In Paris on Bastille Day
 

I just realized that the day we were planning to leave Paris to go to Burgundy will be Bastille Day next July. Will it be difficult to get out of the city? We were probably going to take a train. I did a search and it sounds like the trains do run on that day, but I could make other arrangements if thats not the case. Will it be difficult to get to a train station--we will be staying at the Hotel du Louvre? I would appreciate any advice you may have. The first trip we had to Paris was our honeymoon, which was somewhat of a disaster. I would really like to plan it out this time. We are even learning french. Thanks a lot. Anjali

I can't speak to the ease of driving in the city on Bastille Day, but when I was there for BD years ago the metros were unbelievably crowded (people squashed up against you on all sides on the platform and in the trains.) Trains would come into the station so full that no one else could get on.

I would think anything requiring metro would be a bad idea with baggage and time constraints, unless you leave early in the day before the celebrations get started. Any chance of leaving the next day? Bastille Day is quite an experience.

You dont say which train station, which probably makes a difference. Trains run that day, the country doesnt shut down, although schedules will be slightly different, probably. The Champs-Elysees is closed down for the parade in the morning and some metro stops around it like the Arc, and it will be crowded around there. Other than that, it doesnt matter so much and if you are leaving in the afternoon, its not as big an issue. You porbably should take a taxi and if the taxi doesnt need to go over in the area between the Arc and plce de la Concorde, that should be okay. I dont know where the trains to Burgundy leave from,so cnt be more specific.

We arrived in Paris by train from Provence this past July on Bastille Day, and there wasn't any problem.

We arrived at the Gare de Lyon in the afternoon, and took the metro to our hotel (the Madison, in the 6th)

The metro, at least in those areas, was running as usual.

I would bet that you won't have any problem.

In some ways, though, it's a shame to be leaving Paris that day, though, because there's so much activity going on, and it's very festive.

We loved the fireworks at the Eiffel tower!

Your train will probably leave from the Gare de Lyon--if you're going by TGV, that's the primary station for the south/southeast. But if you're taking a non-TGV it's possible that you might leave from a different station.

Thanks so much for responding. Maybe we will end up staying that day and leave the next day. Anjali