I am leaving for Paris in a few days and have heard from [fairly unreliable] sources that Paris has gotten so much rain lately that the streets are flooded and the Seine is so high that no boats are allowed on it?! Is this true? Has anyone been recently? Also, I have heard rumor that the Louvre is on strike?? Does anyone have any information on this? Is it closed to the public?? Thanks for your help!!

I was in Paris a few weeks ago, and yes, the Seine is incredibly high. But it makes very little difference to the day to day lives of people in Paris, unless you were interested in boating. None of the actual sidewalks were flooded, no businesses were closed etc. If you're at all familiar with Paris, you might remember that there is a lot of infrastructure around the Seine which gives it tons of space for the water level to rise without actually getting to the streets. <BR>Can somebody else help her out on the Louvre question?

That's true.

The Louvre, as well as several other popular attractions (Musee D'Orsay, etc), have been closed off and on lately due to strikes. The museums will typically close for a day or so and then reopen. <BR>The strikes are a result of the "new" 35 hour work week contraversy. There's additional information on a few threads on this forum. Try searching "strike." <BR>

I left Paris last Wednesday evening (4/18). There was no flooding in the streets of Paris, and the bâteaux-mouches and other not-too-tall boats were plying the river. There were many large boats moored along the Seine that looked as though they were too tall to fit under the bridges. The water was still high, yes, but there were no floods. <BR>The museum worker strikes have been on and off for some time now. You can check daily for strikes at www.lesgreves.com

We were just in Rome recently and one of the few things we didn't like about Rome, compared to Paris, was the way the city relates to -- or, should I say, *doesn't* relate to -- the Tiber. While the bridges across it are attractive, especially when lit at night, there are huge, high embankments, and hardly any life (boats, etc.) on the river. But, apparently there's a good reason for that, as the Tiber used to flood Rome every winter until Garibaldi (I think) built these embankments in the late 1800s and then, according to what we read, "Rome turned its back on the Tiber." Somewhere else it mentioned that Rome copied the idea of these embankments from Paris, although the ones along the Seine don't strike me as nearly as imposing as those along the Tiber. But it sounds like they're high enough to prevent all but the worst flooding of the Seine.

Left Paris last Wed., April 18............they have had a lot of rain, but all is back to normal. The river has traffic, and the city of swarming with visitors. <BR> <BR>The lines to the museums can be long, and you never know what day(s) the "strike" will be. Go and have a good time..............can't think of anything to keep you away now...... <BR> <BR>When I left, spring was on the way!

I just returned yesterday from Paris. The heavy rains earlier in the month had ended. The only road closures that I saw were on some ramps adjacent to the Seine. However, the tour boats were running. <BR> <BR>There were periodic rain showers, but no heavy, soaking rains. The showers usually passed through the area in thirty minutes or so. Just make sure you carry an umbrella and be ready to take cover somewhere while the showers pass through. <BR> <BR>It was, however, quite a bit colder than usual for this time of year last week. Be sure to check weather forecasts for the temperature when you're deciding what clothing to pack. I needed a pair of gloves and a scarf for walking around. Hopefully things will warm up before your trip. <BR> <BR>The museum strike had been temporarily suspended through yesterday because of the Easter school holidays. However, I don't think that the union's issues have been resolved yet, so the strike may begin again this week. Even when the strike was on during the early part of my trip I found the closings to be sporadic. You may need to be persistent and return to museums more than once to see if they are open. <BR> <BR>

4/24 <BR>Hi Jennifer, <BR>I just returned from Paris last night. The Seine is high, but the bateau are all running. The water is low enough for them to pass under all of the bridges now. Many of the sidewalk areas are flooded, but many are not. You will have plenty of places to walk down next to the river. Some of the sketch artists were already back in place next to the Seine last week when we arrived. We did get some pictures where the river is covering the steps, the trunks of many trees, some of benches and the walkways. The sidewalks up on the boulevards are far above the Seine and in no way flooded. <BR> <BR>The Louvre was open and we had no problems getting into any of the museums while we were there. Get the carte museum pass (we got ours at our hotel) and save yourself some time waiting in the long, long lines. We had the pass and breezed through the entrance to every museum while many waited in line to purchased admission tickets. My daughter was under 18 and therefore free for all the Paris museums. Only the Pantheon requested ID for proof of age (copy of Passport handy for this) - the rest waived her through with me. <BR> <BR>The weather was cold and rainy until our last few days there - we actually saw snow twice on one day. Sunday and Monday were picture perfect days with plenty of sunshine and moderate temperatures. <BR> <BR>Have a wonderful time. I really hated to leave. We were very well treated while there. I will be posting more on my trip at a later time regarding some things that might be of interest to others - especially first-time visitors. <BR>EJ

I'm sure glad to have read your question about potential flooding in Paris and the sporadic strike at the museums. I am leaving for Paris in two weeks and had heard that there were disruptions due to a strike by train workers which may make it difficult to travel to burgundy. Can anyone confirm whether the rail strike is still on?

Hi Jennifer! <BR> <BR>Just returned last Wed 25 April -- to answer your questions about the flooding and strikes -- your sources art true...to a point. <BR> <BR>Boats are allowed on the River Seine and have photos to prove it, especially the Tour boats that leave from the Left Bank just west of the Ile de la Cite. My husband who I accompanied on business for 2 weeks was with me when we wanted to take that picturesque stroll along the Seine, and wouldn't you know it? The lower walkways along the banks were flooded, even impassable. Some brave tourists even tried to walk where the tide had lowered, but were still unable to walk the entire length. The flooding is worse at the Westernmost tip of the Ile de la Cite, where we saw trees whose trunks were completely underwater. <BR> <BR>Yes. The Louvre along with most museums including the Jardins of Versailles were closed due to strikes, but as of last week, the strikes were averted/halted -- keep checking, our Concierge at the Royal Monceau said it's always changing. <BR> <BR>Have a great time.......! <BR>Bon Voyage!

We leave on Weds, May 2- any new info re: flooding/strikes that may interfere with our trip? We will be there until May 7.

We got back from Paris yesterday. Weather was changeable and unseasonably cool at time, but there isn't any flooding on the Seine or elsewhere. I actually bought a warmer coat and a pair of gloves while there this time. <BR> <BR> There were strikes at times, but we were unnaffected by them. Sometimes a strike in Paris just means something is free, as they don't require tickets.

Just returned from Paris today. The city if having a lot of rain and the Seine was up. The scenic tour boats were running though. No, the streets weren't flooded, however there were times that the street gutters were flowing! When we visited the Louve, they were on strike, which offered free admission to everyone. Very long lines - would recommend entering from the underground mall. Much shorter lines. We enjoyed our visit very much - hope you do too!

Would museum pass holders still be able to enter the "side door" of the louvre? <BR>