Paris: know before you go

Paris has two main airports: Charles de Gaulle (CDG) to the north and Orly (ORY) to the south. From CDG, the RER B train is the fastest public‑transport option, about 40 minutes to Châtelet in the centre. Orly is served by the Orlyval light rail (connecting to the RER B at Antony) and by Metro line 14, which now runs directly into the city. A single Paris Region ↔ Airports ticket covers either airport run on any combination of metro, train, RER, and Orlyval for €14. Taxis are a fixed‑price alternative: €56 from CDG to the Right Bank, €65 to the Left Bank; €45 from Orly to the Right Bank, €36 to the Left Bank. If you arrive by train, the six major stations all sit inside the city and connect directly to the metro.

The metro is the backbone of the city. Sixteen lines crisscross Paris with stations every few hundred metres; you are never far from one. Since January 2025 the fare system has been radically simplified. A single Metro‑Train‑RER ticket costs €2.55 and works anywhere in the Île‑de‑France region (airports excluded). A Bus‑Tram ticket is €2.05. You cannot use the same ticket to switch from rail to bus. You need a second ticket. The best deal for a day of heavy sightseeing is the Navigo Day Pass at €12.30, valid on everything (but not to the airports). Load it onto a Navigo Easy card (€2 from any station) or straight onto your phone. Buses are slower but let you watch the city scroll past the window, and the Noctilien night‑bus network covers the small hours. Walking is the real secret: central Paris is compact, and a walk from Notre‑Dame to the Arc de Triomphe is barely five kilometres.

The only city‑specific charge you will notice is the taxe de séjour, a tourist tax added to your accommodation bill. It is charged per person per night and the rate depends on the property's star rating, from €0.65 for a basic campsite to €15.93 for a palace. Your hotel will either show it on the invoice or fold it into the total. On the upside, Paris has an unusual number of free‑entry museums: the permanent collections of the Petit Palais and the Musée Carnavalet are always free, and many national museums (including the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay, and the Centre Pompidou) open their permanent collections for free on the first Sunday of each month. Tipping, currency, and card use are covered in the France country guide.

Paris is a safe city, but it rewards the same street sense you would use in any large capital. Pickpocketing is the most common problem, especially in crowded metro carriages, around the Eiffel Tower, at Sacré‑Cœur, and in the dense tourist flow of the Champs‑Élysées. Keep your phone out of your back pocket and your bag zipped and in front of you on the metro. A classic distraction tactic is the petition scam: someone with a clipboard asks for your signature while an accomplice lifts your wallet. Ignore the clipboard with a firm 'non' and keep walking. At night, the central arrondissements are well‑lit and busy; the outer neighbourhoods are quieter but rarely dangerous. For emergencies, dial 112, the Europe‑wide number that works in France.

Free public WiFi is widespread: the city runs a network called 'Paris Wi‑Fi' with hotspots in parks, libraries, museums, and many public squares. Most cafés and restaurants offer it too. The password is often on the receipt or a chalkboard. If you need mobile data, the easiest route is an eSIM from a provider like Orange or Bouygues before you arrive, or a prepaid SIM from a tabac or a phone shop once you land. The four French networks all cover Paris densely; signal is not a problem.

English is widely understood in central Paris, especially in restaurants, hotels, and tourist sites. That said, the city runs on French, and a few words go a long way. Always begin an exchange with 'Bonjour' (during the day) or 'Bonsoir' (after about 6 pm) before launching into English or a question. 'S'il vous plaît' is please, 'merci' is thank you, and 'au revoir' closes the conversation. If you need help, 'Excusez‑moi, parlez‑vous anglais ?' delivered with a smile will almost always get a warmer response than assuming English from the start.

Paris is an old city and its cobblestones, narrow pavements, and metro stairs can be challenging for visitors with reduced mobility. The good news: all buses are low‑floor with ramps, and Metro line 14, the newest line, is fully accessible with platform‑level boarding and lifts at every station. Most other metro stations have stairs and no lift; RER stations are more likely to offer step‑free access. The city has been slowly adding accessible public toilets, and museums have generally good facilities. If you use a wheelchair, plan your routes around buses and line 14 where possible.

Some sights in Paris sell out days or weeks in advance, and showing up without a ticket means a long queue or no entry at all. The Eiffel Tower is the most extreme case: summit and second‑floor tickets are released 60 days ahead and disappear fast, especially in summer. The Louvre now requires a timed entry reservation even for free‑admission visitors; walk‑ups are turned away when slots are full. Sainte‑Chapelle, with its tiny footprint and staggering stained glass, has a queue that can stretch an hour in high season. Buy a timed ticket online and skip it. The Catacombs release tickets a week ahead and the slots vanish within hours. Book these four before you leave home. For everything else (the Musée d'Orsay, the Centre Pompidou, the Panthéon), an online ticket the night before is usually enough.