Thinking About Roland Garros? Top 10 Tips for Your Trip

After nearly 30 U.S. Opens, I finally made the decision to leave the nest and travel with my wife from New York City to Paris for Roland Garros 2018. Here are some of my top tips to make your first visit to Paris even easier:

1. Book your tickets early

Tickets go on sale in waves, just like for the U.S. Open. Monitor the Roland Garros Web site and get your tickets as soon as they go on sale to ensure you can get what you want. Book your flight early as well. International travel is way cheaper if you book your trip in December, not a month before the tournament (I should have taken this advice).

2. Do research on hotels

Hotel rooms in France are small (very small) and fairly expensive. Make sure you get measurements for the room and also book something close to public transportation to get you back and forth from Roland Garros.

3. Bring clothes for rain

On our trip, one minute it was 80 degrees and sunny, and the next, it was 60 degrees with torrential rain. Monitor the weather and plan accordingly.

4. Try public transportation

Buses and subways are very efficient and clean. Just watch out for labor strikes, which are announced in advance.

5. Go early in the tournament

I’d give you the same advice to for the U.S. Open. Attend the event early on and you’ll see bigger players on the outer courts if you got tickets during the first week (which starts on a Sunday).

6. Don’t panic about not speaking French (although you should try!)

Speaking French helps a good deal, but I had no issue getting around speaking English only.

7. Get tickets for Suzanne-Lenglen

This was the best value. You can see Rafael Nadal up close and not break the bank. With a capacity of 10,000 seats, you will get pretty close to the action.

8. The food is good

There are a lot of options in Paris in terms of cuisine, but the food areas do get a bit jammed up at lunch time. You can certainly find something to eat (especially if you like baguettes).

9. Bring a MasterCard or Visa

American Express is generally not accepted. You’ll need to pay in Euros or with a MasterCard/Visa.

10. Go see the gardens at Versailles

In the event that you don’t go to Roland Garros every day of your trip, go to Versailles. Versailles is just a short trip outside of the city of Paris and the gardens are one of the most remarkable things I’ve ever seen in my life.