First Time in Paris: The Mistakes That Cost You Time and Money
The avoidable mistakes first-time visitors make in Paris — from buying tickets at the door to misreading the Metro — and exactly what to do instead.
Turning up to major sights without a timed ticket
The single biggest time-waster is queuing for tickets you could have reserved. The Louvre, Sainte-Chapelle, the Eiffel Tower and the Arc rooftop all sell timed entry; booking a slot in advance can turn a 90-minute queue into a five-minute walk-in. Reserve the fixed-time sights before you arrive and leave walk-up sights for the gaps.
Buying single Metro tickets one at a time
Paper single tickets are the most expensive way to ride. A rechargeable Navigo Easy card or a day pass pays off quickly, and a carnet-style bundle beats buying one-by-one. Keep your ticket until you exit — inspectors do fine riders who have thrown it away.
Planning the wrong day for a closed museum
The Louvre closes Tuesdays and the Musée d’Orsay closes Mondays; several others have a weekly closing day too. Check each museum’s closed day before you fix your itinerary, or you will arrive to locked doors on your one free morning.
- Louvre — closed Tuesdays.
- Musée d’Orsay — closed Mondays.
- Always confirm current hours on the official site; they shift for holidays.
Eating at the foot of the Eiffel Tower
The cafés ringing the big monuments trade on location, not cooking. Walk two or three streets back into a residential block and prices fall while quality rises. In tourist zones, be wary of “tourist menus” pushed by someone standing outside the door.
Under-estimating pickpockets in the obvious spots
Pickpocketing is opportunistic and concentrated in predictable places: packed Metro lines to the sights, the Eiffel and Sacré-Cœur forecourts, and around the big department stores. Keep bags zipped and in front of you in crowds, ignore the “gold ring” and petition scams, and you remove almost all of the risk.
Forgetting the small courtesies
A simple “Bonjour” when you enter a shop and “Merci, au revoir” when you leave changes how you are treated. Service is included in the bill, so tipping is optional — round up for good service rather than adding a large percentage.
Next guide: Paris on a budget