16 Essential Travel Tips and Guide for Visiting Paris, France

Below are 16 essential travel tips we learned when we spent 6 Weeks in France. The majority of the tips are for visiting Paris, but also apply to the outer areas such as Rouen, Reims and other fun places to visit.

1.      Cell phone usage:  This is the 1 most essential travel tip for us as it can cost quite a bit for cell service when traveling for a long period of time! We used the E-Sim Orange Travel which will give you a French phone number. The E-Sim for 30 days was cheaper than our US service provider which charges $10 per day.  We spent approximately $50 for a month of service each. Make sure to look up and know all the instructions so that you can get your calls and messages.  On one of our trips my phone didn’t work right and I missed all the calls & text messages for my real number.

2.      Converter/adapter: One of the interesting things about traveling abroad is every country having different types of outlets. For example, France has different sized ones than England, so if going to both, you need two separate converters. Stores like Amazon have universal kits so you’re prepared for whichever countries you will be visiting! Even with adapters, some appliances still don’t work or get fried. This happened to us with an electric razor and a curling iron. Both became fried and unusable after plugging in once. There are several different electronic items that people need while traveling. Amazon has many different items that are helpful. From this amazon website you can get up to 30% or more off.

3.      Lots of stairs: Travel light, extra light: In one apartment we had 6 flights of stairs and no lift which was extremely fun lugging many suitcases up to the top while also being jetlagged.  Once inside the apartment there were two more flights of stairs to get to the kitchen and bedroom. 

Long story short, our biggest travel tip is that packing light is essential, and you will thank us later!  When we arrived on the train after the flight heading to our hotel, it was announced that we could not complete our journey due to our line being terminated.  Suitcases in tow, we had to get off that train and walk down many flights of stairs and escalators to get to the right place to catch another train.

4.      Washing clothes: If we are traveling for more than 2 weeks, we usually try to find at least one of our stays with a washer/dryer. When our trip is almost halfway through, we like to wash our clothes so they are fresh for the rest of the trip.  In between, we will wash light items in the tub or sink and hang dry.  I hang dry all my clothes; however, my husband likes his all dried.  This is usually an issue as the washer/dryer combo machines that we have used usually don’t dry so well. We would put loads of clothes into the dryer, and once it beeps, they are still nowhere near dry. Most places though have heated towel holders which is very convenient for after the shower and a great place to dry damp clothes.

5.      Taking trains: Some train stations are great (Saint Lazare) while others not so much (Gare de Nord).  We found that it helped us to look up where the seats are located based on what type of train and what trainline we were taking. 

It can be overwhelming when you’re not accustom to train travel, but you can quickly get the hang of it. Most trains in France have specific times on the ticket and you must have it ready for when they check/scan your ticket. 

In Scotland and Belgium, we had tickets that had a specific date and time, but they don’t hold you to it, so we could get on which ever train worked for us at the time. Please make sure and check ahead so you don’t miss your train or get fined!

6.      Free museums & Free things to do in Paris:  Our Paris tips do include the free museums and amazing parks; Paris does have many free activities that you can take advantage of during your trip.

 We went to several Free museums and they were just as amazing as the ones that charge for access. Actually, on the first Sunday of each month, certain museums will have free admission. We stopped for some tea and hot chocolate on a particularly cold Parisian day at Carette des Vosges (one of Paris’ world-famous hot chocolates!) and realized that Victor Hugo’s house was right across the street. Victor Hugo is famous author that wrote Notre Dame and is very well known around the world. It just happened that we went on April 2nd which was the first Sunday of the month, so they let us in for free.

Besides museums, there are places around Paris that have great views and rooftops free of charge like the Sacre Coeur and Galleries Lafayette Rooftop. These places get crowded fast since they are popular and don’t charge, but they are so worth it.

Also, places like the Luxembourg Garden and Tuileries Garden are fun places to relax, or have a picnic and people watch. When it is a sunny and warm day in Paris, everyone is out with their kids and dogs enjoying the beautiful gardens.

7.      French Pharmacy: This is one of my favorites!!!  The French Pharmacies are incredible. They have great quality products that are usually so much cheaper than the same products in the US.  I have learned whenever I am in Paris to stock up on all my favorite skin care. They have staff and pharmacists ready to help you select the best products for your skin type.

8.      Essential items for early spring:  The weather is so unpredictable, and can change from cold (30/40F) to warm (60/70F). We packed for cold, wind, rain (it even lightly snowed one day) to warmer and almost hot while we were walking what seemed like dozens of miles each day. One day it was sunny out, so we started to take off our layers, but had to run into a café when we were surrounded by snow flurries! We dress in layers and bring hats, gloves, scarfs and jackets along with short sleeves and sunglasses.

9.      Plan to plan ahead:  We planned and researched every aspect of our trip so that we would be prepared.  Even with all the research, things still pop up.  Unfortunately, nothing is guaranteed.  Since I had looked at many, many, MANY maps beforehand, I had a basic idea of what was connected and how to get around the main areas. This allowed us to quickly adjust when there was a transportation strike or something unforeseen happened (the Paris Marathon disrupted the bus and train schedule so we had to quickly adjust).

