13 Tips to Stay Safe, Save Money and Enjoy Charming Paris
Travelling to a new city in a foreign country is exciting but intimidating. Even though I had visited Paris twice before, it felt new as I navigated its narrow, often cobblestoned streets by foot, bus and car last week.
During my week-long stay, I was fortunate to be in the company of two ‘locals’; my daughter, Hannah and her partner Steven. They moved to Paris a year ago and had learnt how to survive the chaos that comes with living in the second-most visited city in the world — and the most beautiful.
Ah! Paris truly is gorgeous. Dotted throughout this architecturally stunning city are examples of superb craftsmanship. From lamp posts to churches, arches and bridges, you never know what you will find as you turn a corner or open a door.
However, like any city, it has its ups and downs, pros and cons. Here are my 13 suggestions for making your next trip to this fabulous place safe, affordable and enjoyable.
Staying Safe
1. Don’t rent a car, scooter or bicycle
Traffic in Paris is nothing short of a nightmare. I always thought Montréal was horrendous with our pushy, entitled and inconsiderate drivers, but the romantic city was ten times worse!
The streets were often gridlocked, fuelled by narrow streets, roadworks and impatience. Drivers nudged their aluminum weapons within inches of each other to claim the advantage at clogged intersections. As I sat in the back seat, amused with this repetitive scenario, I noticed most cars had visual evidence of physical altercations with other vehicles.
Scooters — or motos — are a popular way to travel for obvious reasons; you can get from point A to point B much faster if you can wiggle your way through snarled streets. They sound and buzz around like annoying mosquitoes, weaved dangerously between cars and pedestrians.
Cyclists are just as bad, and it’s any wonder the road-related deaths aren’t sky-high, especially since few were wearing helmets. We witnessed several near misses from idiotic riders playing chicken with cars and motos. Honestly, just walking the streets was a challenge. Parisians don’t move over freely; you have to.
The best way to get around Paris is through its public transit system of buses and trains. However, while we were there, the city was crippled with rolling strikes related to the government’s plan to increase the retirement age from 62 to 64 years old. Given there were usually four of us heading somewhere, it was far easier and more economical to use Uber, which is a much better option than a taxi ( I’ll explain more about that later!)
I advise leaving the roads to the expert weavers and walking everywhere— with your wits about you!
2. Don’t jaywalk
Drivers barely respect crosswalks, so you’re risking life and limb if you cross a street against the lights or in between traffic. Regardless of the vessel — car, moto or bicycle — their operators show no mercy; you will lose.
I strongly suggest that age-old advice from our moms: look both ways before crossing!
Saving Money
3. Use taxis with caution; Uber or Bolt better options
My daughter told me some horror stories of friends discovering their €20 trip turned into a €200 bill when they received their credit card statement a few weeks later. We taxied twice, but both times I paid cash. Even then, one of the drivers was profoundly rude and claimed he had no change despite just giving me two 50-cent coins.
Incidentally, the one and two-cent coins are still in circulation in Europe!
I also don’t recommend using taxis when there is heavy traffic, as their meter keeps rolling over even if you aren’t moving.
We used Uber and Bolt, Uber’s competition. My daughter took care of most bookings since she had cellular data. Considering there were often four of us travelling, using this means was easier and cheaper.
Depending on the time of day, either company often offers a percentage off. For example, after 10 am, Bolt had a 40% off deal to the airport. Download these apps and always check both options before requesting a ride.
FYI: As we drove to the airport on Thursday, the traffic jam on the other side of the road was practically from central Paris to the airport — all 31 kilometres. I can’t imagine what some taxi bills would be if the meter were rolling…
4. Download or screenshot maps while on wifi
Paris was not built on a simple north/south, east/west grid. The streets branch off at all angles and are often one-way. We got lost several times because the architecture looked very similar, thanks to Baron Haussman’s renovation plan in 1853 to make all buildings grand and uniform.
Not wanting to use cellular data unnecessarily, I started taking screenshots of google maps before setting out. The haphazard streets are confusing, so taking shots of a wider berth of the area you plan to visit is a good idea.
Thankfully, there is also a map of the area outside most metro stops, although it’s not down to the nitty gritty.
When in doubt, head to the closest tabac or café; most have free wifi, so you can get your bearings while enjoying a beer or a coffee.
5. Keep your cell phone on airplane mode
There’s nothing worse than coming home to an outrageous cellular bill because you forgot to turn your roaming off. Knowing I would order an Uber when I arrived in Paris, I subscribed to a roam-sweet-roam package with my cellular provider. For $15 a day, I could use the data on my plan without being dinged for international rates. The good thing was I would only be charged the $15 if I used data roaming.
Of course, I came home and discovered I was charged $30 because I continued to use data when we went out for supper the first evening, and by then, it was another day in Canada. Tabarnak!
It wouldn't have happened if I had discovered my fourth point early on…
I then noticed that the wifi still works even if your phone is in airplane mode. It’s the safest way to go unless you purchase a SIM card and replace your own or get a virtual one, a concept I only learned about from my seat neighbour en route home.
Canada has some of the highest cell phone charges in the world, so be smart about this one. It’s bad enough having an exchange rate to deal with!
