Paris Marathon set for Sunday
The Paris Marathon is scheduled for Sunday, April 12, and organizers expect about 60,000 runners — so if you’re in the city this weekend expect major route closures and big crowds. (El‑Balad’s coverage notes the April 12 date and the 60,000‑runner expectation, which matters for travel, transit and last‑minute race spectators). (el-balad.com)
If you land in central Paris this weekend thinking Sunday will be a normal sightseeing day, the city has other plans: the Paris Marathon goes off on Sunday, April 12, 2026, with staggered starts from around 8:00 in the morning and runners finishing into mid-afternoon. The official race site and the Paris transit operator both say the course runs from Avenue des Champs-Élysées to Avenue Foch. (schneiderelectricparismarathon.com) (bonjour-ratp.fr) This is not a neighborhood 10-kilometer race that disappears by breakfast. The Paris transit operator says the event draws more than 50,000 runners and several hundred thousand spectators, which is why stations near the start and finish can slow to a crawl even when trains are still running. (bonjour-ratp.fr) The route is basically a moving roadblock across postcard Paris. Organizers say runners pass landmarks including Palais Garnier, Notre-Dame, the Eiffel Tower, and the Arc de Triomphe, plus long stretches by the Seine, the Bois de Vincennes, and the Bois de Boulogne. (schneiderelectricparismarathon.com 1) (schneiderelectricparismarathon.com 2) That scenic route is why the traffic impact spreads so widely. The Paris Police Prefecture issued an order covering April 4 through April 12, and the City of Paris says lane closures, circulation restrictions, and no-parking rules are in force across multiple districts and nearby communes tied to the race corridor. (prefecturedepolice.interieur.gouv.fr) (paris.fr) Some of the biggest shutdowns hit the race bookends. The City of Paris says Avenue des Champs-Élysées is closed to vehicles from 12:01 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on April 12, while parts of Avenue Foch are closed from the early hours through late evening as the finish area is built, used, and dismantled. (paris.fr) The disruption starts before sunrise and reaches beyond the route itself. The city says some no-parking rules began at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, April 10, and continue through Sunday, while roads in the 12th and 16th arrondissements and in Charenton-le-Pont, Boulogne-Billancourt, and Saint-Mandé are included in the police order. (prefecturedepolice.interieur.gouv.fr) Public transit is the least bad option, not a magic escape hatch. RATP says the stations serving the start and finish can face slowdowns, temporary access controls, and heavy crowds between 6:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. and again between 10:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., so even spectators are advised to get off farther away and walk the last stretch. (bonjour-ratp.fr) One extra wrinkle: the city says the marathon also interrupts tram service near the Foire du Trône area, and separate weekend works are already affecting parts of the wider Paris transit network. That means a trip that looks simple on a map can turn into a detour chain of closed roads, crowded platforms, and a final walk. (paris.fr) (sortiraparis.com) If you want the fun without the hassle, skip the start zone and the finish chute. RATP flags Bastille, the Seine riverbanks, Bois de Vincennes, Bois de Boulogne, Champs-Élysées, Concorde, and Avenue Foch as the busiest sectors, which is useful if you are choosing between “good atmosphere” and “I would like to keep moving today.” (bonjour-ratp.fr) The marathon itself is the 49th edition of the race, according to the police order, which helps explain why Paris treats it like a city-scale operation instead of a sports footnote. On Sunday, April 12, the course is the event, and the rest of the capital has to flow around it. (prefecturedepolice.interieur.gouv.fr)
