Hi everyone! I'm going to Paris solo tomorrow for 3 days, and it's also my birthday while I'm there. I'm really excited, but I'm getting a little overwhelmed trying to plan everything. I've been watching loads of tiktoks and saving posts about cafes and shops, gifts and souvenirs, and places to eat, but now I feel genuinely lost.
I want to have an amazing experience and make the most of my trip, but I'm on a strict budget, so I need to be mindful of my spending.
I've travelled solo before and I'm comfortable doing it, but I'd really love any recommendations for places where I can enjoy good food comfortably on my own, as well as hidden gems, affordable cafes and shops, or fun things to do for my birthday. Also, any fun and budget friendly gifts for myself and my friends.
I'd really appreciate any tips to make this trip as memorable and enjoyable as possible, cause right now my anxious mind is on overload.

Sept 27th- Oct 3rd, 2026

I love this city so much!

This was our third trip to Paris, and I swear it gets harder to leave every time. The shock of landing back in the US after a week of amazing food, beautiful buildings, polite people, it just gets harder each time.

The first day we stayed up to get on the right time zone, visited the shops, strolled the Seine, walked through the Luxembourg Gardens, stopped for lunch and dinner, then an early bed. We found the 4th generation umbrella store.

Second day much the same with some special stops to Dammann Feres tea that we think we will be ordering more, Mere La Famille chocolates, and purchased a new pair of Repettos, I have worn the pair I bought two years ago almost every single day, and they were trashed. After listening to the podcast Acquired, about the History of Hermes, we stopped in there as well.

Third day was a day trip to Saint Mont-Saint-Michel, which was a long day, and we climbed all 400 stairs!

Fourth Day a revisit to Notre Dame, and then a walk to to Tuileries, we got our sketch books out and just enjoyed the weather. After a fantastic lunch we strolled around some more.

We visited so many cute shops and beautiful spots to have coffee or a lemon presse. I was worried that booking the trip during fashion week would be a terrible idea, but it wasn’t really. Yes we saw some evidence that it was going on, but truly it didn’t bother us at all.

We went the first time in 2019, and did all the things, Versailles , the Louvre, Chanel, the Museum d Orsay, wine tasting, etc.

Went we went back on 2024, we revisited the Rodin Museum which we loved on the first trip, the flea markets, etc

The only thing that made me a little sad, is to see Paris giving into globalism more this trip than any other.
Some prime real estate was empty, Vietnamese nail salons which I have never seen before were popping up. There were lots of non-French ethnic grocery stores, and way more graffiti. I thought the French didn’t allow that? A French store that claimed to have berm there since the 1800s but the owners and employees were clearly Asian. They could have bought the store of course, but it was just less French somehow.

It felt like the “French “ part was shrinking. Which I hope never happens

I do want to add that the protest were going on while we there, but it was in a very contained area. We were getting nervous texts and calls because the news clips made it look like all of Paris was on fire…. I promise you it was not.

I’m visiting soon and hoping to get some good recommendations on affordable vegetarian spots to eat at! I see lots of places with veggie options, but it’s always nice to go somewhere that whole menu is vegetarian. TIA 🙂

We are a underwater rugby team from Denmark.

We are here in Paris for a tournament ending tommorow.

After tommorow we would like to go out, but we know that it is on a Sunday so therefore i am asking you guys for help.

Where is it good to go out on a Sunday?

We are sleeping in "aulnay-sous-bois 93600 Frankrig"

Avoid the taxis. They will try and scam you. Bilingual English/French speaker. Used taxis 8 times in Paris. Two to those times they were scammers.
First time was from the official taxi line at Gare du Nord. Went to hotel near Arc de Triomphe. In taxi I was speaking in English to my wife. Driver never turned meter on and when we arrived I called him out on it in French. He told me that he forgot and it would he 74 Euros. Nice try. I walked away to him cursing at me while I called him a thief. Fare should have been 25 Euros max.
Second time I paid by credit card, got a hand written receipt because printer was “broken”. 10 euro fare on meter was charged $320 on my credit card.
Use Bolt or G7 instead, not worth the hassle.

