A three-night trip to the French capital for the closing days of the 2024 Paralympics opens was an eye opener for a short break outside the beautiful yet busy centre
A friend, Jeanette Chippington – OBE, MBE and longest-serving athlete in the ParalympicsGB organisation – was to participate in her eighth Games as part of the paracanoe squad, in Torcy, a little-known place on the outskirts of Paris. I was here to show my support.
Fantastic performances in kayak and va’ar weren’t enough and Jeanette missed out on a bronze by barely a second. While not adding to her 14-medal Paralympic total, she finished a golden star, revered by fellow athletes.
The event has shone a light on the quiet park-filled suburb of Torcy to the northeast of Paris barely a three-hour drive from Calais ferry port.
Torcy is home to Stade Nautique Olympic D’ile-de-France on vast Lac de Vaires-sur-Marne, a year-round training facility and public watersports area. The lake is on an island, a sea of greenery, between the River Marne, which joins the Seine closer to Paris, and the Canal de Chelles, which provides a bypass for some of the river’s bends and wetlands.
The town blooms with its country style, its watertower clad in Art Nouveau waterlily paintings, but the sports setting felt like the unspoilt countryside. We watched the twin disciplines of va’ar (a modern take on Polynesian craft with outrigger stabilisers) and canoe races with thousands of others over two days but this is always a popular spot, one of the world’s largest kayak and canoe sites.
Tucked away is a whitewater centre with three artificial rivers but the whole place is open to the public with rafting, canoeing, kayaking, windsurfing and stand-up paddleboard tuition and rental.
Where island and canal meet, another lake is hidden away, Isle de Loisirs, a near-Caribbean isle atmosphere with a large beach, water slides, beach volleyball nets, pedal boats, shaded picnic area, tree-dotted grassy backdrop. Also there is an equestrian centre and golf course.
But there’s more. There’s a riverside cycle path into the city and a canal towpath that runs the length of the river’s meandering island passing through parkland and, after an hour or so’s stroll, arriving at the town of Neuilly-sur-Marne. Here’s a tranquil campsite, Camping Les Rives de Paris, a marina and riverfront bars – while we were here there was an end-of-summer festival with live music. Relaxing waterside walks in the other direction, too.
Farther afield
Torcy rail station is in the newer part of town, a 25-minute walk from the old town and an hour’s walk from the lakes. But it is on the A Line, a tremendous service that runs every few minutes and is not unlike London’s Elizabeth Line, a fast stopping service every few minutes that starts in the countryside and turns into a Tube service in the city. It’s just over 30 minutes to the Chatelet-Les-Halles interchange close to the Pompidou Centre, the Louvre, the Tuileries gardens (where we saw the giant Olympic balloon) and the Seine.
Torcy is also perfect for a family stay that combines the lakes, the city and Disneyland Paris. The theme park is only a 20-minute drive away, or a 10-minute train ride on the A line from Torcy to Marne-la-Vallee Chessy
Where to eat in Torcy
Paristanbul in the old town is a friendly Turkish restaurant in the traditional part of town; even more tucked away is Boulangerie Ambiance Gourmande, a bakery and cake shop for superb baguettes and amazing pastries and macaroons.
Opposite the station is Bay 1 Loisirs, a modern pedestrian area, a hub of bars, coffee houses and restaurants… Chinese, Italian, American. The other side of the rail tracks is Bay 2, an indoor mall of 100-plus shops and restaurants, not least the vast Carrefour Collegien hypermarket.
Where to stay in Torcy
Paradis, a fantasy Airbnb retreat in old Torcy, full name A Little Corner of Paradise Between Disney and Paris. A discreet industrial site transformed over the past 30 years by a father and son into something between a salvage yard and antique shop. A clutch of apartments created from, and full of, ironwork, flamboyant tiles, old furniture and shopfront signs, sit behind secure iron gates. Our place had the air of a tiny café/bar, all creaking wood floors, with steps up to a cosy bedroom (with TV on which we watched the Paralympics closing ceremony) and shower room.
All mod cons – coffee maker, ceramic hob – but with a feel of the past. To one side was a yard filled with greenery, everything from palms to holly, and wrought iron; to the other was a garden with a small lawn and barbecue plus electric grill where we cooked our spicy merguez sausages before sitting down for dinner on the bench in the sunset.
CHECK OUT places to stay in Torcy
Getting to Torcy by ferry and drive
Irish Ferries, whose Dover-Calais route isn’t widely recognised, provides reasonable prices on three ships, often more than a dozen daily sailings. Club Class add-on (£12pp each way) provides a calming lounge along with free food (cheeses, charcuterie, olives, salad, croissants, coffee and even, should you not have a car downstairs, wine).
Sailing for two with car, £155 return.
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