll out of bed and walk to check-in
3-star with a 24-hour front desk, soundproofed rooms, lift, laundry, continental breakfast and a complimentary lobby coffee machine, scoring 8.2 on Booking.com. Soundproofing is the standout for an early night, and the courtyard side is the quieter ask. Honest tradeoff: rooms are basic and small, guest feedback on soundproofing is mixed rather than uniformly good, and there is no on-site gym. It sells out fast around Expo events, so this is the one to book earliest.
EUR 70-110 per night (as of August 2026)
Best for: Keeping the nightly rate down without leaving the neighbourhood
3-star, 35 rooms, air conditioning throughout, free Wi-Fi, minibar and an inner courtyard on a quiet residential street next to the tram, scoring 8.3 with staff rated 9.4. Air conditioning matters more than you think in a hall-warmed December trip, and massages are available on request. Honest tradeoff: a small property with limited facilities, breakfast costs extra, there is no gym, and ten minutes in December rain is ten minutes in December rain.
Novotel Paris Porte de Versailles
Mid-rangeEUR 150-220 per night (as of August 2026)
Best for: Athletes who want an on-site gym and a proper bed without going luxury
4-star, opened 2020, with an on-site gym, two restaurants and a rooftop bar and restaurant with Eiffel Tower views, scoring 8.4. The gym is the reason to pick this one, useful for a shakeout or a warm-up when it is dark and wet outside, and the rooftop runs midday to 01:00 daily, which suits late finishers. Honest tradeoff: recent guest feedback on service and housekeeping is inconsistent, breakfast is extra, and the rooftop gets busy and needs booking.
Le Bellune Paris
LuxuryEUR 250-350 per night (as of August 2026)
Best for: Turning your accommodation into your recovery plan
4-star boutique with 105 rooms, an indoor pool open 07:00 to 22:00, a hammam, a sensory shower, a fitness room, air conditioning throughout and breakfast with vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options, scoring 8.8. Spa access is included with an overnight stay, so you get a pool at 07:00 and a hammam after your wave without leaving the building. Honest tradeoff: standard rooms are small for the price, several guests describe the gym as underwhelming, and the hammam runs hot enough that some find it hard to stay in.
🏨 Looking to book? Compare prices on your preferred booking platform.
WHERE TO EAT
💡 Smart move: The pharmacy, the venue Monop'Daily and the running shop all close on Sunday, and the Franprix does not open until 09:00. Buy race-morning breakfast and Sunday food on the Saturday — or use Les Fournils de France Damier Gourmand at 405 Rue de Vaugirard, open 06:30 seven days.
Via Del Gusto, 344 Rue de Vaugirard
Athlete PickOpen 08:00 to 22:30 every day including Sunday, ten minutes from the venue, and does large pasta portions. Closer still is Trattoria Silvano at 57 Boulevard Victor, three minutes away and open seven days from midday. Book ahead for the Friday and Saturday nights of race week — several thousand athletes are eating the same meal in the same six streets.
Les Fournils de France Damier Gourmand, 405 Rue de Vaugirard
Athlete PickOpens 06:30 seven days a week, two minutes from the hall. For an 08:00 Sunday wave it is effectively the only option near the venue, because the Monop'Daily and the pharmacy both close on Sundays and the Franprix does not open until 09:00. Café Victoria at 53 Boulevard Victor opens 08:00 daily and runs to midnight — good for a spectator morning, too late for an early wave.
750g La Table, 397 Rue de Vaugirard
Athlete PickFour minutes away and open 09:30 to 22:30 daily, a French menu with a set-price starter, main and dessert. For something with a view, French Kiss at 1 Rue du Moulin in Vanves is a rooftop restaurant eight minutes out, open 06:00 to 22:30 every day.
Monop'Daily and Carrefour City
Athlete PickMonop'Daily on the venue forecourt does sandwiches, salads and hot drinks with seating, 07:00 to 20:00 Monday to Saturday, closed Sunday. Carrefour City at 123 Avenue Félix Faure runs 07:00 to 22:00 Monday to Saturday and 09:00 to 13:00 Sunday, 14 minutes out and the best stocked of the nearby options. Buy Sunday food on Saturday.
THINGS TO DO
Champs-Élysées illuminations
Pre-RaceRunning mid-November 2026 into early January 2027, lit each evening from 17:00 to midnight and to 01:00 on Fridays and Saturdays. A 20-minute metro ride and you can see it in 40 minutes. Otherwise stay off your feet — Paris punishes athletes who "just walk around a bit" the day before a race.
