Is It Safe to Travel to France Right Now? Curfews, Strikes

FRANCE IN TURMOIL · TRAVEL GUIDE

You can still travel to France, but avoid protest days and the small night-curfew zones in a few city centres.

After riots on 17 October, the authorities imposed night curfews in parts of Paris, Lyon and other cities, and protests are called for 22 and 24 October, with a nationwide strike on 5 November. Britain and Canada do not advise against travel, and most of France has been calm since the curfews began on 19 October.

This guide lists every curfew, advisory and strike date we could confirm, and we update it as they change. American football fans are also heading to Paris for the Steelers-Saints game on Sunday, 25 October.

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The Short Answer

The protests that began in French high schools in September and exploded into riots on 17 October are aimed at the government, not at visitors. The risk for a traveller is being caught near a march that turns violent, or losing a train, a metro line or a museum visit to a protest or strike.

That risk is concentrated on known days and in known places, which makes it easy to manage. Read why France is protesting for the background, and use the lists below to plan around it.

Where the Curfews Are

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu asked regional prefects, the state’s representatives, to impose “partial” and “localised” curfews from 19 October, and he ruled out one for the whole of Paris. These are the zones ordered since 19 October, in local time; Paris is six hours ahead of US Eastern time until the clocks change on 25 October, then five hours ahead until 1 November.

• Paris 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. on the central island of Place de la République and in part of Les Halles around rue Rambuteau, rue Berger and boulevard de Sébastopol; it covers adults too and runs “as long as necessary”, which means 5 p.m. to midnight ET until 24 October and 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. ET from 25 October.
• Lyon 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. in the central Presqu’île, including Place Bellecour, with gatherings also banned from 4 p.m.
• Toulouse Midnight to 5 a.m. in the city centre, for everyone, from Thursday, 22 October, to Sunday, 25 October.
• Marseille Unaccompanied minors, 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., in parts of the centre and several shopping zones, for the coming days.
• Lille area Unaccompanied minors, 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., in Lille, Douai, Wattignies and Denain, ordered for the nights of 19 and 20 October.
• Nice and Bordeaux Unaccompanied minors, overnight in the city centres, until the morning of Monday, 26 October.

In Paris, undeclared gatherings are also banned from 8 p.m. near the Élysée Palace, the National Assembly, the Senate, the Champs-Élysées, Place Vendôme and the main train stations. The curfew zones are small, and the rest of each city keeps its usual hours.

What the US, UK and Canada Advise

The US Embassy in Paris issued a security alert on 19 October, after a demonstration alert published on 16 October for the protests of 17 October. It tells Americans to avoid demonstration areas, take care near large gatherings, check the Paris transit operator RATP for metro closures, confirm flights with their airline and monitor France 24, RFI or The Local in English.

We could not read the State Department’s France advisory page on 21 October because it sat behind a security check, so we cannot confirm its current level. Check travel.state.gov before you fly, and enrol in the State Department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive embassy alerts by email.

Britain’s Foreign Office updated its France page on 19 October to warn that local curfews “may be introduced at short notice”, without advising against travel. Canada keeps France at “exercise a high degree of caution” because of terrorism and added on 19 October that curfews are in effect in some municipalities.

Strike and Protest Dates

• Thursday, 22 October High-school students’ national coordination calls marches in cities across France.
• Saturday, 24 October “Act II” of the Yellow Vest cost-of-living protest, with student groups; the government promises a “massive” police deployment and soldiers on guard duty.
• Sunday, 25 October Steelers v Saints at the Stade de France; clocks in France go back one hour at 3 a.m.
• Saturday, 31 October A further Yellow Vest call to protest.
• Thursday, 5 November Nationwide strike and marches called by the CFDT, CGT, FO, UNSA and FSU unions; the four rail unions at the state railway SNCF have called a rail strike the same day.

Trains, Flights and the Paris Metro

The embassy’s alert for 17 October said no air, metro or rail strike was planned, and we found no strike notice for flights or the Paris metro for the coming days. On 20 October police had the République, Châtelet, Les Halles and Châtelet-Les Halles stations closed from 10 p.m., and the RER B, the train line to Charles de Gaulle airport, was partly disrupted, so check RATP before you set out in the evening.