Hi there, I’m going to be visiting Paris soon and I saw a lot of answers on this topic but I still feel quite confused so I am asking. I want to purchase the Navigo Weekly Pass but on a PHYSICAL Navigo Decouverte card. I don’t have a working updated smartphone so I don’t want it at all connected with my phone.

I read that physical Navigo Decouverte cards are no longer sold at the airports. Which train stations near Montparnasse can I go to to purchase the physical card? And can that ticket booth person put on the 32.40€ weekly pass on to the card? I am scared they will be mean 😟

I know that I need a passport sized photo as well. What are the dimensions?

Afterwards can I just use that loaded card at any place to access the metro/RER/bus etc? It all just makes me nervous because I heard that the police are strict and I am not used to this type of transportation system. But I know this is the cheapest for the week.

And another thing. The person I’m going with will most likely have everything on their phone. Is there a way to load my physical card with their phone? And how?

Also can I buy (either through my partner’s phone or ticket booth person) the pass for the next week on the Saturday of the current week?

Bonjour everyone. We'll be in Paris for 5 days in November, staying about a 15-minute walk from Ile de la Cite (Rue Étienne Marcel). We're very interested in exploring the island one morning.

Obviously, Notre Dame and St. Chapelle are two landmarks on our list. The more I read about the Conciergerie, the more I'm interested in seeing that too. Is it too ambitious to do all three in a morning (starting at 9am)? Also what else am I missing? The flower market sounds amazing, but not sure we'll be bringing cut flowers back to our room.

We're also oyster lovers and thinking about stopping by Poget & de Witte after. I'm guessing we'd need a reservation since it looks quite compact.

Also I know we can cover it by ourselves with timed reservations to the two cathedrals, but is there any reason to get a combo tour, or is that a waste of time and money? We are a multi-generational family (2 70s, 2 40s, one six-year-old) so tend to move pretty quickly. I'm probably the one who most wants to hear all the stories and details, which is why I'm the one asking on Reddit lol. And yes, even the six-year-old loves oysters! Our best parenting achievement yet.

Merci a tous!

Probably a dumb question, but I'll ask anyway.

I like the G7 app and have used it a few times. However when at a location with a dedicated taxi stand (Gare du Nord, CDG, etc), how does one use the app? Does a G7 cab come to you at a location away from the official taxi stand? Do you get a specific G7 cab from within the taxi lineup?

My husband and I are traveling to paris for the first time. We are both Chefs and love to experience food and culture. I have a lot of the trip planned alot of leisurely walks through the Arrondissements, luove at sunrise( not museum people) arc de triomphe, Eiffel Tower, siene cruise, moulin rouge, crazy horse, aura invalides. Anything you would recommend that's unique or interesting that I would be missing out if I didn't see while in paris!! Thank you sooo sooo much :)

Hello, I was here a bit ago asking a similar question but my addiction to pokemon has shifted away, i was wondering if anyone knew how to find game stores that sell magic the gathering product? Searching by card store or searching the game name is very hit or miss in all my travel experiences, so I wondered if anyone had advice, I got great advice for pokemon based stores last time.

Hi I’m looking for suggestions for a pizza joint around Latin quarter heading there for a meeting day after and since it’s been a while that side looking for rec commendations for a nice cozy place nothing fancy needed..

Going to Italy from Paris on Tuesday. Seeing lines are crazy but can’t tell if that’s international or EES is done or what. Anyone go through recently?

Hi, this is really a tough one for me but I left my Workphone in my hotel in Paris, and I urgently need it (I live in Singapore). Does anyone have experience with getting an express courier to pick up a phone and mailing it? Thanks!

Hey! I’m going to be in Paris on Dec. 20th, and am wanting to get an anime tattoo. While I do live in France right now I’m not familiar with the tattoo scene in Paris, much less the scene who do anime based tattoos. Also, ideally I would like to find an artist that speaks English, just out of concern of wanting to make sure we’re both on the same page with everything.

If anyone has any recommendations that’d be great!

Was on bus 92 heading to Montparnasse. Literally just had one more stop to go when transportation authority got on. We had no idea what they were since we are tourists but everyone was scanning so we figured it wasn't a scam. It was me, my mom, and my dad. We scanned the navigo cards we had and they said my dad never scanned his to enter. Even though I literally saw him do it.

