PSG Game in Paris

Travel, Wine Tourism, and Restaurants Forum
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So I’ve never been to a major European football match. The one time I was in Europe (Italy) during the season my trip didn’t align to any game worthwhile.

When I am in Paris in February I see PSG is home when I’ll be in the city. A few questions:

  1. Thru about January it seems dates/times are posted, but late Jan > end of season there are days but it says details/date TBD (this is on the PSG site). Is this because the game may be scheduled for Saturday or Sunday and the time may change all due to TV stuff?

  2. is there a Stubhub type exchange in France? There are tix for sale on the PSG site, but the weather in Feb can be hit or miss, and honestly, I am a casual fan of the game in general (not PSG specific) and my wife not really. So this is more for the experience (as if someone from France came to NY and went to a baseball game or football game etc). If the experience includes 30 degree weather, snow or rain, etc then it wont be a good experience (For us). So wondering if there is a last minute exchange so I don’t have to commit this far in advance

  3. seats in the venue - is upstairs really that bad if we just want to get in the door? Any suggestions/advice on areas that are to seek out or avoid within the stadium?

  4. any other advice about game day, etc if we decide to figure this out and make it work.

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Eric -
I’m assuming you are talking/asking about Parc de Princes stadium, the traditional home stadium for PSG? I am following your post, as I will be attending the Parc de Princes for a few of the Olympics soccer matches next summer, and want to learn more about the venue, etc., before actually attending the matches there.

As of today, I have very limited info for you, as 1/ I haven’t attended a PSG match and 2/ I haven’t been inside Parc de Princes stadium yet. That said, I am in Paris, and just realized the Pro Beach Volleyball Tour arrived in Paris today at Roland Garros - right next to Parc de Princes - for the Olympics qualifiers, and I almost certainly will be going at least once over the next 3 days. When I am at Roland Garros, I am going to try & take a tour of Parc de Princes (inside; they have tours) to get a sense of the stadium, etc. If this would help you at all, e.g., if you have any more questions besides your #3 above, just let me know & I’m happy to try & answer them/get them answered. (You can DM me or just post them here by tomorrow.)

Otherwise, re your questions, I only can offer the following as of today:
1/ Don’t know.
2/ Don’t know, but the Olympics is also using a huge official ticket exchange site (w/ restrictions to only use same, as Parc des Princes), and my guess - pure guess - is you could unload your tickets on the official site pretty much at the last minute, given the overwhelming popularity of PSG here. Re the weather, yes, Feb very likely will be cold & wet here, but looking at the plans of the Stadium, it looks like there are two giant overhangs, and you could simply choose tickets that are well under that overhang. Getting to the stadium even in snow should be no problem, as the Metro here is really, really good.
3/ Using the 3-D vision on the Pard des Princes/PSG website when you choose upstairs tickets/seats under that overhang, it seems they should be good, but this is something hopefully I can really answer if I can get in for that stadium tour.
4/ Not sure, other than the stadium is on the edge of the 16th arrondissement, & the 16th is a nice-to-quite-nice area, so you may be able to reserve a nice dinner you could walk to from the Stadium, to avoid the exit crush in the Metro. I’ve walked around the area a fair amount, but don’t know a restaurant off the top of my head - except, if you don’t do better, the pretty cool newly restored & opened Hotel Molitor has a bistro, and is only I think about a long block or two from Parc des Princes. I’d imagine you could find a pretty good reso somewhere w/in some walking for dinner/drinks to let the crowds leave, depending on how far you’re willing to walk in that weather.

Theo

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Thanks Theo - excuse my brevity but on my mobile and won’t be near a computer for a bit

I turned to Reddit - PSG website has its own exchange for fans so that’s perfect - tix seem to be guaranteed. They also don’t confirm the date-time of games until 15 days prior so even more reason to wait out and get tix on secondary market.

If you have any intel on getting a seat under an overhang that would be great. The FAQ in the link below goes into detail on the 4 sections - which are more rowdy, which are family friendly etc so help for PSG games. There is also a FAQ about the venue so you can see what you can bring inside etc.

Any additional insight you provide will be welcomed. Just hard to plan a meal or getting to the area if they don’t commit to a date and time!!

The thread is here: Reddit - Dive into anything

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Hey Eric -
You are in luck. That stadium is fantastic! I managed to tour it last Sat evening before the Pro Beach Volleyball at Roland Garros. 1/ The stadium is an 8 minute walk from the Porte Auteuil Metro stop (line 9 & 10); 2/ the stadium is really small, and really, really nice, even luxe; 3/ once you go in everything is covered & heated (except the field itself & the stands presumably aren’t heated); 4/ the “overhang” really extends over all the seats, certainly those parallel to the field (that said, to make sure you are not in the possible rain, i would get seats further up); 5/ even seats further up are not far & have great views of the field; 6/ Amex seems to be a sponsor of at least one of the hospitality lounges, so maybe they can do something for you if you have status. The stadium is really nice & small - way smaller than Roland Garros (French Open tennis). I can’t wait to see the Olympic Soccer Matches there.

