Local Tips for Paris — Insider Knowledge for First-Timers

Transport: get the Navigo Découverte, not the carnet

The Navigo Découverte card (€5) is a rechargeable transit card that works on the metro, RER, bus, and tram. Load a weekly (hebdomadaire) or monthly pass. This is significantly cheaper than buying individual tickets or even a carnet of 10 tickets. Get a passport photo taken at any photo booth (Photomaton, €5) and bring it with you. The card requires a photo.

Museums: the free days are crowded, the workaround is not

All state-run museums are free on the first Sunday of every month — which means they are all also completely unvisitably crowded on the first Sunday of every month. The workaround: every major museum (Louvre, Orsay, Centre Pompidou, Rodin) offers free or reduced entry after 6pm on certain days. Check the website before you go. The Louvre is free on Bastille Day (July 14).

Restaurant etiquette: the French way

French restaurants do not rush you. A check is not automatically brought at the end of a meal — you ask for it (L'addition, s'il vous plaît). Tipping is not mandatory: service is included by law. Leave €1–2 per person for good service, or round up. Bread goes directly on the table, not on your plate. Butter comes with bread. Wine is poured by the glass everywhere; house wine at €4–6 is usually good.

Avoiding tourist traps

The restaurants immediately surrounding the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and Notre-Dame are among the worst food in Paris. Walk two streets away in any direction and the food gets dramatically better and 40% cheaper. The Rue Cler market street in the 7th (near the Eiffel Tower) is where locals eat. The Rue Mouffetard in the 5th is better than the Latin Quarter alternatives. The area around Père Lachaise (20th) has good neighbourhood bistros with zero tourists.

Language: three phrases unlock everything

Bonjour (hello, good morning) — say this before every interaction. Not saying it is the fastest way to be treated poorly in Paris. Parlez-vous anglais? (do you speak English?) — polite, correct, and most people will say yes and appreciate you asking. Mercy beaucoup — thank you. Learn to read the menu: entrée means starter (not main course), plat principal is the main. Do not leave without learning these.