La Magie de Noël, Jardin des Tuileries
Post-RaceThe largest Christmas market in central Paris, typically running mid-November into early January with mulled wine, tartiflette and an ice rink, about 25 minutes away on line 12 to Concorde. The 2026 dates were not officially confirmed at the time of writing, so check before you plan a day around it.
Rooftops with Eiffel Tower views
Post-RaceCloser to base, the rooftop restaurant at the Novotel Porte de Versailles and the rooftop at French Kiss in Vanves both give you Eiffel Tower views without a journey — the low-effort celebration option after a late wave.
Parc André Citroën
Any TimeAbout 24 minutes on foot from the venue, with a tethered balloon giving aerial views over the city. A sensible option for spectators filling time between waves if the weather holds.
RACE STRATEGY
VENUE
HYROX has not published the lap count, the hall assignment or the course map for this edition, and the "Laps to run" field on the official event page was still blank as of 31 August 2026. Everything here is pattern, not course knowledge — do not plan splits off it. Paris Expo pavilions are large open-span spaces, so expect long straights and tight turnaround cones rather than corridors.
COURSE FLOW
The October 2025 edition used an "IN" arch that athletes entered on the third sighting, which tells you the run loop was multi-lap and that miscounting was a live risk. Read the technical briefing and count deliberately on the first lap. Big fields also mean queueing at stations, and athletes who sprint the run legs to "make up" queue time bury themselves before the wall balls.
RUN SURFACE
Indoor exhibition hall flooring, flat, no elevation, no ramps. Sled work on smooth exhibition flooring behaves differently from the rubber you train on, so do not anchor your pacing to gym numbers.
HEAT
Exhibition halls hold heat. With waves from 08:00 to 20:30 across seven days and 20,000-plus athletes through the building, the hall gets progressively warmer and more humid as each day goes on. Afternoon and evening waves should plan for a warmer race than the December weather outside suggests; 08:00 waves get the coolest, cleanest air of the day.
ELEVATION
None. Flat indoor floor at sea level, so the only cost is deceleration and re-acceleration at the turns.
⚠️ WHERE PEOPLE BLOW UP
Two things get amplified here. Chasing queue time on the runs, and misjudging the hall temperature for a late wave. A 18:10 or 19:00 start also means an entire day of waiting, which is a different race to a morning one — eat properly at lunchtime, stay off your feet, and go to the venue later than instinct tells you.
HISTORICAL DATA
20,000
Finishers (HYROX Paris 2025 (Paris Expo, Hall 6))
N/A
Avg Finish Time (Paris 2025)
TBC
Time Cutoff
Depends. Flat indoor flooring at sea level with cool December air is a good foundation, but a seven-day event means bigger fields, longer station queues and more variability in hall conditions.
Source: Venue, station access, race dates, fares, opening hours and closure rules verified from the official HYROX Paris event page, Viparis venue access pages, RATP operating hours and Île-de-France Mobilités fare pages, all as of 31 August 2026. Pavilion assignment and lap count were still unpublished.
RECOVERY SPOTS
ICE BATHS / COLD PLUNGE
BANYA NO.1 PARIS, 20 RUE DE VOUILLÉ
Traditional banya with a high-heat sauna, private treatment rooms and an ice bath, open 10:00 to 22:00 every day. Book ahead.
📍 About 19 minutes on foot, or a short hop on line 12
Best use: A full recovery session the day after your race, not the morning of.
LE BELLUNE PARIS POOL AND HAMMAM, 35 BOULEVARD VICTOR
Indoor pool open 07:00 to 22:00 plus a hammam and sensory shower, with spa access included for overnight guests. Really only a plan if you are staying there.
📍 About 6 minutes' walk
Best use: Same-day contrast work without leaving the building.
SAUNAS & SPAS
HYSOPE SPA PARIS RIVE GAUCHE, 382 RUE DE VAUGIRARD
Two minutes from the venue, open seven days, 10:00 to 19:00 and to 20:00 on Saturdays. Massage rather than sports therapy, but the location is unbeatable for a same-day post-race hour.
Best use: An hour on the table the same afternoon you race.
NOVOTEL PARIS PORTE DE VERSAILLES GYM
On-site gym five minutes from the venue, useful for a warm-up or an indoor shakeout when it is dark and wet outside. Guest access.
Best use: A controlled warm-up on race morning without going outside.
