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Paris . France

Paris . France

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“City of Light” or “City of Love”, Paris is definitely not short of brilliant nicknames. With the glittering Eiffel Tower, dazzling bridges and quintessential Parisian architecture, there is no wonder why these names get constantly used by people. And it helps when romantic movies and novels always seem to base their story-lines in the French capital. Today, many now view the Eiffel Tower as a symbol of love.

Want to get a taste of the glitter and dazzle? Let’s get you started with the Paris highlights!

My experiences

I have been to Paris twice. Interestingly, they both left very different impressions on me. My first trip was in late summer, summed up by huge crowds, long queues, dirty streets and numerous touts and scammers. But, my second in early spring 14 years later was much more pleasant, cleaner and encountered less touts. And, it definitely felt much more romantic! Thankfully, that second trip changed my mind about Paris!

Overview of Paris

Paris got its nickname ‘City of Light’ because it was the first European city to implement an entire system of street lighting in the 19th century. And not because of the Eiffel Tower lights!

With over two million residents, it is the largest and most populous city in France.

Paris has been playing a leading role in the area of arts and culture. This is evident by the numerous art museums around the city, and its association with famous names like Picasso and van Gogh, singer Edith Piaf, the cabaret Moulin Rouge and the birth of the French can-can dance.

Key facts

  • Language: French, English
  • Currency: Euro (EUR) – 100 EUR approx. £87/US$115
  • Timezone: GMT+1 (Winter), GMT+2 (Summer)
  • Capital: Paris
  • National carrier: Air France
  • Driving: Right side of road
  • Power outlet: Type C/E, 230V, 50Hz
Type C or E power outlet

Costs and budget

  • Can be expensive but can be actively managed.
  • Do your sums and decide if it is cheaper to bulk purchase Metro tickets and/or get the Paris Museum Pass. Also, some museums are free on the first Sunday of the month. Refer to ‘Costs’ section.
  • Travel during shoulder periods (Mar-May, Oct-Nov) and book accommodations early.

Top 10 Paris highlights

1
Montmartre and Sacré Coeur
2
Arc de Triomphe
3
Sainte-Chapelle
4
Eiffel Tower
5
The Louvre
6
Notre Dame Cathedral
7
Moulin Rouge cabaret show
8
Latin Quarters
9
Palace of Versailles
10
Le Marais
Montmartre - Place du Tertre
Arc de Triomphe
Sainte-Chapelle
Eiffel Tower in the sunset
The Louvre
Notre Dame Cathedral
Moulin Rouge
Palais Garnier
Paris city structure and the 20 arrondissements
Paris - the 20 arrondissements
The 20 Arrondissements and the islands

Paris is made up of 20 zones called arrondissements. They are numbered one to 20 starting from the centre and in an outward clockwise manner. You will notice that most of the main sights of Paris are located in the first nine arrondissements. Have a look at the diagram above for a summary of what each arrondissement has to offer.

Outside the 20 Arrondissements

There are two main sights located outside of the 20 arrondissements. The first is Disneyland, located to the east. And the second is the Palace of Versailles, located to the southwestern side. Both are reachable by RER train services within an hour (more on this later).

La Defense is the business district of Paris. This is where you see the skyscrapers and offices of the city. For this reason, you are not likely to be there unless you are in Paris for a work trip. You can get there by the Metro or RER quickly.

River Seine
Islands on River Seine

Getting to Paris

As a metropolitan and capital city of France, travel volumes are high and so getting to Paris should be fairly easy.

By air

Air France is the national carrier of France and is based at the Charles de Gaulle (CDG) Airport. They also have a smaller base at the Paris Orly (ORY) Airport. Additionally, many other major airlines and low-cost carriers also operate in and out of those airports so you should have options.

By rail

If you are in the region, trains can bring you direct into Central Paris. There are several different train stations serving different parts of Europe:

  • Gare du Nord – To and from London and cities of Belgium and the Netherlands in the north
  • Gare de l’Est – To and from east France and Germany
  • Gare de Lyon – To and from southeast France and Switzerland
  • Gare Montparnasse, Gare St Lazare & Gare d’Austerlitz – To and from the central, south and southwestern parts of France

It takes only under 1.5 hours from Brussels, 2.5 hours from London and 3.5 hours from Amsterdam to reach Paris. The trains from Frankfurt and most parts of Switzerland take over 4 hours. Considering that these trains take you straight from one city centre to another, it makes much more sense travelling by train from these areas. Seeing that the train journeys from any other places will take longer than 5 hours, I’d normally prefer taking a flight for them.

