For those who are going to visit Paris for the first time, as well as for those who already know the capital of France, some tips that help you plan the trip and understand some basic aspects are never wrong. These are our tips for traveling to Paris (and not screw it up).
Paris has several airports, unfortunately the one that operates Ryanair flights is the one of Beauvais, which is quite far away. If you can try to avoid it.
Whatever your arrival airport, here are the options for transport To get to the center of Paris.
In Paris, neighborhoods are divided into districts (or “arrondissement”) numbered from 1 to 20.In which of them to stay? Our tips are:
- Try to stay in the districts from 1-10: They are the ones that offer the greatest tourist attractions and where there are more accommodation (and if there is a lot of competition there are many offers!)
- Although our favorite area is the 18th district, where is it located Montmartre. There is much accommodation and cheaper (being farther from the center).
- Take a look also at district 17, next to Montmartre but much less touristy and 100% Parisian
- And at 11th district, Bastille, which is becoming very fashionable especially for going out at night.
Paris is not the cheapest city in the world in terms of accommodation, but it is advance reservations and avoid high seasons you can find very good deals.
Another option is to stay at tourist apartment with Airbnb (here you have a € 25 discount) especially if you want to save some money by cooking at home.
¿What's in each district? In the 1 for example there is, among other things, the Louvre, in the 2 the Opera, in the 3 is the Marais neighborhood (the historical heart of Paris), in the 4 Notre Dame, in the 5 the Latin Quarter, 6 is a neighborhood full of culture and a tad pijo hehe, on 7 is the Eiffel Tower ...
To start a close relationship with Paris, why not do it with some free tour? They are free, although remember to leave a tip!
- Free tour of Paris
- Mysteries and Legends Tour
- Latin Quarter Tour
Paris is one of the most visited cities in the world, if you want to save time our recommendation is that book early the entrances to the most tourist attractions, such as the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre museum…
To buy the entrance to the Eiffel TowerWe believe that it is best to do it through the official website, it is the cheapest. The day and time of the visit must be chosen.
If you go in and no availability For the day of your visit, or the time you want, you always have the option to go to other websites like this. The price is more expensive, but you save having to wait a long time at the box office.
There are two types of ticket, the one that goes up to the second floor (€ 16), and whoever does it until the summit (€ 25). Although this second one is more expensive, without a doubt the experience is much more complete. Do not hesitate!
If the entrance is free and there is no way to reserve it (as in the case of Notre Dame) the best advice we can give you is:early morning!
Paris is not only immense, but there are many things to see and do, so we recommend prepare a planning Visiting quite organized to not waste precious time. In this post we give you an itinerary to visit Paris in 3 days, we hope it can be useful.
Although we always try to visit the cities on foot, in Paris the truth is that we use the subway quite a lot. The single ticket Ticket t + costs € 1.90, to save a little on transport it is best to get a transport card Unlimited (Paris Visit 1, 2, 3 or 5 days) or with a 10-trip voucher (€ 14.90). Here you can download the map with the subway lines.
On the tourist card Paris PassIn addition to the entrance to 60 attractions, unlimited transportation is also included. Make some calculations and see if it compensates you to buy this pass or make the visits separately. More info and reservation.
For information, the 3-day Paris Pass It costs € 160 and includes access without queue to:
- Louvre Museum
- Palace of Versailles
- River Seine Cruise
- Nôtre-Dame Cathedral (with access to the Towers)
- Arch of Triumph
- Montparnasse Tower
- Pompidou Art Center
- Garnier opera
- Orsay's Museum
- Tourist bus
Calculate the itinerary of your transfers on the official transport website of Paris (RATP). You can also use theGoogle Maps, which is usually quite reliable. You already know that roaming It has been removed in Europe and you can use your data connection!
If the subway is the most used transport, the bus It gives you the option to contemplate the city while you travel. The most interesting lines they are: line 72 that crosses the Seine by its north margin, line 63 that makes the route by the south margin of the Seine, and the Montmartrobus that cross the district of Montmartre. Here you can download the map with all bus lines.
Which is the best time to visit Paris? April, May, September and October are our favorite months: the weather is usually good and, although it is true that the city always has a lot of tourism, it is not the madness of August or December.
If you want to avoid annoying commissions of your bank, get a special card. We use the Bnext card that we combine with the N26 card. We carry two each, to extend limits, they are free and you will see that you save money!
In France eats fancy and Paris is no exception. But if your budget is a small thing, don't worry: you won't have to eat super tuna sandwiches (at least not every day). In this post we recommend 8 restaurants where you can eat well and cheaply in Paris.
Do not leave the city without living one of the most beautiful experiences in Paris: organize a picnic either in Champs de Mars in front of the Eiffel Tower, or in a canal on the banks of the Seine. Buy different types of bread in one boulangerie, cheeses, wine and fruit in a supermarket and voila! Planazo good, beautiful, cheap and unforgettable.
A good way to save is to get a stainless steel bottle and fill it in one of the many Paris fountains: the water is rich and of course ... free!
And if you are going to have lunch or dinner in a restaurant and want to save a good little money ask forune carafe d'eau”They will bring you tap water and it's free. I wish it were like that everywhere.
Register on websites where to find promotions Enjoy dining experiences: 50% menus, 2 × 1 and many more offers. For example lafourchette or groupon.
If you want to make one excursion to Versailles try to avoid going on the weekend: it is usually filled even more. You can book the excursion here.
If you travel to Paris during the first sunday of the month you're in luck: there are many free museums. Just be prepared to share the experience with a few other art lovers. More info.
Always have education and learn some French words: saying "merci" costs nothing and say hello with "Bonjour, monsieur" or "Bonjour, madame" will be well received by your interlocutor.
We have already told you that Paris is full of interesting neighborhoods, so try not to visit only the most central and tourist areas. Le marais It is one of the most modern districts, full of shops and multicultural corners. ORSaint-Germain also cool, is the old neighborhood of "the writers": here are historical cafes like the Café des Deux Magots and the Flore coffee.
If you have the doubt to upload or not to Notre Dame, the answer is yes: just to see its famous gargoyles is worth it and also the views are flipant. Of course, it is not free, climbing the tower costs € 8.50.
And touching the subject,what are the best views of Paris? In addition to the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame, there are others highly recommended such as: the Montparnasse Tower (€ 15), the viewpoint of the Arc de Triomphe (€ 12) or the Arc de la Defensé (€ 10).
And there are also free sites To enjoy views in Paris, they are the Montmartre Hill (you climb the dome of the Sacré-Coeur Basilica are still better, but the price is € 5), the terrace of the Galeries Lafayette, and the Parc de Belleville.
In our trips to Paris we have never had problems and never gave us the feeling of being an insecure city. Still have common sense and be careful to possible thieves in tourist places.
If you want to step on Paris before your trip starts, you can see these films: Amélie, Midnight in Paris, Les Miserables, Moulin Rouge, The Three Musketeers, Ratatouille, Paris je t'aime, Tout ce qui shine, Dreamers or Intouchables.
We hope that with these tips for traveling to Paris you can plan your trip, and don't screw it up too much! What are your tips and recommendations?
| Save on your trip |
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| Sign in Airbnb and get up € 34 discount here |
| Reservation activities and excursions in Spanish here |
| Hire the travel insurance IATI with a5% discount here |
| Reserve the airport transfers here |
| Rent a car with the best offers here |
| The best books and travel guides here |
| All our articles about Paris |
