I’ll be honest with you. My first trip to Paris was a beautiful disaster.
We did almost everything wrong. We had bad food near the Eiffel Tower. We tried to “go” the Louvre in one afternoon (spoiler, we saw about 4% of the Louvre and left with sore feet and resentment). We spent too much money on taxis that we didn’t need.
So consider this post a public service announcement from someone who learned something the hard way. Here are 10 mistakes to avoid in Paris. I personally created them all so you don’t have to.
1. Stay only in the tourist triangle
There is an invisible triangle between the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and Notre Dame, where 90% of first-time visitors spend their entire trip. All right. This is the place you’ve dreamed of since you were 12 years old.
But here’s the problem. From the 1st to the 8th arrondissement, it is truly beautiful. They are also the most expensive, most crowded, and actually the least representative of Paris. feel I want to live.
Stay in the Marais (3rd/4th arrondissement), Saint-Germain (6th arrondissement), or further afield in the 10th or 11th arrondissements and you will see a completely different city. The kind where you actually have locals sitting in a cafe rather than tour groups. A breakfast croissant that costs €1.20 instead of €3.50.
2. Not learning basic French phrases
I know what you’re thinking. “Everyone in Paris speaks English.” And technically, a lot of people do. But that’s ~ no gist.
The point is that when you walk into a store, you say “Bonjour” and everything changes. What I mean is all. The difference in how you are treated when you lead with a cheerful “Bonjour” and when you just start with English is night and day. French people are not rude. They just have social rules, and greeting people is the first rule.
You don’t have to speak fluently. Learn “bonjour”, “merci”, “s’il vous plaît”, “excusez-moi” and “l’addition” (check). That’s it. With five phrases, Paris suddenly became the friendliest city in Europe. I’m not even exaggerating.
3. Eat at a restaurant with a picture menu near a landmark
If a restaurant near the Eiffel Tower has pictures of their food posted on a stand outside, you should keep walking. please. For your own sake.
We learned this the hard way on our first trip. We were hungry after climbing the tower, so we sat down at the nearest place with a big sign saying “MENU TOURIST” and bought a Croque Monsieur that tasted like it had been heated in a microwave for 22 euros last Tuesday. The wine came in what can only be described as a juice glass.
Walk two blocks in either direction from major landmarks and food becomes exponentially better and cheaper. Find a place where the menus are handwritten, the seats are full, and real French people are eating. Additionally, Bouillon restaurants (such as Bouillon Chartier or Bouillon Pigalle) serve traditional French food at really affordable prices. We’re talking about a three-course meal for less than 20 euros.
4. Not understanding the subway ticket system
Paris has basically completely digitized its subway tickets. Paper tickets are scheduled to be phased out by mid-2026, so if you’re planning a trip, you need to know about the Navigo Easy card.
Navigo Easy is a reusable contactless card that costs €2 at all metro stations. You can top up as a single ticket (€2.55 each) or a discounted 10-pack. If you’re staying for a week, a Navigo Découverte weekly pass costs €32.40 and includes: every Zone including Versailles and airport tours. That’s theft.
This is a major part of what causes people to fall (literally). you ~ have to Tap your card on the purple reader every time you enter the station. On some RER lines, you also need to tap to get off. Don’t be that person who fumbles through the turnstiles looking for a paper ticket that no longer works. Also, be sure to download the Bonjour RATP app before you go. You can purchase and store tickets right from your phone.
5. Trying to see the entire Louvre at once
The Louvre Museum displays more than 380,000 artifacts and 35,000 works of art over 72,735 square meters. If you watched each piece for 30 seconds, it would take you over 100 days to see everything. I will try to understand it.
We tried to “do it all” on our first visit. Three hours later, we were walking briskly past Renaissance masterpieces as if they were wallpaper samples. Will was grumpy, my feet were done, and we barely got through two wings. It was the opposite of enjoyable.
choose one Wings or one collection. The Denon Wing features the Mona Lisa and large Italian paintings. The Sully Wing displays Egyptian artifacts. The Richelieu Wing has French sculptures and the apartments of Napoleon III, which are ridiculously over-the-top and, frankly, more interesting than the Mona Lisa. Go for up to 2 hours and then go out for a coffee. You can go back anytime.
6. Skip the less popular neighborhoods
Most first-time visitors never leave the central district, and I think that’s the single biggest thing they miss. The outskirts are where Paris gets really interesting.