PHYSIOS NEAR VENUE
François Maubert, Masseur-Kinésithérapeute du sport, 4 Rue Louis Armand
Open Saturdays 10:00 to 17:00, about 20 minutes on foot. One of the few weekend-available sports physios near the venue.
Centre Kiné Sport Santé Paris 15, 7 Rue Georges Pitard
Larger sports rehab practice with specialist equipment, Monday to Friday only. Useful if you are in town for the Wednesday to Friday race days.
WEATHER STRATEGY
DECEMBER CONDITIONS
Long-term averages put Paris highs at 7 to 9 °C and lows at 2 to 4 °C, with humidity around 86 percent, roughly three hours of sunshine a day, and December as the wettest month of the year. Snow is possible but uncommon, averaging around two days across the whole month. Sunrise on race week is 08:35 to 08:41 and sunset 16:53 to 16:55.
- Standard indoor race kit — do not overdress for the outside temperature
- A warm layer you are happy to bin or bag over your race kit for the walk in
- Long sleeves and a light jacket you can shed in the warm-up area
- A waterproof shell, because it will probably rain at some point across seven days
- Spare socks and a plastic bag for wet kit in your bag drop
💧 Hydration
Easy to under-drink in cold weather and then over-heat in a warm hall. Drink to a target through the day before rather than loading in the final hour, and carry extra electrolytes if your wave is in the afternoon or evening.
🏟️ Indoor vs Outdoor
All racing is indoors on a flat hall floor. The walk in, the check-in queue and the walk back are outdoors at 2 to 9 °C, in darkness before 08:35 — but under 10 minutes if you book close.
SHAKEOUT RUN ROUTES
BOULEVARD VICTOR TO PARC OMNISPORTS SUZANNE LENGLEN, ABOUT 5 KM
Head west from the venue along Boulevard Victor to Place Balard, then into the Parc Omnisports Suzanne Lenglen at 2 Rue Louis Armand, loop the park and return the same way — roughly 3.1 km of out-and-back plus a park circuit, landing close to 5 km. Pavement on the boulevard, then mixed park paths and sports-complex roads. Wide, well-lit pavements, busy enough at 07:00 not to feel isolated, but watch the crossings near the Périphérique junction where traffic moves quickly. No reliable toilets or water on the boulevard section, so use your hotel; Parc Georges-Brassens has public toilets if you run east instead.
🏃 Parkrun
Treat this as unconfirmed. The parkrun France site lists a Saturday 09:00 event at Bois de Boulogne, but the same site also carries a notice stating that parkrun events in France are suspended. Check parkrun.fr in the week before you travel rather than turning up.
🏟️ Track Access
Stade Suzanne Lenglen has a 400 m tartan track, open 08:00 to 22:30 and to 20:00 on Sundays. One user review flagged a renovation closure, so confirm before you build a session around it.
Daylight is the constraint. Sunrise on race week is between 08:35 and 08:41 and sunset between 16:53 and 16:55, so useful daylight runs roughly 08:40 to 16:50 and no further. Paris parks are gated and open late: Parc Georges-Brassens from 08:00 on weekdays and 09:00 at weekends, Parc André Citroën from 07:00 and 08:00, and the Petite Ceinture path in the 15th not until 09:00. An early shakeout before a morning wave means street running under streetlights.
GYMS NEAR VENUE
FUNCTIONAL / STRENGTH
K-GYM TRAINING, 18 RUE THÉODORE DECK
10 minutes. Runs HYROX-format classes and is bookable through class platforms. Short weekend hours: Saturday 10:00-13:00, Sunday 11:00-13:00.
CROSSFIT LUTÈCE II, 33 RUE DE L'ÉGLISE
23 minutes. A HYROX Training Club affiliate with an established drop-in process and English-speaking coaches. Saturday 09:30-12:30, closed Sunday. Book ahead, classes fill.
COMMERCIAL GYMS
Cercles de la Forme Porte de Versailles, 31 Rue du Hameau
4 minutes, the closest option. 07:00-22:30 weekdays, 09:00-20:00 weekends. Small and dated, so use it for a warm-up rather than a session.
Neoness Paris 15 Beaugrenelle, 104 Rue Saint Charles
24 minutes. Open 06:00-23:00 seven days with a dedicated functional fitness area — the best bet for an early or very late session.
HOTEL GYMS WORTH USING
Novotel Paris Porte de Versailles
On-site gym five minutes from the venue. The reason to pick this hotel.
