Paris Weekend Break

Roland Garros (the French Open)

Roland Garros, as any tennis fan will know, is the scene of one of the sports' 4 "grand slam" tennis events, namely the French Open.

The tournament is played annually over the 2 weeks that bridge the end of May and the beginning of June and features both men's and women's singles, doubles, juniors and mixed titles. Notable winners are Rafael Nadal (equalling Borg's 4 straight wins in 2008) and Bojrn Borg himself, a 6 times winner in the 1970's and 1980's.

The impressive stadium with its hall mark red clay courts is located just a few kilometres from the centre of Paris and the Eiffel Tower is visible from the top of the main show courts.

Main courts

The main show courts of Roland Garros are Philippe Chatrier, Suzanne Lenglen and No.1 court which are theatre seated courts and there are a further 17 outside courts.

For anyone taking a Paris weekend break during the French Open, tickets can be bought at the stadium or online on the day, or in advance. (More below)

Along with Wimbledon, the French Open is regarded by many as the most historic and significant of the "Slams" and it has an atmosphere on a par with any other major international sporting event. A further advantage that Roland Garros has over its 3 grand slam competitors is the water absorbing clay courts that allow play to continue during light rain.

If you are a sports fan, this is an event well worth seeing and there is a Roland Garros museum with multilingual guides who show visitors the courts, press rooms, players locker rooms etc. (Adult tickets are around 15 euros.)