After years of living in Paris for school, I worked as a tour guide in the city from 2019 to 2020.
During this period, I spent a lot of time on top of the Eiffel Tower, inside the Louvre, and taking hundreds of tourists around Paris. I even came out of retirement to show visitors around during the Summer Olympics.
Much to my surprise, though, I found many tourists still made the same mistakes I saw them making years ago.
Here are the five most common missteps I notice when tourists visit Paris.
Staying near the Eiffel Tower can be pricey.
Although seeing the Eiffel Tower is a major reason people travel to Paris, staying near this famous landmark can be pricey.
Instead, I recommend staying in the east part of the city, which has a more relaxed vibe but still has lots of restaurant and bar options.
Tourists are missing out by only dining at the most Instagrammable spots.
Although it can be tempting to flock toward the pretty cafés and restaurants covered in fake flowers, I recommend staying away from most of them. In my experience, these Instagrammable locations often offer disappointing food at higher price points.
For a more authentic experience, seek out small coffee shops, restaurants, and local markets instead.
Some tourists find the view from the top of the Eiffel Tower disappointing.
I’ve probably spent months of my life climbing to the top of the Eiffel Tower every day with groups of tourists. The problem? We would spend what felt like forever waiting to get up there, and I could feel their disappointment when they arrived.
They’d look out across the city, and the view wouldn’t mean much to them because you can’t see Paris’ most iconic landmark if you’re standing on top of it. Sometimes, you can’t even see very far out if there’s morning fog or rain.
Instead, I recommend climbing the Montparnasse Tower or going to the rooftop café at Printemps department store to look out across the city.
For a special treat, I always tell tourists to get to a viewpoint at night, when the Eiffel Tower sparkles for five minutes at the top of each hour.
Not saying hello to the locals can be seen as rude.
There’s a stereotype that French people are rude, but in my experience, this is far from the truth. However, it’s important that tourists understand one simple etiquette norm — saying “bonjour.”
In France, it’s polite to say a simple “bonjour” when entering a store or restaurant. This small gesture goes a long way toward building rapport with the locals.
I’ve seen many tourists try to do too much in one day.
I’ve seen so many tourists compete over who can do the most during their time in Paris. But I often have to remind people that the Olympics are over and seeing the city isn’t an endurance event.
I always tell visitors to allow themselves to be on vacation. After all, nothing is more Parisian than reading a book in a park or enjoying a calm drink on a terrace.
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