All Posts, Europe, France, Paris · 10 Things To Know Before Visiting Paris Are you planning a trip to Paris? Looking for tips so you are more prepared for your trip to the City of Light? After living in Paris for 2 years, I have put together my 10 Things to Know Before Visiting Paris. Hopefully, this helps you plan your dream Paris vacation! First, here are some quick tips for Paris: QUICK TIPS 1. Learn some French The #1 mistake you can make in Paris is assuming that everyone will be able and willing to speak to you in English. Yes, most Parisians do speak and understand English, but you’re going to get a much warmer welcome if you make an attempt to speak French – even if your pronunciation is really bad (like mine). When entering a store, bakery, etc., always great the owner with a simple “Bonjour”. When exiting, always say “Merci, au revoir” Here are some more easy words and phrases to use to impress the Parisians: ENGLISHFRENCHPRONOUNCEHelloBonjourbon-zhourThank youMercimair-seeGoodbyeAu Revoiroh-reu-vwarPleaseS’il Vous Plaît see-voo-playDo you speak English?Parlez-vous anglais?par-lay-voose onglayHave a good dayBonne Journée bon jour-nayCould I have the bill please? L’addition, s’il vous plaît lad-eesi-on, see-voo-play Coffee with milkCafé au lait caffay olayWater (tap)De l’eaudeu-lo 2. Wear Comfortable Shoes You’ll walk miles and miles in Paris without even realizing it. Not to mention on uneven cobblestone streets. You’ll want to be wearing the most comfortable shoes you own – trust me! Style doesn’t have to be sacrificed for comfort, though. Tennis shoes are very trendy right now, so take advantage of this! I pretty much wear my adidas tennis shoes every day. Any tennis shoe like these will be perfect for those 10+ mile strolls through the streets of Paris. If you prefer sandals, I highly recommend some sturdy ones like these. I wear these every day in the summer and they look cute while also providing support. 3. Watch Out For Pickpockets Paris is notorious for pickpockets. I’ve experienced several pickpockets in action (though, luckily was never a victim). Some of the most common things to watch out for are: Several women may walk up to you with a clipboard asking if you speak English. They want you to sign a fake petition. They’ll then ask for a donation and either pocket your money or see where you have your wallet and steal it later. Either way, they’re bad news, so simply ignore anyone with a clipboard asking if you speak English.When boarding the metro, pickpockets will stand at the door so that you have to squeeze by them to find a seat or somewhere to stand. They snatch your wallet without you noticing as you squeeze by them. Then, they jump off the metro right as the doors are closing, so by the time you realize what happened, you’re stuck on the metro and they’re long gone. This may sound like an obvious thing to avoid, but the time I saw this happen it was with 3 young girls and the metro was crowded, so they didn’t look out of place at all. My advice to avoid being a victim of pickpockets? Blend in. Try to wear clothes that look Parisian — neutral colors and no leggings! Google “Parisian Outfits” for more inspiration. Pickpockets can spot a tourist a mile away, so looking like a local will help deter them. Don’t wear a backpack. These are so easy for pickpockets to grab your wallet/camera/valuables without you even noticing. I recommend wearing a crossbody purse and keeping your hand over the zipper when on the metro. 4. Local Things To Do Want an inside guide on what’s going on in the city? This website is a local Paris guide (in English) with all kinds of info on special events happening while you’re visiting Paris. They have everything from the best food to fun things to do with kids to the perfect weekend guides. I would check this website out every weekend when living in the city to see what festivals, museum exhibits, and even free things are happening in the city. It’s a great way to get involved in some of the more local things to do in Paris! 5. When is the Best Time to Visit? “Paris is always a good idea” so there is never a bad time to visit. When you decide to visit depends on your preferences. Do you want the best weather for your trip? The fewest amount of crowds? Cheapest accommodations? Which month you should visit Paris will depend on your interests: Best Time for Good Weather: April, May, June, September, October Best Time for Sightseeing: April, May, September, October, and early November Best Time for Saving Money: November, early December, January, and February Personally, my favorite month to visit Paris is October. The weather is perfect, the Autumn leaves are beautiful, and the summer crowds have died down. 6. How To Get From the Airport to the City Center If you are traveling from overseas, you will most likely arrive at Charles de Gaulle Airport. Knowing how to navigate your way from the airport to the city center will make your arrival in Paris less stressful. You have several options when deciding how you want to reach the city center of Paris: taxi, metro, and bus are the most common. TAXI: Taking a taxi from Charles de Gaulle airport (CDG) to the city center of Paris is the quickest and most convenient transfer option. Taxis are readily available outside of all three terminals and will take you about 45 minutes to 1 hour to reach the city center. A fare to Paris