Do you have any insider tips for traveling to Paris, France?

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Cowgirl

The Metro is EXTREMELY busy in the morning and from 6 to 8 pm. I suggest you avoid rush hour times because the most possible amount of people are crammed into the subways!

Be sure not to look like you're travelling alone, there are some strange men that hang around the subway drinking beer and begging for money. The only place where you can purchase Metro Tickets is at a Metro station.

Stay around the tourist areas if you don't speak much French. Often people will be more respectful to you if you know some French, so speak it!

Tourist lineups are very long in the middle of the afternoon in the summer (especially the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower), so get there early. Also, make sure to have about 0.50 euros with you because most places charge to go the the washroom!

If you are buying souveniers, do not purchase them near tourist sites because they inflate prices. Also, the taxes for food is 19.5%, but tips are included in the taxes.

Shopping is great around Pont-Neuf and the Champ-Elysees, but it can get a little expensive. Lafayette and Le Printemps are great malls for tourists.

Most of the attractions are of walking distance. (eg. The Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Champs Elysees, etc.) The most popular sites are The Eiffel Tower, The Louvre Museum, Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Elysees, L'Opera, Notre Dame, Sacre Coeur... but there are so many to name!

You should take a tour bus around Paris because a one-day pass will take you around the whole city (while avoiding the Metro traffic) and also drop you off at all the Tourist areas! You can hope off and on the bus as many times as you want.

Try staying at a hotel near the Metro, otherwise you'd have to walk far. There are good hotels located conveniently around Le Jardin de Plantes. I stayed at Le Campanile Paris, near the Place de Clichy subway stop.

Have a great time in Paris!! : )

shukuken

Definitely use www.Tripadvisor.com. We found our hotel there, and some of the reviews also gave us handy tips like to skip the breakfast (at 9 euro per person) and just go to the nearby cafes and bakeries instead. We also chose our hotel because of how close it was to Chatelet-Les Halles--a stop on the train from Charles de Gaulle airport, so arriving and leaving Paris was made easier that way.

The area we stayed in (1st arrondisement) was perfect for a short stay. Our hotel was just a short walk from the Louvre, the Pompidou Centre (which unfortunately was on strike and therefore closed the entire time we were there) Notre Dame, etc., etc. We could also walk past Notre Dame, across the Seine to the Latin Quarter, which was jampacked with all kinds of restaurants with menu prices lower than in "our" area. We were also lucky to find loads of free events going on--fire dancers in front of Notre Dame, an Armenian choir concert in Ste Severine cathedral in the Latin Quarter, etc. Part of the fun is that Paris is a city made for walking, so you never know what you might come across!

If you are into museums, plan on going to the Louvre more than once. Its open late two nights a week, with reduced admission after 6PM those nights. Check their website before you leave to confirm their hours/admission.

I also found a Monoprix near the hotel--its a dept store that has a really great grocery, bakery and discount wine department! I kept going there to buy bottled water and toiletries that I had forgotten to pack (or was forced to discard because of airport security.) My friend stocked up on diet Coke (Coke "light") because it was more expensive than alcohol in restaurants!

jorgeyankee

I had been in Paris twice, but the second time, in may of this year, was the best. I stayed in a Hotel in front of Louvre and Touilleres from the Emeraude Chain, is great, clean and in the middle of everything. And if you are in Paris, take at least two days to visit the Louvre, one day just to walk around and go at least two more days for DÂ´Orsay and Sacre Cour. then take a trip to Loira Valley, the castles are the most beautifull thing in the word....

The Great Procrastinator

Rue d'artagnan has the cheapest and best hostel in paris. I went there once a couple of years ago, food was good too. It was called hostel d'artagnan or something like that.

Jessica

Buy a good metro map - I liked Streetwise Paris or Artwise Paris the best.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ This website has forums and articles that will answer all of your questions.

assassin

left bank are is good, also visit the Pompidou centre

f.torres9

wow i know that so many people told you already but the top three place that i totally suggest are the champs elysees avenue because there are the hottest stores there to shop and when you need help their are alot of tourist in that area and lots of restaurants. tour effiel is the best! like seriously. just staying in the park is just gorgeous! it's so fun. especially when i was pretending to be british. i'm american. and then if you really want to you know, like have your picture be drawn by an artist, which i highly recommend, you should go to sacre couer. the best place! have fun!

Eyes of Green

don't go in the summer when it is hot they do not shower and you will choke with the BO stench while on public transportation. Also many bathrooms are not separated to be prepared to see men going right in front of you.

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