yk

From another thread, I just found out that Pope Benedict XVI will arrive in Paris the same day as us.

According to his visit schedule, on September 12, he will be at Notre Dame for vespers at around 7pm ish.

Can any locals or French readers help me figure out if there will be road closures etc in that area?

We don't plan on joining the crowd, but originally I had planned for us to take a Seine cruise with Vedettes du Pont-Neuf at around 8pm. I'm wondering if we can even get near that area, or if the cruise boats will even run (will they close off the Seine)?

NWWanderer

yk, small world, I was planning on taking that same Vedette trip at 8 PM on Friday! I just found out about the papal visit yesterday and was wondering the same thing. I will probably call the boat company when I get there on Thursday to find out and I'll try to post something (I'll have my laptop with me).

My French isn't good enough to decipher the road closures for certain, but in case you don't have it, here's a link to a site in French that has the schedule etc.

http://www.papeaparis.org/

If I'm reading it correctly, it looks like the bridges from the Right Bank to Ile de la Cite will be closed but the ones from the Left Bank will be open.

yk

NWWanderer- Thanks for your help. Sigh... why are there always hiccups to my meticulously planned itinerary?

I might just call Vedettes du Pont Neuf and see what they say. We have to leave for the airport by 3pm on Thursday and we won't have internet access from then on, though I probably can get online at the Boston airport Admirals Club after we checked in, so I'll look for your report then.

I looked at the website you posted. I clicked in the British flag link and the English page does not mention anything about bridge closures. It only says the quays on the Left bank will be used for crowds to gather and there will be large screens broadcasting the events. It also doesn't say which route the Popemobile will take to get to Notre Dame.

We will be coming from the Right Bank, so that'll be a problem if all the bridges from the R Bank are closed, though I guess we can always cross on Pont des Arts and then head to Pont Neuf.

Right now, the weather forecase is predicting rain all day Friday. I originally was planning to take the cruise at 8pm for sunset/dusk, but maybe I should just forget it if the weather is bad and problems with the Pope & crowds.

yk

Okay, I clicked around on the French webpage and used google translation.

<i>D&egrave;s 16 h le vendredi 12 septembre, il sera possible au public d’acc&eacute;der aux quais face &agrave; Notre-Dame de Paris, sur la Rive Gauche : Quai de la Tournelle, Quai Montebello, Quai Saint-Michel.
Acc&egrave;s uniquement par la Rive Gauche : le pont Notre-Dame, le pont d’Arcole et le pont Saint-Louis seront ferm&eacute;s.
M&eacute;tro et RER seront renforc&eacute;s.
Des &eacute;crans g&eacute;ants tout le long des quais permettront de suivre rencontres et temps de pri&egrave;re toute l’apr&egrave;s-midi.</i>

There's no mention of Pont Neuf being closed, so perhaps it's open for use?

NWWanderer

Yes, I see that the English site doesn't mention the bridges that are to be closed as the French site does. But you're right, Pont Neuf isn't listed as one of the bridges that will be closed.

We're staying in an apartment on Quai de la Tournelle with a view of Notre Dame--this will add an interesting wrinkle to our visit, I'm sure!

yk

Well, I don't speak French, and I just got off the phone with Vedettes du Pont Neuf. The lady speaks some English, though I have a feeling she didn't quite understand what I was asking. She just said they're not closed.

Anyway, NWWanderer, feel free to look for us and come by to say Hi (obviously, if both you and we decide to take that Fri 8pm cruise). DH &amp; I are in our mid 30s. I'm relatively short with straight black, chin-lengthed hair. My DH is almost bald, medium height. I'll have a red day bag and he'll have a blue day bag. Shouldn't be that hard to spot.

Christina

I read French but that website didn't say anything about road closures that I could see. Where did you see info on road closures?

Some metros will be closed, some bridges, and they are limiting access to the parvis of Notre Dame, it appears. Pont Neuf won't be closed (the Cite, St. Michel and CLuny metro stops will be closed, and the St Michel-Notre Dame RER stop).

I imagine it will be a zoo around that area anyway, I wouldn't choose that night at that time for a cruise leaving from that island myself, however the big crowds should be on the Left Bank as that is where the outdoor large screens will be set up for people to watch (they will be along the quays on the Left Bank, it appears).

If I were you, I'd check in with the Vedettes company when you get there or earlier on Sept 12, and make sure they are leaving. You could also try the company at the Eiffel Tower (Bateaux Parisiens). I took them from their Left Bank departure spot, and they were fine.

yk

From what I could gather, the Pope will be traveling on his Popemobile from 6:30-7pm, between Coll&egrave;ge des Bernardins and Notre Dame.

<i>Entre 18 h 30 et 19 h, le Pape se rendra du Coll&egrave;ge des Bernardins &agrave; la cath&eacute;drale Notre-Dame de Paris en papamobile. Son intin&eacute;raire sera accessible sur toute la longueur des quais pour permettre &agrave; tous de le saluer.
Acc&egrave;s libre &agrave; l’itin&eacute;raire de la papamobile quais Rive Gauche.
Retransmission en direct sur grands &eacute;cran le long des quais.</i>

I am just assuming that the Popemobile route would be closed (at least to automobile traffic)?

But since the Coll&egrave;ge des Bernardins is on the Left Bank, I doubt we would be affected as much coming from the Right Bank.

yk

topping to see if anyone has further info.