transportation strike

I read that there may be a transportation strike on March 19. We arrive the morning of the 21st at CDG. Can you suggest a website to learn more and to find out if it is to be a one-day strike or longer.

Thank you. We are prepared to relax and walk if it is a strike, but it would be helpful to know.

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It%26#39;s a bit early to say much, but apparently there are plans for a more or less general one day strike on 19 March - so not just the transportation, but also teachers, public servants, etc.

Websites of local newspapers like %26quot;Le Parisien%26quot; and others are probably the best source of information - if you can read French. But if you arrive on March 21, you probably won%26#39;t have a problem.

leparisien.fr/liveafp-politique/apres-le-som…

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We will be in Paris on March 19 (we arrive on the 17th). While our plans our flexible, we were planning on visiting the Marais area that day.

If there is a strike, I guess we would have to walk there from the Champs Elysees area (where we are staying), which might be a bit of a long walk for my 9-year-old daughter.

Would taxis run during a general strike? Would the Seine river boat cruises still run? Does the train run? Could we go to Versailles that day? Would we be impacted in any other way?

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I think I read about the most recent strike that Sarkozy (or somebody) wouldn%26#39;t allow the entire public transportation system of Paris to go on strike so there were a few Metro/trains running during the strike. Perhaps that will be the case again.

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Thanks - I have a co-worker who speaks French, so I will ask her to translate a couple days ahead.

To DLT5 - I read somewhere on line (I think Budgettravel.com) that Metro Line 1, which goes from Champs... to Hotel de Ville and St. Paul near Marais, is automated and generally runs during a strike. The Marais would probably be a good choice. but the train to Versailles would be much more questionable.

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It is line 14, not line 1 which is automated. But i guess it should last just one day. It is hard to tell if it will be extended. The boat rides are privately run so no strikeI don%26#39;t think it is a good idea to go to Versailles on a strike day unless you double check when you arrive at the station

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You can use http://translate.google.com/

to translate the French newspaper into English so you can keep track of what is happening with the strike.

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There is a law requiring public transport (which includes both metro (RATP) and train (SNCF) to maintain a %26quot;service minimum%26quot; even during a strike.

It%26#39;s still uncertain if there will be a strike, and if, what form it will take. The 8 unions will meet on monday 23 February to decide this. One of the unions has even suggested making all trains run for free on the 19 March!

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Jan2000- Do you know when this law went into effect? We lived in Paris from 1994-1997 and in the fall of 1995 (I think that was the year) there was a general transit strike that lasted about 3 and 1/2 weeks. No Metro, No RER, no buses, nothing. It was actually a really amazing experience - everyone walked to work or drove. It was an amazing thing to see everyone walking and a real sense of camaraderie developed. There were so many people driving that it was actually faster to walk because traffic did not move at all. People would leave their car doors unlocked and other people would hop in and ride for a while just to warm up. Luckily during this time period it was very cold but did not rain or snow. I lived in the bottom of the 14th at metro Aleisa and worked at the OECD in the 16th (Port de Muette) and it took me about 2 and half three hours each way to walk it). To top it all off, this was when Newt Gringich shut down the US government in all but essential positions and we were not getting paid on time. The Embassy deemed all jobs essential so we had to go in. By the time the general strike finally ended tempers were getting a little frayed.

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Sigh ... I think the Gods of Travel are against us. We will arrive in Paris on March 13. We had planned to go to Versailles on March 19. Guess we%26#39;ll just have to play it by ear.

Missed out on Versailles last trip in November 2007 due to a transit strike.

I%26#39;m sure we%26#39;ll find something to do if we can%26#39;t get to Versailles. After all, we%26#39;ll be in Paris!!

17 days and counting ...

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oh great! we arrive in paris CDG lunch time on the 19th March....