Claire Bullen is an award-winning food, drinks, and travel writer and editor who has lived and worked in Chicago, Philadelphia, New York, Paris, and London. She is the author of The Beer Lover's Table: Seasonal Recipes and Modern Beer Pairings, and the editor at GoodBeerHunting.com. Her writing has also appeared in Time Out New York, The Daily Meal, Pellicle Magazine, and beyond.
Claire Bullen is an award-winning food, drinks, and travel writer and editor who has lived and worked in Chicago, Philadelphia, New York, Paris, and London. She is the author of The Beer Lover's Table: Seasonal Recipes and Modern Beer Pairings, and the editor at GoodBeerHunting.com. Her writing has also appeared in Time Out New York, The Daily Meal, Pellicle Magazine, and beyond.
Hi, I'm Claire!Claire Bullen is an award-winning food, drinks, and travel writer and editor who has lived and worked in Chicago, Philadelphia, New York, Paris, and London. She is the author of The Beer Lover's Table: Seasonal Recipes and Modern Beer Pairings, and the editor at GoodBeerHunting.com. Her writing has also appeared in Time Out New York, The Daily Meal, Pellicle Magazine, and beyond.
Hi, I'm Claire!Claire Bullen is an award-winning food, drinks, and travel writer and editor who has lived and worked in Chicago, Philadelphia, New York, Paris, and London. She is the author of The Beer Lover's Table: Seasonal Recipes and Modern Beer Pairings, and the editor at GoodBeerHunting.com. Her writing has also appeared in Time Out New York, The Daily Meal, Pellicle Magazine, and beyond.
What the Fourth of July is to the United States, Bastille Day is to France. The country’s national holiday takes place in the height of summer on July 14, and festivities are held all over the country. Perhaps the most festive celebrations, however, happen in Paris, where you can expect military parades and flyovers, fireworks, street parties, and all manner of pomp and ceremony. Wear your best bleu, blanc, et rouge, and get ready to pop that Champagne—here’s everything you need to know about celebrating Bastille Day in the French capital.
On July 14, 1789, rioters stormed Paris’ Bastille prison—a symbol of royal authority—to search for weaponry and free its prisoners. Economic precarity contributed to public discontent with King Louis XVI and his wife, Marie Antoinette; the storming of the prison was the first mass uprising by the French people against the king’s rule. France first established the holiday in 1880, and today July 14 is celebrated as the country’s national day, one which commemorates the civic values of liberté, égalité, and fraternité.
Bastille Day celebrations kick off with great ceremony, beginning early in the morning on the 14th. A military parade is held along Paris’ iconic Champs-Élysées—troops march in formation in front of adoring crowns, all overseen by France’s president. Then, the spectacle takes to the skies as military aircraft conduct a flyover and aerial show.
During the day, many of Paris’ museums and monuments are open to the public. (Note that the Arc de Triomphe, located at the end of the Champs-Élysées, only opens its doors once the parade has concluded.) If you need to beat the heat, it’s a good idea to head indoors for an hour or two of cultural immersion. You can also toast with a flute of Champagne at one of the city’s cafés—or aboard a Seine river cruise.
If you want to grab a spot along the Champs-Élysées—one of the best places in Paris to watch the Bastille Day festivities—prepare to arrive very early to beat the crowds; terraces overlooking the street begin to close starting at 8am, and many Métro stations in the area close from 6.30am until early afternoon. Keep in mind that you’ll also need to go through a security screening process. It’s also possible to book a hotel room overlooking the Champs-Élysées for the best views, but you’ll need to do so well in advance—and prepare to pay a premium.
It wouldn’t be Bastille Day without the fireworks. Every year, the holiday peaks with a grand fireworks show, held at the Eiffel Tower and Trocadéro Gardens. Though the show doesn’t typically kick off until 11pm (and lasts for about 30 minutes), spectators begin to gather beginning in the afternoon on the Champ de Mars in front of the tower for picnics. A series of free concerts, including classical music performances featuring internationally celebrated artists, are also held from the early evening onwards.
However, if you’d prefer to watch the fireworks with slightly smaller crowds, consider an alternative vantage point—anywhere that offers a clear view of the Eiffel Tower is a good bet. Popular options include Belvédère de Belleville, Basilique du Sacré-Coeur in Montmartre, and Montparnasse Tower. Some evening river cruises also offer prime viewing of the fireworks.
Insider tip: Bathrooms are hard to find near the Champ de Mars, and you’re not allowed to bring alcoholic drinks.
If you’re hoping to truly celebrate le Quatorze Juillet like the Parisians do, check out the bals de pompier: a series of smaller-scale street parties hosted by fire stations all across the city. Beginning on the 13th and held late into the night on the 14th, these decidedly local celebrations feature music, dancing, and copious amounts of Champagne. There’s no more festive way to see out the holiday in style.
Insider tip: Bring cash with you. Some firemen’s balls charge a small entrance fee, and the ones that don’t will still encourage donations to help cover the cost of the celebrations.