Le Bellune Paris
Indoor pool 07:00-22:00, hammam, sensory shower and fitness room, spa access included overnight. Guests describe the gym itself as modest.
Hôtel Paris Vaugirard and Porte de Versailles Hôtel
No gyms. Use Cercles de la Forme four minutes away, or a band in the room.
Message any of these before you turn up. Paris weekend hours are short and Sunday closures are common.
ESSENTIALS — RACE WEEKEND OPS
SUPERMARKETS
Franprix
405 Rue de Vaugirard
2 minutes. 08:00-21:00 Mon-Sat, 09:00-13:00 Sunday.
Monop'Daily
Venue forecourt
Sandwiches, salads, hot drinks and seating. 07:00-20:00 Mon-Sat, closed Sunday.
Les Fournils de France Damier Gourmand
405 Rue de Vaugirard
Bakery opening 06:30 seven days — the only reliable early Sunday food near the hall.
Carrefour City
123 Avenue Félix Faure
14 minutes, best stocked nearby. 07:00-22:00 Mon-Sat, 09:00-13:00 Sunday.
PHARMACIES
Pharmacie Porte de Versailles
395 Rue de Vaugirard
4 minutes. 09:00-20:00 Mon-Sat, closed Sunday.
Pharmacie de garde (duty pharmacy)
Rota posted in pharmacy windows
How you find a pharmacy on a Sunday or overnight in France. Also available from the local police station.
SPORTS SHOPS
Decathlon Paris Aquaboulevard, 4/6 Rue Louis Armand
14 minutes. 09:30-20:00 Mon-Sat and 10:00-20:00 Sunday — the only nearby sports retailer open on both Sunday race days.
Passion Running Vaugirard, 366 Rue de Vaugirard
6 minutes. Closed Sundays and shut for lunch on weekdays.
Fitnessboutique Paris Vaugirard, 186 Rue de la Convention
12 minutes for supplements. Closed Sundays and shut 13:00-14:00 on weekdays.
🆘 "OH NO" KIT CHECKLIST
VENUE DAY TIMELINE
SPECTATOR GUIDE
BEST VIEWING ZONES
- Spectator tickets are sold separately through the official HYROX ticketing page and are not covered by the Flex or Flex Lite add-ons, so they cannot be refunded or transferred — buy them with the athlete ticket
- Exhibition-hall events concentrate spectators around the sled and wall ball stations, where the athlete is stationary and visible for longest
- The run loop is the hardest place to spot anyone, so agree a kit colour or a hat before the race starts
- Age group ceremonies are held after every athlete in a division has raced, so they can fall on a different day to your race
- If you podium on a weekday, take your ID to the Help Desk for free ceremony access — additional spectators need a ticket, and published ceremony times run as late as 22:15 on Friday and Saturday
FAMILY LOGISTICS
- Toilets and food outlets are inside the pavilion complex
- Monop'Daily on the forecourt has seating and hot drinks and is the cheapest food option, though it closes on Sundays
- Halls are loud, with music and commentary running throughout — bring ear defenders for young children
- The venue is step-free from the metro and pram accessible, but the walk from the station to the far pavilions is long
- Parc André Citroën, 24 minutes away, has a tethered balloon and is a good way to fill time between waves
📍 MEET-UP PLAN
Do not agree to meet inside the hall — phone signal in large exhibition halls is unreliable with 20,000 people in the building. Pick an outside landmark: the Porte de Versailles metro entrance on the forecourt, or Café Victoria at 53 Boulevard Victor, open until midnight seven days a week.