10.   Garbage Strikes, Transportation Disruptions and Protests:  Imagine, you arrive in beautiful Paris, and the very day you land the Transportation Disruptions are going strong due to local strikes.  The next day, there is a Garbage Strike that lasts for about three and a half weeks!!! The garbage is piling up, the trains and buses are intermittently disrupted, and there are protests galore.  Some protests are planned and organized (during the day) but may turn increasingly ugly at night.  Living in the US, this is not something we usually experience, so it was very interesting. 

The Garbage Strike was the worst part because as the days and weeks went by, the garbage was piling up all over the city.  It was totally disgusting, and we were definitely getting irritated as sometimes the garbage piles grew taller than us!  Fortunately, they began to clean up little by little in different areas.  As they did that, we would stick to the clean areas and wait for the others to be cleaned before venturing in that direction.  Finally, it was all picked up, which was a huge relief.  However, the other strikes and protests continued. 

Transportation disruption is the most common and on any given day, a route or train station could be shut down.  Luckily there is always an alternative.  During our time, we had traveled outside Paris to the Deauville Beach City and the next day we were to take a train to the D-Day beaches.  However, a strike occurred and the entire station was to be closed the next day – NO trains were leaving. We were staying at a wonderful local hotel and when they heard we were stuck, they not only helped us with an additional night stay, but they assisted us in renting a car so we could still drive to Utah and Omaha Beach and still stick to our original plans. The French get a bad rep for not being the nicest, but in our experiences, they have been some of the most kind and caring people! Always willing to lend a hand when trying to navigate their beautiful and busy cities, along with humoring us when we try to speak French. Not everyone we came across had that same compassion, but most people we met did.

11.   Dates in France vs US:  In France, the day comes first and then the month and finally the year.  During WW2, France converted to military date and time. Funny story, we didn’t pay enough attention to one of our tickets which was for the Arc de Triomphe. We got to the Champs Elysees a bit earlier than our reservations, so we stopped by the McDonalds Cafe to get coffee (it’s actually really good for fast food coffee, and it is not at all like the ones in the US, plus it had a great view of the street on the second floor). It’s on the same side as the stairs that bring you to the tunnel underneath the Champs Elysees. Which luckily there is a tunnel because there is no way anyone would make it walking through that round about!

After coffee, we walked under the tunnel and made it right in front of the Arc which is inscribed with French soldiers’ names that gave up their lives to fight. We finally found the line to head up the almost 300 steps (which seems like a lot more than 300!) when we realized that our ticket was for 02/04/23 which is April 2nd, and here we are on April 4th in line.  So, we ended up buying new tickets since we missed our reservation by two days.  It was a costly mistake, but it all worked out in the end. After tirelessly walking up the spiral staircase, we finally made it to the top, and the views were beyond worth the steps and money!

12.   How to eat on a budget: Yes, we love the Parisian café culture, but doing this everyday can definitely add up, especially if you are staying in one place for an extended period of time. I have a post on how to eat your way through Paris on a budget, so that way you can still splurge when you see somewhere you can’t pass up!  Of course, these tips can be applied to other destinations as well, they are not necessarily exclusive to Paris.

13.   Coffee & Café’s:  In most cafés or restaurants around Europe, besides Starbucks probably, no two cappuccinos are alike.  We love a cappuccino and all its’ steamed milk glory first thing in the morning! The funny part was, we ordered the same drink at most cafes, but they were just made slightly different. Sometimes there was way more milk that coffee. Other times it was 80% coffee and hardly any milk. Then other times, the cups were so fancy we didn’t think it was even the same drink!

14.   Driving:  Because of the Transportation Strike we ended up renting that car.  We hadn’t planned on it so we did not do any research on driving in France.  Our first stop was over an hour and a half away and we had to take many roundabouts, some highways, and small country roads.  We were able to use google maps to get directions and that worked out great!  The map app gave us the speed limits (don’t want a ticket in a foreign country) and helped with signs and locations.  It turned out to be one of the best experiences we had.

15.   Bathrooms:  This can be a challenge to find a good bathroom and then there is the additional challenge of how to get the faucet to turn on.  At one of the stores in Paris, I stopped in to use the restroom but couldn’t get the sink to work.  It was automatic but I kept moving my hands underneath to get it to work.  Luckily one of the store clerks came in and she showed me that the sensor was at the end of the handle.  Who would have thought!  Anyway, any time we were in a museum or public place that had a restroom we definitely used it because it was difficult to find public bathrooms.

16.   Language: Please learn at least basic conversational French. Merci (thank you), bonjour (hello), and s’il vous plait (please) are among the most important. Like I said earlier, not all people are very patient while we tried to order food or drinks, but most are very nice and speak English.

We went on a boat ride down the Seine, and before our excursion we stopped for cappuccino at a Pret A Manager. I was very carefully trying to order multiple drinks and waters in French. The cashier was sweet and patient and even spoke back to me slowly in French and corrected me when she could. I won’t ever forget that because instead of her being irritated by the American who can’t speak or sound French, she took the time to be so very kind and try to teach me how to order. I wish I remembered her name to give her proper kudos! While another time, we were at a restaurant, and I ordered a Croque Monsieur (grilled ham and cheese sandwich which differs from the Croque Madame which is the same but with a fried egg on top), obviously not able to pronounce it correctly in a French accent. The waitress at this café did not want to give us the time of day unfortunately. She came back to me with a Coke instead of the sandwich. I was able to clarify by pointing at the menu. While she wasn’t as compassionate about our language barrier as the barista was at Pret, you can manage and be quite successful by trying to learn the basics.