By car

If you are driving into Paris, there are a number of motorways leading into the city. I would however advise against driving in the city itself.

View of the Eiffel Tower from the Arc de Triomphe viewing deck
View of the Eiffel Tower from the Arc de Triomphe viewing terrace

Getting around Paris

The transport network, particularly the Metro and RER, is so good that there really is no reason to drive in the city. Furthermore, parking is limited and expensive.

Most attractions are served by at least one station so it is easy to get around. Unfortunately, most stations do not have step-free access so it’s something to take note of. For a full comprehensive diagram of the Metro and RER network, I like using the one from this link.

The transport ticketing system can be quite overwhelming and confusing, so I’ll try to summarise it below.

Zones

There are 5 circular zones in the Paris transport system. All metro stations and lines in the Metro network are considered within zone 1, so you can ignore zoning as long as you are travelling on any of the numbered 16 metro lines. Key zones to note:

Zone 4 – Palace of Versailles, Orly Airport
Zone 5 – Paris Disneyland, Charles de Gaulle Airport

The trains

Metro – 16 lines numbered from 1 to 14, 3bis and 7bis
Tram – 13 lines numbered from T1 to T13
RER (Réseau Express Régional) – Regional express trains labelled A to E. A takes you to Disneyland Paris, B to Charles de Gaulle Airport and C to Orly Airport and Palace of Versailles
Furnicular – Serves the foot and summit of Montmartre

Gare de l'Est station
Gare de l'Est station connects with eastern France and Germany

Tickets

Make sure you purchase the correct tickets required for your trips. I will summarise the types of tickets below. Children below the age of 10 pay lower rates (normally half the price).

T+ ticket

This is a single journey ticket with unlimited transfers for 90 minutes (you cannot leave the Metro station). It can be used on all Metro, trams, buses and furnicular routes. Also, it can be used on RER trains but within Zone 1 only.

A T+ ticket needs to be loaded either into a physical Navigo Easy pass, or into the ‘Bonjour RATP’ app in your phone. A Navigo Easy pass costs €2, but installing the ‘Bonjour RATP’ app is free.

After purchasing the Navigo Easy pass or installing the ‘Bonjour RATP’ app, T+ tickets can be purchased and loaded for €2.15 each, or €17.35 for 10 tickets. Look at your itinerary plan and decide how many trips you need to make. If you only need 8 trips or less, you will be better off purchasing individual T+ tickets.

RER tickets (for travel outside Zone 1)

You need to purchase a separate ticket if taking the RER trains out of Zone 1 (for example, to the airports, Disneyland Paris and Palace of Versailles). These can be purchased from the train station you are travelling from.

Refer to Airport tickets for fares and travel time.

For Disneyland Paris, take RER A to Marne-la-Vallée for €7.60 round trip.

For Palace of Versailles, take RER C to Versailles-Rive Gauche for €7.30 round trip.

Paris Visite travel pass

This travel pass gives you 1, 2, 3 or 5 days unlimited rides with a choice of Zones 1-3 only or Zones 1-5. These are based on calendar days. You can refer to the pricing on this page. I personally find the pass too expensive and it is difficult to make enough journeys to cover the cost of the pass. Therefore, you’d likely be better off buying T+ tickets and purchasing the RER tickets to the airport, Disneyland and Palace of Versailles separately.

Paris 2024 travel pass (20 Jul – 8 Sep 2024 only)

This pass is for use during the Olympics 2024 period only. You will no longer be able to purchase this but you can continue to use it if you already have one.

Montmartre - Place du Tertre
Place du Tertre Montmartre - From a cafe, watching the cobbled square for painters

How can I reduce cost?

Paris can be expensive. On the positive side, it is within your hands to control your costs. Especially so when it comes to transport and entrance fees because there are passes or schemes to help tourists manage.

