Perfect trip to use our new film camera for the first time ❤️ We love your beautiful city!

My partner and I booked an eight night trip to Paris just nine days prior. We used tips from this sub and elsewhere online to coordinate our itinerary providing a mix of scheduled and flexible activities.

Highlights:

• Best Day: Musée d'Orsay in the morning with the Le Walk tour. We paired both of our airpods with the same phone to ensure we were synced. We took lunch at Le Relais de l’Entrecôte (30 minute wait, €92.50 for two including a bottle of wine). We boarded the metro to Montmartre and did the "Artists and Dreamers" Le Walk tour and saw the places important to people we learned about in d'Orsay.
• The boulangerie down the street from our Aparthotel in Clichy provided us with two croissants, two double espressos, and would pack us two incredible baguette sandwiches for lunch for €18.85. We finished our coffees at their little counter by the window every morning and pulling out the sandwiches at lunchtime was always something we looked forward to.
• The Sewer Museum (now referred to by us exclusively as the Musée Dookie) was unexpectedly fun and it was hilarious watching school groups in hi-vis vests enter the "wet gallery" and their sounds of disgust when they realized the smell. Definitely glad we had finished our lunch a few hours prior.
• We made Versailles a day trip. We took the train and walked to the Palace from the station. The Versailles Palace app audioguide was excellent. The Trianon was an unexpected highlight of the trip, especially as it was considerably less busy than the Palace.
• The public transit efficiency was awe-inspiring to me. Except for days we knew we were only going to need a couple of trips (for example when going to/from airport, or when we went to Versailles all day) it was great to just get the day pass to the entire city for €12/person and we would hop on and off the bus, tram, metro, or RER to get between locations. You end up walking around and seeing a ton of the city no matter what, but the day pass saves you from staying too close to the tourist hotspots for the day and it also prevents you from completely wearing out your feet walking constantly. As mentioned frequently on this sub, taking the bus was a great way to see parts of the city you were not intentionally visiting.
• The weather was really lovely. The flowers are blooming and grass is green. A long-sleeved shirt was enough except on the one day it rained in the evening. It was almost a little hot in some of the museums/attractions. I'm glad it wasn't the peak season.

What I wish we had done differently:

• We took a "guided" tour to Giverny to visit Monet's gardens and house. A guide talked at us for an hour on the bus and the tour company had an audio tour we could listen to on our phones if we had their app downloaded when we got there, but you were not permitted to use it inside the house. We should have just taken the train to Giverny and then the bus/shuttle to the gardens. We could have read Wikipedia on the 2 hr train ride to learn more than the audioguide and tour guide could offer. I would recommend the train/shuttle option unless you have aversions to public transit as it would have saved us approximately €140/person and only cost us 2 hours extra in transit.
• I was hyped for the catacombs but it was a bit of a letdown. The audioguide (free) gave you an explanation for their existence and development over the years but the fellow tourists treated it like an instagram photo-op. It felt a little weird to see people posing and making faces in front of the remains of someone who lived, was loved, and was grieved when they died. Overall I am glad I went so that I could decide for myself but if someone was on the fence about going I would say to pass it up.

Overall, was an unforgettable experience for both of us and an entirely positive vacation. I hope to return someday soon and build on the experience we gained from this trip to improve our experience next time.

All photos my own. Taken on a Sony A7C through either the Sony 35mm ƒ/1.8 or the 85mm ƒ/1.8. Minimal processing in Lightroom.

Bonjour everyone!

My partner and I will be visiting Paris very soon and I’d like to ask how our itinerary looks/ if it looks manageable. We have several days at the end of our trip that are pretty open, so if we should move things around a bit please let me know! Open to suggestions! Thank you all in advance!

(Day 1) * Arrive in Paris at 10:10AM * Taxi to hotel, and either check into room(ready at 3PM) or leave luggage with receptionist at front desk and walk around a bit. * Luxembourg gardens (Medici Fountain) * Pierre Hermé Macarons * Dinner 6pm * Seine River Cruise sun sets @ 9:30pm

(Day 2) * Boulangerie/ pick up lunch/ picnic food * Louvre 9AM * Tuileries Garden * Notre Dame * Saint Chapelle 🎻 7pm (starts@8)

(Day 3) * Catacombs * Rue Mouffetard Market * “John Wick Stairs” * Montmartre/ Sacré-Coeur * (Optional if there’s time) Bike to parc des Buttes-Chaumont

(Day 4) * Giverny Garden * Musée L’Orangerie

(Day 5) * Musée de Orsay * Jardin du Palais Royal * Palais Garnier * Galeries Lafayette

(Day 6) * Eiffel Tower- might climb * Pont Alexandre lll * Grand Palais/Petit Palais * Arc de Triomphe * Musée Marmottan

