Europe: Paris, France Travel Tips and Guide for Long Stays (2-4 weeks)

Paris Je T'aime

Paris is a very popular destination in France, so for us it was important to go when the crowds were low so that we could assimilate ourselves into the local culture. Our ideal time was early spring so we were prepared for the occasional rain and cold.

Here are travel tips and guide for Paris, France:

We planned everything ourselves, and usually do not book in advance with the exception of a few highlights that we plan ahead. If you are interested in the major attractions you will need to book those in advance. However, we like to wing it, especially in Paris because you never know what you might encounter. We have experienced a garbage strike, a transportation strike and multiple protests.

Because our stays in Paris are usually 2-4 weeks, we chose to book AirBnB's for both of our long-term stays. One travel tip is to keep in mind that flats in Paris are usually small and most do not have a lift so pack light. One of the places we selected had a nice view but was up six flights of stairs! If you have a place with a washer/dryer they might be small and may or may not dry your clothes.

Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower: Suggest to Book in advance. On our first trip we were able to go right up to the tower and get a ticket at that time. However, now there is a clear wall around the tower, so it probably is best to get tickets ahead of time.

The Louvre: Booking ahead is helpful and you can purchase skip the line tickets. You can enter from below the pyramid in the mall below the Louvre or enter at the top. Have a plan as the Louvre is huge and it can be easy to get lost. We made a bee line for the Mona Lisa and were lucky to get there first and get some good pictures.

Notre Dame: We were lucky to tour Notre Dame before the fire in 2019 which destroyed most of the roof along with the spire and the bell towers. The views from the top were amazing, and hopefully it will be restored soon.

Train tickets: If you can purchase train tickets ahead of time, especially if you are doing a day trip, it will be cheaper the earlier you book in most cases. As always we use the Trainline App. Most train tickets are specific times but going to Bruges from Paris and going to Glasgow from Edinburgh we had open tickets which was nice because we could get on any of the trains that day.

The Louvre

Paris Train Travel

Notre Dame Cathedral

I hope you enjoyed our travel tips and guide for the ultimate long stay in Paris. Please subscribe to our blog for updates on this post and more Europe travel tips.