10 Tips for Travelling to Paris

When you start planning a trip to Paris, you tend to focus on setting out your itinerary and researching everything there is to see in Paris. The sheer number of attractions makes this step essential for making the most of your time, but sometimes you overlook some equally important practical details.

That's why, in this article, I'm going to give you some simple tips to help your trip go smoothly. Sometimes it's the little details that make the difference between a great experience and a problematic stay, such as knowing how to get around the city or the possibility of purchasing a tourist card to save a little money and increase your comfort.

If there are two places you should always visit when travelling to Paris (even if you only spend one day there), they are the Louvre Museum and the Eiffel Tower. However, their popularity can mean that they are overcrowded, making the experience less enjoyable than you might hope.

To try to avoid the crowds, you should take into account the busiest times, as well as those that are, in principle, more conducive to seeing both attractions in a more relaxed manner:

• As for when to go to the Louvre Museum, it would be best to avoid visiting between 11:00 and 16:00, as this is when it is most crowded. Remember that it opens its doors at around 9:00 a.m., so getting up early to have time to see the Louvre at a more leisurely pace could be the solution. Alternatively, you can also go in the afternoon or take advantage of the days when it is open later, usually until around 9:30 p.m.
• Climbing the Eiffel Tower during the high season, in summer in Paris, usually involves long queues, especially at weekends. Outside this period, the crowds thin out considerably, but my advice is to try to arrive early, before 10:30 a.m. Another good time to go up is after 5:00 p.m. or at night.

Paris is one of the cities in the world that receives the most tourists each year. One of the consequences of this attraction is the endless queues that form in front of its main tourist attractions. These waits, in addition to being uncomfortable, end up being a great waste of time, especially in cases where the stay is short, and to avoid them, there is only one solution: buy tickets in advance.

Fortunately, many of Paris' attractions offer this option so you don't have to endure long waits, from the Louvre Museum to the Eiffel Tower, as well as other iconic Parisian monuments:

• Tickets for the Musée d'Orsay — from £35
• Tickets for the Montparnasse Tower — from £19
• Tickets for Les Invalides —from £15
• Tickets for the Rodin Museum —from £14
• Tickets for the Palace of Versailles —from £21
• Tickets for the Arc de Triomphe —from £15

Oh, and by the way, if you're planning to visit Disneyland Paris, don't forget to buy your tickets one or two days in advance.

The French capital has a very efficient public transport network, with the metro being the main means of getting around the city quickly, as it allows you to avoid traffic.

In my article How to use the Paris metro, I explain all the factors you need to take into account. These include the extremely useful "Next Stop" app, which includes a handy map of the lines in operation and allows you to calculate itineraries without having to be connected to the internet. Among the different types of tickets available are:

• Ticket t+: this is a single ticket. If you are not going to use the metro much, this will suffice.
• Paris Visite: there are several types depending on the validity (between 1 and 5 days) and the areas you want to visit. It also includes discounts for some of Paris' tourist attractions.
• Navigo pass: in principle, this pass is cheaper than the previous one if you are staying in Paris for approximately one week. The main disadvantage is that it is somewhat more complicated to obtain, as you need a passport-size photograph and pay a non-refundable €5 fee.

Unless you are lucky enough to be able to extend your stay in Paris for more than 7 days, you will need to make a list of what you want to see in advance to make the most of your time. From a financial point of view, which is also important, it is worth researching the options offered by the French capital.

Possibly the best way to save on your visits is with the Paris Pass tourist card. This card gives you significant discounts on admission to more than 60 attractions, including the Louvre Museum, the Arc de Triomphe and the Basilica of Saint-Denis.

It is also worth knowing that on the first Sunday of each month, many museums offer free admission.

The large size of Paris (plus its surroundings) and the large number of places to visit can make sightseeing complicated. Getting from one place to another takes time that you may not have, not to mention the time lost researching how to get to each monument. To avoid this, one of the best options is to book one of the many tours available in Paris. Practically everyone will find one suited to their interests:

• Food lovers can book a tour of Paris's patisseries.
• Sports enthusiasts can book a bike tour of Paris or even an electric bike tour.
• For fans of scary stories, the ideal plan is to book a night-time ghost tour or even do it by bike.
• There are also tours that explore specific districts in depth, such as the tour of the Latin Quarter, the tour of the Saint-Germain-des-Prés district of Paris or the tour of Montmartre.
• In addition, you can also take excursions outside Paris.

Another option to save time is the tourist bus. These allow you to hop on and off as often as you like and usually cover the most interesting places in the city. On the one hand, you can get a seat on the Big Bus; on the other hand, you can book a seat on the Toot bus, which also includes two self-guided walking tours of different areas of the capital.

Finally, you can always take advantage of an interesting option that the city offers its visitors: the Batobus. This is a boat that travels along the Seine with the same conditions as a tourist bus, as it allows you to hop on and off at its many stops near the most important attractions.

