Esports World Cup in Paris Region: explore the city between matches

A few streets away, The Good Game combines board games and video games in a chic yet relaxed setting, complete with a Chesterfield sofa, and also offers snacks and drinks to enjoy between games. Further east, in Bercy Village, 3Bis offers some three hundred games spread over two floors and focuses on immersion with its themed lounges, where you can switch from quizzes to karaoke as the mood takes you. Near Place de la République, Café Meisia, for its part, fosters a passion for collectible card games, with over a thousand decks and Pokémon or Magic tournaments that punctuate the summer. It’s up to you to choose your table, your game and your side.

f you’re looking to get off the beaten track, Paris is brimming with venues with a distinctive atmosphere. Above an Italian restaurant in the 1st arrondissement, a curtain and then a flight of stairs lead to the Blitz Society speakeasy, where you can move pieces around on bespoke chessboards, cocktail in hand, until late into the night. A stone’s throw from Châtelet, Le Dernier Bar avant la Fin du Monde unfolds its science-fiction and heroic fantasy décor across several floors, with around sixty board games to borrow and cocktails with names straight out of your favourite sagas.

Over near Bastille, the Atomic Cat follows a similar theme, in a post-apocalyptic bunker style, with a mix of fancy-dress parties and themed board games. And if you’re looking to think big, head to Boom Boom Villette: spread over 25,000 m², this market dedicated to food and leisure brings together escape rooms, a freefall simulator, bowling, arcade games and around twenty gourmet food stalls, to delight families and groups of night owls alike. On the Grands Boulevards, La Tête dans les Nuages presents dozens of attractions, from pool to bowling, simulators and arcade games, and shows live sport on its giant screens: perfect for passing the time until the next match.

Video games draw much of their inspiration from Asia. Japan Expo awaits you from 9 to 12 July at Paris-Nord Villepinte for its twenty-fifth edition: four days of manga, animation, cosplay, video games and concerts – Europe’s biggest celebration of Japanese culture. For a more contemplative interlude, the Japanese Cultural Centre is hosting a free exhibition on sumo, ‘Sumo, Sacred Forces’, which runs throughout the summer. Next, head to Korea, a leading nation in esports: at the Korean Cultural Centre, the free exhibition ‘Colours of Korea’ celebrates contemporary art through its symbolic hues. And to move from colours to flavours, Paris’s Korean restaurants are waiting for you.

Fancy taking home a souvenir of your gaming trip? Two Parisian shops are a collector’s paradise. On Boulevard Voltaire, near Place de la République, an entire pavement exudes pop culture: at Geek Story and All Geeks, figurines, mugs, soft toys and merchandise from your favourite franchises are stacked across several levels, ranging from Japanese manga to American superheroes, with neighbouring Manga Story rounding off the collection. The Latin Quarter then takes over: at Album Comics, comics in their original and French versions sit alongside coffee-table books and statues of heroes, just a few minutes from the Cluny Museum. The hardest part will be choosing.

In Paris Region, art is also on display in grand style on building façades, well beyond the confines of galleries. The 13th arrondissement, which we’ve already explored around the Choisy Triangle, reveals truly monumental murals by artists from all over the world. Further east, the Mur Oberkampf changes its look as artists come and go, whilst the banks of the Seine and former brownfield sites are covered in temporary artworks all the way to the inner suburbs, in Vitry-sur-Seine. To follow the trail, Paris Region’s street art walks show you the way. And if you fancy moving from walls to exhibition spaces, the Grande Halle de la Villette is hosting ‘Beyond the Streets’ all summer long: across 3,600 m², over a hundred artists explore how graffiti made the leap from New York’s metro trains to museum walls, with a fine tribute to the Parisian scene.

The exhibition spaces also have plenty to keep you entertained: summer 2026 has a fantastic line-up in store. Beneath the Palais de Tokyo, a mecca for contemporary art, the Lasco Project presents an exhibition featuring around sixty street artists, a natural extension of the outdoor murals. At the Philharmonie, ‘Video Games & Music’ traces half a century of video game music, from Pac-Man to League of Legends, with controllers in hand and pixelated artworks on the walls.

Nearby, at the Cité des Sciences, the e-LAB invites visitors to play for real: this space dedicated to video games, accessible in three languages, brings together retro consoles and recent creations whilst offering a behind-the-scenes look at the medium. At the Musée en Herbe, near the Louvre, Pokémon is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a treasure hunt, giant Game Boys and a surprising dialogue with contemporary art. And to round things off in style, Bricks of Wonder brings together 150 Lego creations at the Espace Champerret, including a portrait of Kylian Mbappé, with a play area containing a million bricks where young and old alike can build to their heart’s content..

Between matches, Paris’s monuments get in on the action too. On the Champ-de-Mars, Viality Tour fits you with a virtual reality headset and transports you back to 1889: in a small group, you watch the Eiffel Tower rise from the ground and the World’s Fair come to life all around you, right where you’re standing. The same team then takes you over to the Louvre to follow the palace’s transformation through the centuries, from a medieval fortress to the grand museum it is today. With the headset on and a guide by your side, you’ll see the Paris of yesterday superimposed onto the Paris of today.

When the screens go dark, the city takes over and each neighbourhood reveals its own unique atmosphere. Along the Canal Saint-Martin, you’ll find yourself by the water’s edge as night falls, in a bohemian and relaxed atmosphere. Just a stone’s throw away, Oberkampf and Rue de la Roquette buzz with life until late, whilst Bastille pulses to the rhythm of young people out to enjoy the night. The Marais, for its part, combines lively terraces, medieval alleyways and a nightlife open to everyone. And when summer arrives, the banks of the Seine are transformed into a festive promenade, with open-air concerts and music floating along the water.

Esports extends far beyond Paris. In Évry-Courcouronnes, south of the capital, the Arènes de Grand Paris Sud is home to Karmine Corp, one of the most popular clubs on the French scene. The first European team to call a dedicated venue home, the club brings its community together in a 3,000-seat arena, spurred on by the Blue Wall – its ultras who make the stands rumble with their chants and drums. Even the walls get in on the act, with a monumental mural by Speedy Graphito adorning the building, a nod to the street art we encountered earlier. If the schedule allows during your stay, attending an event here gives you a true sense of what esports has become in France: a genuine stadium sport.

The tournament venue is at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, in the 15th arrondissement. The easiest way to get there is by metro line 12, which runs directly to Porte de Versailles station from central Paris, with connections via tram lines T2 and T3a and several bus routes. Cycling enthusiasts will find a Vélib’ station just a stone’s throw away on Avenue Ernest Renan. From Orly and Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle airports, the venue can be reached by public transport with one or two changes. To explore the city between matches, the Navigo Jour pass offers unlimited travel on all public transport for the day, whilst the Paris Visite pass, designed for visitors, also includes access to the airports.