French tennis, anyone?

Maybe you knew that one of the world’s most important annual tennis tournaments, the French Open or ‘Roland Garros’ as it is called here in France, is hosted in Paris. Being one of the four ‘Grand Slam’ tournaments, it’s sure to draw the biggest names in the game.

But what you may not know is that Paris is also a great place for amateur and casual tennis players. With over 170 public courts available for play in and around the city, there’s plenty of opportunity to get a few games in.

Between them they have nearly every type of surface and some of them offer views that may cause you to make a few errors in your game! Think it’s too rainy for good tennis in Paris? Don’t worry – we’ve got covered courts too.

On top of the staggering number of courts, Paris also employs an online booking system that makes it easy to reserve one in your preferred location and at the time you want. Although there is a small fee for use of the facilities (7.5 € per hour for uncovered courts, 14 € for covered ones), it is literally a small price to pay for guaranteed time on the court.

But be on time! Otherwise, you risk your court being given away to players on standby. And you can’t can reserve another until you visit the facility manager in person to explain why you didn’t show up for your appointment.

Online bookings can be made by creating a free account at www.paris.fr/tennis. Click on ‘Réservez en ligne votre court‘ and proceed to search for the ones that match your location, time, and surface preferences.

So the next time you travel to Paris, don’t forget your racket. You can easily fit in a short match between brasseries and baguettes.