Top 24 Paris Travel Tips | The Best Hacks on Budget Travel, Sight-Seeing, & More
Paris, being one of the most popular dream destinations in the whole world, is often an overwhelming outing to plan and execute. With the innumerable experiences you can have, come innumerable suggestions. Here are the Top 25 Paris travel tips and hacks.
24 Essential Paris Travel Tips & Hacks
1. Visit off the peak season
Best Time to Visit Tip
- If you’d like to encounter more locals than tourists, a trip between October and April works best.
- The city is extremely crowded in the peak season (generally the summer). This means longer queues, packed streets and limited availability of tickets.
2. Prepare for late dinners
Food Tip
- Parisians generally have their dinner after 8 PM, which can even go up to 9:30 PM.
- Due to this, many restaurants don’t open until around 7 PM, so you might want to keep some snacks handy for the evenings.
3. Look out for your metro stations
Transport Tip
- An important thing to remember while traveling is that not all metro lines announce the station on arrival.
- To avoid missing your stop, keep looking out of the window or keep track of the stations you’ve passed.
4. Covered passages are your best friends
Getting Around Tip
- Paris is known for its erratic and heavy rains. Luckily, if you forget an umbrella, there are around 20 Covered Passages mainly around the 2nd, 9th and 10th arrondissements.
- They are really pretty and also have shops and cafes.
5. Don’t underestimate “Bonjour”
Etiquette Tip
- It is considered extremely rude if you don’t greet with “bonjour” on entering a shop, or don’t say “au revoir” or “merci” when leaving.
- Greetings are taken very seriously in Paris, so make sure to learn some French phrases beforehand.
6. Use public transport as much as you can
Transport Tip
- Taxis and rental cars are too expensive in Paris. The network of public transport is really well laid out and takes you almost everywhere, cheaply and conveniently!
- Not to forget, it makes your experience more ‘homely’, just like a local.
7. Visit museums for free on the first Sunday
Budget Tip
- Some of the city’s top museums like The Orsay, and even The Louvre have free entry on the first Sunday of the month.
- Plan your visit around the first week of the month to save yourself some bucks!
8. Tips are not an obligation in Paris
Etiquette Tip
- Unlike a lot of other western countries, tipping culture in Paris is much less prominent.
- A 15% service charge is levied on each item that you order, and servers and waiters get benefits like paid leave, health care, living wage.
9. Book your accommodation in advance
Accommodation Tip
- With such a huge inflow of tourists every year, finding a vacancy in your desired hotel is always toilsome, especially if you delay it for the last moment.
- Make sure to book well in advance to not end up compromising.
10. A Seine cruise is unmissable!
Sight-seeing Tip
- Be it morning, evening or night, one of the most worthwhile experiences is enjoying Paris floating along the river Seine on a beautiful cruise.
- There are plenty of options for short or long trips, with a hearty meal.
11. Remember that you can’t see everything on one trip
Sight-seeing Tip
- With Paris having so much to offer, don’t feel guilty if you’re not able to fit everything in your itinerary (even if they’re “must-sees”).
- It is alright to skip some places and enjoy the ones you visit properly instead.
12. Shop at the flea market
Shopping Tip
- Explore one of the world’s largest flea markets, Les Puces and hunt for some dirt cheap souvenirs.
- Moreover, wandering through this popular market, admiring the sprawling alleyways and stands is quite a fun and adventurous experience.
13. Avoid common tourist traps
Safety Tip
- With so many tourists, come so many scams. Stay away from people on the streets offering you bracelets or roses, or those who approach you asking if you know English.
- Try to skip cafes and restaurants close to main attractions.
14. Pack comfortable footwear
Packing Tip
- Once you are in Paris, you realize how much you need to walk. Combine that with the cobblestone laden streets, and you’ll miss your comfy shoes over those fancy sandals.
- Be wise and practical, and pack some good shoes.
15. Don’t dress like a tourist
Fashion Tip
- One thing that some Parisian locals look down on is tourists dressed in gaudy, “touristy” clothes.
- You can leave the bold prints, high heels and fancy dresses away, and pack some comfortable and neutral clothes like jeans and T-shirts.
16. Take your IDs everywhere
Budget Tip
- Many Parisian attractions offer discounts, and sometimes even free entry to students, seniors, EU residents and youths, depending on the place.
