A friend heard last night on the BBC that there is supposed to be a strike in Paris in March. Has anybody else heard this news? If such a strike would happen while we are there - how will it affect us? Any pointers? Thank you.

Depends on what is on strike! We were there during the transit strike last year and it hardly slowed us down. The metro was still running on a reduced schedule and it was free!Some buses were also running. The museum had a 1 day shutdown but it didn't affect all of them. There is always something to do in Paris even if there are strikes.

What kind of strike? Strikes are common in Paris. One year, of many years, there was a transportation strike and I had to walk across town from the 6th, to my optician, Alain Mikli, located on the rue des Rosiers in the Marais. I needed to pick up my glasses.

A few years ago, there was some kind of workers' strike and young people took over Blvd. St.Germain and Blvd. St. Michel. I got on the bus and the driver told everyone to get off. The bus wasn't going anywhere as the streets were totally blocked.

Then another year, I flew down to Provence to see a friend and when I flew back into Orly, the flight board read that all flights had been canceled. I had JUST made it back to Paris in time.
Another year, I sent a friend off to Versailles as I refuse to go there. So,I sent her by the RER. She got back into Paris just in time before the transportation strike started.

So, there have been a lot of srikes in the 30-plus years I've been going there and so I'm used to having to have a Plan B and C to maneuver around the city. Happy Travels!

It's just an education strike, it shouldn't affect you at all. In fact, I think they are having the same thing recently, maybe even today, and it's just the next planned day for it. Now they are having major strikes in Guadeloupe, which has spread to Martinique, I read, and that has been going on a month and is very serious. However, I read in Le Monde today that Sarkozy made some concessions to them and raised their min. wage or something. The only way the education strike could affect you would be if they were having a march or something and blocked off a street for a bit for that, which happens frequently, and then traffic can't go down that street for a while.

It's just a one day strike. No need to panic.

Thanks a lot! I feel better. I guess I didn't know that strikes were fairly common in Paris.

Actually it is rather fun to watch the marchers when they are on strike. It is something we hardly ever see in the US.

Strikes are common and, thankfully, infrequently widespread, general strikes. I have been frustrated in my efforts to enter the Pantheon by museum/monument worker strikes in 4 or 5 attempts (different trips), though I finally hope to see it in April. It's my observation that those strikes "roll," so that some museums/monuments will be open on days when others are shut.

Normally, there is advanced warning that those strikes will occur, though that wouldn't help if one booked non-refundable airline or accommodation reservations prior to those signals.

Enjoy your trip.

There was an ambulance driver strike last summer (end of June) while we were in Paris. The strikes that I have seen in Paris are very organized and have been peaceful. During this last strike, hundreds of ambulance drivers parked their vehicles in the streets surrounding L'Hotel des Invalides. Some of them set up picnic tables (complete with food and wine, of course), some of them sat in a quartier cafes and drank beer, a few rallied around a speaker with a megaphone. It was all very, very civilized, and quite entertaining to my family and me.

As you know, France's workers receive very generous benefits from their government (at a great cost to the government) and Sarkozy has tried to reduce these benefits - without much luck.

The riots in Guadeloupe are indeed much more serious. A union organizer was shot and killed last week and the situation on the island is very dangerous.

We have been reading about the March 19 strike in France too. We are booked to take the train from Paris to Limoges that morning. What should we do? Book a care instead?

What have you read that has anything to do with trains, or transportation at all?

As I understand it, there has been a call by the 8 largest unions for a general strike March 19 including education, trains, ... therefore we wonder if booking a car to travel from Paris to Limoges would be a better bet. I think corail tickets are refundable - are they? Thanks

I had not heard that it was going to be a general strike. I think the 19th was when we planned on going to Chartres.

The timesonline [.co.uk] reports that a general strike is scheduled for March 19, 2009. Those strikes are much more than visual amusements. They can, and do, on occasion cripple broad sectors of the economy, including transport, schools, hospitals, food distribution, you name it. When they get going they can spread from one country to another, sometimes lasting for days or longer. Not my idea of fun to be trapped in a blockaded country at the whim of the "protesters."

I wonder where Kerouac is with his usual great and up to date information on strikes? I won't be there til mid april, but feel for you.

I was in Paris in Oct. of 2007 when there was a strike. I was glad I "lived" where I did, in the 7th, so there was so much that was very walkable...

Search for Kerouac's help!!

Do you think that it is feasible to rent a car? We were planning on going to Chartres that day.If there is a strike - does everything close down? All transportation, restaurants, stores, etc? I am beginning to worry now. It doesn't sound like a good time.

Graceljoan-I agree. Being in a very walkable location to interesting places is a plus. I walked a lot during one transportation strikes. Happy Travels!

Guenmai - You know where our apartment is - I think we are in a very good area for walking as well, aren't we? I was freaking out earlier in the day about the strike - but then I realized that I will be in Paris and not at work and I felt better. No matter what we do or see, it will be fun and I won't be working.

You'll have plenty to do to keep you busy in your area and the walkable surrounding areas. Happy Travels!

I already said that this strike is nothing to worry about. Yes, there will be some disruptions in transportation, but the SNCF usually posts all of the trains that will be running on a strike day 48 hours ahead of time.

I wouldn't worry about any other issues. However, public opinion is volatile at the moment, which leaves everything open to speculation -- some strikes completely fizzle and others are more impressive than expected. There is absolutely no way to know this far ahead of time.

I'll make a new post about all of this when 'official predictions' start becoming available.