Paris-Saint-Denis : The Rugby World Cup 2023 supporter's guide

The Basilica of Saint-Denis, near Paris.
The 10th Rugby World Cup will be launched on the 8th of September 2023 in Saint-Denis, just outside Paris. In front of 80,000 spectators, the French Blues will welcome the fearsome All Blacks on the pitch of the Stade de France for an opening match that promises to be a great event. In total, 10 matches will be played in Saint-Denis, including the final, giving fans many opportunities to discover the City of Light (Ville Lumiere), which is more attractive than ever just a few months before the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Getting to and from the stadium and around hassle free

Access to the Stade de France from Paris is very easy by public transport.

• RER B via La Plaine Stade de France.
• RER D via the Stade de France Saint-Denis station.
• Metro line 13, Saint-Denis-Porte de Paris station, then a 5-minute walk.
• The Tram eight also serves the Saint-Denis - Porte de Paris station.
• RATP buses also run in the vicinity of the Stade de France.

Good to know: Paris offers a multitude of means of public transport but also encourages cycling. A network of more than 1,000 km of cycle paths is available to fans, with the possibility of using a Vélib' Métropole, a short-term rental service in Paris and its inner suburbs.

Getting around Paris by public transport (External link)
Cycling around Paris with Vélib' Métropole (External link)
Going to the Stade de France (External link)

Watch the game in town and celebrate the third half

No seat at the stadium but a furious desire to feel part of the fray by watching the matches in good company? Paris has no shortage of sports and party bars for you to enjoy, even from a distance. Team spirit and good humour are guaranteed at Café Oz Châtelet, an Australian pub just by the Forum des Halles. On the Left Bank, in the heart of the Latin Quarter, The Long Hop also promises to set the mood. This "Sports Bar", which looks like a real English pub, will broadcast all the matches of the Rugby World Cup 2023. We can also recommend O'Sullivans By The Mill, the Irish pub with a Pigalle atmosphere, Le Truskel for all-you-can-eat rugby on a big screen in the Grand Boulevards area or Le Highlander, THE Scottish pub in Paris, tucked away in a little alley in the 6th arrondissement, to watch the matches live, almost as if you were there.

Café Oz Châtelet (External link)
The Long Hop (External link)
O Sullivans By The Mill (External link)
The Truskel (External link)
Highlander (External link)

Visit the city

Paris of course will make your head spin, ever more effervescent with its great museums, beautiful exhibitions and the latest places we're talking about: The Bourse du Commerce-Collection Pinault-Paris, the prestigious Hôtel de la Marine place de la Concorde or the Carnavalet-Histoire de Paris Museum in its new clothes, without forgetting the Samaritaine, the new temple of shopping. In Saint-Denis, the ball is in the air. A medieval city, a royal necropolis, a mecca of the industrial revolution and then a large working-class town, welcome to an open-air history book! Among the unmissable treasures: the Basilica-Cathedral (entrance ticket included in the Paris Region Pass Experience), the Street Art Avenue, the Flea Market and the Cité du Cinéma. And, nearby, the exciting and very entertaining Le Bourget Air and Space Museum.

Explore the surroundings

Going green in Seine-Saint-Denis, at the northern gateway to Paris, is easy! From the Bassin de la Villette (next door to the Philharmonie), along the trendy Canal de l'Ourcq, walks and cycle rides will get you in shape before or after the match. Until October, you can also put on your trainers and go on beautiful urban hikes to discover the future stations of the Grand Paris Express, the Parc des Hauteurs, the sites of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the signposting of the Camino de Compostela. As well as the Saint Denis Urban Farm (Les Fermes de Gally, Zone Sensible with permaculture market gardening workshops) will ground you. For more royal planting, head west to Versailles (base camp of the Welsh team), its Potager du Roi and of course its sumptuous château (accessible by train and RER).

Visit the Gally farms (External link)
Visit the Palace of Versailles (External link)

Enjoying local products

A beautiful and good spot a few minutes from the Stade de France? A café, canteen, restaurant(open continuously), but also a bakery, pastry shop, brasserie and cocktail bar. La Cantine sauvage has everything to please everyone with. One visit is all it takes to become a pillar of this lively place in the heart of Saint-Denis, in a former 1,500 m² antiques shed, a stone's throw from the Puces de Saint-Ouen. A 300 space settings and a cheerful vintage decor provide the entertainment. In the kitchen, a mixed and seasonal cuisine using almost 100% organic ingredients, mostly coming directly from small producers in the Ile de France, will delight your taste buds. The Sunday morning brunch sets the bar high. For a tasty grand slam, just cross the main road. Then, Paris, its great chefs, good restaurants and bistros celebrating French gastronomy are yours.

Gourmet and eco-responsible break at La Plaine Sauvage (External link)

Finding a place to stay

For an option that combines proximity and sustainability, we recommend the Mob House, which opened in January 2022 in the heart of the very picturesque Puces de Saint-Ouen district (it takes half an hour by public transport to reach the Stade de France). Designed by architect and designer Philippe Starck as a place to live, rather than just a hotel, Le Mob House is a place to sleep (100 eco-designed rooms) but also to meet and share over a small frichti at the organic brasserie called Feuille de chou, in the 2,000 m² garden with heated outdoor pool, gym or the "conversation" room to replay the game.

Staying at the Mob House hotel in Saint-Ouen, near Paris (External link)

Getting to Saint-Denis, near Paris