BUDGET CALCULATOR
| Line item | Budget | Mid | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hotel (3 nights) | EUR 270 | EUR 495 | EUR 900 |
| Food (3 days) | EUR 75 | EUR 135 | EUR 255 |
| Local transport (3 days) | EUR 15 | EUR 39 | EUR 75 |
| Race extras & spectator tickets | EUR 0 | EUR 45 | EUR 95 |
| Recovery (banya / massage / spa) | EUR 0 | EUR 60 | EUR 150 |
ESTIMATED TOTALS (excl. flights)
PACKING CHECKLIST
RACE KIT
- Training shoes suited to sled work and indoor flooring
- Shorts or tights
- Race top, long sleeve optional — the hall runs warm
- Socks plus a spare pair
- Grip aid or chalk if permitted in your division
- Watch, charged
- Physical ID card, not a photo, plus your athlete ticket
WARM UP
- Warm throwaway layer for the walk in
- Light jacket you can shed in the warm-up area
- Resistance band
- Skipping rope
- Small foam roller or massage ball
RECOVERY
- Compression garments
- Flip-flops or slides
- Swim shorts or costume for the hotel pool or banya
- Towel for the sauna
- Dry change of clothes in your bag drop
NUTRITION
- Electrolyte tablets
- Pre-race carbohydrate source you have tested
- Gels or chews
- Recovery protein
- Refillable water bottle
TRAVEL ESSENTIALS
- Waterproof shell — December is the wettest month
- Warm hat and gloves
- Phone plus power bank
- Île-de-France Mobilités app installed and fares loaded
- EHIC or GHIC card and travel insurance details
- Blister plasters, tape, anti-chafe balm and basic pain relief
- Plastic bag for wet kit, and spare laces
SAMPLE RACE WEEKEND ITINERARY
DAY 1: ARRIVAL & RECON
- Land at Orly and take metro line 14 to Madeleine, then line 12 direct to Porte de Versailles
- Check into the 15th — Vaugirard 2 minutes out, Novotel 5, Le Bellune 6, Porte de Versailles Hôtel 10
- Walk the venue forecourt in daylight and check which pavilion your athlete information names
- Stock up at Franprix or Carrefour City, especially if you race on a Sunday
- Carb dinner at Via Del Gusto or Trattoria Silvano, booked ahead, then buy tomorrow's breakfast
DAY 2: RACE DAY
- Wake 05:15 in full darkness, breakfast in the room at 05:35, nothing new
- Leave the hotel 06:15 in a warm throwaway layer over race kit
- Check in from 06:30 with a physical ID card, bag drop by 06:45
- Walk the hall, find the start pen and roxzone, then warm up from 07:20 with layers on
- Race 08:00, dry layers straight after, then food at 750g La Table from 09:30
DAY 3: RECOVERY & EXPLORE
- Easy 5 km along Boulevard Victor to Parc Omnisports Suzanne Lenglen, in the daylight
- Banya No.1 for sauna and ice bath, or the pool and hammam at Le Bellune
- HYSOPE SPA two minutes from the venue for a massage if you did not book physio
- Champs-Élysées illuminations from 17:00, or the Tuileries Christmas market on line 12
- Dinner at 750g La Table or the rooftop at French Kiss in Vanves — sunset is 16:53, so the evening starts early
LOCAL RULES & EMERGENCY INFO
Sunday closures bite here
The pharmacy, the venue Monop'Daily, the running shop and the supplement shop all close on Sundays, and both Sunday 13 and Sunday 20 December are race days with 08:00 waves. Decathlon Aquaboulevard and the 06:30 bakery on Rue de Vaugirard are your Sunday exceptions.
Paper tickets are gone
Load fares onto a Navigo Easy card or your phone via the Île-de-France Mobilités app. Metro single EUR 2.55, bus and tram single EUR 2.05, day pass EUR 12.30, airport ticket EUR 14.
The airport ticket is not valid on trams
Do not plan an RER B plus T3a route unless you buy a separate bus-tram ticket, and remember the metro single does not allow transfers onto trams or buses.
Roissybus and Orlybus no longer exist
The Roissybus was permanently withdrawn on 1 March 2026 and the Orlybus went before it. Ignore any guide that still recommends them.
Taxi flat rates are regulated
Orly to the Left Bank is a fixed EUR 36 to 37 and CDG to the Left Bank a fixed EUR 65, day or night. Say "tarif forfaitaire" before you set off.
Tipping and payment
Service is included by law in restaurant prices, so rounding up is plenty. Card and contactless work almost everywhere and taxis must accept card, but carry a little cash for market stalls.
Physical ID only
Bring a physical ID card, not a photo of one, and note that you cannot check in on behalf of anyone else. Registration opens 90 minutes before the first wave of your division.
EMERGENCY INFO
112
European emergency
15
SAMU medical
17
Police
18
Fire brigade
Hospital: Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou, 20 Rue Leblanc, 75015, with the Urgences entrance at 38 Rue du Professeur Florian Delbarre. Open 24 hours, about 22 minutes on foot or a short taxi ride west of the venue.
Pharmacy: Pharmacie Porte de Versailles at 395 Rue de Vaugirard is four minutes away, 09:00 to 20:00 Monday to Saturday, closed Sunday. On Sundays and overnight, France runs a duty pharmacy system (pharmacie de garde) — the rota is posted in pharmacy windows and available from the local police station. 114 by SMS serves deaf and hard-of-hearing callers.