I've been an avid tennis player for little more than half my life—yes, it is a long time. A while ago, I added attending tennis grand slams to my bucket list. I have attended Wimbledon, the French Open, and the US Open. I still need to get to Melbourne to attend the Australian Open. There are two ways to attend a tennis grand slam like the French Open in Paris, France. One, you can wait until the tickets are released and keep refreshing your phone to see if you can get a ticket. You must have a plan to quickly decide where to sit or if you want a hospitality package. After you secure your tickets (if you are lucky enough), you then have to figure out the rest of your travel plans. It’s a lot to do. The second way is to use a Travel Advisor, like myself. A Travel Advisor, like myself, has access to trusted suppliers that can make planning and attending the French Open less stressful. I can assist you with creating a customized package for attending the French Open like a VIP.
Consider a Custom Package for Attending the French Open at Roland Garros – Paris, France
A custom package to attend the French Open involves tailoring the experience to your preferences. Helping you choose a hotel in Paris, add your preferred match-day experience, and making it a trip to remember. Packages, of course, include first-class accommodations in Paris, a hospitality area with an open bar & hors d’oeuvres, expert pre-travel assistance, personalized itinerary, and an official program. You'll feel like a VIP with a custom tailored French Open package.
How Many Days Should You Plan For attending the French Open?
It depends. How much tennis do you want to watch? For center court, there is a day session and a night session. You will not know who will be playing the night before. They try to mix the players up at different playing times. The further you get into the tournament, it is more predictable in terms of who will be playing at what time, due to the number of players left in the field. You will likely see a ladies' match and a gentlemen's match. One or two days are enough.
What Ticket Should I Purchase for attending the French Open?
If you want a guaranteed seat, you can purchase a ticket to the three main stadiums (Philippe Chatrier, Suzanne Lenglen, Simonne Mathieu). These will also feature some of the bigger names of the draw. You will also have access to the outside courts. These are open seating. There will still be big names at these outside courts, but you are less likely to see Novak Djokovic or Rafael Nadal. The other option is to purchase a ground ticket. The grounds ticket allows you only access to the outside courts, with no access to the main stadiums.
Getting to Roland Garros for the French Open
Getting to Roland Garros is pretty easy. The Paris transportation system is as good as any major metro area. I stayed near the Champs Elysees; from there, it was a 15-20 minute Uber ride. You can take the subway, which would take about 30 minutes.
What to Do at the French Open
Take some time to walk the grounds and soak up the atmosphere. You will notice that the stadiums are huge, but it’s not as open as the US Open. It’s still quite a massive area, just with less ground to cover. This is not a negative, just my comparison between the grand slams. Your ticket will cover several matches, but make sure if there is a player you want to catch, work your schedule around that. Catch a doubles match; a doubles match in person is even better. Catch a match at one of the outside courts. It's going to be smaller crowds, but just as exciting. Drink plenty of water, and apply plenty of sunscreen. If you catch the French Open on a nice day, you will get plenty of sun, on a spring afternoon.
If you are ready to book a French Open trip to cross off the bucket list, contact me or schedule a discovery call.
If you want to cross Wimbledon off your bucket list, check out my guide on the best way to attend Wimbledon.