Paris Strike Tonight 7pm: Survival + Autumn Strike Map

At 7pm tonight, Paris transport starts its indefinite strike — and the week becomes a daily negotiation with the network. The CGT’s unlimited notice covers the whole RATP system over pay; from tomorrow, metro, RER, buses and trams thin to unknown degrees. Today still runs normally: use it. The survival guide for tonight and the strike map for the whole autumn: what stops, how to move, and what else threatens the season.

From the field — Elena Marsh: strike notice via striketracker/lebonbon/Sortiraparis (Sept 22–28); Line 2 works via Sortiraparis; Toussaint notice via Connexion France; EES via Times/Euronews; EasyJet off via Connexion. Companion: Fashion Week survival.

Tonight 7pm: what happens

The notice is precise: CGT-RATP, all staff, from Monday September 28 at 7pm, unlimited duration — pay is the demand (management defers to the annual NAO talks; the union: workers “shouldn’t have to wait until 2027 to pay their bills”). Today is unaffected — full service while the fashion week opens; the strike bites from the evening commute onward. From tomorrow (Sept 29): expect reduced metro, RER A and B, bus and tram services — how reduced depends on walkout rates published each morning. The weekend (Sept 26–27) already ran on works timetables; Line 2’s autumn works (seven stations closed) run underneath the strike all season. And the asymmetry rule: automated lines 1 and 14 hold best; driver-operated lines vary daily; buses depend on depot walkouts. Tonight: finish venues by 6pm, dine local, and set the RATP app for Tuesday dawn. The strike is a notice, not a shutdown — but plan as if your line is the one that stops.

discover our strike suspended toussaint flights saved 2026 10 15 guide · discover our strike season passenger rights october 2026 10 02 guide · discover our strike wave update leeds france belgium 2026 10 13 guide

The survival kit

The app, every morning. The RATP app (plus Citymapper for multimodal backup) with per-line status checked before every journey — walkout rates land at dawn, and yesterday’s normal line is today’s skeletal one. Feet first: the 1st–8th arrondissements chain on foot (Concorde–Tuileries–Palais-Royal–Sentier–Marais–Bastille); fashion week venues cluster inside walking distance. Vélib’: stations ring every venue; e-bikes beat queues; day passes beat taxis in strike week. Metro early: travel before 8am or between peaks; front-load the day’s journeys; never depend on the last train. Airport runs: RER B (CdG) and Orly connections are the vulnerable ones — triple time or pre-booked fixed-fare taxi; for Orly, the tramway + metro chain breaks first, so taxi by default. Avoid Châtelet at peak (the hub clogs first). Evenings: 30 minutes early for everything — shows run late, strikes later. The kit fits in a paragraph because the method fits in a habit: check, walk, ride early.

The autumn strike map

Paris tonight is one pin on a season map. Toussaint aircrew notice Oct 17–21 (UNSA PNC, SNPNC, SNGAF, SNPL, UNAC — cumul emploi-retraite; French-contract crews; negotiable until Oct 17): flexible fares, strike-cover insurance, rail backup priced now (see our Toussaint guide). EES full biometrics since Sept 7 (no off-switch; Spain, Portugal, Italy, France worst; 16 Ryanair hotspots; 3h early — see our EES guide). EasyJet: threat off — French cabin crew called off action after a new agreement (Connexion); September’s Volotea (Sept 4–6) and French bee extensions already passed. Rail: French rails run through aviation strikes untouched — TGV/Ouigo/Eurostar as the universal backup. Gatwick assisted-travel action ended Sept 26. Read the map as a calendar: Sept 28 RATP (daily checks), Oct 17–21 aircrew (flexible everything), always EES (3h rule). Three notices, one method: insure, flex, rail.

If you’re caught out

Stranded mid-city: walk first (most central journeys are 20–40 minutes on foot — faster than a thinned metro with changes); bike second (Vélib’ docks empty at peak — grab early, dock centrally); taxi third (surge pricing bites — fixed-fare pre-books beat street hails). Rebook evenings: move dinner reservations into your own arrondissement; shift morning meetings after 10am. Airport day: leave the night before for early flights (airport hotels at CdG/Orly beat 4am gambles); keep the airline’s rebooking page and EU261 rights in your pocket. Strike etiquette: staff work under pressure — ask kindly, accept the answer, and remember the picket isn’t personal. The city has survived a century of strikes; visitors survive a week by walking it. Check the app at dawn, move before the crowds, dine where you sleep. Paris in strike week is still Paris — just on foot.

Tonight’s timeline: hour by hour

Until 7pm: full service — use it. Finish venues, cross town, position for the evening. The fashion shows run (Matières Fécales 7pm closes day one) while the network still moves. 7pm: the notice bites — frequencies start thinning, expect the first gaps on driver-operated lines. Be going home or already dining local. 8–10pm: the evening peak under strike rules — automated lines (1, 14) carry the load; elsewhere, buses thin and taxis surge. Stay put: dinner in your arrondissement, terrace if the weather holds. After 10pm: skeletal service — night buses (Noctilien) become the backbone; pre-booked taxis beat street hails; walking beats everything under 40 minutes. Tuesday dawn: check walkout rates per line before moving — the week’s pattern sets today. One evening, one method: finish early, dine local, sleep central. Tonight is the rehearsal; the week is the performance.

discover our paris fashion week opens strike survival 2026 09 27 guide

Line by line: what to expect

The network, dissected. Lines 1 and 14 (automated): run nearest to normal — route journeys through them where possible (La Défense–Château de Vincennes; Saint-Lazare–Orly). RER A: the suburban artery — expect one train in two or three at peak; avoid La Défense–Châtelet crushes. RER B (airport): the vulnerable one — CdG and Orly connections gap first; triple time or taxi. Metro 2, 4, 6, 9, 12, 13: driver-operated, variable daily — check each morning, never assume yesterday’s pattern. Buses: depot-dependent, thinnest at depot-change hours; trams follow suit. Night (Noctilien): runs regardless — learn your N-line home before you need it. The hierarchy for every journey: automated metro first, walkable distance second, bike third, bus fourth, taxi last. Plan every trip down the hierarchy until one holds. The network doesn’t stop; it thins. Move down the list, not against it.