I bet you’re super excited for your first trip to Paris and I don’t blame you. Paris is a pretty fabulous city. I want you to have an amazing and hassle-free trip and I think you will – but this requires a tiny bit of preparation. I’ve seen tourists just “wing it” and then wonder why they had some hitches with their trip AND wasted money on things that were avoidable. There are some really simple yet VERY important things you should know before visiting Paris and I’ve got you covered on all the basics in this article.
*Some of the links in this article will earn a small commission if you click them and then purchase something. Thanks in advance for your support!
Learn these basic French words and phrases
This one is super easy, but also incredibly important. You don’t need to speak French fluently before coming, yet basic niceties are REALLY important to the French. Using a few French words and experiences can make a BIG difference in how they treat you and it doesn’t take all that much effort on your part. Here are the key words to learn (and you might know some of them already):
Bonjour (pronounced bon-joor) – “Hello” or “good day” is a golden word in France. As soon as you enter a shop, café, or if you’re seeking some assistance from someone, say bonjour and you’ll already get your interaction off to a good start.
Bonsoir (pronounced bon-swa) – This means good evening. I know, it’s a little complicated, but from around 6pm, you should say bonsoir, instead of bonjour. Don’t worry if you get confused and use the wrong phrase, the French themselves can lose track of time and say bonjour into the early evening.
Merci (pronounced mer-see) – The French word for “thank you” is another important one that’ll earn you some respect with the French.
S’il vous plaît (pronounced si-vu-play) – This means please, and is polite to add onto a request, like “une baguette, s’il vous plaît”. So this will earn you some extra bonus points and might even garner you a smile from the salesperson.
Au revoir (pronounced o-revwar) – French for goodbye is handy. For example, when leaving a boutique or restaurant, the French often say, “merci, au revoir” (thanks, goodbye), so this combines two of these useful words.
L’addition (pronounced laddishon) – Meaning “the bill”, you’ll definitely need this term when you’re dining out in France. You can also make the waiter bring it faster by saying “l’addition, s’il vous plaît” – the bill, please.
If you’d like to learn more French, consider taking some online lessons before with Lingoda or try the language learning apps like DuoLingo or Babbel.
Book any “must-do” sites and activities in advance
If you’re planning on visiting any top attractions, then a vital thing you should know before visiting Paris is to book these in advance. Museums and monuments like the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Versailles, or Catacombs, all sell out quickly. I’ve seen this happen to visiting friends and I’d hate for you to be disappointed. So if you have your heart set on visiting these places, book around three months in advance (which is when tickets become available). You can figure out the best times to visit Paris’s top attractions thanks to the “Which Day Should You Do It? Guide” which comes with our Paris Itineraries.
Don’t panic if you’re only planning a few weeks before your arrival, skip-the-line tickets are included in organized tours, like these top guided tours of Paris attractions. So you’ll have your tickets sorted and have a great time learning tons of cool facts about the site too.
Many attractions in Paris are open in the evening
This is a great Paris tip that not many visitors know about, but I’m happy to share this little secret with you. Certain places are always open late and many top museums have one or two late openings a week. I’m not suggesting you pack your days with activities, but the sites are MUCH less busy in the evening, and visiting a few later also allows you to do more with your day if you’re tight on time (or you’re just not a morning person).
For example, the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe are open until 10pm-1am (depending on the time of year) and Sacré-Coeur is open till 10:30 pm every day year-round.
The Louvre is open until 9 pm on Wednesdays and Fridays, which is the best time to go and is when this great tour is offered.
The Musée d’Orsay stays open till 9:45 pm on Thursdays and a whole bunch of other great smaller museums also have evening openings.
In the summer, Versailles hosts fountains and fireworks evenings in the gardens on a handful of dates throughout summer. So you can visit the inside of the palace during the afternoon and then stay for the fun festivities. I’ve gone into more detail about how to best visit Versailles on Day 6 of our Paris Itineraries
You can do Paris on the cheap
Paris has a reputation for being a really expensive city – but it actually doesn’t have to be. I love helping visitors save money and there are a LOT of free sites and easy hacks to do this. Here are some of the best and easiest ways:
Walking around – The city is like an open-air museum, so you can enjoy its charming streets and amazing architecture without paying a cent. This also saves on transport costs.
Enjoy the city’s parks and churches – Paris has over 400 gardens and parks and dozens of stunning churches that are entirely free to visit (not the Sainte-Chapelle, unfortunately). You can simply chill in the parks or have a little picnic (see the next tip), and even if you’re not religious, churches here are works gorgeous and like works of art. I’ve included ALL of my favorites in our Paris Itineraries.
Visit food and flea markets – I adore the open-air food markets in Paris. Going to one is another fun cultural experience and they’re the perfect place to pick up some picnic supplies, which is usually cheaper than having a meal at a restaurant. The city’s various flea markets are also great for browsing and possibly even finding some affordable and unique souvenirs. Parisians love going to the flea market so they’re good places to hang with the locals too.
Make the most of free entrance at museums – If you’re into art or history, you can enjoy art for free at the museums managed by the City of Paris, such as the Musée Carnavalet (one of my favorite museums in the city), the Maison de Victor Hugo, and the Petit Palais. Many national museums, like the Musée d’Orsay and the Orangerie, are free on the 1st Sunday of every month.
The Louvre is free the first Friday of the month (except for July and August) and Versailles is free on the 1st Sunday only from November to March, another benefit of traveling off-season. You still have to reserve online for these venues, but it’s worth going on these days if you’re looking to save. If you’re traveling with kids 17 and under, they are also free at these major museums and monuments.
