Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
Paris, FranceCharter a Private Jet to the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
For almost 100 years, the first weekend in October has been the time when the most glamorous and sophisticated of horse racing fans gather in Paris to watch the top thoroughbreds in the world run in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
Historically held at Hippodrome de Longchamp racecourse, which is just outside Paris, it has been temporarily moved to the Chantilly Racecourse as major renovations are done to Longchamp. Chantilly is about 30 miles north of Paris.
We Can Get You There
If you’d like to be among the tens of thousands of spectators expected to watch – and place bets – the weekend of thoroughbred racing, Paramount Business Jets can arrange a charter flight for you into any of these Paris airports, including:
- Paris Issy Les Moulineaux, LFPI, Paris, France (3 miles)
- Velizy Airport, LFPV, Villacoublay, France (6 miles)
- Toussus Le Noble Airport, LFPN, TNF, Toussus Le Noble, France (9 miles)
- Orly Airport, LFPO, ORY, Paris, France (11 miles)
- Le Bourget Airport, LFPB, LBG, Paris, France (12 miles)
- Charles De Gaulle Airport, LFPG, CDG, Paris, France (18 miles)
- Cormeilles En Vexin Airport, LFPT, POX, Pontoise, France (18 miles)
- Villaroche Airport, LFPM, Melun, France (27 miles)
- Creil Airport, LFPC, CSF, Creil, France (30 miles)
- Voisins Airport, LFPK, Colmar, France (36 miles)
About The Race
The governing body of French horse racing restricted its races to thoroughbreds born and bred in France until 1863 when the Grand Prix of Paris, brought together the best 3-year-olds from any country.
That early race kept evolving and morphing until it became the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, commonly referred to as the “Arc”.
Jockeys have said there is no greater victory than winning the Arc, a weekend of championship racing called the most prestigious “flat race” in the world. Flat racing means exactly that: a race on a flat racecourse, with no obstacles to jump or sulkies to pull.
Some 11 races are held on the 1.5-mile course over the two days of the Arc, which attracts bettors from around the world. Its more than $5.5 million in prize money makes it one of the richest horse races in the world.
More than 200 countries broadcast the race to an estimated audience of over a billion people, and that doesn’t even include the fans that watch online.
It is the grand finale of a seven-race French series that starts in June.
Venue Change
The Arc was last run at Longchamp, its original home, in 2015 after which the racecourse was closed for renovations.
It was only supposed to take a year to do the $145 million in upgrades planned for the facility. The grandstands that were built in the 1960s were always thought to be an albatross in the middle of the beautiful Bois de Boulogne, a three-acre public park on the west side of Paris.
The grandstands will be replaced with a series of concrete plateaus and transparent “shelves” that will include restaurants, bars and spectacular views in every direction. Look east, and you’ll see the Eiffel Tower; look west to the Seine River.
Service buildings that dot Longchamp will be demolished to give a sleeker, pared-down look. The French racing commission hopes the reborn facility will attract more big races throughout the year.
As many projects do, the renovation is taking longer – two arcs instead of one – than expected.
It will be held at Chantilly Racecourse, a smaller (40,000 spectators instead of the almost 60,000 expected at the renovated Longchamp), through 2017.
Built in 1834, Chantilly is located in the heart of France’s horse-training area.
Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, 2015
Things To Do And See In Paris
Visitors, of course, must see iconic Paris landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre Dame and the Champs-Élysées. But if you want to see Paris like a local, here are some other suggestions:
- Visit the Musée de la Vie Romantique. You can learn about 19th century poets or just soak up the Paris that is portrayed in the movies, complete with tea and cake and pink roses. The former home of painter Ary Scheffer (1795-1858) located in the heart of Paris is dedicated to early 19th century arts and literature. Bring a bottle of wine and have a picnic or relax in the glass house next to the main house that used to be an art studio and is now a tearoom.
- Take a boat tour down the Seine. This seems to be the one piece of advice for visitors that appears on virtually every list of Paris must-do’s. You’ll see a side of Paris you can’t see from anywhere else.
- Visit the “Temple of Love”. In the middle of a lake in the Bois de Vincennes, the city’s largest park, is the Temple Romantique. The ruins are a great place for a declaration of love – or, even, a marriage proposal.
- See the cell in which Marie Antoinette was imprisoned and a real 19th century guillotine at La Conciergerie. This 700-year-old former palace served as a prison during the French Revolution.
- Listen to the blues in Le Caveau des Oubliettes, the oldest blues club in Paris. There is music five nights a week, but Sundays are for the blues jams. There’s a bar upstairs, but it’s in the 12th century basement wine cellar where the music is played that you will have an experience like no other. It’s located near Notre Dame on the Rue Galande. Get there early to get a seat.
- Hunt for the best of Parisian pastries as you walk the Latin Quarter. It’s the location of some of the best cafés, bakeries, and restaurants along the narrow streets of this neighborhood.
