Once a month, Paris Respire! Indeed, in addition to the Champs-Élysées, the first four districts go green and car-free, shutting down motor vehicles for a full day. The next event is Sunday, May 3, 2026.
Every first Sunday of the month is the new car-free day in Paris. An initiative appreciated by many Parisians, who have fallen under the spell of a capital free of motorized vehicles and noise pollution.
The four central Paris districts are closed to car traffic on one Sunday per month. Since October 7, 2018, a zone called "Paris Respire" has been rolled out in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th arrondissements, one Sunday each month, letting pedestrians fully enjoy the heart of the City of Light. Also, the Champs-Élysées is part of the scheme. Next date May 3, 2026.
Most of the streets in these arrondissements are affected. However, major thoroughfares such as"boulevard Sébastopol and the Quais Hauts" are spared and "remain open to car traffic", according to Christophe Najdovski, deputy mayor of Paris in charge of the greening of public spaces, green areas, biodiversity and animal welfare.
Motorized vehicle traffic is prohibited on the first Sunday of each month, from 10am to 5pm, in the area within the following perimeter:
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Place du Châtelet, 1st arrondissement
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Quai de la Mégisserie, 1st arrondissement
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Quai du Louvre, 1st arrondissement
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Quai des Tuileries, 1st arrondissement
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Quai François Mitterrand, 1st arrondissement
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Place du Carrousel, 1st arrondissement
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Rue de Rohan, 1st arrondissement
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Avenue de l'Opéra, covering the 1st and 2nd districts
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Place de l'Opéra, spanning the 2nd and 9th districts
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Boulevard des Capucines, in the section between Place de l’Opéra and Boulevard des Italiens, covering the 2nd and 9th districts
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Boulevard des Italiens, 2nd and 9th districts
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Boulevard Montmartre, 2nd and 9th districts
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Boulevard Poissonnière, 2nd and 9th districts
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Boulevard de Bonne-Nouvelle, 2nd and 10th districts
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Boulevard Saint-Denis, covering the 2nd, 3rd, and 10th districts
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Boulevard Saint-Martin, 3rd and 10th districts
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Place de la République, spanning the 3rd, 10th, and 11th districts
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Boulevard du Temple, 3rd and 11th districts
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Boulevard des Filles du Calvaire, 3rd and 11th districts
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Boulevard Beaumarchais, 3rd, 4th, and 11th districts
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Place de la Bastille, 4th, 11th, and 12th districts
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Boulevard Henri IV, 4th district
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Pont de Sully, 4th and 5th districts
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Quai de la Tournelle, 5th district
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Quai de Montebello, 5th district
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Petit Pont (Cardinal Lustiger), 4th and 5th districts
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Rue de la Cité, 4th district
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Pont Notre-Dame, 4th district
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Rue Saint-Martin, 4th district, between Quai de Gesvres and Avenue Victoria
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Avenue Victoria, 4th district, between Rue Saint-Martin and Boulevard de Sébastopol
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Boulevard de Sébastopol, in the sections between Avenue Victoria and Rue de Rivoli, covering the 1st and 4th districts
The above-mentioned roads, which form the boundaries of the perimeter, are excluded.
The following roads are also excluded from the perimeter:
- Sébastopol Boulevard, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th districts
- Hôtel de Ville Square, 4th district
- Gesvres Quay, 4th district, between Notre-Dame Bridge and Arcole Bridge
- Hôtel de Ville Quay, 4th district; Célestins Quay, 4th district
- Tacherie Street, 4th district, between Gesvres Quay and Victoria Avenue
- Victoria Avenue, 4th district, between Hôtel de Ville Square and Saint-Martin Street
- Henri IV Quay, 4th district, between Célestins Quay and Henri IV Boulevard
- Tournelle Port, 5th district
- Montebello Port, 5th district
Until now, the"Paris respire" scheme, created in 2003, has covered 20 districts in the capital's different arrondissements. At weekends and on public holidays, the streets in these districts are closed to motorized traffic.