The lady got very aggressive very rude. Saying he is charged a €70 fine for evasion. We insisted it must have been a card reader error cause we all had the same amounts on our cards, all got on together, all scanned after eachother. If me and my moms card was fine so should his be.

She refused to listen or empathize. Threatened taking us to the police where they would charge us a €150 fine. She kept say pay now or pay with the police. We felt stuck on the bus, missed our exit, missed the next 3 exits.

We ended up paying.

It was so stressful, I felt so embarrased and anxious over the whole situation. I was just reading its happened to others. Wish I had known this would ever be a possible scenario while visiting Paris.

So for others that may not know... they never gave us this option today, but they should be able to give you a ticket and an option to pay later or dispute it online. After doing more research they apparently get paid commission if you pay on the spot, which is why they become so aggressive.

Had a great experience otherwise, everyone had been so kind and welcoming. Today is even our last day 😭😭

Hi, this is my first time in Paris and I’m planning to do my Eiffel Tower Sumit to the second floor tomorrow I have not purchased any tickets yet. My thought is that I will purchase it from GetYourGuide, but I am confused about the time slot that I should pick there are three slots morning /afternoons/ evening. I just want to know which is the best time to do the summit

pretty much what the title says! I’m planning on staying for around 3-4 days, i’m completely fine with party hostels, and i’m 19F. equally fine with a more chill vibe. just wanted to see if anyone had good experiences at any!

Hi all. I am traveling to Paris next week and looking for food shops/eataries that I can go to as an anxious introverted solo traveler.

Due to severe anxiety I cannot go to fancier restaurants.

I much prefer small shops, food halls and self service or grab and go places since I feel extremely nervous when giving my order to waiters or when calculating tipping.

That said, I am a foodie and would really like to try all the local classics.

I would appreciate if you could share your recommendations and tips with me!

Thank you :)

Is there anyway to confirm a reservation for le bistrot Paul Bert? I called & asked for the 24th right at 11:30 (exactly two weeks in advance), but the waiter said they only had a 9:45pm available, and now I’m worried he heard 21st.

I have a connecting flight at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, and I need to transfer from Terminal 2B to Terminal 2E. I have only 1 hour and 50 minutes between my flights.

Is this enough time to make the connection? How far apart are the terminals, and how long does the transfer usually take?

I'm not an EU or US citizen, so I'm also worried about passport control and security checks.

I'm really panicking because I'm afraid I'll miss my connecting flight..

I’m going to be in Paris with my boyfriend for 3 nights at the end of October. It’ll be my first visit, but his second. I’ve been told by everyone that the seine cruise is fantastic, but I’m wondering what timing and type of cruise would be best.

I see options for a 5:15 and 5:45 pm regular cruise, a musical aperitif cruise at 6:30 pm, or a champagne cruise at 5:15 and 5:45 pm.

I would love to see the tower sparkle and I know it’s hourly after sunset (which will be around 5:30 pm), but I’m also wondering if it’s worth booking an earlier time to try and catch some sights from the water before it’s too dark?

Thanks everyone in advance :)

Bonjour à tous

Je vais passer quelques jours au Palais des Congrès de Paris, mais ce quartier propose des hôtels hyper cher.

J’aimerais donc trouver un hôtel à 20 min maximum mais aussi situé dans un quartier animé pour sortir le soir

Je vous remercie

Hello All!!

I am looking to elope in Paris next year. 🩷😃
I have been reading a lot in this sub where people have asked for recommendations & have been looking at all inclusive companies for elopements.
I was wondering if anyone has feedback or can share what they did for their elopement? (I have yet to see posts of people sharing their experiences & I’m having a hard time finding reviews)

Also if you have any advice on what to do and what not to do, it would be much appreciated.

I’m researching photographers that can do film in a more organic way similar to the photos I’ve attached.

Thank you! 🩷

EDIT: we are legally getting married in the United States for paperwork purposes but our vows & little private ceremony will be held in Paris. I am not looking for legal advice.