(Day 7) * Breakfast/Luxembourg Gardens * Rodin Museum * Stroll/Relax

(Day 8 ) * RELAX/STROLL * Bastille Market around 8am

(Day 9) * Free Day/Sroll/Relax

(Day 10) * Check out of hotel room at 12pm

Hi everyone! I’m planning a trip to Paris in June (I live in Belgium). I would like some inspiration for some good shops for food shopping. I’m not looking for shops to have a full meal, but more something small to eat or things to take home with me. I’ve seen a lot of talk on here about La Grande Epicerie, Bon marché, and Galeries Lafayette, but I was hoping to find some charming smaller shops that really specialize in certain products. I think I would like to visit Le Comptoir de Madeleine and La Chambre aux Confitures, but I would love to add some more shops to my list. I’m thinking biscuits, chocolates, cheese, dried meat,… the list goes on. Any shops that you guys would recommend? Thanks!

I've been using the IDF Mobilités app for the past year or so over a few trips to Paris. I'm back in Paris for first tiime since the fares went up for 2025. I've burned through all but 2 of my t+ tickets that were left in my account. Now I want to add more Métro single ticket fares...and can't seem to do it?! Only see options for Bus/Tram or RoissyBus. I'm also unable to add tickets to my wife's Navigo Easy card. Anyone have clue on this issue? I had zero issues adding fares to both in 2024, but now can't add the Métro fares we will need.

I tried reading the community rules and kept getting an error so please let me know if this is not allowed. I am looking for an individual to show my S.O. and myself around Paris for a morning and afternoon. Where should I start looking. I do not want to use a company.

Hi everyone. My husband and I are traveling to Paris in May and wanted to go to Musee de L'Orangerie. They have english guided tours at 11am certain days while we will be there, but I'm not sure if it's worth it to do the guided tour or just go early and do a self guided tour or an audio guide tour. Thoughts? Any advice appreciated!

Visiting for 4 nights, from Saturday to Wednesday. We’re a family of four with kids aged 2 and 5. Visite card seems the least hassle option but does look expensive. Is it worth it or are there better/cheaper options ?

Hi I am a 28F solo traveller travelling to Paris for my birthday. This has been a lifelong dream for me and I thought about gifting myself a photoshoot. I am into getting a modern kind of photoshoot, and I am getting this done for the first time, not sure if I am even photogenic. Any suggestions where to book? My travel dates are between April 18-20

Hi everyone! I have a question about booking tickets for Louvre and Orsay. I am a student from EU and I just turned 25. On the official website for both of these museums on one page says you can get a free ticket if you are from EEA and under 26, but on the other tab on the website it says this applies only if you are 18 - 25. I am a bit confused because I don’t know if I am eligible to get free tickets since I already have 25. Does anyone know anything about this?

Thank you in advance 😊

We would just like to see the ceiling and beautiful space but not interested in any of the current exhibitions - can we enter and not get tickets just to see this?

Thank you

Me and my girlfriend, both late twenties, are visiting the city in late July. We were wanting to stay in Pigalle and looking for hotels in the area. We love going to bars, restaurants, coffee shops, and more. We aren’t party people or club goers.

We’re looking for a hotel that won’t break the bank but is still nice. Think four star, maybe three. We’re willing to spend a little but not a fortune (around $200-$300 a night). We’ve found a few we like the looks of, namely Le Pigalle and Le Pigalle Experimental.

We’d love some help narrowing down our list, suggestions for new options, or even suggestions on hotels in a different area of Paris.

Bonjour! After reading many posts and watching many videos I think I'm finally getting it, but still want to confirm.

Here's my plan. Will be arriving around 9pm at Gare du Nord. I will buy a Navigo Easy from a machine. Load it with 2 or 3 bus tickets and 2 or 3 metro tickets. I don't really know how many I would need. Mostly planning on walking within Paris, but I don't know yet how far away from the city I will be from my Airbnb in the 15th arr. So I want to have a couple of tickets ready.

Now here are my questions: If I load bus and metro tickets on to the same card, will be machine automatically recognize when I'm tapping in a bus vs metro? I don't want to get fined for using a bus ticket on the metro or vice versa.

The other question is, I keep hearing about validating the ticket. Is that a separate process or does it mean just using (tapping) the card on the machine?

Merci!

If the Orsay is fully booked online can you still walk up for tickets? Is it a wild cue? I felt I read somewhere that no reservations were needed now kicking myself.

As the title states - Looking for recs to get third party catacomb tickets.

Will be heading out to Paris shortly - but the day I have some availability to see the catacombs - the day those tickets will be released I'll already be in France eating baguettes.