Although it will always depend on how long you are in a city, personally one of the tips I like to follow is to stray a little from the beaten track. In the case of Paris, with its many hidden charms, you can discover impressive places if you decide to walk around the neighbourhoods of Paris.

These are places less visited by tourists, but which will delight anyone who finds them. Here is a short list of these places, but you can surely find more on your own:

• Canal St-Martin: this is a kind of artificial tributary of the Seine where merchant ships sail. The walk along its banks is really pleasant, something that Parisians know well, as they often picnic there on sunny days. An excellent plan is to book a cruise on the River Seine and the Canal St-Martin. If you're lucky, you'll see the bridges open to let the boats that still travel along it pass through.
• Passages and galleries: Paris is full of passages and galleries that combine beautiful architecture with wonderful decoration. My advice is to find a good map to plan a route or book a tour of Paris's covered passages and galleries.
• Paris viewpoints: beyond the views from the Eiffel Tower or Notre Dame, Paris offers visitors other viewpoints from which to contemplate the city. Some, such as the Montparnasse Tower, charge an entrance fee, while others, such as the terrace of the Printemps Galleries, are completely free.

When the sun goes down, the city of Paris is transformed and shows a different side of itself. In Paris at night, its streets and many of its monuments are illuminated and life continues to bustle in a multitude of venues.

Although everyone has a different way of travelling, there are some attractions of Paris by night that you should not miss. Here is a short list of the most essential ones so that you can find the ones that best suit your interests:

• Visit the Eiffel Tower: the icon of Paris lights up at night to show off its imposing figure to the whole city. To enjoy it, you can simply admire it from somewhere nearby or take a night-time trip up the Eiffel Tower to see the metropolis from above. Finally, if the weather is good, you can also sit in the Champs de Mars and have a little night-time picnic.
• Enjoy the nightlife: although this is true of many cities around the world, it can be said that Paris never sleeps. The more lively will find a large number of bars and nightclubs to enjoy until the early hours of the morning.
• Go to a cabaret: many believe that Paris is the birthplace of cabarets. The most famous is undoubtedly the Moulin Rouge, which offers the chance to have dinner and see the Moulin Rouge show. Other equally interesting venues are the Lido, the Crazy Horse and the Paradis Latin.
• The Seine at night: the river that crosses the capital also offers visitors several ways to enjoy it at night, such as taking one of the night cruises on the Seine or simply strolling along its banks, admiring its beautiful bridges.

Getting around Paris at night

Given that transport schedules are limited, getting around at night will depend on the time. The metro runs until 1:00 a.m. (2:00 a.m. on weekends). After that, you will need to find another way to get around, such as the Noctilien bus service, which runs between 12:30 a.m. and 7:00 a.m., or take a taxi.

Although schedules in Paris are somewhat more flexible than in smaller French towns, the differences with Spain are still noticeable, especially when it comes to restaurants in Paris.

All travellers must adapt to the customs of the country they are visiting unless they want to run the risk of finding everything closed. In the French capital, people usually eat between 12:00 and 13:30, so it is relatively common for many kitchens to close at 14:00.

On the other hand, dinner is usually served from 19:30 to 20:00, which means that if you want to have a snack, you will also have to eat quite early.

For those of us who love to discover the cuisine of the places we visit, Paris seems like a great opportunity. Trying different dishes is the best way to get closer to its culture, and it's something I recommend you don't miss.

Among the most typical dishes you'll find in the French capital are:

• Foie gras.
• Escargots (snails).
• Boeuf bourguignon (beef stew with red wine).
• Quiche Lorraine (a kind of savoury tart with meat and cheese).
• Croque-monsieur (a classic baked cheese and ham sandwich).
• French cheeses, best accompanied by a glass of wine or champagne.

And, of course, you must always leave room for the country's wonderful desserts. If you have a sweet tooth, you must try:

• The best crêpes in Paris.
• Macarons.
• Petit fours.
• Café au lait with a freshly baked croissant, the typical French breakfast.

To make your trip a complete success, here are some useful and easy-to-follow tips:

• Learn a few phrases in French. You don't need to become bilingual, but learning to say bonjour (good morning), merci (thank you) or s'il vous plaît (please) will help you on some occasions. If you add monsieur or madame, the result will be even better.
• Closely related to the above is the great importance given in France to manners and politeness. Never forget to say hello or ask for things "please" in restaurants or ticket offices, and always try to avoid using informal language.
• It may not occur to you, but you should know that feeding the pigeons is strictly prohibited. The fines can also be quite high.
• Swimming in the Seine is also prohibited, even in summer. If you can't resist the urge, just head to Paris Plage.
• One last prohibition that may be useful to know is that being drunk in public can result in a fine. Obviously, no one will say anything if you have a glass of wine while picnicking in a park, but try not to exceed a certain limit.