city center is approximately 50€, rising by another 10€ at peak or overnight times (typically between 17:00 and 07:00). PROS: Quick and easy, especially if you have a lot of luggage or are traveling in a group of 3+.CONS: Expensive METRO: One of the quickest and cheapest ways to travel into the center of Paris is by the RER B (blue) train line that has station stops at both Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 of the airport. If you arrive in Terminal 1, take the free shuttle train to Terminal 3. You can buy train tickets from one of the blue ticket machines or from a train station employee in a booth. Tickets cost 9.25€ one-way and the journey takes up to 50 minutes, depending on your destination. Note that you may have to transfer to the metro in order to reach your final destination. TIP: Hold on to your ticket! You’ll need it to exit the RER and you can use it to transfer to the Metro.PROS: Fast and cheapCONS: If this is your first time in Paris, the RER and metro can be difficult to figure out. You’ll need to purchase your ticket, find the correct train platform, and potentially navigate the metro if an RER B stop is not your final destination (all of this with your luggage in tow). BUS: The Roissybus is a good option from Charles de Gaulle Airport to the center of Paris if you’re staying in the Opera district. This bus offeres a direct service from all three terminals and drops off in the heart of Opera. This bus runs every 15 minutes from 06:00 to 20:45, and then every 20 minutes until 23:00 PROS: Non-stop bus service if staying in the Opera district.CONS: More expensive than the metro and total time depends on current traffic conditions. 7. Parisians Eat Dinner Late Dinner in Paris is served later than you’re probably used to. It is unusual for Parisians to sit down for dinner in a restaurant before 8 PM, with most eating around 8:30 – 9 PM. Coming from a family that eats dinner around 6:30PM, I thought this was crazy! It’s not actually that bad, especially in the summertime when the sun doesn’t set in Paris until around 10:30 PM. Just note that you should shift your eating schedule to be on Paris time while visiting. Most restaurants will open their doors with tourists in mind, but don’t expect to sit down for your meal earlier than 7 PM. If you’re absolutely starving while waiting for Parisian dinner time, just grab another buttery croissant to hold you over! 8. Paris Shuts Down in August “We apologize for the ‘exceptional’ closure, we will open again on September 1st.” This is usually the signs you’ll see plastered on your favorite restaurants and bakeries during the month of August. This month marks the mass exodus, heading to the South of France or some other beach destination for the month. As such, many of the best restaurants, boulangeries, and cafes will be closed. There will be a distinct lack of local atmosphere during this period and most of the people in the city will be tourists. If you’re looking for a true Paris experience, I don’t recommend visiting Paris in August as many of the best restaurants and shops will be closed. However, after living in Paris for 2 years, I found myself looking forward to August, especially after the crazy summer months. If you want to experience Paris with fewer crowds, August may just be perfect for you! 9. Book Tickets in Advance Over 40 million tourists visit Paris each year – more than any other city in the world! As such, popular attractions like the Louvre and Eiffel Tower can be a nightmare to enter if you don’t plan ahead. You may have heard or read about the horror stories of tourists waiting upwards of 3+ hours just to enter an attraction in Paris. Unfortunately, these stories are very true, especially when visiting in peak tourist season. My advice? Book your tickets ahead of time! These tickets will give you a day and time slot to enter the attraction. All you have to do is show up and skip all the other tourists that didn’t book in advance. It’s the perfect way to save your precious time while on vacation! Book your advance Louvre tickets hereBook your advance Eiffel Tower tickets hereBook your advance Catacombs tickets here 10. Get a SIM Card Whether it’s using Google Maps to navigate back to your hotel or calling to make a dinner reservation, having a phone that works on vacation makes life SO much easier. I recommend purchasing a SIM card through the French cell-phone provider, Orange. Orange is the French equivalent of Verizon or AT&T. For tourists, Orange offers a prepaid holiday SIM card plan that costs €40/$49. This SIM card gives you a French phone number and includes: 20GB of Internet 2 hours and 1000 texts from Europe to worldwide Valid for 14 days after 1st use Covers 30 countries in Europe The best part about this SIM is that you can purchase it before leaving for your trip! All you need is an unlocked cell phone. Purchase your SIM Card in advance on Amazon here Alright, there’s my 10 Things to Know Before Visiting Paris. I hope this helps as you plan your Paris vacation. Do you have any other Paris tips? Let me know in the comments! Want more info about Paris? Check out my other Paris blog posts: 12 Best Views of the Eiffel Tower10 Places You Must Eat In ParisComplete Walking Guide to MontmartreComplete Walking Guide to the Latin Quarter10 Photos to Inspire You to Visit France DID YOU LIKE THIS POST? PIN IT FOR LATER!