- Major museums, the metro and even the Eiffel tower offer such discounts, so check them out before you visit.
17. Go picnicking
Budget Tip
- There are plenty of parks, greenspaces and picnic spots like the Parc des Buttes Chaumont, Square du Vert-Galant and Champ de Mars.
- Grab some local baguettes, assorted cheese and meat to skip the expensive restaurants for an enchanting experience.
18. Get travel insurance
Safety Tip
- Travel insurance becomes all the more important in tourist cities like Paris, with so many scammers and pickpockets lurking around to prey on tourists.
- The peace of mind that the insurance brings is definitely worth the cost.
19. Explore at a slow pace
Sight-seeing Tip
- Paris might tempt you to cover as many spots as possible in one go, making you rush your visits.
- To fully enjoy your experience, grab a map, mark some major places you want to visit and spend some quality time there.
20. The Louvre can be overwhelming
Sight-seeing Tip
- Being the largest art museum in the world and housing over 35,000 artworks, it’s not even possible to watch the major artworks, let alone the entire museum in one visit.
- Plan your visit in advance to not get overwhelmed.
21. Stay close to major attractions
Accommodation Tip
- Time is money on a vacation. Book a central hotel, close to the attractions that you want to visit.
- You’ll end up spending too much time traveling around if you reside a bit far from the central locations.
22. Don’t prioritize going up the Eiffel Tower
Sight-seeing Tip
- This might sound surprising, but there are far better views of the majestic Parisian skyline than from the top of Eiffel Tower.
- Some of the best viewing spots include the Arc de Triomphe, Montparnasse Tower, Notre Dame and many more. They are easier to access, and less time-consuming especially if you're visiting for a short while.
23. Cover up inside churches
Etiquette Tip
- To be respectful, it is a general practice to cover your shoulders and knees inside Parisian churches.
- This might not be mentioned outside explicitly, but is definitely a good practice. Also, keep your voice down.
24. Sale season in June and January
Shopping Tip
- Shops are only permitted to have sales twice a year - June and January.
- If the major purpose of your visit is shopping, plan it in these months to make some incredible bargains. This sale season is called “Les Soldes”.
Frequently Asked Questions About Paris Travel Tips & Hacks
Keep your ticket until you leave the train stations, Keep your belongings safe from pickpockets, Stand on the right hand side of the escalators.
Explore more wonderful museums than just the Louvre, Try to get skip-the-line tickets wherever available, Don’t try to cover all the attractions in one or two days.
If you’re going for the first time, try staying close to the main attractions, Consider living in an Airbnb, Book your accommodation in advance for better prices.
Entry to most major museums is free on the first Sunday of the month , Drink wine instead of soft drinks because it’s often cheaper, Take public transport instead of Taxis.
Avoid talking to random people who approach you asking if you speak English, Avoid the unsafe and non family friendly areas, Stay away from restaurant patios as they’re full of cigarette smoke.
Plan your itinerary practically to avoid getting overwhelmed and spending too much time at one place, Learn some common French phrases, Pack comfortable shoes, Paris is full of walking.
When traveling for the first time, don’t be afraid to ask for help, the locals are generally very helpful. Make sure to soak in the history and beauty of the museums, monuments, food and other localities. All in all, make the most out of your visit and you’ll not leave disappointed.
Though not considered rude, you're not required to leave a tip in Paris. The price of each item includes a 15% service fee in all cafes, restaurants and bars. Moreover, all the servers get a full wage and benefits like health care, living wage etc.
Even though there are plenty of good itineraries for short trips to Paris, it is recommended to spend at least four days there to have enough time for world-class attractions as well as some hidden gems. Some extra days can call for great day trips like Disneyland.
On your first visit to Paris, it is a good choice to stay close to the main landmarks. Grab a map and mark all the attractions you plan on seeing. Then find a place that’s in close vicinity of most of them.
With all the glam, yes, you should expect Paris to be more on the expensive side as compared to other European cities. However, there's something for everyone, and plenty of options to consider for a budget trip.
Yes! It’s absolutely normal to wear jeans in Paris. It’s all about comfort. Apart from a lot of locals that wear jeans, there are also tourists aplenty who can be spotted in jeans all around the city.