PARIS
101
GUIDE
Important things you MUST know
for your first visit to Paris
PARIS 101 GUIDE
Paris
101 guide
Bonjour 🇫🇷
At Love and Paris, we’re a team of Paris experts, but more importantly, energetic locals
who are here to help you have your BEST visit ever, giving you the insider info you
NEED, as if we’ve all been friends for years.
We love giving our followers tips and tricks for your visit in our videos and articles, but
this guide gives you more details and keeps it all in one place for you to always go back
and review— handy.
You’ll find all the important things you MUST know for your first visit to Paris, plus
where to find other helpful info across our platforms.
BTW, this guide was written by Lily, our resident Parisian writer who has written about
Paris for major publications for years. She really knows her stuff, and she’s passing this
knowledge onto YOU.
When you’re done reading, don’t forget to browse our website for more tips and tricks,
including hotel recommendations, top tours and experiences you’ll want to book, and
other helpful info that will help you make this the trip of a lifetime.
Merci
The Love and Paris team
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PARIS 101 GUIDE
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: The Basics 4
Chapter 2: Money 5
Chapter 3: City Layout 8
Chapter 4: Transportation 10
Chapter 5: Weather 12
Chapter 6: Accommodation 13
Chapter 7: What to Do in Paris 15
Chapter 8: Logistical Tips and Info 17
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PARIS 101 GUIDE
Chapter 1: The Basics
National currency: Average costs (relative to
EUR, The Euro rest of world):
Moderately expensive
Currency sign:
€ Credit or debit card
acceptance level:
Time zone: Moderate (and improving)
Central European Time (CET)
Minimum drinking age:
Language:
18 (or 16 with parents present)
French, but most customer service
staff speak English
ID required at all times:
Driving and cycling: Officially yes, however, it’s rarely asked
for. You may prefer to leave your
Right-hand side
passport in the hotel safe and carry a
photocopy of it or a photo on your phone.
Measurement:
Metric
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PARIS 101 GUIDE
Chapter 2: Money
The national currency of France is the euro (€), which is shared with 19 other European
countries, so if you’re left with an extra change at the end of your trip to Paris, it’ll
come in handy on your future travels in Europe.
There are 100 centimes (or cents) in one euro. It’s available in notes/bills of 5, 10, 20, 50,
100, 200, and 500 euros, all of which have a different size and color – but be a little
careful with the 10 and 50 bills as their shades of orange are similar. Coins are available
in 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 centimes and 1 and 2 euros.
The value of the euro, as with any currency, fluctuates daily, so it’s useful to have a
currency converter app like XE on your phone so that you know what the current rate is
— although coming up with an “approximate” amount is just fine when doing quick
calculations in your head.
Credit or debit card acceptance level
Many countries around the world are going
cashless, which is making travel a LOT easier.
France is a little behind on this, however,
over the last few years it’s been making good
progress. Large stores, supermarkets, and
museums usually have no limit or €1 as the
minimum to pay by card. Some smaller
independent shops (such as bakeries or food
stands) might not take credit cards or have a
minimum purchase of €10 to pay by card.
Given this, it’s a good idea to have some euro
cash on hand. It’s also useful to have some
change for leaving tips at cafés and
restaurants (read more on tipping below).
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PARIS 101 GUIDE
How to get euros in cash before
arriving to Paris
You can either get some cash before you leave for
Paris, ideally from your bank as it’ll offer a fair
rate (order this in advance), or withdraw euros
using your credit or debit card when you arrive in
the city. There are cash machines (ATMs) at the
airports and train stations as well as a LOT across
the city – you’ll usually find these on busier
streets.
In French ATMs are called distributeurs
automatique or distributeurs de billets. We
recommend using an ATM that’s attached to an
actual bank (banque in French) instead of the ones
that are installed next to souvenir shops in tourist
zones as these will charge you a service fee, while
ATMs at real banks will usually not (your own bank
might charge you a fee though, you can check this
before leaving on your trip).
As soon as you put your debit or credit card into a French ATM, the text on the screen
usually switches to English, so you don’t have to worry about having French language
skills to get your euros.
Tipping in Paris
Every country has its own tipping customs and the good news is, these are relatively
straightforward in France.
In ALL restaurants, bars, and cafés, a 15% service charge is automatically included in
the price of food and drinks. Sometimes this is indicated on your bill with the line
“service compris”. French wait staff do not work for tips (pourboire in French), they earn
a living wage and have paid holidays and healthcare benefits.
