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Hôtel de Ville

The Hôtel de Ville and its eponymous square will host events in the very centre of France’s capital during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. This spot skirting the Seine and brimming with history will see the start of the Olympic games’ most legendary long-distance race, the marathon.

You can’t miss the Hôtel de Ville’s imposing façade, which stretches 143 metres across and towers 18.80 metres high (26.80 metres at the corners, 50 metres if you include the bell tower).  The existing neo-renaissance Hôtel was built by architects Théodore Ballu and Édouard Deperthes on the exact location where the former Hôtel de Ville stood until it was burnt down during the Paris Commune, in 1871. It has housed Paris’ City Hall since 1357. 

The square in front of it was called Place de Grève in years gone by, has come to be known as the Place de l’Hôtel de Ville, and has become a hotspot for exhibitions and other cultural attractions. In the summer of 2024, it will be the splendid backdrop for athletes setting out on the 42.195 km marathon.  


Paris 2024 sports

Olympic Games

Where it is

Administrative department: Paris (75)

City: Paris IV

Distance from the Olympic and Paralympic Village: 7 km

Nearby Games venues : Arena Bercy, Concorde, Invalides

Nearby tourist attractions Marais quarter, Notre Dame Cathedral, Ile de la Cité, Louvre Museum

Legacy

The marathon start area is a temporary overall that will leave no traces after the Games.