Belleville (10/20) is one of the most multicultural areas of the city. There’s jaw-dropping street art on Rue Dénoyez, some of the best Chinese food in Paris, and views of Belleville Park like nothing you’ll find from a paid observation deck. It is also where Edith Piaf grew up. If you’re interested in that kind of thing, yes.
canal saint martin (No. 10), with its tree-lined canals, iron footbridges and cafes, looks like something straight out of Amelie (because it literally is). It’s great for an afternoon walk.
Batignolle (17th) has the lively market street of Rue Lévis and a park with real caves and waterfalls, giving it a village-within-a-city feel. There are very few tourists. We actually had the place to ourselves.
7. Eat only croissants and crepes
See, I love a good croissant. I would eat pain au chocolat every morning and not feel any shame. But if croissants and crepes are the only French food you eat in Paris, you’re missing out. glaringly.
Paris has some of the best food on the planet, but most of it isn’t what tourists think of as ‘French food’. Try a jambon-beurre (ham and butter sandwich on a perfect baguette) at a random bakery. Try a tartine at the wine bar. Try duck confit at your local bistro. Get some falafel at L’As du Fallafel in the Marais district and debate whether it’s the best in town. (And yes, I will fight about this.)
Plus cheese. Try some cheese. Go to fromagerie, point out things that look threatening and ask for recommendations. The worst thing that can happen is that you discover a new obsession. The best thing that can happen is Comté and Comté is always worth it.
8. Not budgeting for how expensive Paris really is
I don’t want to scare you, but flies expensive. In fact, being unprepared can be surprisingly expensive.
A coffee in a sit-down café costs around €4-5. A glass of wine at the bar costs €7-10. A mid-range dinner for two with wine can cost €80-100. A basic sandwich and drink for lunch costs €12-15. Multiply that over a week and suddenly your budget is in trouble.
The good news is that Paris also has some great budget options if you know where to look. Have a hearty lunch (many restaurants offer a “full” or set lunch menu for €15-25, a fraction of the price of dinner). Buy picnic supplies at the market and dine along the Seine River. Instead of sitting at a table, try standing at the bar and drinking your espresso. Because they charge more for table service. And use it to your advantage. many Something you can do for free. Most parks, churches, and even some museums (on first Sundays) cost nothing.
9. Use a taxi instead of the subway
The Paris Metro is one of the best public transportation systems in the world. There are 16 lines and more than 300 stations, with each station within a 5-minute walk. It runs fast and frequently and costs just €2.55 per ride.
Taxi through Paris? Then it will be around €15-30. minimumAnd that’s before you sit in the traffic that makes Metro seem even more attractive. On our first trip, we took a taxi from 6th Avenue Gare du Nord to the hotel, which cost €35 for a 40-minute ride in heavy traffic. The metro costs €2.55 and takes 25 minutes.
The only exceptions I would make are if you are traveling late at night (when trains stop running around 1am), with heavy luggage, or with young children and strollers. Otherwise, take the subway. You’ll get to your destination faster and save a small fortune. Download the Bonjour RATP app to connect from door to door.
10. Go to the top of the Eiffel Tower instead of another observation deck.
Herein lies the irony of climbing to the top of the Eiffel Tower. You can see all of Paris, except for one thing. make Paris skyline with Eiffel Tower.
Don’t misunderstand. Climbing the tower is a great experience. But the lines are brutal (often an hour or two even with timed tickets), the prices are expensive, and the views, while nice, aren’t really the best in the city.
What is the better option that you personally prefer? that Rooftop of the Arc de Triomphe With the tower in the background, it offers a perfect view looking straight down the Champs-Élysées. Dome of the Sacré-Coeur Basilica Montmartre offers panoramic views of the entire city from Paris’ highest natural point. and if you want best A photo of the Eiffel Tower from above, Trocadero The gardens are free and located across the river.
Notes on Montparnasse ToursIt was the top choice based on views. The observatory closed at the end of March 2026 for extensive renovations and will not reopen until at least 2030. So, unfortunately, that observatory has been ruled out for now.
Paris’s real secrets
The biggest mistake that encompasses all of the above is treating Paris like a checklist. Run to the Eiffel Tower and check it out. Run to the Louvre and check it out. Run to Notre Dame and check it out. Fold and repeat at an expensive hotel near the opera.
Paris is ~ no Checklist city. It is a wandering city. This is a city where you sit in a cafe for two hours. It’s a city where you’re lost in a neighborhood you’ve never heard of. Some of the best moments we had in Paris happened when we had no plans at all. A random wine bar on 11th Street. A park bench in the Marais district with baguettes and questionable cheese turned out to be life-changing.
Slow down, say bonjour, eat cheese, and take the subway. That’s really the secret.
More Paris Plans
we spent an hour many I spent some time in Paris and wrote extensively about it. Here are some other guides that may help you plan your trip:
