From the banks of the Seine to the shores of Tahiti, the Summer Olympics is igniting our wanderlust as well.
With this year’s Summer Olympic Games being held in Paris—one of the most beautiful cities in the world—it comes as no surprise that it has no shortage of competition venues that are as charming as they are rich in history.
Even better, more than being postcard-perfect backdrops for the games, 95 percent of the 35 Olympic venues are either existing or temporary infrastructure, in keeping with its goal of being the greenest Olympics host city in history.
The POST lists down five of what we think are the most beautiful competition venues in the 2024 Paris Olympics. You can also use this list as a guide for places to visit if you’re planning to travel to the City of Light anytime soon.
1. Grand Palais
Being the venue for fencing, the Grand Palais has made the rounds online—and the photos are stunning.
The exhibition hall and museum complex was built between the Champs-Élysées and the Seine for the 1900 Exposition Universelle, as per the Britannica. Considered a masterpiece of Classicism and Art Nouveau, this Beaux Arts structure, with its imposing stone colonnades and enormous conservatory-style glass roof, is a major tourist attraction and a Parisian landmark. It has the largest glass roof in Europe with 6,000 tons of steel used in its construction
Aside from fencing, the Grand Palais will also serve as the venue for taekwondo.
2. Château de Versailles
Very few Olympic venues can rival the sheer splendor of this palace that was home to the court of Louis XIV in 1682 and served as the epicenter of French royalty. In 1883, the site became a national museum open to the public and was the first French site to be bestowed a UNESCO World Heritage status in 1979.
For the games, a temporary outdoor arena, flanked by several stands, was set up on the Etoile Royale esplanade at the heart of the palace’s gardens. This arena will be the venue for two eventing disciplines (dressage test and jumping), as well as the jumping and dressage competitions.
The individual and team eventing cross-country section, meanwhile, will be held alongside the Grand Canal, while the five modern pentathlon events will also see action at the Château de Versailles.
3. Eiffel Tower
Who would have thought that you could play beach volleyball by the Eiffel Tower? Well, it has been made possible this Olympics. Paris’ symbol, whether you like it or not (some have called it a soulless candlestick), will loom large over beach volleyball and blind football athletes with its temporary stadium built over the grass of Champ de Mars.
The 12,000-seat structure, simply named the Eiffel Tower stadium, has a sand court in its center and affords unobstructed and breathtaking views of the iconic landmark. The stadium is also located minutes away from the Champ de Mars Arena, a temporary indoor venue for wrestling and judo.
The venue will be dismantled following the Games and Champ de Mars will go back to its usual purpose of being a favorite meeting place for locals and tourists alike.
4. Hôtel de Ville
Paris City Hall—and its eponymous square will be the starting point of the Games’ legendary long-distance race: the marathon.
This historic building, which sits beside the Seine, is best known for its imposing façade, which stretches 143 meters across and towers 18.80 meters high. The neo-renaissance Hôtel was built by architects Théodore Ballu and Édouard Deperthes on the exact location where the former Hôtel de Ville stood until it was razed by a fire during the Paris Commune in 1871. It has served as Paris’ City Hall since 1357.
5. Pont Alexandre
Considered by many as the most beautiful bridge in Paris (and I agree!), it will be the finish line for the individual cycling time trials, swimming marathon, triathlon, and Para triathlon. Pont Alexandre III also connects two other Paris 2024 sports venues: the Grand Palais and the Invalides—which in itself is also a grand competition venue, specifically for archery.
Temporary stands have been set up near the bridge, which will also be dismantled after the Olympics.
Special mention: Tahiti
Not in Paris, obviously, Tahiti is the economic, cultural, and political heartbeat of French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France consisting of five archipelagoes in the south-central Pacific Ocean.
The decision to stage the surfing competitions at Tahiti’s coastal village of Teahupo’o aligns with Paris 2024’s ambition to spread the games across France, as per the Olympics website. It gives the French territory and its communities the chance to experience hosting the Olympic Games—for the first time in history—while showcasing France’s rich and diverse heritage and majestic natural beauty.
Aside from surfing, Teahupo’o site will host the World Surf Championship Tour after the Olympics. The small-scale overlay installations set up for the games will be dismantled after the competitions. Its Olympic Village, based on temporary facilities modeled on traditional Polynesian homes known as farès, will be relocated and redeployed as social housing, benefiting local communities.
