The strikes have decimated merchants and their workers.
My wife and daughter are in Paris for a 6 day stay-so far no issues for the first 2 days. We did get a car service for a flat rate to/from airport to help alleviate any logistical issues .
We have friends that just returned to France in mid-December. They flew to Paris but live on Île de Ré on the Atlantic coast. About one in every ten trains were running. It took them 28 hours to get home from Paris. Transportation is hit or miss. The strikes are devastating the economy. There is no end in sight to the problem.
In some ways it really highlights the success of the rail network in France.
In Bordeaux we only had one day where the local buses didn’t run, and we rarely use intercity trains. We wouldn’t know there was a ‘national strike’ on.
Highlights why Public Unions can’t be allowed to exist. Unions for private companies are fine, if the Union pushes too hard the company goes out of business and no jobs, if the Company pushes too hard the employees move to a different company or industry and the Company goes under. With Public Unions, Politicians generally give in, give the Union whatever they want in trade for votes or support, and kick the can down the road to a future administration. And the Taxpayer is always the unrepresented loser.
A good lesson for the USA in the coming state budget battles, particularly in Illinois and New Jersey.
I cancelled my Paris trip for this spring.
My wife and daughter seem to be having no logistical issues
We were in Paris for much of December. We live in the 16th and travel extensively throughout the city, generally by Metro. The 1 is running, because it is automated and driverless. Only the 14 as well for the Metro. This means the streets are jammed with traffic during rush hour, Uber fares are sky high and it’s tough to get a Taxi. But it’s still Paris and not in any way diminished our enjoyment. We’ll be back in March. There’s no reason to cancel.
As somebody that also lived in the 16th, I would agree wholeheartedly. As I noted in somebody else’s thread, you need to factor in transportation if you have a hard deadline for something (I.e. a show or tight dinner reservations). Worst case? Bundle up and walk; it’s Paris FFS.
I’m heading over towards the end of April. Hopefully all has returned to Paris Normal by then…
Normal?
I’ll be there the last week of Jan (as will Michel) and give you an update
Second week of February for our trip. All our restaurants are within a half an hour walk, but hope we don’t have to.
+1. The taxpayer is always the under-represented party.
South of France for 5 days in February. We’ll be driving around. I hope it’s not a hard a season as in Paris.
Syndicats and governements has been negociating in secret since christmas.
But like trump we have also some elections this year.
It’s more the last round for the communist party
I hope it will be finish this week or next week
We were over in mid-December to go to Strasbourg and Colmar for the Christmas markets (HIGHLY recommend, as an aside). The plan was to take the TGV to Strasbourg from CDG, rent a car and tour, then TGV back to Gare de l’Est. I got an email from the SCNF cancelling the outbound train, so i cancelled my rezzy with the bastidges charging me 20 Euros to cancel, and we rented a car to do the same journey as planned. It was about a 5 hour drive each way which is no big deal to me, and the journey was very pretty. We stopped off in a little town in Lorraine on the way back to eat, and it was utterly charming. We may have been the first Americans they had seen since WW2 the way they regarded us with such curiosity.
As planned I returned the rental at the Gare de l’Est and obviously had to walk back to our hotel near the Tuileries, but walking Paris is one of life’s pleasures.
really hoping this gets resolved soon. Im guessing its terrible for france’s economy in general, and selfishly i have a trip planned at the beginning of april which currently is counting on a SNCF ride from Barcelona to Lyon.
Hello
Strikes are quite finished.
I am happy for me and a lot friends who are shuffering about this.
Amazon is happy : Their sales are explosing.
Really? I don’t see anything on France 24 or other places announcing an end? Don’t get me wrong, I’m going next Sat and will be ecstatic if that’s the case!!!
Instead, I’m seeing the Louvre was closed due to a strike today?
Gimme good news!