Re where to get a meal, hang before/after to avoid the crowds - there are several restaurants nearby (Google should show), but in any event the historic Hotel/Pool Molitor (& their Health Club) is one block away. I went into the Brasserie there to check it out - they couldn’t have been nicer, & said they’re open all the game days & have a special menu - you can book online or call them for a reso. (I have a photo of their menu if you want me to DM it to you.) I was also VERY surprised to learn their incredible historic swimming pool (the reason the Hotel Molitor exists; where the bikini was invented) is HEATED in the winter & open all winter. (They also have an indoor pool.). So, you could even stay there the evening of the match, etc. (The separate Molitor Paris fitness club/spa - which also uses the historic hotel pool - very chic & hot in Paris since it opened; 8,000E/year dues for a couple, unfortunately won’t sell day or week passes, but do have per-day lunch & spa packages.)

I think that covers it. I have some photos of the stadium if you want them DM’d. If it was me, if I knew I’d be in Paris for the match, I would just buy tickets (& book a meal/room/both) & then sell the tickets/cancel the resos if there was some last minute problem. I think it should be great.

BTW, I notice someone on your Reddit commented on 1/ wearing the jerseys of opposing teams and 2/ crime on the Metro. I can’t comment on 1 (people have said things to people I’ve been with in Paris who were wearing jerseys from non-Paris teams, but it has always been pretty non-threatening/friendly), but I can say that crime - except for pickpocketing - is virtually non-existent on the Metro, certainly compared to NY. Pickpocketing on tourist lines on the Metro & in crowds is a problem, but that is it; nothing else. (And BTW, it frequently is not who you may think it is - it very frequently is groups of young girls that do the pickpocketing.)

Hope this helps!

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This is all great info thanks! I think if we wind up going I’ll either get something downstairs but far enough back where we are covered, or maybe do the hospitality packages where there is an indoor space, cleaner bathrooms, easier access to food/drink, etc. So I got a few things in mind depending on weather and when the game is actually played since they dont announce that until a few weeks in advance.

Glad to hear its a nice facility. And yes, I am always “looking” for pickpocketer types if you will but that is just due to my decades of living in/around NYC, its just second nature to me. Doesn’t mean it cannot happen to me, but we dont dress flashy or really call attention to ourselves when we are out touring around so I am not too afraid. I only had an issue once at the train station in Rome and almost punched a guy until he took off (without my wife’s bag so no issue). To this day I dont know if he was trying to be helpful getting her bag on the train or trying to steal it, I guess one will never know…

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For better soccer, just make a quick trip to Newcastle :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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Don’t think the culture and dining are ‘quite’ the same in GeordieLand, but well played. Perhaps a day trip to Lens would be easier (sorry/not sorry Arsenal fans).

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Isn’t Newcastle a beer? They play soccer too :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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Trying to convince myself that Arsenal was looking ahead to the Man City match

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Newcastle Football >> Newcastle Brown Ale…in my opinion

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Not a terribly high bar to clear. Could have said that pre-PIF money when they were in the Championship League

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Hi Eric,

In full disclosure, I haven’t been to a PSG match, but I have been to matches in England, Spain, and Italy.

It won’t be too hard to get tickets through PSG will be my guess. I’ve been able to get Barça tickets through Barça and for a CL night and have been able to get tickets for other big clubs through their site as well. The key will be who PSG are playing the weekend you will be there. If it’s basically anyone that isn’t l’OM, you should be all good. OL could be difficult, but I severely doubt it.

What you will have to do is wait. Spain is weird in that they release tickets close to a week before the match. When I got tickets to see Roma or the various English clubs I’ve bought tickets for, most are released 4-6 weeks before the match.

At worst, there will absolutely be the French equivalent of StubHub/Vivid Seats/etc. Though, again, unless it’s against Marseille, I highly doubt you’ll have an issue getting tickets.

That’s just my experience from buying in several countries. I’ve yet to see a match in France, but I highly doubt it’ll be as wonky as Spain and more close to Italy and England.

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Appreciate it Keith thanks!

I am going to wait, I found a PSG sponsored resale site. Given the date/time isn’t confirmed yet (Can be Friday > Sunday) I am going to make my other plans in/around Paris, then if the game fits + weather looks doable I’ll buy the tix once over in France.

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Just going to add my 2 cents here. If I were going to make a plan to see a football match in France, PSG would not be my first choice. There are plenty of clubs where I would expect the atmosphere would likely be better than seeing a match at the Parc des Princes. Some of these clubs (Lille being the one that immediately springs to mind) are relatively close (hour train ride) to Paris. It might be worth considering that as an alternative.

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