Paris is a great walking city
As I said above, you’ll want to do a lot of walking so you can take in Paris, but since the city’s pretty compact, lots of places of interest are also within walking distance of each other. I myself don’t get a monthly métro pass, because I love walking around the city. You can explore all the best neighborhoods in the city thanks to the handy walking routes in our Paris Itineraries.
However, you’ll definitely want to wear comfy shoes for all this walking. Running shoes are actually very popular with Parisians these days. The locals tend to wear stylish ones, not big clunky sports shoes, so you might want to keep this in mind while you’re shopping and packing.
Public transport or e-bikes are often faster than taxis
Despite all the walking you’ll do in Paris, you’ll likely need to take some form of transport a few times. That said, you might want to think twice before you jump into a taxi (or Uber) in Paris. The city has been reducing vehicle traffic throughout the whole city by adding bike lanes and closing streets in front of schools. This is great for the environment, air quality, and the general ambiance on the city’s streets, but it’s increased traffic, which can be pretty bad during rush hour (8am-10am and 5pm-7pm). So I really encourage you to use public transport while you’re in Paris. It’s fast, safe, and a great way to save money too. Learn more about your options, how to pay, and more in our articles on transport in Paris.
All these new bike lanes actually means that cycling can be the fastest way to get from A to B. You’ll save time (and give your feet a break) and be able to admire the city along your way. I sometimes get a bike on Sundays to simply enjoy a ride around the city when it’s quieter. You can book an electric Lime bike through the Lime or Uber app, or the city has a bike-sharing program, Vélib, but you’ll have to sign up to be able to use it. Vélib fees range from €3 for 45 minutes to €20 for an unlimited 3-day pass (e-bikes included).
Look both ways before crossing the street
On the topic of walking and biking, these days you really need to look both ways before you cross the street here. Paris has a lot of one-way streets, but bikes and electric foot scooters are allowed to go the opposite way on these streets. There are also a lot more electric cars which are very quiet. So it’s better to just play it safe and get in the habit of checking both left and right before you step out into the street and check for bike lanes. I have to remind myself about this too, I almost got hit by a cyclist just the other day!
Cultural differences to know when going to a restaurant in Paris
Dining habits vary from country to country, so it’s a good idea to know a little about possible differences in France before you arrive. Parisians generally eat lunch between 12:30pm and 2pm and dinner no earlier than 7pm. This means that many restaurants close from mid-afternoon to 7 or 7:30 pm. Don’t worry, you won’t go hungry if you’re used to eating dinner earlier than this or are simply hungry between these times. All you need to do is track down a “brasserie”. This is a more casual restaurant that serves food all day. The menu varies from one to the next, but you’ll find dishes like croque-monsieur sandwiches, salads, and steak-frites.
When you arrive at a café, don’t seat yourself, wait for the maitre d’ or a waiter to come over first. Café terraces are a bit of an exception to this rule, where you can grab any table that isn’t set for a meal if you’re just planning on having a drink. In French, the word “entrée” is a starter/appetizer, which is a tad confusing for anglophones. A main course is “un plat”, and dessert is the same word as in English, so that’s nice and easy.
When ordering, tell the waiter your food order first and drinks second – unless it’s dinnertime when the waiter might ask you if you’d like to start with an aperitif drink. Meals in France will likely take you longer than you’d expect and you might also have to ask for the bill a couple of times.
Smoking is allowed on café terraces
There are still quite a lot of smokers in France, which I know can surprise some visitors from countries where it’s not the norm anymore. Fortunately, smoking is NOT allowed inside cafes and restaurants, but it is on terraces, and Parisians definitely take advantage. So if you’re allergic or don’t like cigarette smoke, you’ll be much happier dining inside.
Tipping isn’t required
I’m happy to say that tipping customs is one of the least complex aspects of France (the bar is kinda low, but still). Even though you won’t see it itemized on your bill, a 15% service charge is already included in the price of food and drinks in all restaurants, cafés, and bars. This is because French waiters are salaried employees and so they earn a living wage with benefits, paid vacation, and healthcare coverage.
But if you have some really good service, a small tip will be appreciated and isn’t considered rude or over the top. You could leave around 5% of the bill, so 20-50 cents for a drink, €1-2 for a casual meal, and a bit more for fancy restaurants. It’s best to leave this in cash (see the next section), or if you’re paying by credit card, you can ask the waiter to add it before they punch the total amount into the card machine, which they’ll bring to your table.
You’ll need a little cash
A lot of countries are going cash-free these days and Paris is following this trend, but it isn’t fully quite there yet. So it’s a good idea to have a bit of cash on you because some small shops, like bakeries, convenience stores, or food stalls, have a minimum spend of €5 or €10 to pay by card. I wouldn’t want you to miss out on enjoying a croissant or picking up a drink on a hot day. Having some coins is also useful for tipping. If you’re planning on going to the flea market, most of the vendors want to be paid in cash. There are usually only a few ATMs at the market, so it’s best to bring some with you.
If you need medical assistance, it won’t cost a fortune
I don’t want you to have to use this last tip, but on the slim chance you have to see a doctor in France, it won’t cost you an arm and a leg (bad pun intended). There’s state-sponsored healthcare here, and while this isn’t free for non-Europeans, a visit to the general practitioner only costs €30. You can find one and book an appointment on the website Doctolib.fr. The website’s in French, but there’s a filter for English-speaking doctors.
Prescription medication is also pretty cheap in Paris, but if you need more serious medical care or hospitalization, it could cost a few hundred euros or more. If you want to play it safe, I recommend getting travel insurance, World Nomads offers some great and affordable coverage plans. You should always be travelling abroad with travel insurance so definitely get some for your upcoming trips.
Did you find my tips on the top things you should know before visiting Paris helpful? Read these next:
Pin this…