The rail strike call for 5 November could hit high-speed TGV, Intercités and regional trains, and SNCF must publish its strike timetable at least 24 hours ahead under a 2007 law. If you have a train that day, keep your ticket flexible and check SNCF Connect on 4 November.

Museums and Sights

Students blocked the entrance of the Louvre on the morning of 19 October in support of the high-school movement, and the museum could not open at 9 a.m. as usual. Such actions are usually short, but buy timed tickets you can change and check the museum’s site on protest days.

In Paris the rioting on 17 October centred on Place de la République and the Les Halles shopping area. Expect a heavy police presence around the Élysée, the Champs-Élysées and government buildings, especially on Saturdays.

The Steelers-Saints Game in Paris

The NFL says its first regular-season game in France, the Pittsburgh Steelers at the New Orleans Saints, will be played at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis on Sunday, 25 October. “There’s nothing more important from our standpoint than the teams’ security, the fans’ security,” said Peter O’Reilly, the NFL executive vice president who oversees its international games.

The league says it is working with French authorities and the State Department, and that the game was never in danger of not being played. Fans should allow extra time on Saturday and Sunday, because the Yellow Vest “Act II” falls the day before kickoff.

Fuel and Driving

If you plan to drive, fuel is expensive and patchy: diesel averaged €2.37 a litre (about US$2.66, or roughly US$10 a gallon) on 21 October in the government’s live price data. The same data showed about 2,370 of roughly 9,800 filling stations with at least one fuel temporarily out of stock, about half of them a single grade, and about 450 with no fuel to sell; diesel was out at roughly 590 stations, about 6%.

The government site prix-carburants.gouv.fr shows prices and shortages station by station. Fill up before long rural stretches, and steer clear of fuel depots on protest days, since fishermen blockaded depots in September.

Practical Tips

What Is Not Known

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez is weighing bans on marches whose safety cannot be guaranteed on 24 October, and the end dates of the Paris and Lyon curfews are open. Polymarket runs a market on when the Paris curfew will be lifted, and its live price is in the Key Facts above; it is a bet, not a forecast.

A meeting on pay that SNCF chief executive Jean Castex holds on 3 November could still change the rail strike, and the government has not ruled out a state of emergency. Follow the latest in our France in Turmoil dossier, which also tracks whether the government will survive.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it safe to travel to Paris right now?

Yes for most visitors, as long as you avoid demonstrations and the two night-curfew zones at Place de la République and Les Halles. The US Embassy advises caution near large gatherings and checking metro closures, and protests are called for 22 and 24 October.

Should I cancel my trip to France?

Neither Britain nor Canada advises against travel to France; both warn of protests and local curfews, and Canada also of terrorism. Keep protest days flexible, book changeable train and museum tickets, and check your insurance for strike and unrest cover.

What time is the Paris curfew?

From 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Paris time on the central island of Place de la République and part of Les Halles, which is 5 p.m. to midnight ET until 24 October. It covers adults too, except residents, workers and emergency services.

Are there strikes in France in November 2026?

Yes, the main unions have called a nationwide strike for Thursday, 5 November, and the four SNCF rail unions have called a rail strike the same day. No air traffic or Paris metro strike had been announced as of 21 October.

Is the Steelers-Saints game in Paris still on?

Yes, the NFL says the game at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis on Sunday, 25 October, goes ahead with heightened security. Allow extra travel time, because a national protest day falls the day before.

What does the US government say about travel to France?

The US Embassy’s alert of 19 October tells Americans to avoid demonstrations, check RATP for metro closures, confirm flights and follow local media. Check travel.state.gov for the current advisory level, which we could not read on 21 October.

Sources: US Embassy Paris security alert (19 October) and demonstration alert (16 October); UK Foreign Office (19 October); Government of Canada (19 October); Paris police prefecture, Rhône and Nord prefectures and city halls as reported by franceinfo and Boursorama (19 and 20 October); France 24 on the protest calendar (19 October); franceinfo on the Louvre (19 October); Sortiraparis on metro closures (21 October); NFL and ESPN on the Steelers-Saints game; the government’s live fuel-price data (data.economie.gouv.fr, 21 October); Polymarket public market data (21 October). As of 21 October 2026.

More: Why is France protesting? Our explainer on the riots, the curfews and the 2027 race.