US and Australia Update Travel Advisories as Paris Protests Continue

The US State Department updated its travel advisory for France on October 21, keeping the country at Level 2 ("Exercise Increased Caution") but substantially revising the summary to reflect the immediate physical dangers posed by weeks of urban unrest. Australia issued a similar recommendation. Neither country is, at this stage, calling for travel to France to be postponed outright.

The advisories cite recent protests marked by significant property destruction, looting and attacks on police. The Louvre closed its doors to visitors on Monday, October 19, after students from the École du Louvre blockaded its entrances in solidarity with the student protest movement, leaving many tourists unable to access the museum.

Authorities are advising travelers to avoid crowds and areas with a heavy police presence, follow local instructions and adjust their plans where necessary. Localized curfews remain possible in parts of Paris and the surrounding region, decided at the local level and sometimes imposed with little notice, restricting gatherings and movement near some tourist sites.

This account draws on reporting by Condé Nast Traveller Middle East.