Attending SIAL Paris 2026?

If you need a visa, start the process well before October 17, 2026 — processing can take several weeks.

France is in the Schengen Area. Many nationalities can visit for up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa; others must apply for a Schengen short-stay visa in advance via France-Visas (the official portal) or a French consulate. The EU's new ETIAS travel authorisation for visa-exempt visitors is being phased in — check whether it applies to your nationality before you travel. Carry proof of your event registration and accommodation.

General guidance only — always confirm requirements with the official embassy/consulate for your nationality.

Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) — ~25km to centre

Paris-Orly Airport (ORY) — ~13km to centre

Orange, SFR, Bouygues and Free prepaid SIMs from airport shops and city stores; EU 'roam-like-at-home' means an SIM from any EU country also works

eSIM: Airalo, Holafly and similar eSIMs cover France / the EU

Plug: Type C / E (two round pins, European) · 230V / 50Hz

Euro (EUR)

Cards and contactless (including phone wallets) are accepted almost everywhere, including transit; carry a little cash for small bakeries, markets and tips.

High ~16°C · Low ~9°C

Cool, increasingly grey autumn with frequent rain and shortening days (SIAL Paris falls now in its years).

Warm layers, a waterproof jacket and an umbrella; the exhibition halls are heated.

📿 A prayer-times app, or use the venue timetable in Phase 3 below.

🆘 Emergency: 112 (Europe-wide emergency, English-speaking) · Police 17 (police) or 112

Central Paris is compact and very walkable, wrapped around the Seine. Under and over it runs one of the densest transit networks anywhere — the Métro (16 lines), five express RER lines (A-E) that also reach the airports and the suburbs, trams around the edge, and a thick bus network. The RER B is the line that matters most for an expo trip: it runs CDG airport → central Paris → Parc des Expositions (the Villepinte halls) on one ticket.

Île-de-France Mobilités has moved to the contactless Navigo card and the Navigo app — buy a Navigo Easy card (load single t+ tickets or a day pass) or use the Navigo Liberté+ pay-as-you-go; paper tickets are being phased out. A day/visitor pass is worth it if you're hopping around; for airport+Villepinte journeys check the fare covers the outer zones.

Use the official taxi ranks (stations de taxi) or a ride-app rather than flagging unmarked cars, especially at the airports where touts operate. Licensed Paris taxis have an illuminated roof sign and a meter; CDG and Orly to central Paris are charged at a regulated flat fare. Vélib' shared bikes are everywhere for short hops in the centre.

• North African (Maghrebi) restaurants — Barbès / La Goutte d'Or (18th), Belleville (19th-20th), the suburbs · widely halal — look for the 'halal' sign
• Middle Eastern & Turkish — citywide, concentrated 10th-11th and Belleville · commonly halal — confirm at the counter
• Grande Mosquée de Paris restaurant & tea room — 5th arrondissement · halal
• West African & global halal — Château Rouge (18th), Château d'Eau (10th) · often halal — ask

1st-4th arrondissements

The world's most-visited museum, the Tuileries gardens and the Seine islands with Notre-Dame and Sainte-Chapelle are all walkable along the river in the historic core.

7th arrondissement

Paris's signature landmark; the Champ de Mars park and Trocadéro terraces opposite give the classic views and are free to enjoy.

18th arrondissement

The hilltop basilica and the artists' quarter, with sweeping views over the city — a short Métro ride from the centre and steps from the halal-rich Barbès area.

5th arrondissement

Worth visiting in its own right for the Moorish architecture, courtyard and tea room, beside the Jardin des Plantes botanical garden.

Browse halal suppliers ahead of the show and shortlist who to visit.

Don't walk in cold — message suppliers via their directory profiles to line up meetings before you arrive.