What you should Not to do visiting Paris.

Hi, my dear travellers!  Are you planning your first trip to Paris at the moment?  
Take attention to following points in order to make your stay there comfortable and not much expensive. In other words from the very beginning you should try to avoid unnecessary spendings.

1.   When you book your hotel or apartment check that the address or the description of the hotel mentions the arrondissement (a municipal subdivision in large cities in France) then you are looking at somewhere in central Paris.  Generally speaking, the lower the number of the arrondissement (a municipal subdivision in large cities in France), the closer you are to central Paris. If you looking for a particular location in Paris, the fourth and some of the third arrondissements (a municipal subdivision in large cities in France) are the Marais (an old quarter in Paris on the right bank of Siena), the Latin Quarter is the fifth, and the Eiffel Tower area is the seventh.

2. Queuing is never cool and is never fun regardless of where you travel.  In very popular destinations like Paris, queuing is somewhat inevitable, but there are things you can do to minimize your need to queue.

Firstly plan your day so that you go to the very popular places early before everyone else gets there.  I like to arrive about 10-15minutes after opening time, so that the real early birds who’ve been waiting for opening are already in.  

Secondly, book a Museum Pass or The skip the queue pass where you can.  Even the Eiffel Tower has got with the program on this one, so really you have no excuse.  You will still need to queue for the security checks, but once through those, head straight in! 

3. Falling for a Paris tourist scam

Whether it’s the ring scam (an illegal plan of making money), the petition scam, a plain old mugging (an attack in public place in which money etc. is stolen), read up on the most common Paris scam.  Also check recently updated guide book which should have all the news on the “latest” scams to avoid.  Do your research, make sure you have appropriate insurance via global medical plans and avoid having your trip, your health and potentially your memories of Paris, spoiled.

4. Eating in tourist restaurants

You know the restaurants and cafes  I mean.  Unfortunately they are everywhere in Europe’s big cities.  Firstly, they will be clustered around the major tourist sites (although the Eiffel Tower is an exception).  Then they have pictures of the food outside.  And a menu touristique  or tourist menu will be prominently displayed – but don’t confuse this with the daily specials board you will see outside any café or brasserie.  If you see red check (a pattern of squares formed by lines of different colours crossing each other) table clothes in addition to all of these be alarmed and walk away now! These types of restaurants are very common around Notre Dame, in the Latin Quarter and are almost everywhere in Montmartre.

Instead, head a few blocks away from tourist locations.  Walk down smaller, quieter streets rather than staying on the big main streets.  Ask for recommendations from your hotel or other travelers.  Consult your guidebook.

Yes, you may pay slightly more.  But you will eat better food, in a better atmosphere, and you should enjoy it more. 

5. Going to the Moulin Rouge

I’ve been to Paris 10 times.  I’ve never been to the Moulin Rouge.  And indeed I’ve only ever walked past it once. 

As far as I am concerned, the Moulin Rouge, the Lido, and all other “famous” cabarets are tourist traps.  

You will eat expensive, mass produced food in the company of hundreds of other tourists.  You will drink expensive, but cheap champagne.  You will watch Anglophone girls dance – yes, the famous French cabarets visit Anglophone countries regularly in search of the very tall, leggy girls that fill the chorus.

If you do want to have a special night out and try the Paris nightlife, might I suggest consulting Paris Time Out (there is an English version) for the latest cool bar or night spot?  Or trying a fancy restaurant such as Jules Verne at the Eiffel Tower, or Atelier, Joel Robuchon’s restaurant in the 6th arrondisement ( EUR 150 per person plus drinks). 

6. Thinking you need to see everything in the Louvre

Unless you absolutely adore art, do not plan on seeing everything at the Louvre.  The Louvre is just too vast, with just too much on show.  Instead, work out what you want to see, and then leave.

They don’t hand out medals for those who see everything, and I am sure there are so many other things you want to do and see.  Do those instead, and have a great time.

7. Catching a taxi everywhere

Catching a taxi can be a good option if you are traveling in a small group from Charles de Gaulle now that there is a fixed price fare to and from central Paris.  But don’t assume that you need to catch a taxi everywhere.

Using the Metro is much, much cheaper and is a quintessential Paris experience.  It’s also easy to use.  You can buy your tickets from the vending machines in English and the lines are coloured coded to make it easy to navigate.  

8. Using the hop on, hop off bus

It’s terribly convenient to use the hop on, hop off buses.  But in Paris you don’t need to.  The number 69 bus will take you from the Eiffel Tower up to the Pere Lachaise area, passing almost the same sites, at a fraction of the cost.  The Paris traffic is the same, so why pay more?

And if you buy a “carnet” (10 Metro tickets at once) you can use your ticket on the bus!

9. Thinking the Champs Elysees is the “real Paris”

If you’ve never been to Paris, I’m sure you have a vision of strolling along a grand tree lined boulevard, for a spot of lecher la vitrine (window shopping), or people watching.

And yes, it’s a lovely thing to do.  It’s just that the Champs Elysees is not necessarily the best place to do it.  The section of the Champs Elysees between the Place de la Concorde and the Arc de Triomphe is not so bad.  There are pretty gardens, and there may be an interesting exhibition you can drop into at the Grand and Petit Palais.  But there are also thousands of tourists.  All doing the same thing as you.

Beyond the Arc de Triomphe the Champs Elysees turns into car show rooms and bewildered tourists looking for their bit of Paris.

Instead, for a pretty walk, wander the pricey ( expensive) Ave Montaigne (just near the Arc de Triomphe), back over to the Left Bank to the Eiffel Tower, then head east along the river to the Louvre and the Tuileries.  You’ll walk past the Georges V and the Plaza Athenee Hotels (where you can stop for a very expensive, but atmospheric coffee), as well as a who’s who of the top European designers for your window shopping.  Then, there’s the prettiest part of the Seine – tree lined and relatively quiet.

10. Not getting lost

While you may not want to literally get lost, wandering away from the tourist areas, and exploring the tiny streets is something you should do.

Depending on how much time you have, consider my walk to Butte Chaumont to find your own part of the real Paris.

If you’ve been to Paris, what would you put on your list of things to avoid?