So, you don’t technically need to tip anywhere, BUT a small tip is appreciated. If you
have a friendly or efficient server, you can leave a small gratuity of no more than around
5% of your total bill.
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PARIS 101 GUIDE
For example, if you order a coffee or other beverage
at a café, you could leave 20 to 50 centimes per drink.
For a meal at a casual café or restaurant, leaving €1 to
€2 per person is appropriate. If you’re dining at a
high-end restaurant, where the service is usually
very attentive, you could leave 5-10%. But bear in
mind, you don’t need to feel obliged to leave
anything!
It’s best to leave a tip in cash, but if you are paying by
credit card, before your server punches in the bill
amount on the credit card machine, you can ask
them to put in a different amount to add on a tip (i.e.
if your bill is €28, you could ask them to charge you
€30).
A word of caution if you end up in restaurants near tourist sites (which we recommend
you avoid!) – your waiter might try to tell you that a tip isn’t included. While this is
technically true (service is included, an extra tip is not), you really don’t need to leave
them anything, especially if they suggest leaving a tip.
For taxi drivers, you can simply “round up” to the nearest euro or for airport transfers
you could leave your driver €5 to €10 depending on how many passengers and if they’ve
helped you with your luggage. For tour guides, a suggested tip might be included in
your confirmation email, but it’s generally not mandatory to give one, although it's
always appreciated.
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PARIS 101 GUIDE
Chapter 3: Layout of the City
Paris is a very compact city, so once you get the hang of how it’s organized, it should be
easy enough to get around.
Although there are several zones of suburbs around the city, most tourists don’t leave
the core of what is officially “Paris” – which is the city’s 20 districts. These are called
arrondissements, and they are enclosed by the péripherique, an express ring road. The
arrondissements are numbered (1-20), which makes knowing where you are a little
easier! These start around the Louvre, and go out in a clockwise spiral. If you get lost,
just look up at a street sign (which are blue and attached to buildings on street corners)
as they indicate the arrondissement with a number above the street’s name.
In addition to the arrondissements, the
city is also divided by the Seine River.
Its two sides are called the Left Bank
(roughly on the south side of the river)
and the Right Bank (to the north). The
river is very curvacious and changes
direction too much, which is why they
can’t say north and south or east and
west, as you may find in other cities.
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PARIS 101 GUIDE
Getting to Paris: airports, train and bus
stations
Three airports serve Paris, so be sure to
check which one you’ll be arriving into.
Most international flights land at Charles
de Gaulle Airport (CDG), while Orly (ORY)
has mainly domestic and European flights,
and Beauvais (BVA) is used by low cost
companies. You can read all about getting
into Paris from these airports in this article.
Paris also has seven train stations and two
intercity bus stations.
Each train station has trains traveling in different directions depending on where they
are located in the city. Gare du Nord is the most international, with trains connecting
Paris to England, Belgium, and The Netherlands. The two intercity bus stations are
Bercy and Gallieni, each used by different bus companies, and travel around France and
to neighboring countries
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PARIS 101 GUIDE
Chapter 4: Transportation
Using a map app like CityMapper or Google Maps can be a real lifesaver while traveling
in Paris (and elsewhere!). It’ll give you the best options for getting from place to place
via public transport, whether by métro, train, bus, taxi, bike or any other option.
If you’re in a métro station, you can also ask the station attendant for help, most are
equipped with an iPad with a special translation app, so you don’t have to worry about
trying to speak French – even if they don’t speak English, they should be able to help
you.
Paris is a great walking city, so we encourage you to get around on foot as much as
possible, that way you’ll be able to take in more of its smaller details and local life.
However, you’ll likely need some sort of transportation to get to farther-flung places.
Luckily, Paris has an excellent and really affordable transit system.
Run by Ile-de-France Mobilités (the greater Paris region transit agency), it includes an
underground system (le métro), suburban trains (RER), buses, and trams. There’s also
an excellent and super cheap bike-share system called Vélib-Métropole.
There are ticket vending machines in the main
entrances to métro and RER stations and tram
stops. In terms of tickets, we recommend
getting a Navigo Easy, a rechargeable card onto
which you can load virtual tickets. These cost
€2 and are available from ticket vending
counters and new ticket machines – but there’s
also a new option. We’re very excited
that you can now purchase completely
virtual tickets, as well as load up a
physical Navigo Easy card, directly
through the Ile-de-France Mobilités
app, available on the Google Play Store
and Apple App Store.
