Swimming in the Seine
After years of work and a hefty budget of €1.4 billion, Paris officials opened up the Seine River for open-water swimming events during the 2024 Olympic Games. That was not the final goal, however.
The next step is to allow the general public to swim in the river - for free - starting in the summer of 2025, though fair warning: you will not be able to jump in the Seine at any part of the river.
There will be three supervised swimming areas in the city: at Bras Marie (in the 4th arrondissement, opposite Ile Saint-Louis) on the right bank; at Bras de Grenelle (in the 15th arrondissement, between the Port de Grenelle and the banks of the Île aux Cygnes), and at Bercy (in the 12th arrondissement, opposite the Bibliothèque nationale de France).
The goal is for the swimming pools to be installed by the end of winter 2025 so they are ready for the summer season.
READ MORE: 14 reasons to visit France in 2025
Visiting Notre-Dame (and its concerts)
Five years after the devastating fire, and Notre-Dame is finally open again. You can either show up in person or book your (free) tickets up to 48 hours in advance either on the Cathedral's app or the website. Beware that places fill up quickly.
One exciting development is that Notre-Dame will host several classical concerts this year, including the legendary cellist Yo-Yo Ma in March (tickets are currently sold out for this, but you can add yourself to the wait list). Here is the concert schedule.
On top of that, Notre-Dame is not quite done with the renovations - restoration work will continue for another four to five years to add trees and vegetation to the square in front of the cathedral.
Art and Culture
Reopening of the Grand Palais - After three years of renovation work, the Grand Palais - which hosted several Olympic events, like fencing - will open again to the public on June 6th, 2025, with new exhibits and renovated galleries ready for the public.
Later in the year - in either autumn or winter of 2025, the rest of the building (the Palais de la découvert) will open as well.
Cartier Foundation for Contemporary art moving locations - The contemporary art museum will be moving from the 14th arrondissement to the 1st arrondissement, at the Place du Palais-Royal, at the end of 2025.
New exhibits - From an exhibit about Wes Anderson at the Cinématheque Française to one focused on the 'Degenerate' art that was either withdrawn, sold or destroyed by the Nazi regime at the Musée Picasso, there are plenty of interesting expositions in store for this year. You can find a longer list on the Paris city hall website.
Pompidou closure - Paris' Pompidou Centre closes in September (exact date TBC) for a major refurbishment. It is not expected to reopen until 2030, so take your opportunity to visit while you can. One of the exhibits before closing is called 'Paris Noir' and it is focused on honouring Black artists and people who fought against colonialism between 1950-2000.
Concerts - The Accor arena will host several concerts in 2025, from the likes of Limp Bizkit to Indochine and OneRepublic. As usual, Rock en Seine will take place from August 20th to 24th, and this year artists like Chappell Roan, London Grammar, and Suki Waterhouse are set to perform on the first day. More news on the line up will be announced in the coming weeks.
New green and pedestrian spaces
The city will be adding two new 'urban forests' (forêts urbaines - basically green squares) in 2025. The first will go in front of city hall, the Hôtel de Ville, and it is set to be completed by June. It will include 90 new trees, with grassy areas and bushes.
Meanwhile, the Place du Colonel Fabien (between the 10th and 19th arrondissements) and its surrounding area will be renovated to add more green space, as well as to double the width of surrounding sidewalks and create safer cycling paths.
More trees (39, to be specific) are also being planted at Stalingrad in the 19th arrondissement.
On top of that, 50 new 'rues aux écoles' (pedestrian streets in front of schools) are set to be completed in 2025, Le Parisien reported. This is part of a wider effort to make the schools and the spaces around them safer and greener, which helps to keep temperatures lower during hot days in the summer.
The Champ de Mars area in front of the Eiffel Tower will also have its lawns and walkways renovated in 2025.
The city will also take additional steps to limit air pollution in 2025, with more limits on cars in central areas, as well as new standards for older vehicles driving on the ring road. Read our separate article on driving changes in 2025.
READ MORE: Explained: Paris' new limits on cars in city centre
New memorial for victims of November 13 attacks
As France nears the 10th anniversary of the November 13th terror attacks, Paris will also add a new memorial garden to honour the victims at the Place Saint-Gervais, behind the Hôtel de Ville.
First cable car in the Paris region
Outside of the city to the south-east, in Val-de-Marne, the Paris region will launch its first cable car, with five stations between Créteil and Villeneuve-Saint-Georges. The exact timeline for when it will open is not yet clear, but the goal is before the end of 2025, Sortira Paris reported.
New Metro ticketing system
Paris is changing its public transport ticketing system by introducing a single ticket for all Metro/RER (commuter train) journeys in the region.
This is good news for people commuting into the city from the outer suburbs, as the previous system charged more based on the distance travelled. Read our separate article on Paris Metro transport changes.
Salon de l'Agriculture
Every year, Paris hosts the annual annual Salon de l'Agriculture at the end of February. This year is no different, and farmers from all over France will pick out their finest cattle and drive all the way into the capital to participate in the fair, which is held in the Paris at Porte de Versailles. It is a great opportunity to learn about different French regions, as well as to taste their delicacies.
Sporting events
Sadly, there is no Olympics to look forward to this year, but there are a few other sporting events in Paris.
The first is the Paris Marathon, taking place on Saturday, April 13th. You can register on the Marathon website.
If you'd rather watch athletes than compete yourself, the French Open (Roland Garros) will take place for nearly three weeks in May and June.
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