A guide to Roland Garros

Roland Garros is in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, about thirty minutes from the city centre depending on where you’re staying. The site is large, the days are long, and first-time visitors sometimes arrive underprepared. This guide covers the practical side: getting there, what to bring, how to spend the day, and a few things that trip people up.

For ticket information, see the Roland Garros tickets page.

Getting to Roland Garros

Metro is the straightforward option. Line 9 (direction Pont de Sevres) gets you to Michel-Ange Auteuil, a ten-minute walk from the main entrance. Line 10 to Porte d’Auteuil is closer — a five-minute walk — though Line 10 runs less frequently and from fewer central stations. Both work. If you’re on Line 9 anyway, stay on it.

Several bus routes also stop near the venue, including the 241 and 52, though buses run slower during tournament days when the surrounding roads pick up pedestrian and vehicle traffic.

If you’re considering driving, the short version is: don’t. Parking near Stade Roland Garros during the tournament is limited, expensive, and time-consuming. Metro is faster, cheaper, and less stressful in both directions.

From central Paris — say, the area around the Louvre or the Marais — you’re looking at around 30 minutes by metro. From the 7th or 15th arrondissement, it’s closer to 20.

When to arrive

The gates open at 10:00 on most days (11:00 on the first couple of days of the tournament). Getting there at or shortly after opening gives you the best chance of finding a spot on the outside courts before the popular matches start filling them up.

If you’re going in for a specific show court match that starts at 11:00 or noon, you don’t need to arrive at gate open — though the queues at the entrances are shorter early in the day. By mid-morning during the first week, the main entrance can take 20-30 minutes to get through.

Check the order of play the evening before. The FFT publishes it on the official Roland Garros app and website. Knowing which match is on which court, and roughly when, helps you plan the day rather than wander and miss things.

What to bring

Paris in late May and early June is variable. Sun for four days, then rain for two, then warm again. The clay courts don’t drain instantly, so a morning delay is possible even if it clears up by afternoon. A light rain jacket is worth having even on a day that looks good.

Sunscreen matters more than most people expect. You’re outside for hours, often on exposed seating with limited shade in the afternoon. Take more than you think you need.

Food and non-alcoholic drinks in sealed containers are generally allowed into the site, which is useful to know given the prices at the on-site restaurants and stands. Glass bottles are not permitted. Alcohol from outside is not permitted. Within those restrictions, bringing your own lunch is an easy way to save money and avoid queuing at lunchtime.

Comfortable shoes. You’ll walk more than you expect — between courts, across the site, back to the entrance, around again. The site covers a lot of ground.

Eating and drinking at the venue

There are restaurants, brasseries, and casual stands across the site. The quality is decent, the pricing is Paris. A sit-down lunch at one of the restaurants will cost what a sit-down lunch in Paris costs. The stands are faster and cheaper. Coffee is available throughout the day at multiple points on the site.

If you want a table at one of the proper restaurants, booking in advance is advisable — the better-known ones fill up during the tournament. The FFT usually opens reservations when the schedule is published.

The Roland Garros Museum

The museum is on site and included with your match ticket. It covers the history of the tournament and French tennis more broadly, with exhibits on past champions, equipment through the decades, and footage from significant matches. It’s a reasonable way to pass thirty minutes if you’re waiting for your court to open or looking for a break from the sun.

It’s not a reason to attend Roland Garros by itself, but it’s there and worth walking through if you have time.

A few things first-timers miss

The queue for the outside courts builds quickly after the gates open. If you want a front-row seat on Court 7 or 14 for a specific early-round match, arriving close to opening time helps. By mid-morning, the popular courts are standing room only.

The Roland Garros app is worth downloading before you go. It has the live order of play, court maps, and score updates. The site’s wifi is patchy in busy areas, so downloading what you need beforehand makes it more useful.

Night session tickets are sold separately and admit you after around 19:30. They cover one match. If you’re going to both a day session and a night session, you’ll need to buy tickets for both — there’s no combined option.

Finally: the grounds are large enough that it’s easy to spend a full day there without seeing everything. Pick two or three courts you want to prioritise, build the day around those, and treat anything else as a bonus. People who try to see everything often end up rushing between courts and enjoying none of them properly.

If you’re still working out which tickets make sense for the day you want, the Roland Garros tickets page has the current listings with details on round, court, and seating category.

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