Letter from Paris: February 5, 2025 News Digest

The last brick-and-mortar tourist office in Paris closed its doors last month. Given the city’s appeal as a destination, this seems like a surprise move. After all, the tourist offices — where staff could offer brochures, maps, and tips on city attractions — have long catered to starry-eyed visitors to the French capital. (There were as many as five such offices, welcoming 424,000 people, in 2017.) As reported by Le Monde, “the office will continue to carry out its mission, but through its website, app and social media.” The closure is due to declining attendance and high expenses.

The Olympic Cauldron that dazzled Parisians and visitors during the Summer 2024 Games will return to the skies every summer until the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. President Emmanuel Macron recently made the announcement. To quote France 24: “Macron said the balloon would return to the same Tuileries Gardens where it was launched during the Games, near the Louvre museum… from an annual music festival on June 21 to a yearly sports festival the president is keen to introduce every year on September 14.” To learn more about the flame-free cauldron, fashioned as a stunning hot-air balloon, check out our article here.

Speaking of the Olympics: there was a lot of media coverage of the Seine River clean-up project, which allowed swimming events to be held in the river. Another indicator that the project seems to be working? Scientists have discovered the DNA of rare mussels thought to be close to extinction. As reported by The Guardian, “Scientists looking at large water samples from eight points on the river in the city centre said they uncovered the DNA of 23 different types of mussels – including three classified as near extinct – and 36 species of fish, 10 times more than in the river in the 1960s.” Since the mussels filter up to 40 liters of water a day, their very existence helps improve the aquatic ecosystem.

Calling all Montmartre fans. There’s a new city project in the works. The upper part of the Sacré-Cœur district (18th) will soon be pedestrianized. Work to create this pedestrian zone will continue until August 31, 2025. In a similar vein to the new car-free zone in the city center, this pedestrianized area will allow certain cars access (residents, etc), though motor traffic will be forbidden from crossing the area. What’s more, parking spaces will be removed from the streets.

France’s government has been fighting for survival, as Prime Minister François Bayrou used special constitutional powers on Monday to approve the 2025 budget without a vote from lawmakers. A no-confidence motion has been filed against the government, with the National Assembly expected to vote today, but it’s not expected to pass because Jordan Bardella, president of the far-right National Rally party, said he doesn’t support the motion. As reported by the Associated Press, the motion “needs at least half the 577 votes to pass. Hard-left France Unbowed, Communist and Green lawmakers are expected to vote in favor but don’t have the numbers on their own to bring down the centrist government.” The National Rally is the biggest political party in the Assembly.