Arc weekend at ParisLongchamp. Two days in the Bois de Boulogne, planned from door to gate.
Expected on the first weekend of October 2027, with the Arc itself on the Sunday afternoon. A racecourse in the middle of the Bois de Boulogne, reached by roads that were designed for a park.
The weekend
Arc 2027 at a glance
- DatesEarly October 2027, to be confirmedTwo days of Group racing. The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe itself is run on the Sunday afternoon. France Galop had not published the 2027 dates when we last checked; the 2026 weekend was Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 October.
- WhereParisLongchamp, Bois de BoulogneAround fifty-seven hectares inside the park in the sixteenth arrondissement, on the western edge of the city.
- GatesFrom late morning on the SundayEarlier on the Saturday. Most guests arrive well before the feature race and stay for the presentation.
- Nearest airportsParis Le Bourget for private flightsOrly and Charles de Gaulle for scheduled arrivals, with Le Bourget the usual choice for Arc weekend.
Timings as published by France Galop for 2026. The Arc is run on the first Sunday in October in a normal year, and we review this page each autumn.
Next dates
Tell me when the dates are announced
The 2027 dates for Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe are not confirmed yet. Leave your email and we will tell you as soon as they are announced, so the travel can be planned while the best options are still open.
Thank you. We will email you as soon as the dates are announced.
The approach
Longchamp is easy to reach and hard to leave
ParisLongchamp sits inside the Bois de Boulogne, which means the racecourse has no city grid behind it and no useful alternative routes. Traffic funnels in from the périphérique at Porte Maillot, Porte d'Auteuil and Porte de Passy, then along park roads to the enclosures. Inbound, spread through the morning, that works. Outbound, in the half hour after the Arc is run and the presentations are done, it does not: several thousand people and the shuttle fleet all want the same two exits.
The way we handle it is to arrive early and leave deliberately. Your chauffeur drops as close to your entrance as the day's plan allows, then stands off at an agreed point rather than sitting in the queue. When you are ready, you walk a short distance to the car instead of waiting an hour for the car to reach you. On Arc Sunday that trade is worth about forty minutes.
Journey times
To ParisLongchamp
| From | Normal day | Arc Sunday |
|---|---|---|
| Paris 1st and 8th arrondissements | 20 to 35 minutes | Allow 40 to 70 minutes |
| Paris Le Bourget | 30 to 50 minutes | Allow 50 to 90 minutes |
| Orly | 30 to 50 minutes | Allow 50 to 80 minutes |
| Charles de Gaulle | 45 to 75 minutes | Allow 1 hour 10 to 1 hour 45 |
| Gare du Nord | 30 to 45 minutes | Allow 45 to 75 minutes |
| Chantilly and Deauville | 50 minutes to 2 hours 15 | Allow an extra 30 to 45 minutes |
Planning guidance, not promises. We set the departure time against the day's traffic arrangements in the Bois.
What clients usually book
A car for the day, on both sides of the Channel
- A car and chauffeur in Paris for the whole of Saturday and Sunday, arranged through operators we know in the city
- Our own car and chauffeur to Ebbsfleet or St Pancras for guests taking the train, and waiting on the way back
- An aircraft into Le Bourget for a party travelling together, with the car on the ramp side where the terminal permits
- Several cars for a corporate party or an owners' group, arriving in sequence at the correct entrance
- Dinner in the eighth or sixteenth after the racing, with the car waiting rather than re-booked
- An early Monday run to Le Bourget or the Gare du Nord for anyone due back at a desk
Arriving from London
Three honest ways to make the weekend
By air, Le Bourget is half an hour or so from the Bois on a quiet Sunday and the obvious answer if you are flying privately. Allow properly for the return, because Sunday evening out of Le Bourget after the Arc is one of the busier departure waves of the French autumn.
By train, London to the Gare du Nord takes a little over two hours and lands you in the middle of the city, which is why a great many London-based owners and guests do exactly that. We run you to St Pancras or Ebbsfleet in our own car, and a car meets you at the Gare du Nord.
By road, London to Paris through the tunnel is a long day but it is the right answer if you are bringing people, luggage and a dog, or continuing into Normandy or Burgundy afterwards. See London to Paris by road for a straight comparison of the three.
Dress and enclosures
Smart, rather than strictly enforced
Arc weekend is a dressed occasion without being a codified one. General admission has no strict dress code, though almost everybody wears a suit or a tailored dress, and hats are common on the Sunday. The restaurants, panoramic boxes and hospitality areas do set their own requirements, and those are enforced at the door. Check what your ticket includes before the day, and tell us which entrance it directs you to, because that is what determines where we can put the car down.
Book early
Paris is full that weekend
Arc weekend fills hotels in the eighth and sixteenth, the good cars in the city and the ramp at Le Bourget. Tell us your dates as soon as you have tickets, even if the rest of the plan is still moving.
Around the weekend
Related pages
Request a quote
Tell us how you are travelling
Which days, how many of you, whether you are flying, taking the train or driving, and which entrance your tickets give you. We reply with a clear price. Nothing is booked or charged online.
Prefer to talk? +44 2030 048300 or WhatsApp, at any hour.
Questions people ask
About Arc weekend travel
Can the car wait at the racecourse?
Not in the enclosure areas. Your chauffeur drops as close to your entrance as the day's plan allows and then stands off at an agreed point, ready when you call. On Arc Sunday that is quicker than trying to hold a space.
Are these your own cars?
In London and on the way to the train or the tunnel, yes. In Paris we arrange cars through operators we have worked with for years, and we remain your single point of contact for both ends.
Should we fly or take the train?
If you are flying privately, Le Bourget is hard to beat. If you are two or three people going for the day and a half, the train to the Gare du Nord is usually the calmer option. We will give you a straight view for your party rather than the answer that sells more.
Can you arrange the racing tickets?
No. We arrange transport. Tickets and hospitality come from France Galop or an authorised hospitality company, and we work to whatever entrance yours gives you.
Are you an official partner of the Arc?
No. We are an independent company arranging transport to and from the meeting.
