6 Things You Need to Know Before Visiting Paris for the First Time

Paris has been at the top of everyone’s travel list since the beginning of the city’s construction. Every year millions of people follow their dreams and desires and make that journey to the city of lights. Last year, I took that journey and was positively surprised in so many ways. In a short time, I learned so much about the people, the culture, and the history. It felt like a dream come true. If you would like to embark on that journey and fulfill that dream, here are some essential things you need to know before visiting Paris for the first time. 

You Need to Know a Little French 

The first thing you need to know before visiting Paris for the first time is the language. Like many other travel destinations, it is essential to know some basic words and phrases for when you need help. The good news about Paris is that most people speak both French and English. That means, in most tourist establishments and museums, you’ll be able to find someone who speaks English. However, there were many occasions where my party and I would have been lost without knowing a few French words. For example, we had to tell our French-only-speaking taxi driver we needed to go to an ATM before our destination. Luckily one of the members of my family knew a few words and was able to translate. If not, we would not have been out of luck and unable to tell them where we needed to go. 

It is best to be prepared. Though most speak English, you may find yourself out of luck if you need help or directions. Besides, it is best practice to learn a few words in the native language everywhere you go. 

I recommend utilizing free language learning apps or borrowing a book in French one to two months before your trip and studying lightly. Learn the basics such as lefts and rights, numbers, help phrases, money phrases, and thank yous. 

Let Go of Your Parisian Stereotypes

The second thing you must know before visiting Paris for the first time is that your stereotypes are wrong. Personally, I was so guilty of believing the stereotype that all Parisians are rude and they ruin the experience. Every post on social media likes to follow the trend of negativity and claim that Paris is the worst and that people all hate Americans, but they are wrong. I’ll admit, I was so very wrong. I walked out of the train station expecting angry locals and side glances, but I was met with the opposite. 

Every local Parisian I met, whether working in tourism or going about their day, was friendly and honest. I believe the stereotype might come from people used to resort-style vacations. There everyone everywhere caters to their personal needs only. I would say to those people, to realize that Paris is a living city with many people just living their day-to-day lives. Parisians aren’t rude, they are just trying to get to work, to eat, to go to the grocery store, etc. Just like in New York City, the locals have to share their daily lives with thousands of tourists every day. 

The best practice is to be respectful to everyone you meet, and you’ll find they will be respectful towards you. As long as you travel on your best behavior, they will greet you with equal kindness. You’ll find they are respectful and will be just as excited to see you as you are to see them. 

You Must Book Everything in Advance

This is probably one of the most important things you want to know before visiting Paris for the first time. As someone who obsesses over planning, for the most part, I didn’t face the problem of not booking everything, but I saw so many people disappointed by their lack of booking. We were able to waltz confidently past long lines to get to the Louvre and the Palace of Versailles. Meanwhile others had to battle long crowds of tourists from all over the world, sometimes in the cold rain. 

Not booking everything in advance did get to me once and it was in the most important moment. That moment was to climb to the top of the Eiffel Tower. We initially didn’t plan on doing it. However, we were hit with a wave of excitement once we saw it in person. Once we made our way to the line, we found a standby wait time of two hours. The line wrapped down the whole park and we sat there only for a moment before realizing we would have to miss out on that opportunity. There was no way we were going to stand for two hours just to climb steps for another hour. 

So we took the usual Eiffel Tower photos from ground level and made our way to a hop-on-hop-off bus instead. Luckily, I only made the mistake of not booking for the Eiffel Tower. The rest of our time in Paris was smooth sailing, convenient, and less stressful, simply because we booked most of everything in advance. 

You Need to Be Aware of Scams and Know How to Avoid Them

Though enjoyment is at the top of the list for Paris travel, safety should be your priority when traveling anywhere. Like with every hot travel location in the world, where there are large crowds of tourists, there will also be many scammers. Paris is one of the hot spots for travel scams. Many travelers find themselves victim to pickpocketing, being overcharged, or being forced to pay for something they didn’t want. 

My biggest tip is to simply be aware of your surroundings. Having situational awareness is so important when traveling to any country, especially a big city and heavy tourist hot spot such as Paris. Learn to give a stern no and when that doesn’t work, learn to ignore and not engage. Though you may feel rude, not engaging with a scammer is the best way to escape continuous pressure and danger. 

Having a list of common scams and a plan on how to deal with them are among the most important things you need to know before visiting Paris. Make sure to sit the entire family down a few evenings before the trip. This way you can go over safety, smart decisions, and ways to avoid being scammed. 

You Will Need Your Phone to Get Around

Like many, my family and I swore to only spend what was necessary. We decided that paying for international data was unnecessary and a waste of the budget. We figured that if we were all together and surrounded by other tourists, we couldn’t possibly need our phones for anything but pictures and wifi calling at the hotel. Besides, it is best to put your phone down and be present anyway right? Not in this day and age, that’s for sure. 

Once we stepped off the train, we found ourselves in desperate need of GPS walking directions, translations, and email access to find our booking times. Sure, it may be possible without phones, I am sure it has been done before. Especially before the widespread use of cell phones and 5G. However, it is so much easier to use what we are so used to. It is easiest to research and simply pay in advance for your phone company’s international data. It will minimize the stress of being lost and unable to read signs and directions. Also, it allows you to call the other if someone gets lost. 

Accept That You Will Want to Come Back

The last thing you need to know before visiting Paris for the first time is that you will want to come back. Accept that feeling. Whether you have a few days in Paris or an entire week, there will always be so much more to do and explore. Then when you think you have done everything there is to do, you will find that there is so much more around the corner.

With this in mind, it is important to research and make a list of things you really must see and do. Once you have that list, schedule an entire day to wander, get lost, and explore the corners and cafes. Then simply accept that you will still want to come back. Once you accept that, it allows you to be present in every moment you have in this beautiful city and encourages you to make use of all the time you have there. Accepting that you will want to come back regardless of how much time you spend will also leave you satisfied once the trip is over, knowing that the feeling is normal and that you did everything you set out to do. 

Only have a short amount of time in Paris? If you want to make the most of your trip, check out my 2 days in Paris itinerary.