6. Ask for tap water
Parisian water is perfectly safe to drink. There’s no need to pay for bottled water at a restaurant unless you prefer the effervescent type.
If you don’t ask, you don’t get…
7. No need to tip
Taxes and services are included in the restaurant prices shown on the menu. It was most refreshing not to have taxes added to the bill and then be expected to give a tip. The prices were in Euros, so I had to add an extra 50% to equate to Canadian dollars, but at least I knew exactly what I was in for.
Of course, you can still tip if you want…
It was much easier to split the bill too. Here, I always ask for separate bills if out with friends, but in Paris, they were happy to accept different payment methods with one bill as long as the total amount was covered.
8. Don’t buy stamps at a Tabac
I wanted to send some postcards to friends who don’t live in Montréal and bought the stamps from a corner Tabac store, as suggested by the souvenir shop. When Hannah went to post them the following day, the clerk at the Post Office wouldn’t accept the cards as the stamps didn’t have a monetary value written on them [they did have La Poste etched on them, though, so I’ve no idea if I was totally hoodwinked or the post lady was just being difficult!]
I was miffed! I spent over €25 on the postcards and stamps, plus the effort to write on the darn things.
We posted them anyway, depositing them in a postbox, so let’s see if my friends actually get them.
My advice: Go to a post office to purchase your stamps — or don’t bother writing postcards at all!
Enjoying
9. Book in advance and check opening hours
We missed out on seeing the Catacombs because it was already booked — and it’s not even the height of the travel season. I figured three days in advance was sufficient, so I was disappointed that the only availability was five days later — the day we were leaving.
The pension strike action also impacted our plans; the Père Lachaise Cemetery was closed for a day, and the bus tour could not travel up the Champs Élysée to the Arc de Triomphe because of protestors. Thankfully we had seen it the previous day, but I felt terrible for the other passengers.
From what I gather, their protests are ramping up. The day we left, the garbage had been piled up for three days waiting to be collected, and Charles de Gaulle airport was running at 80% capacity as fuel deliveries had been blocked. Despite receiving a warning from Air Canada our homeward flight could be affected, it wasn’t.
Phew!
Another word of caution: the museums offer free entry on the first Sunday of each month. We happened to get snagged in this lark at the Musée d’Orsay. Although we paid — of course, the website didn’t stop you from doing that — so many people jammed into the place it was impossible to enjoy the paintings and sculptures.
10. Take two credit cards
For some reason, my Visa would only work with the tap system. Most restaurants had a cap of €50 for tapping, and because I treated Steven and Hannah most nights, the bill was always over that amount. When I inserted the card, it was declined before I even had a chance to put in my pin.
I was mortified the first time, but after a couple more embarrassing moments, it was clearly a glitch with the card. Thankfully, I had taken another credit card, or I’d have been in trouble.
It’s also a good idea to split your money and cards; my cell phone cover has slots for cards, so I had one in there that I’d always keep zipped in my coat pocket and another in my shoulder bag, along with a small amount of cash. I hid the rest at the Airbnb and replenished the ‘supply’ daily.
Although we didn’t have any issues, I’ve no doubt there are plenty of pickpockets in action in Paris!
11. Watch your step
I didn’t see many dogs, but there was a lot of poop on the ground. Sadly, some of it could have been human, as there were numerous tents around the city — no more or less than what I’ve seen here or in Toronto, mind you.
The cobblestoned streets are also uneven; twisting an ankle is easy. Wear sturdy, comfortable shoes. I don’t know how my daughter walks in stilettos and platforms daily!
12. Just wander
Exploring a neighbourhood with no set agenda can make for a magical day. Many streets have passages with cute little stores and cafés; our favourite patisserie was hidden within one of these alongside a wonderful cross stitch store and a fabulous second-hand bookstore.
Of course, you can easily get lost as one sometimes leads to another, and before you know it, you’re blocks away from where you started. But by using points 4 and 5, you’ll be okay!
Don’t forget to look up!
13. Hold your breath ( passing restaurants)
I was astounded at how many people smoke in Paris. Despite being bitterly cold, people would still sit outside at a café or Tabac with their coffee, beer or wine and smoke like chimneys. This included inside the aforementioned passages, which was rather disturbing.
Some establishments had created a more sheltered space; others provided blankets for their patrons!
It’s difficult to avoid the stench as curbside seating is everywhere. You’d think that with the number of people smoking, cigarettes were dirt cheap, but they’re not. According to a friend of Hannah’s, a packet is about €10 and 30 grams of tobacco €15.
If it had been warmer, I’d love to have just sat outside and people-watched, but not with a constant waft of smoke. I doubt this will ever change; it appears to be set in their culture! I can’t imagine how irritating this must be for other restaurant guests during the summer months.
My final piece of advice is to pack some patience. Air travel is not as fun as it used to be, and rudeness, entitlement and oblivion seem to be alive and kicking in Paris as well as Montréal.
Regardless, I had a fantastic week away and still have plenty of things on the ‘to-do’ list for the next time I visit this magical city. Of course, the best thing about travelling is coming home and appreciating your space and bed!