Paris ᯓ★ my ultimate guide for you
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coming from someone who's born and live here since the beginning
There's a lot to cover, but I am gonna cover everything especially transport because y'all. I also going to give you tips & more address.
Disclaimer : about the city and how we see it so you can visualize.
Okay so as a non French, you might see Paris like in your movies, but the reality is that, what you see on tiktok, is the fancy Paris. Even the address, especially if it's a non-french who gives address, it might be a tourist trap.
When you say Paris, for us this is not Paris (rich and tourist) it's Paris and around paris. France is separated into departments and Paris (and me) are based in Ile de France department. Paris itself is separated into arrondissements and based on them, it will be easier to see it.
I'm gonna focus on this because your trip will be centered around here I guess? I mean if you plan to do tourist activities, you'll stay in the center of Paris.
You have to see this city as a round. That's what my mom used to say to me as a child if I will ever get lost. At the end, you'll always comeback where you come from, especially if you stay in the heart of Paris. Trust me.
Also when we say near Paris, is not outside ile de France. Near Paris means suburbs.
No because I saw somebody saying to go to Claude Monet's house (so to Giverny) it's near Paris ? When you have to take a SPECIAL TRAIN, consider this as very far. You should always take metro or regular train, that's it. Buses too. The minutes you go outside ile de France consider this ❝as far from Paris.❞
It’s very crucial to understand this to locate your activities.
I live in the suburbs so going to paris takes me thirty minutes. All your activities might be in paris center so you should now how to navigate here.
-> how to choose the right tickets, pass and apps
I used to work in transport so this is the part i know by heart. I had to talk in english all day so I know the questions you problobly have in your head
Use city mapper only. Plans on Apple is only for when you walk to your destination. City mapper is more precise regarding metros, trains etc.
If you’re in Paris, the two transports are going to be metro and if you want to go in the suburbs (Disney for exemple) it’s a train (RER). Those two. But mostly metro.
The most easiest to understand. From Line 1 to Line 14. You just follow the number.
Example: you stay close to the station hôtel de ville (Line 1) and you want to go to Louvre museum which is also on the Line 1. Easy. You take the Line 1 direction La défense to Louvre Rivoli. It’s three stops. That’s it.
And if you have more changes to do, it’s the same, just that you have more changes to do. One by one, Even if it’s a train, it’s the same.
I think the things that most tourists get confused are the directions of the metro itself. For example Line 1 there is direction La défense or Chateau de Vincennes. Depending of your final destination you’re gonna chose the right direction. It’s the same for every Metro, every train and buses.
If you have to go to Disney land you’ll take Line A (RER) but be careful about the direction. The right direction is Marne la Vallée - Chessy. This is the terminus ! There is Mickey mouse's symbol on the screen to tell you that this is the one you should take. I emphasize because families always ask me that.
So you should always seek the direction. You want to go to the Eiffel tower ok it’s gonna be Bir hakeim station (for a better view) so line 6. Which direction to take to go to bir hakeim ?? Nation ! So Line 6 direction Nation to Bir Hakeim ! 🥳. Of course the direction depends on where you are initially. It can be direction Nation or Charles de Gaulle étoile.
Honestly at first it might be complicated but everything is indicated for you in Paris, especially since Olympics but as as I said with city mapper it’s gonna be okay.
Tickets : what to take etc
Well it’s easier than before because tickets doesn’t exist anymore. It’s on a pass and you can reload it with tickets inside of it.
One ticket = one trip. Two tickets = two trips so to go and comeback for example
If you go outside the station and you didn’t arrived at your destination, consider this ticket as vanished. When people say it’s valuable for 1h30, it’s for correspondance between your starting location to the final one. If you live in suburbs and you want to go to Disney, it’s far away, so the tickets you bought needs to be valid.
It's free until four years. Four years old child has to pay in a reduced price.
Navigo easy pass -> for occasional trips, or to add one or two days
Navigo Pass -> for people like me, who live here, who have a life, worker or students etc.
I am going to be like an algorithm for now
If you want to stay for a whole week -> take the weekly navigo pass even though you’re a tourist. Trust me.
The navigo pass is around 37 euros per person and the card is valuable for ten years (so as the navigo easy). It’s less expensive than the horrible Paris visite and you'll have access to everything unlimited. No need to be stressing with this card and how many trips you should take. If you know you're gonna visit Paris a lot everyday and you want to be peaceful about transports, this is the one for you. It's start from Monday to Sunday. If you come on Friday you'll have to wait until Monday to use it. Also I think the card itself cost 5 euros. Always check for the price for everything but it’s around that
You need a pic and you have to put the pic in the 48 hours if I remember, if you don't have it, control officers are gonna charge you they will not care so bring an id pic. If you just bought it show them the receipt proving you just bought it now and you're gonna take a pic. Be careful they love to go on you since they think you don't know all that. You’re an easy prey for them. Plus they’re always in tourists stations.
Navigo pass is the same price for everybody, even child
-> If you plan to stay in Paris later for a long term you can use the same navigo card to make navigo card with a suscription like me, like someone who stay permanently.
