First time in Paris?
On the one hand, I’m really jealous of you. Falling in love for the first time is the strongest feeling of all (especially in Paris), and all that goodness is still ahead of you.
On the other hand, I really, really don’t envy you. You’re flooded with information from all kinds of people in Facebook groups, and you have no idea which of them knows what they’re talking about and which are just rambling. And as if that weren’t enough, there’s so much to see and so little time. So what do you have to see, and what can you skip?
And finally, the most important question: how do you enjoy the trip without turning it into a kind of boot camp, where you run from one attraction to the next just to check off as many items as possible on that never-ending list of yours?
So first of all, don’t worry. You’ve come to the right place. After dozens and dozens of visits to Paris and hundreds of tips I’ve given to people heading there for the first time, I think I’ve found the formula for the perfect trip (for you).
In this article you’ll find a series of tips that will make your trip more enjoyable and help you discover the real magic of Paris. I’ve also added a one-week itinerary for beginners that you can use to plan your own trip. Fair warning: this is a fairly long article, packed with information. So I recommend bookmarking it and coming back to it from time to time while you plan, and once you’re already in Paris.
So pour yourself a glass of red wine and put on some Édith Piaf (1915-1963) chansons in the background. We’re setting off on a journey, and by the end of it you’ll experience Paris for the first time and immediately start planning your next trip!
A few tips for first-time visitors to Paris
Book everything you can in advance
Remember that on your trip there’s one resource more important than money, and that’s time. Money can be earned back, but time can never be returned. On top of that, in the vast majority of cases, the further ahead you book, the cheaper the flights, hotels and apartments you’ll find.
That’s why I highly recommend booking everything you possibly can in advance. That includes flights and hotels (or vacation rentals), of course, but also tickets to the attractions and even restaurant tables (at least for the best restaurants).
To save you a lot of time, I’ve gathered all the information about flights, accommodation, attractions and more in the article Paris: The Francophile’s Guide for Travelers.
Go for at least 5 days (ideally a week)
There’s an urban legend I love to tell about an American tourist who arrived in the capital of France, walked into the Paris tourist office and said to the clerk, “I have two days in Paris, what do you recommend?” The clerk answered with true Parisian nonchalance, “In that case, mademoiselle, I suggest you walk straight down the street to the Seine, sit down and start crying”…
And there’s definitely something to that advice. Paris, unlike the McDonald’s restaurants scattered around it, takes time before you can begin to digest it. Five days (if you don’t leave the city), or seven if you also decide to go to Versailles or (heaven help us) Disneyland Paris, is just the right amount of time to soak up the city and enjoy it. Any less, and you’ll find yourself rushing around like crazy from one attraction to the next without really enjoying any of them.
Just because it’s your first time in Paris doesn’t mean you’re a sucker
Gone are the days when all the information you had came from an outdated guidebook plus a few tips from an aunt who once went to Paris and swears by a wonderful hotel she stayed at in May 1968. Today there are excellent online communities and travel forums where you can get endless tips about Paris, all aimed at sparing you as many mishaps as possible.
I’ve made my own modest contribution to the effort with the article How to save money in Paris without cutting corners. And if you still haven’t found all the information you need, feel free to write to me through the Contact page.
Take your time
True, time is short, there’s a lot to do, and there are endless attractions to squeeze into a very short visit. But remember one simple thing. To really enjoy Paris, you need to wander it at a relaxed pace and try to soak up as much of that magical Parisian spirit as you can. So assume from the start that you won’t see everything, and that’s perfectly fine. Paris isn’t going anywhere, and you can always come back.
So my advice is to set one must-see destination each day, plus 2–3 more that would be nice to see. Spend the rest of the time simply strolling the streets, sitting in a park at your leisure and eating an éclair you bought at one of the pâtisseries you stumbled upon along the way. Believe me, even on your first visit to Paris, that’s all you need to experience the Parisian way of life.
There’s no such thing as a must-see
Paris is a multi-layered city with everything from fascinating history and art to food, shopping and spectacular shows. Since your time in Paris is limited, I highly recommend listening to your inner voice and consciously skipping anything that doesn’t interest you, even if everyone has told you it’s a must.
For example, if you love baking, there’s no reason not to spend six days of food and pastry in Paris. Or if shopping is your thing, it’s perfectly fine to wander between the big department stores like Galeries Lafayette and the small boutiques without setting foot in a single museum. Remember: in Paris, anything goes.
A one-week Paris itinerary
Now that I’ve given you your “toolkit”, it’s time to go one step further and help you build an itinerary. The goal is to help you discover Paris at a reasonable pace, without turning your trip into a forced march where you rush between monuments and never get to enjoy them.