Transport costs

As has been noted above, you should estimate the number of Metro trips you are expected to take. When purchasing T+ tickets in tens, you get to save 17% in costs if you need 10 trips. However, if you need only eight trips or below, you’ll be better off with individual tickets. Do the sums before your trip.

Also, I do not expect the Paris Viste travel pass to be worth its cost.

Museum costs

The Paris Museum Pass comes in 2, 4 and 6 days and covers most of the key sights you’re likely to visit in Paris. It works based on hours – i.e, 48, 96 and 144 hours from the first attraction you visit. Generally, it will be worth the price should you cover 4, 5 and 6 museums within those timeframes respectively. And that is highly likely. For this reason, I would consider this a good opportunity to save costs. You can visit Paris Museum Pass for more information.

There is also the Paris Pass. However, I think this pass is quite expensive. Unless you are interested in premium experiences such as French Wine Tasting, Hop-On-Hop-Off Bus, Perfume workshop, Eiffel Tower guided climbs, Champagne tasting or walking tours (of Montmartre, Latin Quarters, Emily in Paris filming locations, etc) you are not likely to hugely benefit from this pass.

Also, it is worth pointing out that some museums have free entry on the first Sunday of the month. This includes the Palace of Versailles (November to March) and Musée d’Orsay. For this reason, make that day a museum day if it coincides with your days of stay.

Other costs

Accommodations can be fairly expensive and rooms can be quite small. Book them early especially during peak periods to avoid high costs. Food can be expensive as well, but there are a couple of budget-friendly options (see ‘Food’ section below).

  • The Army Museum
  • Mona Lisa displayed in the Louvre
  • Sacre Couer
  • Interior of the impressive Sainte-Chapelle
  • Inside the Louvre

How many days do I need?

3-4 days is normally enough to cover the main sights and icons of Paris at a good pace. However, you should add another 1-2 days if you intend to visit Disneyland Paris, and another additional day should you want to visit the Palace of Versailles.

Quintessential Parisian architecture
Quintessential Parisian architecture

Where to stay?

The metro network is so extensive that you can almost choose to stay anywhere and still get to the attractions easily and quickly. In view of that, I would try to find an accommodation that is easily walkable to a metro station.

As highlighted in the overview above, there are a few arrondissements (10th, 18th, 19th and 20th) that may be quite sketchy at night. Therefore I’d probably recommend staying in arrondissements 1 to 9, 11 and 12.

During my first trip, I stayed at Touring Hotel in the 9th arrondissement. Then in my second trip, I stayed at Hotel Gabriel in the 11th arrondissement near Place de la République. Both locations get you quickly to the main sights. Hotel Gabriel in the 11th arrondissement was convenient due to its proximity to Gare du Nord where I arrived and departed from.

  • Streets of Montmartre, Paris
  • Sacre Coeur, Montmartre
  • Streets of Montmartre
  • Montmartre Moulin de la Galette

Key sights of Montmartre

What’s the weather like?

Summers are usually warm, with daytime averages in the mid-twenties degrees Celsius and night-time temperatures in the mid-teens. On the other hand, winters can be cold although it rarely reaches freezing. Expect temperatures under 10 degrees Celsius in December, January and February.

It makes Paris possible to visit all year round, although spring (Mar-May) and autumn (Oct-Nov) are shoulder seasons when crowds are expected to be smaller than in summer.

If you are in Paris mainly for the arts and cultural museums or luxury shopping, maybe the temperatures wouldn’t matter much to you anyway.

View from the Arc de Triomphe
View from the Arc de Triomphe, looking down on Champs-Elysées
View of the La Defense business district in the sunset
La Defense business district in the sunset

Is it safe?

Paris is generally safe. Violent crimes are rare, but pickpockets and scammers are common. Therefore, it is important that you stay alert and be watchful over your belongings. Especially so, in areas with large crowds such as train stations, places of interests or departmental stores.

Do not take anything from strangers on the streets. Scammers may pass you something or attempt to put something like a friendship band on your wrists and coerce you into paying for them. Beware of taxis who may overcharge you. Use official taxi stands at airports, ensure the taxis are labelled ‘Taxi Parisien’ and make sure they charge by meters (or the fixed flat rate for airports).

