Paris Saint-Germain might not be the most authentic club of Europe, we still see enough reasons to plan a trip to Paris: Lionel Messi's touches of class, the speed of Kylian Mbappé, but most of all the lovely Parc des Princes and the surprisingly vocal fanatics.
Everywhere in the world people know about the famous Parisian tourist attractions: the Eiffel Tower, Sacre-Cœur, Champs-Elysées and Arc de Triomphe. But how obvious it always has been in cities like Milan or Barcelona to visit the local football club, so little people ended up in the stadium in Paris. Paris Saint-Germain had never been a major attraction, more like an eternal sleeping giant. That has changed completely over the last decade, thanks to a massive load of oil money coming from the Middle East. Finally, PSG has become a football team that can live up to the fame of the city they come from. Not the most sympathic club, but surely one with some of the biggest stars of all.
Taking into account that there has been more than a billion invested over the last decade, it's quite remarkable that Paris Saint-Germain is still playing at the good old Parc des Princes. Plans for a new stadium or even a move to the bigger Stade de France in Saint-Denis didn't really get of the ground. The Parc des Princes is a special stadium, built close to the city center and litterally above the infamous Périphérique ring road of Paris.
Even though there's place for more than 47.000 people, it doesn't really feel like an actual big stadium, with a great atmosphere as well: Het maakt dat er vaak een goede sfeer hangt, because despite the club's image as moneybags, they are also well-known for having some of the fieriest fans in France and Europe. Downside to the Parc des Princes: a lack of legroom and (especially behind the goals) a large distance towards the pitch. But with a little bit of luck, you'll witness a great show of football.
Paris might not have the extensive football culture and tradition like London does, but there's still a lot to do and see besides PSG. In suburb Colombes, for example. Here you'll find at the Rue Paul Bert the illustrious Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, the stadium where the Olympics of 1924 and the World Cup Final of 1938 took place. In the heydays it could fit in more than 60.000 spectators. One of the most memorial matches was a legendary tie-breaker between Cruyff's Ajax and Eusebio's Benfica, in the Europa Cup I of 1969.
It's currently under construction, but you can always have a look at the Stade Bauer, for over 100 years the home of the alternative club Red Star, in the north of Paris. The stadium at the Rue du Docteur Bauer in suburb Saint-Ouen will be almost entirely demolished and rebuilt again at the same place. Despite the construction works, Red Star will continue to play their home matches at the Stade Bauer, and we hope that the unique ambiance of Red Star will be preserved as well.
Stade de France in Saint-Denis is the fifth biggest football stadium of Europe. A magic place for the French, because in the year of the inauguration, 1998, France were crowned world champions here for the first time, beating Brazil 3-0 in the final. Take from the Gare du Nord the RER (the Parisian suburban train), line B or D northbound. On non-matchdays you can take the stadium tour, guiding you along the biggest events that took place in the stadium, from the French world title to several Champions League finals and lots of other sporting events.
In the south of Paris you'll find at the Boulevard Kellermann the Stade Charléty, mostly known for track and field matches but now also the home of Paris FC, playing in Ligue 2. In the seventies of last century, this club was meant to be the biggest club of Paris, but saw PSG pass them. Their ambition to become a stable Ligue 1 team is still alive and they already came close to promotion a couple of times. However, it's still a good pastime on friday evenings, when Paris FC plays most of their home games.
At first sight, the mundane Paris is not really a football city, but in the suburbs there's almost nothing more important than the beautiful game. A sparkling example of that is of course Kylian Mbappé, France and PSG's golden boy from suburb Bondy, where they are most proud of him. On the side of a gray flat at the Rue Jules Guesde (opposite number 27) you'll find a massive mural of Mbappé, tens of meters high. It portrays a young Kylian as a player of local AS Bondy and as big star of the French national team.
In the 8th arrondissement of Paris you find the most expensive boutiques and best restaurants of the city. Giusé Trattoria is not far from the Arc the Triomphe, and is a typical Italian restaurant at the famous Rue du Fabourg Saint-Honoré (125). The stars of PSG stop by from time to time as well, because the owner of the place is none other than their Italian team mate Marco Verratti.
Tickets for home matches of Paris Saint-Germain are relatively easy to buy via the official website of the club, although it can be quite expensive for the top matches. We recommend a place on the Tribune Auteuil (where the fanatic fans are placed) or the Tribune Boulogne, where you can (if you sit high enough) even see the Eiffel Tower from your seat.
When you drive southbound at the ring road of Paris, you'll have at exit Porte de Saint-Cloud suddenly the Parc des Princes in your rear view mirror, with it's famous concrete columns. If you prefer to come by public transport: metroline 9 has stops at the Champs-Elysées and near the Eiffel Tower, and goes directly to the stadium. Get off the metro at Porte de Saint-Cloud, from where it's just a short walk to the Parc des Princes.
Beeld: Shutterstock, BSR Agency