I built the itinerary to be as modular as possible, so if you’re staying for less than a week, you can drop a few days and keep only what you like best. On the other hand, I’ve tried to add extension options, so if you have a bit more time and you’re interested in a particular subject, you can dig deeper into it.
You’ll find this itinerary in the article A 7-day Paris itinerary.
The “must-see” places in Paris
Speaking of that last tip about “must-see places”, there’s no ignoring the fact that there are a few places first-time visitors to Paris feel they simply have to see, even though those places can easily ruin their trip.
So here are a few words about each of them, and some ways to “limit the damage” they might do to your trip.
The Louvre Museum
True, the Louvre Museum is considered (rightly so) the most important museum in the world, and it holds endless first-rate art treasures. The problem starts when first-time visitors to Paris try to see all of it in one go, and the result is “art poisoning”.
What’s “art poisoning”, you ask? It’s when your eyes go numb from the sheer number of masterpieces, your heart stops getting excited, and your legs and back start to ache. If you’re not aware of it, you’ll walk out of the Louvre completely exhausted and lose a precious day in Paris.
So if you ask me, I’d recommend touring the Louvre courtyard, enjoying its remarkable architecture and the neighboring Tuileries Garden. On your first trip to Paris, though, I suggest stopping there and leaving the museum itself for your next trips (and even then, only one wing at a time).
If you still decide you simply have to say hello to the Mona Lisa, I recommend buying the Louvre entrance ticket or the Paris Museum Pass, which will get you into the Louvre with almost no line. It’s also a good idea to plan carefully what you have to see, so your visit lasts no more than 3 hours. When you step back out onto the Paris street, you’ll thank me.
The Eiffel Tower (Tour Eiffel)
Let me tell you a little secret. Even though I’ve been to Paris more than 20 times, I’ve never climbed the Eiffel Tower. It’s not that I didn’t want to. Every time I got there, I found a crazy line, and I always found something better to do than stand there and wait. So if I’ve never climbed the Eiffel Tower, maybe you can also put the climb off for another time and use the hours you’d spend in line for something more worthwhile?
If you still want to see Paris from above, I’d recommend climbing the Arc de Triomphe (it’s free if you bought the Paris Museum Pass I mentioned earlier). Or head to the square in front of the Sacré-Cœur Basilica in Montmartre toward evening and watch the sun set over Paris from the top of the hill (a breathtaking sight).
Leave the Eiffel Tower alone. There’s no need to conquer it and climb it. Let it sparkle in the dark while you gaze at it from one of the bridges of Paris (and if you’re lucky, you’ll be doing it arm in arm with your partner). If you’ve still decided you have to go up the Eiffel Tower, I highly recommend buying tickets in advance to save time.
Also, if you’re in shape and want to save time and money (the stairs cost less), you can walk up to the second floor of the tower, where there’s a short line to buy a ticket for the elevator to the top. It’s about 670 steps and roughly 20 minutes of climbing. That way you’ll save hours of standing in line and burn a few calories, which you can make up for at the pâtisserie closest to where you’re staying.
The Champs-Élysées (Avenue des Champs-Élysées)
Years have passed since Joe Dassin (1938-1980) sang his famous song “Les Champs-Élysées”, and the song keeps doing damage by feeding the myth of the romantic avenue. True, since the avenue was laid out in the 17th century it has had more than a few magical moments, and in the second half of the 19th century and the early 20th century it really was the place to go to see and be seen.
Sadly, a lot of water has flowed under the bridges of the Seine since then, and the Champs-Élysées has gone from a romantic, magical avenue to a tired tourist cliché. The main reason is that real estate in the area has become so expensive that only chains and big-name brands can afford to rent shops there. So don’t expect small romantic restaurants or boutiques.
On top of that, in the evening the Champs-Élysées attracts a rowdy crowd, which makes it feel less safe. That leads to a clear conclusion: you’re better off skipping the Champs-Élysées.
Skip the Champs-Élysées? Well, not exactly. First of all, the Arc de Triomphe is definitely worth a visit, as I wrote earlier, but you don’t have to walk all the way up from the bottom of the avenue. You can get there by metro. I also recommend strolling the stretch of the avenue that starts at Place de la Concorde and runs to the Franklin D. Roosevelt metro station. And once you’re there, instead of continuing up to the part with the shops, turn left onto Avenue Montaigne if you love fashion, and follow the walking itinerary in the footsteps of Yves Saint Laurent (1936-2008).
That’s it, I think you’re ready for my Paris guide
Now that you know the ground rules of Paris, it’s time to dive in and build your own itinerary. I’ve gathered all my up-to-date recommendations on hotels, attractions and the transport changes in my complete Paris guide, which I keep updating all the time.
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