On this navigo card (empty) : you can
Now the easy card -> if you stay for two days or three or occasional trips
On here, you can put tickets and you can reload the card. So no subscription in it. Tickets, day pass or airports tickets.
About the day pass : if you doing more than six travels, it’s better to take this one. Since a single tickets is 2.55 € and the day pass is around 14,30€ it's better to take this one because six tickets = 15,30 €. It ends up at midnight so if you arrive at 9 pm it would be useless.
Now be careful about this one
If you have single tickets inside this card, you can't put airport tickets on the same card. Those are not compatible. The card cannot handle those two together, the card have to be empty for an airport ticket.
So easy card with single tickets + airpots tickets = not possible
But what they don’t tell you is that if you have an Apple Pay or NFC you can take your tickets in the wallet app for time like this. You can just also take your ticket on your phone, but I don't recommend it. Many people have issues with it. If you have an Apple Pay and you don't want to pay those two euros, go for it.
Apple wallet -> + -> travel card -> navigo card -> (choose whatever ticket you need)
If you don't have an Apple Pay, take the Bonjour Ratp app please not ile de France mobilités and follow the instructions.
Again: one card on the phone = one pass
On apple wallet if you're many you need to create many cards in your wallet, so you do this for each person on the same phone : Apple wallet -> + -> travel card -> navigo card -> (choose whatever ticket you need)
In whatever case please don’t take the paris visite, expensive for nothing pls don’t not take those, this is the same I told you but more expensive. When you don't know anything you see Paris and visite tell yourself it's a trap for you. Look for options I told you. Might be complicated as first, but trust me about it. Everytime I saw someone showing me their Paris visite I wanted to cry.
As you understand it’s better to come on Monday in paris especially if you stay for four day or a week. If you come on wednesday/thrustday I recommend you the day pass or single ticket if you know how many travel you're gonna do but you just want to be at peace just take this lol. Again if you know you're doing more than five trips it's better to take the day pass if not single tickets. Remember that the day pass ends up at midnight so if you arrive late in the night just take regular tickets.
Tramways and buses are not the same as metro tickets so choose carefully the right one: bus-tram tickets
If you arrive on the week end
Same, weekly pass will be useless so adapt with single or day pass
This is the most you need to know about transports
Museums, arts, expositions
Have your tickets online ! No need to make the queue. If you live in the EU and you have less than 25 years it should be free for you (but you need a ticket though). Prove it with your ID card at the museum.
You don’t need to make the queue like everybody else. You go on the museum website (the museum official website not any other, there so pricey for nothing), there is all translations you need and you just take your tickets in reservations.
You can climb Eiffel tower and Arc de triomphe. Same procedure, on the official website. I don’t think it’s free for that but maybe it’s at a reduced price.
-> For expositions, art, things like always seek the online reservations you'll be less tired. You just choose when you're coming and you just go but not in the queue like everybody else 😌
It's good but overpriced omg. Like ??? You can't just walk or take the metro. I promise you walking in Paris is better than taking the bus especially with that trafic but I can understand that you want to do it.
I recommend you to take ship like Bateau mouches or Bateau de Paris it's far better especially during Summer.
Like i give you all the adress in this post : Citypharma, La bulle & Co, pharmacie de Chatelet
This is the GQ, our zone. Where you'll find everything you want to find. If you went to London you probably know about Westfield . Yes this the same. There's another well known Westfield in La Defense but la defense is not in Paris center, it's considered as suburbs but near Paris still.
-> so yeah chatelet is the spot where every body join each other and there is everything around, EVERYTHING. It's near the rivoli street so those area are perfect if you want to do some shopping
Be careful about that area it's overstimulating especially in the Westfield
𑣲 Galeries la layettes / Printemps
𑣲 La grande épicerie de Paris : expensive food ingredients you go for specific things not for your regular errands
Now some famous food tourist address
Honestly do some of them because it's for the experience
𑣲 Carette : very good only tourist go there lol. Those are things you try once as a French, it's not that deep.
𑣲 Cafe de Flore: don't go, it's Pinterest aesthetic but my friend told me is not that good and overpriced
𑣲 La durée : the famous spot, good but Pierre hermé is better. Before la durée was better. It's pretty though
𑣲 Cedric Grolet : take them by click & collect or you'll have to make the queue like every other tourists, pretty good but expensive omg
Next my own food adresses
I don't really recommend pricy restaurants because they always disappoint,very expensive but I have some good spot. Also it's not French food only. The best thing in Paris is that you can eat everything because there is different cultures. Of course, feel free to try what you want.
𑣲 Jaan : korean spot, not very expensive, halal too (if you seek for halal food)
𑣲 PNY : Burger spot my fav I suggest the one in the marais (📍Rue Sainte-Croix de la Bretonnerie, Paris)
𑣲 Joayo : really good korean food a little bit far from Paris = in the suburbs (📍44 Avenue de Choisy 75013, Paris)
𑣲 Bouillon Chartier : the one of république only. If you want to try traditional French food at a very low price it's the place, go super early like at the opening (📍Boulevard du Temple, Paris)
𑣲 Xing fu tang : BEST BUBBLE TEA of all time
𑣲 Peppe : if you want good pizza !
