Survival Guide: Paris
Elegant, efficient, and entirely unimpressed by tourists who expect it to be otherwise. Here's how to actually get the good version of the city.
Paris has a reputation problem that's almost entirely self-inflicted by tourists who arrive expecting a movie set and leave disappointed when it behaves like an actual city. Parisians aren't rude to tourists, generally — they're the same amount of curt to everyone, tourist or not, and the entire experience improves dramatically the moment you stop expecting warm American-style customer service and start engaging on the city's actual terms.
Once you make that adjustment, Paris becomes one of the most rewarding cities on earth to spend a week in. Here's how to make that adjustment quickly, plus the practical details that separate a great trip from a frustrating one.
Say Bonjour First, Every Single Time
This is the single most important cultural rule in Paris and the one visitors break most often without realising it. Walking up to a shopkeeper, waiter, or ticket clerk and immediately launching into a request in English, with no greeting, is considered genuinely rude in French culture — not because of the English, but because of the missing greeting. Start every interaction with "Bonjour" (or "Bonsoir" in the evening), even if your next sentence is in English. This one habit, more than anything else on this list, changes how you're treated for the rest of the exchange.
Getting Around Without Losing Your Mind
- The Metro — Extremely dense, extremely efficient, and the fastest way between most major sites. Buy a Navigo Easy card at any station and load it with tickets as needed.
- Walking — Central Paris is compact enough that entire days can be spent walking between neighbourhoods rather than riding, and it's genuinely the best way to experience the city.
- Vélib' bike share — A dense network of docking stations across the city, cheap, and a lovely way to move along the Seine.
- Taxis and rideshares — Fine but rarely necessary given the Metro's coverage; mostly useful late at night or with heavy luggage.
Paris isn't cold to tourists. It's exactly as formal with everyone. Match the formality and the whole city warms up.
What to Actually See
- The Louvre, but with a plan — It's genuinely too large to see properly in one visit. Pick three or four works you actually want to see and build a small route around them, rather than wandering and burning out after an hour.
- Sainte-Chapelle — Consistently overshadowed by Notre-Dame next door, and consistently more breathtaking inside, with stained glass covering nearly every wall.
- Père Lachaise Cemetery — A genuinely beautiful, atmospheric walk, and home to graves ranging from Chopin to Jim Morrison.
- Le Marais — Boutiques, falafel, and some of the best people-watching in the city, in a neighbourhood that largely escaped the 19th-century redesign of the rest of Paris.
- A neighbourhood market, not a tourist one — Marché des Enfants Rouges or a local Sunday market gives you the city's actual food culture, not the version priced for visitors.
The Café Trap
A café directly facing a major monument is, almost without exception, priced for the view rather than the coffee, and the coffee itself is rarely the city's best. Walk two streets back from any major landmark and you'll typically pay half the price for better food and a more genuine experience. This single habit — walking away from the view before you sit down — will meaningfully improve both your budget and your meals for the entire trip.
The Non-Negotiables
- Watch for pickpockets around the Eiffel Tower, Louvre, and Metro Line 1 — the busiest tourist corridors, unsurprisingly, carry the highest risk. Keep bags zipped and in front of you.
- Petition and "gold ring" scams near major monuments — a stranger asks you to sign something or claims to find a ring on the ground near you. Politely decline and keep walking, every time.
- Book the Louvre and Eiffel Tower online in advance — walk-up queues in peak season can run hours, and skip-the-line tickets bought from street vendors are a markup on something you could book directly yourself.
- Most shops close on Sundays, and many close for a long lunch — plan errands and shopping accordingly rather than assuming everything runs on your schedule.
Learn One Phrase Properly
Before your next trip anywhere in France, practice "Bonjour, parlez-vous anglais?" until it feels natural. That one sentence, said first, changes the tone of nearly every interaction you'll have in the country.