In general, while you are not likely to be mugged or be victimised by violet crimes, there are areas that may be sketchy at night. Also, drug-dealing crimes still pose a problem in the city. For these reasons, I’d avoid the northeast areas, particularly the 10th, 18th, 19th and 20th arrondissements at night. Stay within brightly lit areas and avoid quiet places and you should generally be fine.

Hotel de Ville, Paris
Hotel de Ville

What should I eat?

There is so much to say about French food. And I found it a challenge to try them all within the few days that I had. From croissants and baguettes to tea time pastries and macarons to French onion soup and escargot, you sure have a wide variety to satisfy your taste buds! In short, you have lots to eat!

Boulangerie

A boulangerie is a French bakery. That’s where you get your croissants and pain au chocolat. Fortunately or unfortunately, I had breakfast served at my hotel so I didn’t manage to try any of the boulangeries I researched! And I was eating so much that I could never fit an extra croissant in my tummy. Nevertheless, below are the two I had intended to try:

  1. Boulangerie BO&MIE (various locations)

  2. Boulangerie Utopie (20 Rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud)

Pâtisserie

A pâtisserie is where you get pastries and cakes. You will find lots of beautifully done, mouth-watering pastries and quiches. So appealing that you can never decide which ones you want.

I visited A. Lacroix Pâtissier just opposite from the Notre Dame Cathedral. Their pastries are all so beautifully and exquisitely crafted. And they tasted really good too! Best of all, my family really loved them. My personal favourites are the Notre Dame Green Apple and the Tarte Pistachio Framboise. We also had a bacon and cheese quiche which was satisfying too.

Other pâtisseries I shortlisted but didn’t manage to try:

  1. Pâtisserie Gilles Marchal (Montmartre – 9 Rue Ravignan)

  2. Yann Couvreur (various locations)
  3. Carette (4 Pl. du Trocadéro et du 11 Novembre, 7 Pl. du Tertre, 25 Pl. des Vosges)

I was never a fan of macarons because I find them too sweet for my liking. However, I give my thumbs up to the ones at Ladurée as the macarons had just the right level of sweetness for me. Pierre Hermé is another highly popular option. Both have branches all over Paris.

French restaurants

  1. Le Coq & Fils – the Poultry House (Montmartre – 98 Rue Lepic)

This is a favourite among my family members – the French Bresse poulet (chicken). Bresse chickens are bred and raised within strict requirements and controls and are subjected to close inspections.

We love how tender and succulent it was, even for the breast portion. There was also something we found interesting on the menu – soup shots. These were small shots of poultry broth and so it became a must-try for us, a family of soup lovers.

With Bresse chickens comes with a price though, be prepared to spend a bit.

  1. Le Poulbot (Montmarte – 3 Rue Poulbot)

It is a small and cozy place that serves good French food. We had the French onion soup, duck confit and creme bulee for dessert. I wish I was hungrier to eat more! It’s a very small place so I’d recommend to make a reservation before going.

  1. Bouillon (various locations)

If you are tight on budget but want to have a taste of French food, this is the best place for you. I found Bouillon to have a wide range of French food at very affordable prices. In fact, I was quite surprised at how budget-friendly it was. My family ordered a range of French food to try. Featured in the pictures are the escargot, beef bourguignon and beef tartare.

Do note that, you might have to put up with some queuing due to its budget-friendliness.

Others

Other traditional French restaurants I’ve read about but didn’t manage to try:

  1. La Fontaine de Mars (129 Rue Saint-Dominique)
  2. La Maison Rose (2 Rue de l’Abreuvoir)

It is recommended to make reservations. Especially so for La Maison Rose which has been frequented by many famous artists including Picasso himself.

La Maison Rose restaurant in Montmartre, frequented by famous artists including Picasso
La Maison Rose in Montmartre, frequented by famous artists including Picasso
Paris - top highlights and top tips to planning
Pin for your Paris itinerary planning!

Closing note

In summary, there is a lot to like about Paris – pretty Parisian architecture, famous icons, amazing food and pastries, along with rich history in arts and culture. And the list goes on. Especially when numerous successful movies, television shows and novels have used the city as the main backdrop.

Have a look at my 3-Day Iconic Paris Itinerary and my post on Spending Half a Day at Montmartre!

Leave your comments below if you wish to know anything else about Paris, or anything you wish to see featured in the posts.

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