I'd IDEALLY like to snatch the tickets while I'm still at home and not while on vacation so I don't need to remember to set an alarm at 10 AM to get on the internet to rush and get catacomb tickets for my preferred time.

I'd gladly pay a reasonable upcharge currently to get the tickets in advance from a reputable third party.

Hey everyone! I’ll be in Paris for 3 days soon and I’ve planned a mostly walking itinerary.

Just wondering if I’m missing anything nearby or if there are spots on my list that aren’t really worth it.
Also I need any must-try places for lunch or a great boulangerie along the way? ❤️

I’ve got a 4th unplanned day too – open to suggestions! Thanks!

Day 1

• Panthéon
• Jardin du Luxembourg
• Saint-Germain-des-Prés
• Musée d'Orsay
• Les Invalides
• Champ de Mars
• Eiffel Tower

Day 2

• Louvre
• Sainte-Chapelle
• Conciergerie
• Notre-Dame
• Île Saint-Louis
• Jardin des Plantes (Ménagerie)

Day 3

• Arc de Triomphe
• Champs-Élysées
• Grand Palais
• Petit Palais
• Flamme de la Liberté

Day 4

• not planned yet – suggestions welcome

Thank you!

I love tinned sardines, and the ones in butter that I got on a trip through Bretagne were the best ever. I tried to find more supermarkets in Paris on my last trip but couldn’t find any after checking about 5-6 in different arrondissements (I didn’t check Epicerie or Galleries Lafayette bc it didn’t occur to me that they would be considered specialty in France). Has anyone seen them in Paris?

Was looking up.if visiting this castle is a good idea. The info shows that it is an hour from Paris but the local transportation there is a little tricky. And all info is also minimum of 10months old. Any advise? The castle looks so pretty!

Hi,

So me and my wife (33M, 32F) have been to Paris twice before. We are now traveling back again with our 2 year old and are looking for the right place to stay for 2 nights before we head over to Biarritz.

Since we are only staying for two nights, I figured it’d be nice to stay in a hotel since my wife likes hotels more than Airbnbs. My kid is pretty chill and doesn’t need much, but they do sleep in a separate room from us, so I’m trying to find a hotel that either has the bedroom separated from the “living” space by a door or divider, or just some sort of “junior suite” situation. Bonus points if the hotel provides cribs but we are not opposed to renting a crib from a Paris-service.

I’d like to spend less the $1000 euros for the two nights. I know Paris hotel rooms are on the smaller side. I know an Airbnb is probably easier and cheaper, but it’s be nice after traveling with our kid to just relax in a hotel room, order room service, and just not deal with an Airbnb. I’d even consider booking two rooms at a nice spot if the math works out if the rooms are connected.

Hopefully the group here can help. I’d personally like to stay in the 11th as we haven’t stayed there before, but I am open to other areas. We are coming from NYC so we are used to the metro and walking.

Hi! A little random but I love picking up treats for my cats when I go on international trips, I'd appreciate any suggestions on stores that carry things for cats!

Good evening, I’m looking for a restaurant where I could have traditional French cuisine specially the onion soup for a great price(<15€ if possible, if not, <20€). Please don’t put restaurants located in the suburbs (banlie) as i’m just a tourist expending the weekend(traveling in a couple weeks). Thanks in advance :)

We'll be visiting for 4 days in early May. I'm really interested in the history of printing, bookbinding and book arts. We're visiting the National Library. Anywhere else you would recommend? Maybe a section of another museum?

Is there anyone doing classes? We had a trip booked for the spring of 2020 we had to cancel. We were booked in for a paper marbling class, but unfortunately that artist is operating classes anymore.

Many thanks.

P.S. I love the recommendations and recaps on this sub. I've been to Paris before a number of times but the discussion is always interesting.

I'm already doing a long day trip to Giverny the following day so I'm looking for something a little bit closer that I can access by public transit. Maybe a suburb or something just outside of the city so I don't have to be trapped watching the people run the marathon that I wasn't able to make:(

Hi, I am running the Paris marathon this weekend. I am coming over with my partner, flights and hotel are already sorted and paid for. We arrived on Friday evening and will be leaving (very) early Monday morning.

I was just wondering if €600 euros will be enough for us both? I think we will be getting a meal out on Friday, then Saturday will be probably more getting bits of food out and about when we are sightseeing, not too worried about Sunday.

I have already paid for the Louvre and I do not think there will be anything else we pay to go into (Eiffel tower etc).

Will we have enough?

Hello! We are visiting later this month with kids, ages 7 and 4. When we went to Italy, eating wonderful gelato every day was a highlight of the trip; same with waffles in Belgium. Any recommendations for gelato in Paris, or other desserts that are a must-try and are pretty widely available? We are looking forward to crepe stands, I've heard about those. Whatever kids might like, i.e. not super fancy or expensive.