Paris Marathon

The Race

The Paris Marathon starts on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, within sight of the Arc de Triomphe, and runs a 42.195 km loop through the city before finishing on the Avenue Foch - the adjacent avenue on the opposite side of the Arc. The course holds an IAAF Gold Label and accommodates approximately 54,000 starters, making it one of the largest marathon fields in the world.

The route runs east from the start, passing through the Place de la Concorde and along the Seine embankment through the historic core. It continues east through the Bastille area before entering the Bois de Vincennes for the middle portion of the race. The return leg comes back along the quays, passing through the Bois de Boulogne in the final kilometres before the finish on Avenue Foch. The course is an itinerary of the landmarks most people travel to Paris specifically to see - run through rather than walked past.

The course is not flat. 244m of elevation gain is distributed across the route, primarily across bridge crossings over the Seine and the undulating paths through the two Bois sections. The surface is 90% asphalt and 10% cobblestone; the cobbled sections are concentrated on the quai roads along the Seine embankment, where the original paving is maintained. In wet conditions, the quai cobblestones become slippery. Road shoes with adequate lateral grip are the sensible choice over ultra-lightweight racers with minimal contact area.

Entry

The Paris Marathon uses a ballot entry system. Registration opens in September at schneiderelectricmarathonparis.com; results are announced in November. At approximately 3x oversubscription, the ballot is competitive but less restricted than the Abbott World Marathon Majors. Most applicants need two or three attempts before a successful ballot.

If unsuccessful in the ballot, 5,000 charity places are available through official partners, typically at a minimum fundraising commitment of around £1,500. This is the most reliable guaranteed route into the race. The charity entry deadline is usually January or February; check the official website for the current list of approved charities and their individual conditions.

The entry fee of €139 is paid at the point of successful ballot selection. Unlike some major marathons, Paris does not bundle a public transport pass with race registration. Budget separately for Metro travel across the weekend.

Race Weekend

Expo and Number Collection

The Paris Marathon expo runs Thursday to Saturday before race Sunday at Espace Champerret, near the Porte de Champerret Metro stop (line 3) in the 17th arrondissement. You must collect your number at the expo - there is no race-day collection. Allow 60 to 90 minutes, including bag collection and merchandise queues. From the Arc de Triomphe hotel area, Espace Champerret is one Metro stop or a 20-minute walk north.

Getting to the Start

The start is on the Champs-Élysées, served by Metro line 1 (George V and Franklin D. Roosevelt stations) and line 6. Hotels in the 8th and 16th arrondissements are within 10 to 15 minutes' walk of the start corrals. Early April mornings on the Champs-Élysées can be 5 to 9°C; the wide avenue is exposed to wind from both ends. Bring a throwaway layer for the wait in the corrals - the organisation donates discarded clothing.

The Course

From the Champs-Élysées the course runs east, passing through the Place de la Concorde and along the Seine embankment. The route threads through the historic core - the cathedral district, the quays, the Bastille - before the long outbound section into the Bois de Vincennes. The Vincennes section takes runners away from the crowds and into parkland; this is the stretch where pace either holds or doesn't. The return leg comes back along the river before the course enters the Bois de Boulogne for the final 5 to 6 kilometres, finishing on the Avenue Foch.

Twenty-five live bands are placed along the route. Support is densest in the central Seine sections and lightest in the two Bois sections. The cobblestone quai roads - approximately 10% of the total surface - require the most attention in wet conditions; adjust pace on the cobbled sections to protect the ankle tendons and reduce slip risk.

The Finish on Avenue Foch

Avenue Foch is a wide, tree-lined boulevard connecting the Arc de Triomphe to the Bois de Boulogne. The finish line sits on the avenue; bag collection zones are organised by bib number band in the finish area. The nearest Metro is Victor Hugo (line 2), a short walk from the finish. The Arc de Triomphe interchange at Charles de Gaulle-Étoile (lines 1, 2, and 6) provides connections across the city.

Where to Stay

Stay near the finish on Avenue Foch. The 16th arrondissement (Foch, Trocadéro) puts you in the finish area; the 8th arrondissement (Champs-Élysées, George V) is marginally closer to the start. Both are within a 10-minute walk of the Arc de Triomphe, which stands between the two ends of the course, and both have straightforward Metro access to the expo venue in the 17th. Book immediately after ballot results are announced in November - eight to twelve months in advance is the correct lead time for this area.

See & Do

The Avenue Foch finish puts you at the western edge of central Paris, with the Arc de Triomphe at one end of the avenue and the Bois de Boulogne at the other. The Trocadéro and Eiffel Tower are 1km south. The major sights along the race course - the Louvre, Notre-Dame, the Tuileries - are 3 to 5km east by Metro once your legs have recovered from Sunday.

Arc de Triomphe

At the junction of Avenue Foch and the Champs-Élysées - the literal finish area. A lift carries visitors to the roof terrace (€13), with a 360° view of Haussmann's twelve radiating avenues and the city spread flat in every direction. The best time is late afternoon, when the light on the stone is correct and the traffic below is at its most characteristically Parisian. No stairs required for the lift route.

Trocadéro and the Eiffel Tower

1.0km (0.6 miles) from the finish, south across the Seine. The esplanade in front of the Palais de Chaillot gives the most direct, unobstructed view of the Eiffel Tower from ground level, with no queue for the vantage point itself. The Champ de Mars beyond the tower is 28 hectares of flat grass, appropriate for post-race slow walking without elevation.

Musée Marmottan-Monet

2.0km (1.2 miles) from the finish, in the 16th arrondissement at the edge of the Bois de Boulogne. The largest single collection of Monet's work in the world: 94 paintings spanning the Normandy coast studies of the 1860s through to the late, near-abstract water lily panels painted when his eyesight was failing. Significantly less crowded than the Orangerie; timed entry is rarely required. A logical companion visit to the Giverny itinerary. Closed Mondays.

Bois de Boulogne

0.5km (0.3 miles) from the finish - the race runs through its eastern section in the final kilometres. 845 hectares of parkland, lakes, and wide, flat paths. The Lac Inférieur has rowing boats for hire. The Bois on the Monday after a marathon is: somewhere large and quiet where no one needs anything from you.

After the Race

The Paris Marathon runs in early April. The rail connections from the Paris termini are fast: 45 minutes to Reims on the TGV from Gare de l'Est, 50 minutes to Vernon for Giverny from Gare Saint-Lazare, 85 minutes to the Loire Valley from Gare d'Austerlitz. The city in early April is between the winter quiet and the tourist summer - a good time to leave it for somewhere even quieter. All excursions below are designed for post-marathon leg tolerance.