Image courtesy of Ile de France Mobilités
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PARIS 101 GUIDE
Cost of Public Transport
The Paris transit system has five different “zones,”
but most visitors stay within zone one, which
consists of Paris’s 20 arrondissements, so you don’t
need to worry much about what kind of ticket you
need to buy. A single journey ticket (whether virtual
or physical) is valid for 90 minutes and is technically
good for one zone, the exception being traveling to
nearby zones reached on the métro network. If you
travel between zones on the RER (like to the airport
or Versailles) you’ll need to purchase a more
expensive ticket which is valid from your starting
location to your final destination.
Image courtesy of RATP
At the time of publishing, a single ticket costs €2.15, and ten tickets on a rechargeable
Navigo Easy card is €17.35 (so €1.73 per ticket, more information on these in the next
section). If you’re taking a city bus, you can buy a single ticket from the bus driver, but
the price is a little more at €2.50. Read this article for more information on how to pay
for public transport.
If you’re traveling with children 9 and under, they are either eligible for discounted or
free tickets, which can help families save a lot of money – and this can make a BIG
difference for your trip budget. Read more in this article on paying for children on
public transport.
Taxis and rideshare services in Paris
We totally understand that there are situations in which
you’d rather get around by car and you’ve got various
options for this in Paris. The city has classic taxis which
circulate throughout the city. These can be any color or
brand of car, but you can spot them thanks to the
illuminated “taxi” sign on the roof (green for available,
red for occupied). If the sign is green, you can hail it
down for raising your arm, find one at a designated taxi
stand, or book one through the FreeNow taxi/ride-share
app. The French taxi company G7 also has its own app
through which you can book “green” taxis (eco-
friendly electric cars).
In addition to FreeNow, there are a few different ride-share apps in France including
Uber, Bolt, and Heetch (which tends to be cheaper than the others).
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PARIS 101 GUIDE
Chapter 5: Weather
Despite having four seasons, the weather in Paris doesn’t always match the time of year
and is a tad unpredictable. Every year the weather in each season varies. One year,
spring will be really rainy and another year it’ll be super sunny and warm. There are
often heatwaves for a few weeks in summer, but this can happen anytime from late
June to late August – so it’s impossible to plan for those. Winter is the one reliable
season, and unfortunately so as it’s usually chilly, wet, and grey, although snow is rare
and it doesn’t often go below freezing.
This makes it a bit tricky for you to decide what to pack. One thing you can do is check
the average weather for your travel dates on Google a few months before your trip.
Then check the weather forecast again the week before your departure to see what’s
being predicted, and pack accordingly.
Take an extra piece of clothing or two to account for colder or warmer temperatures
than was originally predicted. Layers are also a good idea for Paris and if you’ve
misjudged what to pack, it gives you a good excuse to do some shopping (see
recommendations in chapter 7).
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PARIS 101 GUIDE
Chapter 6: Accommodation
There are a number of really great areas to stay in in Paris. However, with literally
thousands of hotels to choose from, selecting ONE is possibly the hardest decision
you’ll have to make when planning your trip.
To help you with this, we’ve put together some useful resources on our site, to match
all tastes, budgets, and travel requirements.
Check out the accommodation section on the Love and Paris website for our most
recent tips and advice. It contains articles on great hotels for families, excellent
budget-friendly hotels, the best hostels, and more.
EXPLORE THE ACCOMMODATION SECTION
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PARIS 101 GUIDE
Best Areas to Stay
If you’re wondering which Paris neighborhoods
are best to stay in, we also have you covered. If
you’d like to be in neighborhoods close to the top
sites and attractions, read this article on 8 great
neighborhoods to stay in while visiting Paris.
However, if you’re looking for a district that has
more of a neighborhood vibe – which often have
more affordable hotels – read our article on the
best local areas to stay in. Both articles include
hotel recommendations in our selected districts
that fit all budgets and styles.
We also have articles that zoom in on our favorite
areas of the city, like this article on best hotels in
the Marais.
By the way – just because an area is NOT part of those articles, it doesn’t mean it’s a
bad place to stay! This is merely a curated list of our recommendations. We’re sure
you’ll have a fabulous time in Paris no matter where you stay!
Why we don’t recommend Airbnb
We generally do not recommend booking an Airbnb or another type of "holiday rental"
in Paris, namely because these have reduced affordable housing for locals.
Instead, there are tons of great hotels to choose from in Paris, no matter your budget,
as well as some fantastic apart-hotels that are a great alternative to Airbnb. Search for
these on [Link].
