Newcastle United fans travel to Paris in late November to see their side take on PSG at the Parc des Princes (Tuesday 28 November).
The fixture could decide if the Toon Army will enjoy any more European away trips to go on after Christmas. Newcastle currently sit bottom of Group F, two points behind the French champions, who occupy the second spot. The group is wide open, with all four clubs still having a chance to progress to the next stage of the competition. With Borussia Dortmund and AC Milan being the other two clubs in the group, not many gave Newcastle a chance, but their destiny remains in their hands with two games remaining.
A trip to Paris is one of the more glamorous European away trips for Newcastle fans, and, given the short distance across the English Channel, it's expected that a huge number of them will travel over to the French capital. Here is the essential matchday guide to the PSG away section for those making the trip.
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What is Paris like for away fans?
As well as being one of the shortest trips that Newcastle fans could have hoped to make when the draw was made, Paris is also a brilliant city for football fans to visit.
There are various airports that Newcastle fans can arrive at, all of which aren't too far away from the Parc des Prince and the city centre. An excellent transport system also helps away fans easily explore the city, taking in sights like the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triumph, and the Parc des Princes itself.
Paris is known for its food, and there will be no shortage of restaurants and bars for the Toon Army to visit while in the French capital.
With regards to policing, the French police came under severe scrutiny for their actions at the UEFA Champions League final in Paris between Liverpool and Real Madrid. The majority of Liverpool fans felt they were treated with unnecessary force, while the match had to be delayed due to farcical entrance strategies. Hopefully, the experience of English fans in France will be better this time, with the French police having learnt some crucial lessons. Under the watchful eye of English supporters' organisations and UEFA, there should have been significant improvements. Arsenal fans had no problem in Lens recently, and Liverpool fans in Toulouse had a good time, too, as well as Brighton fans in Marseille.
Where to drink for Newcastle fans in Paris?
Paris is one of the most visited cities in the world, with so many things to do and see during the day and night. Newcastle fans won't get bored while exploring the city and they'll have plenty of restaurants to choose from, with a selection of bars as well to either celebrate a famous win on the night or to drown their sorrows and think of what could have been. Here is a selection of pubs and restaurants that we recommend you check out while visiting Paris:
Frog XVI
This is a typical bar/pub that would be frequented by a travelling football fan. You can expect to watch a lot of football, drink a lot of beer, and interact with a lot of other football fans. This is quite a multicultural pub that happens to get a lot of visitors from around the world. This bar also happens to possess a good menu of food items that you can have before reaching the stadium, which is around 10 minutes away by taxi.
Bar à Champagne Eiffel Tower
Technically, this cannot be classified as a pub as it is more of a destination to get some amazing champagne. After all, this is one of the few prerequisites that a football fan can have when visiting Paris/France. Crucially, this place is only a metro ride or a taxi hop away from the ground. If you are feeling quite brisk, the stadium is around an hour away by foot. However, it would only take around ten minutes in a taxi.
Molitor Le Bar
This is a rooftop bar that gives excellent views of the stadium. Since it is part of a hotel, the bar also manages to provide an excellent view of the hotel’s swimming pool. Other sites that can be seen while sipping a great beer would be the Eiffel Tower, Roland Garros, and more. Molitor Le Bar gives a bird’s eye view of the city while enjoying some brilliant food.
Where to watch football in Paris?
While the obvious answer is PSG’s home ground, the Parc des Princes, which is where Newcastle will be playing in their UEFA Champions League tie, there are other stadiums in the French capital worth visiting.
The Stade de France is in Paris and is the home of the French national football team. It is the largest football stadium in France with a capacity of 81,338. The stadium was opened in 1998 and was used for the World Cup Final in the same year when France hosted the tournament.
While PSG are the biggest show in town, they aren’t the only show, with Paris FC playing in the lower leagues of French football. Many football fans see them as the original football club from Paris, they play at the Stade Sebastien Charlety. It has a capacity of 20,000 and was built back in 1938.
What will the PSG away section be like for Newcastle fans?
The Parc des Princes has four sections, the Nord, Est, Sud, and Ouest. Away fans are located in the northwest corner of the Parc des Princes, between the Tribune Auteuil and the Presidential Stand.
PSG away section view at the Parc des Prince stadium
The away end is often referred to as one of the best in Europe by rival fans, with the views of the pitch exceptional. There is a net cast on either side of the fans, as to segregate them from the home fans, while there is only one bar and food place in the section.
How many Newcastle fans are going to Paris?
We envisage many Newcastle fans will be travelling over to Paris to help create an atmosphere that will hopefully inspire the team to victory on the night. However, only 1,600 Newcastle fans will get to witness their team live in the stadium, with PSG allocating very few tickets to the away side’s fans. PSG are allocating 400 less than the minimum UEFA requirement that should be issued to away fans after they submitted a request to UEFA on the grounds of safety and security concerns.
How Newcastle fans can get to the Parc des Princes
The metro is the best option for getting to the Parc des Princes, as it is extremely quick and relatively cheap on the pocket. For those heading from the city centre, line 9 will take fans to the Parc des Princes without any issues. This line will lead to the Porte de Saint-Cloud, which is only five minutes away by walking from the stadium.
If you happen to take line 10, the station to get off would be Porte d’Auteuil or the South Bank of Paris – 10 minutes away from the ground on a walk.
The public transport is also well covered with a lot of buses running to the stadium. The best options would be on buses 22, 62, and 72. All these buses would stop at the Porte de Saint-Cloud station, while one can get off at the Porte d’Auteuil by using buses 52 and 32. All these options have been to be very easy to catch and you may also get a ride along with hard-core PSG supporters when taking the work from the metro station.
Parc des Princes stadium tour: How to visit PSG’s ground
There are stadium tours organized by PSG regularly. The duration of a stadium tour lasts for just over an hour. It will provide access to areas of the stadium that are not usually seen like the conference room, trophy wall, changing room, and more. Due to the limited number of individuals who are admitted to a specific tour, it is a better idea to book the dates in advance. Each tour will cost €25 and there are audio/video guides available. The tour is also available in multiple languages like German, Italian, Arabic, and more. The children's/senior's rate is €15.
Parc des Princes tickets: How to watch a PSG game
If you want to go watch Mbappe and co, then you can do so by registering as a member on the official PSG website. Once you have done that, you can then purchase tickets for a game. It is advised to book tickets well in advance as most games at the Parc des Princes eventually sell out, especially the big games against the likes of Marseille, Lyon, and Monaco.