Update to our earlier France coverage: what has changed is that the Paris curfew ended this morning with no new one announced, student blockades and a march are set for Tuesday, and civil aviation staff have joined the list of Thursday strikers.
November 2, 2026 — France is heading into a week of strikes and protests. The big day is Thursday, November 5, a nationwide strike and day of marches called by the country’s main unions, including a strike across the SNCF rail network. Students plan blockades and a march in Paris on Tuesday, November 3, and the “yellow vest” movement has called a nationwide day of action for Saturday, November 7.
What’s new
- Paris curfew over, for now: The 11 p.m.–6 a.m. curfew around Place de la République and Châtelet–Les Halles ended at 6 a.m. on November 2. A separate order limiting unaccompanied minors and undeclared gatherings ran from October 30 to the same time. No new curfew for November 2–8 had been announced in the sources we checked, but Canada warns that partial or local curfews can be imposed at short notice.
- Tuesday, November 3: High-school blockades are planned in Paris, Val-de-Marne, Seine-Saint-Denis and Hauts-de-Seine. A student march is due to leave Place du Panthéon (5th arrondissement) for the Medef employers’ federation on avenue Bosquet (7th), via boulevard Saint-Michel, Port-Royal and boulevard du Montparnasse. Police have not yet confirmed the route.
- Civil aviation staff: Force Ouvrière’s civil aviation unions have filed a strike notice for November 5 covering staff of the DGAC (France’s civil aviation authority), its ENAC school and the BEA investigation bureau, from the morning shift. As of November 1 no air traffic controllers’ union had filed a notice, the DGAC had not asked airlines to cut flights, and no flight impact had been announced. SUD Aérien has also called on ramp, handling, security, cleaning and maintenance staff to strike, without naming airports.
- Last weekend: Authorities counted about 320,000 protesters nationwide on October 31 (organizers said 500,000), with 565 arrests and 70,000 police deployed.
Key dates this week
| Date | What | Expected impact |
|---|---|---|
| Tue, Nov 3 | High-school blockades; student march Panthéon → avenue Bosquet (Paris); SNCF management meets rail unions in Saint-Denis | Local traffic and transit disruption in central Paris; the meeting could change Thursday’s rail strike |
| Wed, Nov 4, about 5 p.m. | SNCF publishes its train forecast for Thursday | Check SNCF Connect (long-distance) and Transilien (Paris region) |
| Thu, Nov 5 | Nationwide strike and marches (CFDT, CGT, FO, UNSA, FSU); SNCF strike by CGT-Cheminots, UNSA-Ferroviaire, SUD-Rail and CFDT-Cheminots; FO civil aviation notice | TGV, Intercités, TER and Paris-region trains including RER may be disrupted; CGT Paris march at 2 p.m., route TBA; flight impact not announced |
| Nov 5–6 | Yellow vest calls for strikes and blockades | Scale TBA |
| Sat, Nov 7 | Yellow vest “Act IV” nationwide | Locations TBA |
Paris metro operator RATP had no specific strike notice for November 5 in the reports we read, although the CGT has called for strikes in all sectors. RATP forecasts usually appear the day before. Separately, Métro line 4 is not stopping at Saint-Michel until December 19 because of works.
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Official advice
- Canada: Exercise a high degree of caution in France, because of the threat of terrorism (updated October 28). Its demonstrations section notes large protests since late September, more planned for November 5, possible tear gas, and disruption to public services and transport before, during and after protests.
- United States: France was at Level 2 (Exercise Increased Caution) after a reissue on October 21, as reported by TravelPirates. We could not load the State Department’s advisory page today to check for changes.
What it means for airline travelers
- Getting to and from CDG on Thursday: The airports themselves are not covered by the rail strike, but RER B is likely to be the first link hit. Budget extra time, and consider a taxi, ride-share or airport coach booked in advance.
- Don’t rely on a same-day train connection on November 5. If you are flying standby into Paris and connecting by TGV, wait for Wednesday evening’s SNCF forecast before committing, and consider arriving a day earlier or later.
- Flights: No air traffic control strike has been announced. Keep checking with your airline through Wednesday, as notices for ground staff and civil aviation workers could still affect operations.
- Rail tickets: If you already hold a train ticket for November 5, check SNCF Connect after the Wednesday forecast for exchange or refund options on your train.
- In Paris: Avoid march routes and large gatherings, including Place de la République, the Panthéon area on Tuesday and Thursday’s union march once the route is published. Follow any curfew orders.
- Insurance: Strike-related cover may apply only to policies bought before a strike was announced. Check your policy wording.
- US citizens can enroll in STEP; Canadians can use Registration of Canadians Abroad.
Sources
- Government of Canada — France travel advice (updated Oct. 28, 2026)
- Sortiraparis — Manifestation et blocage des lycéens ce 3 et 5 novembre (updated Nov. 2, 2026)
- VolClaim — France strike on 5 November 2026: flights, airports and getting to Paris CDG and Orly (updated Nov. 1, 2026)
- Evous — Manifestations, grèves et perturbations à Paris (Oct. 31, 2026)
- Paris Authority — Paris strike 5 November 2026: metro, RER, TGV (updated Oct. 30, 2026)
- Newsweek — US Travel Warnings as Europe Protests Spread in Portugal, Germany (Nov. 2, 2026)
- TravelPirates — Is It Safe to Travel to France Right Now? Curfews, Closures, and Strike Dates (Oct. 27, 2026)
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