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PARIS 101 GUIDE
Chapter 7: What to Do in Paris
There’s so much to do in Paris, whether you’re interested in art, history, gastronomy,
or simply want to take in local life.
If you’d like to visit museums like the Louvre
and Orsay or monuments such as the Eiffel
Tower and Arc de Triomphe, we recommend
joining one of the options in our list of top
guided tours of Paris attractions. These include
advance tickets and super knowledgeable guides
who know how to navigate even the busiest
sites.
If you’re not into tours, we highly recommend
purchasing tickets to any of the city’s top
museums and monuments that you’d like to
visit in advance. This will save you a lot of time
by not waiting in line on-site (or risk tickets
being sold out). You can buy tickets through
venue websites or on the Get Your Guide website.
If you’re traveling with children, it’s good to know that kids 17 and under get in for free
at national museums and sites, like the Louvre, Orsay, and Versailles. Keep your
children engaged in a fun way with these unique and cool things to do in Paris with
kids.
We’re also big fans of exploring neighborhoods and doing offbeat things like the
suggestions in our articles on top unique tours to book in Paris and unique experiences
you MUST do when visiting Paris.
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PARIS 101 GUIDE
As a gastronomic city, getting to know the
city’s food scene is something many
visitors want to do when in Paris (and is a
delicious activity too!). You can learn the
ins and outs of its food and wine culture on
these top food tours, best drinking tours
and more.
Explore the Food and Drinks section.
If you’re looking for something different
to do in the evening, you might like to
book one of these top skip-the-line and
private tours or these fun drinking tours
and experiences.
Explore the Tours & Experiences section.
Image courtesy of Tiger Tours
Wandering the city’s great flea markets is
also a lot of fun, and if you’d like to do
some eco-responsible shopping while
you’re here, visit the best vintage and
thrift shops in Paris - we have a few articles
coming soon.
Explore the Things to Do section.
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PARIS 101 GUIDE
Chapter 8:
Logistical Tips and Info
Lastly, we’ve brought together some additional useful tips for different types of
travelers that’ll help make your trip go smoothly.
Accessibility in Paris
As an old city, Paris isn’t always the easiest city to navigate for visitors with reduced
mobility. However, in recent years, some big improvements have been made to the
city’s accessibility.
Major museums, including the Louvre,
Orsay, and Centre Pompidou, are all
accessible. For getting around the city,
more and more sidewalks are sloped at
intersections and major crosswalks
have vocal notifications to alert the
visually impaired when the light is
green or red. All new restaurants must
have accessible bathrooms and you can
find some great accessible hotels on
[Link].
Image courtesy of RATP
For getting around the city on public transport, there’s a useful transit map that
indicates which stations are accessible and which ones have maps in braille.
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PARIS 101 GUIDE
Dietary restrictions
We’ve been happy to see a rapidly growing number of
restaurants, bakeries, and other eateries that offer
options for those with dietary restrictions.
Many restaurants now offer at least one vegetarian
(végétarien) option while some also have dishes for
vegans (végan/végétalien) or that are gluten-free
(sans gluten). The French eat a lot of potatoes as side
dishes, so there are usually several gluten-free
options available in most places. Image courtesy of Noglu
There are now many strictly vegetarian and vegan restaurants and there’s even a
completely vegetarian bakery chain, Land&Monkeys. There’s also a fully gluten-free
restaurant/bakery, Noglu, and others popping up around the city. Creperies are good
options for vegetarians and gluten-free travelers as savory crepes can include only
vegetarian ingredients and they are made with buckwheat flour which is gluten-free.
Travelling with kids
Paris is a great destination for kids, but as with any
city, it can also be a little challenging or tiring for
children. You can keep your children engaged in a fun
way by booking some family-friendly activities, like
the ones we mentioned in Chapter 7 and in this
article.
With free entrance for kids 17 and under at national
museums and sites and discounted transport tickets
for kids 9 and under, Paris offers some great
advantages for families (see Chapter 4).
There are plenty of parks around the city and most of
these have playgrounds that give your smaller kids a
chance to blow off some steam in between
sightseeing.
If you’re wondering where to eat with kids in Paris, there are various suitable options,
namely brasseries. In addition to serving food at all hours (unlike restaurants which
only open for dinner at 7 or 7:30 pm), brasseries serve more casual food that generally
appeals to children, like croque-monsieurs sandwiches, roast chicken and fries, and
pasta. Many brasseries also have kids' menus. Creperies are another great option that
should work for everyone in your travel group.
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PARIS 101 GUIDE
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