𑣲 Tasty Crousty : something to try once
𑣲 All you can eat : Okito wok (📍 3 rue olivier de serres, 75015, Paris) Gourmand wok Montigny (1 avenue de la source de la Bievre Centre SQY Ouest) it’s in a mall and you need to walk a little bit but it’s worth it)
𑣲 Baguette, éclaires au chocolat, pain au chocolat whatever bakery you'll see
Other address I recommend
Gibert Joseph : there's many librairies named like that. If you're lucky you can find really good secondhand books (in English too don't worry)
Nocibé: cheaper than Sephora for perfume !
Fnac: don't know if you have this in your country but this the comfort place of everybody who loves books, musics, etc. Most books are in French obviously but you can find English books. Many vinyles too.
𑣲 If you go to the Louvre museum there's a carrousel like with many restaurants (carrousel du louvre) be careful it's so pricey because this is a place made for you to spend. As soon as you see shop around a tourist zone this is for you.
𑣲 The best food is in Paris but most coffee places aesthetic you see on Pinterest are bad.
𑣲 Speak French a little bit. Please. Not everybody speak English. The thing is that y'all seem to except us to speak in English in France.
-> if I go to Los Angeles I will not say ❝French ?❞ I will speak in English. Know the basics or write it on translate. If we can we will answer in English because at work we can’t waste time with you so at least have translate app.
𑣲 French mentality is something. We're busy, bitter but some people are kind. Also we don't care, everybody lives their life. If you go to a shop they're aren't necessarily gonna help because we consider that clients / people want to be alone. But don't hesitate to ask.
𑣲 In transport don't except Parisians to help you if you're assaulted or even giving you seats. You're alone. They're not gonna react especially men. If a men insult you, people aren't gonna do something. Higher chances they will not. Trust me on that. Nobody will help you it's so sad.
𑣲 Be careful about pickpockets in line 1 especially, never put your phone in your pockets in every transport they're so good at robbing people. Always hold your bags, close them.
-> Line 1 is a very used metro by tourist they know you don't know shit so you'll be unaware of it.
𑣲 Many men not necessarily homeless, are weird so be careful. Also don't go in station Stalingrad (this is a crack zone) where everybody loves to smoke. It's so scary like a zombie city the night ? omg I a don't go in that area try to find another way or if you go go at crowed hours
𑣲 Walk in Paris ! It’s an experience I don't recommend buses because of the trafic but walk in that city
𑣲 If you have cash that is not euro you'll have to change them. Credit card is accepted almost everywhere don't worry
-> it's rare for flea market though, I highly recommend you to have coins
𑣲 If you want to do the eiffel tower trend it's on the line 6 between passy and Bir Hakeim if I remember you get a nice view on Eiffel Tower like on tiktok
𑣲Always see Paris as a circle. Those mall like galeries Lafayette, Chatelet even St Michel are in the same zone lol.
𑣲 Try pain au chocolat not only croissant pain au chocolates is my fav.
𑣲 Always go early for famous thing, Shakespeare company, officine Universal buly…
𑣲 Have fun this is the most beautiful city in the world. I am not even joking and I fear every Parisian will tell you that. Paris ? Especially during summer ? Unbeatable.
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Wow. I gave you all I got. Honestly city mapper will be your best friend. About my food address I don't really try new things lol. I tried to give you restaurant outside fast-food restaurant. I think asian food in paris is the best you can have here. I didn't say it but you have to try charcuterie like saucissons if you eat pork. Most tourist don't like it but it's so good. Obviously try baguettes sandwiches so simple but so good and you can do it yourself too
baguettes is a bread form lol
Like I said Paris is the most beautiful city in the world. Maybe because I've lived my whole life here but every time I am outside France I come back to the same realization.
Especially the food omg there's no better food than the one in Paris
A city with a lot of flaws but still a good city
I've been through some horrible sickness the last two weeks. I was so constipated it was so horrible gosh I was crying in my house like crazy. My mom was so afraid but I take some medicine and I succeeded to poop. It was horrible I was throwing up and everything. The thing is I had to do an oral presentation the next day with my group and I was in the ones to talk, so I have to be there like ?? Thankfully I was free.
The thing is the day before I ate a mini baguette sandwich because I didn't have the time to eat between class. I was hungry after so I took two cookies for the noon then a bubble tea and I think it killed me.
I was like ❝crazy I didn't even drink water after all that❞ and I brush it off and I felt a build up in my stomach but I wasn't caring. The next day ? Omg
I am so traumatized. The next day I was throwing up every food I didn't cook . I'm only ate whole food and for now I'm good
I'm rarely get sick so it was something.
Final exams are starting next week on top of that. I am going to go to the library to work because I can't focus in my house. I'll do my best.
This post was so long I wanted to make it for so long but it was hard to organize everything. There is so much to say but this is truly everything you need to know about Paris to enjoy and to not be ruined. Feel free to ask me questions about Paris or if you didn't understand things related to transport I will be glad to help you.
I love you wherever you are
(for reference, the pic at the beginning of the post it's written hello my friends :))
