We recently flew to Paris to see Beyonce at Stade de France. And while I expected a good show, what I did not expect was just how smooth the Paris stadium experience was. I considered gatekeeping this information, but I’m nothing if not generous. So… want to see France play in a Nations League game or watch your favorite pop star bring down the house at Stade de France? Here is everything the uninitiated need to know for about visiting Stade de France in Paris.
Getting to Stade de France
Stade de France is well-connected to various transport lines in Paris, making it easy to reach no matter where you’re located. The closest transport lines are the RER line B (La Plaine Stade de France station) and RER line D (Stade de France – Saint Denis station). However, you can also take Metro lines 12, 13, and 14. The walk is around 10-15 minutes from most of these stations. The best option probably depends on which entrance is on your ticket. For example, if you’re anywhere between Porte J through R, metro 13 would be the closest stop. If your entrance is through the south (for example, Porte X through C), you’d save the most walking by taking the RER B.
An important thing to note about RER B is that unlike all the other routes to Stade de France, RER B has separate local and express trains and not every train stops at Stade de France. If you’re arriving around concert time, there will be people guiding you and clear announcements, especially at major transport hubs like Gare du Nord. But if you’re doing some ungodly thing like camping out in front of the stadium for a good spot hours before the show, then you may find yourself halfway to Charles de Gaulle if you’re not paying attention.
Getting into Stade de France
Once you arrive to the general area, you’ll find upwards of 80,000 people milling around the stadium or waiting to get inside. It will feel a little bit like a huge demonstration marching from the train or metro station to the stadium. There will be security checkpoints along the way even before you get into the vicinity.
Outside the venue, along Av. Jules Rimet, you’ll find restaurants blasting music and selling food and drinks, so this is a great way to enjoy your pre-event time with fellow fans. For Beyonce, and probably other big artists, you’ll also find merch stands outside the stadium. The lines can be long but entrance to the stadium is so seamless that you’ll have plenty of additional time.
Getting into Stade de France is really easy because every section has its own entrance, so you’re not battling 80,000 other people for the same three gates. Just follow the information on your ticket. We arrived an hour or so before show time and there was absolutely no wait, only a security check point and ticket scan with maybe 5-6 people ahead of us. We had so much time, in fact, that we hung around, bought drinks, t-shirts, and went to the bathroom with plenty of time to spare before showtime.
Tips for enjoying Stade de France
My biggest tip that I wish I’d known before buying tickets is that you probably don’t want to be on the east side of the stadium, especially for a summer event when the sun sets at 10 pm. That’s because the sun will be facing you for at least half the show or game and you’ll be much hotter and your view will be fucked by the backlight. So next time, I would avoid anything east of Porte L to the north and Porte Z in the south.
Understandably, sometimes you don’t have much of a choice and you get the tickets you get and you’re only happy to be in the room. Just know if you’re on that side, you should bring a hat and sunglasses to keep the sun out of your eyes. A lot of people in our section also just hung out in the inner corridor while they waited for the show to start.
Another thing that makes Stade de France a top-tier venue for music and sports is that you can order refreshments right to your seat. Just scan the QR code in front of you and it’ll take you to a page where you can place an order, so you don’t have to miss a second of the action.
If you don’t want to spend too much on concessions, you can bring a 50 cl plastic bottle into the stadium as long as its uncapped, which you can refill inside and at some spots outside the venue. This is especially useful if you’re going on an especially hot summer day.
Leaving Stade de France after an event
Of course, leaving was a much bigger ordeal than arriving, but the process was still relatively orderly. I suggest buying transport tickets in advance so that you don’t have to wait in line at a ticket machine. Alternatively, you can buy one from the Bonjour RATP or Ile-de-France Mobilites apps. Since we weren’t sure that our phones would still have battery at the end of the show, we loaded up a paper Navigo card with a return ticket so we could go straight through the turnstiles at the end of the show.
Depending on the event, the RER B runs every 3 minutes, the RER D runs every 6 minutes, and the metro lines run every 3-5 minutes. There will be police and transportation employees directing the flow of traffic to make sure that the trains are all full and that it’s not a free-for-all. For context, our show ended at 11:30 pm and we were back at our hotel near Gare du Nord around 12:10 am.
All things considered, it was maybe the best stadium experience I think I’ve ever had… so I hope you don’t beat me for tickets next time.
Leave a Reply