Is It Safe to Travel to France Right Now? What Travel Advisors Need to Know About the Protests

A series of increasingly large and intense demonstrations across France has transformed travel into a nightmare for anyone spending part of shoulder season in the country this week. For travel advisors with clients readying to go to France, or those with clients on the ground, here’s what’s happening and how it’s impacting travel.

What’s Happening in France?

Student-led protests, which started in late September, quickly spiraled into broader anti-government and cost-of-living unrest across France, including in major hotspots such as Paris, Marseille, Strasbourg, Nantes, Lyon, and Toulouse.

That unrest has been met with heavy police deployment, including the use of tear gas, water cannons, and flash-balls around high schools. Images of those clashes have propelled the movement further, as more students, workers, and citizens join the demonstrations.

As the crowds have grown, so has the level of street violence, looting, and property damage recorded in cities across France, including Paris, Marseille, and Lyon, including the Lyon Tourism Office.

Thousands of protesters have already been arrested, and localized curfews alongside gathering bans have been implemented in areas including Marseille and select districts of Paris.

Are the Protests Impacting Travel?

As of Monday afternoon, the country’s major airports, including Paris Charles de Gaulle and Paris Orly, remain mostly unaffected, as is long-distance rail across the country. What is impacted, however, is localized transportation, including local trams, buses, and subways.

There are also street closures in Paris, particularly along major thoroughfares, government administrative quarters, and popular tourist districts like the Champs-Élysées, alongside rolling road blockades impacting key access routes and ring roads around the city.

Most hotels in Paris are still welcoming guests, even those in protest corridors around Place Vendôme, the Champs-Élysées, and government districts. Some hotels, including The Ritz Paris, Le Meurice, and Hôtel de Crillon, have shuttered their storefront entrances and boosted security, requiring guests to present room keys or reservation details to access private side entrances.

The same scenario is playing out in other French cities, such as Marseille, where hotels along the Vieux-Port (Old Port) and near La Canebière—including the InterContinental Marseille – Dieu and Sofitel Marseille Vieux Port—have heightened security around their perimeters. Those properties have also implemented guest-only keycard access at entrances, stationed staff at exterior doors, and temporarily boarded or covered street-level display windows to protect against localized looting and vandalism.

What On-the-Ground Advisors and Tour Operators Are Saying

Speaking to TMR on Monday, a spokesperson for Collette said that while the tour operator is monitoring the situation, no itineraries have been impacted as of yet.

“The safety and experience of our travelers is always our top priority. We are monitoring the situation in Paris closely and maintaining regular communication with our local partners. At this time, there have been no impacts to our itineraries, and the areas where demonstrations have taken place are not locations we typically visit on tour. We will continue to evaluate conditions and make adjustments, if necessary, but currently all tours are operating as planned,” the spokesperson said.

Gina Bang, the chief sales operator with Avanti Destinations, told TMR that over the weekend, all Avanti guests completed all their planned visits and activities without any issues, but that the company is also monitoring what’s happening.

“So far, clients are traveling uninterrupted. There was a temporary block to the Louvre museum entrance this morning, but that was resolved quite quickly. There is heightened security everywhere and road closures due to planned protests, especially Paris; however, the majority of the riots are being conducted by a few people,” she said. “Of course, safety is our highest concern, and if situations require us to rebook or cancel services, we will do so. None of our passengers have canceled due to the situation either. There are talks of curfew implementation, but this appears to be in specific areas of cities such as the Place de la ⁠Republique in Paris.”

On-the-ground luxury specialists in France emphasize that media images often paint a far more dramatic picture than what most travelers experience day-to-day.

“While the images coming out of France over the weekend have understandably raised concerns, I think it is important to put the situation into perspective,” said Mark Bonte, CEO and Founder of French Side Travel. “The disturbances were largely concentrated around the day of the demonstrations and in specific areas, rather than reflecting an ongoing, everyday situation across the country.”

Bonte pointed out that while media outlets showed protest fires on Saturday night, thousands of people were simultaneously enjoying Céline Dion’s concert just outside Paris. “Daily life continued across much of the country, with hotels, restaurants, and tourist attractions generally operating as usual,” Bonte said, adding that none of French Side Travel’s clients currently in France have been directly impacted.

“Our main advice to travel advisors is to remain vigilant but avoid making decisions based solely on the dramatic images circulating in the media… I would also caution against a wave of unnecessary cancellations, which could have a significant impact on the French tourism industry.”

Philip Haslett, founder of French Promise, agreed that on-site expertise allows operations to pivot smoothly without sacrificing client experiences.

“On the ground, we actually had no major issues, and the disturbances were largely localized,” Haslett told TMR. “In Rouen, our ground team had to adjust their movements several times to avoid the protests, but everything went smoothly. Elsewhere, we simply replaced planned city visits with excursions into the countryside and rearranged the city visits for another day.”

Haslett noted that being adaptable makes all the difference.

“Demonstrations are generally announced in advance, so we have time to prepare and adjust our clients’ programs accordingly… With good local knowledge, careful planning, and the ability to adapt itineraries quickly, much of the disruption can be avoided.”

France Travel Warnings

The U.S. State Department has had the same advisory level on France since May 2025—Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution. That warning is the second lowest level of the four from the State Department.

However, the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in France has issued a new alert. On Oct. 16, it issued a Demonstration Alert for the U.S. Embassy in Paris, alerting its staff to avoid the areas of demonstrations, exercise caution if “unexpectedly” in the vicinity of large gatherings, and monitor media and local resources, like France 24, for updated information.

Is France Safe for Visitors?

Despite the headline-grabbing visuals, boots-on-the-ground specialists overwhelmingly affirm that France remains safe for visitors who travel with trusted local support and a willingness to stay flexible.

“The big question, of course, is whether France remains safe for visitors. My answer is yes,” said Haslett. “The vast majority of demonstrations are noisy but peaceful, and knowing when and where they are taking place makes it much easier to avoid disruption.”

Haslett pointed out that Paris police have instituted an increased presence in affected areas, authorizing spot checks and searches specifically designed to disperse disturbances and reassure residents and visitors alike.

However, advisors should prepare for more protests. Further demonstrations in France have already been announced for Oct. 24 and Oct. 31, followed by a national day of strikes planned for Nov. 5. While it remains difficult to predict how broadly supported these strike days will be, those on the ground say that advance notice allows advisors and local partners to shift city tours into rural excursions or adjust transport schedules well ahead of time.

Ultimately, experts urge advisors not to react with widespread cancellations for autumn and winter travel.

“France remains open to visitors, and while localized disruptions are possible, we do not currently see a reason for widespread cancellations,” Bonte concluded.

“We live here, and while we take these situations very seriously, we’re not overly concerned,” Haslett added. “I certainly don’t believe the current situation should discourage people from booking trips to France further ahead.”