Visit of Pope Leo XIV to Paris: traffic restrictions and security measures planned for September 25 and 26

Hundreds of thousands of faithful expected, an immense logistical and security challenge... And traffic restrictions to be expected. From his stroll to Vespers at Notre-Dame through his prayer vigil at the Stade de France then to his mass in the 8th arrondissement, the program of Leo XIV during his visit to Paris, on September 25 and 26, promises to be busy. On this occasion, “protection perimeters restricted to what is strictly necessary will be put in place around sites welcoming the public,” warns the Police Prefecture. Le Figaro takes stock of the adaptations to be expected.

Three-stage restrictions around Place de la Concorde for mass

Since the evening of September 2, crossing from north to south of Place de la Concorde has been impossible, due to the installation of infrastructure for the solemn mass of September 26.

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The inaccessible perimeter will then be extended, from September 16 at 10 p.m.: it will then be impossible to travel in particular at the bottom of rue Royale, at the bottom of avenue des Champs-Élysées or around the Petit Palais, in the gardens of the Champs-Élysées. And this, until September 28, at noon.

Thirdly, the perimeter will be considerably extended from September 25, 10 p.m. to the next day, 8 p.m., as part of the open-air mass. It will be accessible “on presentation of proof”, and it “induces parking bans from September 25 at 2 p.m. to September 26 at 8 p.m. as well as traffic bans which, depending on the zones (red, green, yellow, specified on the dedicated map), can extend from September 25 at 10 p.m. to September 26 at 8 p.m.”, details the prefecture. On this occasion, the Argentine, Charles-de-Gaulle Étoile, George V, Kléber, Iéna, Alma-Marceau, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Champs-Élysées Clémenceau and Concorde metro stations will be closed.

Dismantling on Place de la Concorde is then scheduled until October 10, at midnight.

A protective perimeter and closed stations for the Pope’s stroll

In order to prepare for the Pope's stroll between Notre-Dame-Des-Champs (6th) and Place Saint-Michel (5th), a perimeter will be set up on September 25, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Parking bans will begin the day before, at 11 a.m., until the 25th at 8 p.m. At the same time, the traffic ban will extend from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. the same day.

Only local residents and rights holders will be able to access this area, in exchange for proof. The shops on the route, for their part, will be closed on the 25th from 10 a.m. The reopening is scheduled for 5 p.m. for those on Boulevard du Montparnasse, at 6 p.m. for those between the Luxembourg Gardens and Boulevard Saint-Michel, and at 7 p.m. for those between Boulevard Saint-Michel and Place Saint-Michel.

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Finally, several metro and RER stations on the route will be closed the same day: Montparnasse, Vavin, Port Royal, Luxembourg, La Sorbonne, Odéon, Saint-Michel Notre-Dame and Cité.

Restrictions around the Île de la Cité for Vespers

For the vigil planned at Notre-Dame de Paris, a perimeter is planned on the Île de la Cité. Parking bans will take place from September 24, at 11 a.m., to September 25, at 8 p.m. The traffic ban, for its part, will last from the 24th at 9 p.m. to the 25th at 8 p.m. “on the Quai du Marché neuf, Pont Saint-Michel and the Petit pont”; and on the 25th, from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., for the entire Île de la Cité, part of Île Saint-Louis “and the quays of the Seine from the Pont des Arts to the Ponts de la Tournette and Marie”.

Exits from the Pont Neuf and Saint-Michel Notre-Dame metro and RER stations will also be closed on September 25, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Furthermore, “river traffic is also interrupted on Friday September 25 from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. on the Bras de la Monnaie and from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on the Bras Marie”. The shops will be closed on the 25th between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m., for the protection perimeter. The same goes for the second-hand bookstores on the left bank, from midnight to 8 p.m.

A perimeter around the Stade de France for the prayer vigil

Finally, for the vigil planned at the Stade de France, again, a perimeter is planned, on September 25, from 4 p.m. to midnight. It “induces parking and traffic bans from September 25 at 8 a.m. to September 26 at 1 a.m.”.