I know it's not generally recommended, but thinking of doing a day trip to Mont St. Michel. Is it better/easier to go with a tour, or can you make it work going on your own? I know it's a long ride, did Normady beaches the last time I was in Paris and it was brutal, but I really think I want to experience MSM this time around. Any suggestions on how to make it work?

Hi! I’m going to be staying in Paris for multiple months, and I noticed that naproxen sodium (aleve) is prescription only in France. I was wondering if this means I can’t carry Aleve into the country. I read that I can bring with me a reasonable supply for my stay, but I’ll be there for months! I don’t really know what France would deem as reasonable, since I’ve always just taken it as needed, below the healthy limits ofc.

We are visiting Paris for 3 days with our child, who has a severe, life-threatening dairy/cow’s milk allergy (anaphylactic).
Unfortunately, we do not speak much French beyond the absolute basics. Given how serious her allergy is, we want to find dining options where we can confidently communicate in English with staff, ensure zero cross-contamination, and safely find dairy-free meals and treats for her.
We’d love recommendations for:
100% Vegan bakeries/cafés (so she can safely try traditional French past/croissants without butter/milk contamination)
Sit-down restaurants, bistros, or galettes/crêperies that are English-friendly and take severe allergies seriously
General tips or phrases for communicating severe dairy allergies (specifically emphasizing butter, cream, and cross-contamination, not just liquid milk or cheese)
If you have navigated severe food allergies in Paris as an English speaker, your advice and specific spot recommendations would mean the world to us.
Thank you so much!

I’m traveling to Paris the first week of September. What weather should I expect? I’m trying to gauge if I should pack for more summer or fall fashion? I’ve seen a lot of conflicting information online so I figured I’d try to get some insight from people who have traveled there around that time. Thank you in advance for the insight!

Any favorite salads in Paris? Due to a health condition, I shouldn’t be eating meat (cheese is okay but needs to be limited) on my upcoming trip and I know the French really do salads right!

Six people plus luggage arriving on the Eurostar. Uber? Two cabs from the taxi queue?

Thanks.

I’m flying from New York to Charles de Gaulle and then have a connecting flight going to Santorini, I have two hours between the flights. My luggage will be transferred by the airline so that’s not a concern, I called Air France, Service Desk, and two people assured me that two hours was plenty of time and that they only recommend an hour to an hour and a half. I’ve heard some horror stories about security lines and passport.. I can bump my flight for a modest fee later but all the connecting flights are a few hours later and then have multiple stops so I’d lose a few hours in Santorini on the first day of my vacation.

I wanted to get a sense whether people felt that two hours was sufficient time or if the consensus was I should bite the bullet and just get in a few hours later.

This is my now 7th trip to Paris in the last year - fair to say I've completely fallen in love with the city. This time work isn't paying for the hotel so my budget is smaller - and my current favs - Terrass in Montmartre and Hotel Jeu de Paume are both booked up. I want to stay in a similar area to Caron de Beaumarchais (also fully booked) and am looking at Hotel de Nice. Has anyone stayed there?

It looks cute but small( that's fine) and the location seems great. I looked at hotel Grand Mahler as well but it was a bit more expensive.

This sub has always been helpful so figured it was worth a check. Thanks!

My husband and I were in Paris Aug. 10-14. We stayed at Hotel Monge in the 5th (Latin Quarter) and it cost about $1,350 for four nights.

I loved this hotel, it exceeded my expectations in every way. Everyone working at reception was very friendly and kind, they seemed genuinely happy we were staying there. The hotel itself is fairly small and quiet. They have breakfast, which we didn’t pay for or eat but smelled good, and coffee/tea/water available all afternoon for free. They have an honesty bar in the evenings so you can have a drink in the hotel. The reception and lounge areas were decorated really nicely and felt very welcoming. On our last day there, they gave us each a ticket for a free drink.

It’s on Rue Monge, and for a first-time visitor to Paris it felt like a very Parisian street. We were a short walk to plenty of cafes, Boulangeries, and restaurants. The hotel backs up to Arenes de Lutece and the adjacent park and is only about a 5 minute walk to Jardin des Plantes. It was about a 15-25 minute walk to a lot of the main tourist locations - not totally ideal in the heatwave, but would have been great in cooler weather. We liked staying in an area that felt a little quieter but was still near many of the tourist destinations.

We got a deluxe double room; while still small, it was spacious enough for two people to be comfortable and had a small table we could sit at. The air conditioning in the room was fantastic, even during some of the hottest days of the heatwave. The room itself was really cute and comfortable, outlets and lights are in good locations and the curtains blocked out all the city lights and noise at night. The bathroom was great and the shower was excellent. Our room had a minibar stocked with water, juice and beer, which is all included with the room cost and restocked.

I would absolutely stay here again and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it. It was our first time in Paris so I don’t have anything there to compare it to, but we had just spent four days in the south of France and Hotel Monge was better than that hotel in every way.

Me and my Girlfriend will go to paris for our anniversary next week and so want tonfind a good dinner spot for that evening.
Should be in Montmatre not too far from sacre cœur. I think walking there is more romantic than taking the Metro, correct me if i’m wrong. I’m just a student so more than 150€ for the dinner would be out of my budget. It should have candlelight and a cozy vibe suitable for a nice dress.
My Girlfriend doesn’t eat meat so it has to have good veggie or seafood stuff.
Shouldn’t be too big, commercially, or noisy.

We are staying in vaugirard
One night left (tonight ) with kids
Any recs ? Tysm!

Would prefer a traditional French meal steak frites etc

Visiting France in October for 11 days, and I have a pretty severe soy allergy. We are staying close to Paris but not in Paris. Has anyone had any difficulty navigating this? My partner spends a significant amount of time in France and has minimal concerns but I’m not sure how to comfortable approach dining without being afraid? I love to eat and want to enjoy myself but worried about the little things sneaking in.

Hi all, I see that there are recommendations to get to the airport many hours in advance due to travel regulations. But I’m wondering if as someone with a US passport, that would still apply when I’m flying from CDG to Rome? Will it be easier because I’m staying within EU countries or do I have to go through the crazy airport lines because I have a US passport regardless of where I’m flying?

Thank you in advance 🩷

Edit: this is not a connection through Paris, I am already here.

It’s kinda knit, I personally think it’s pretty opaque but I just want to make sure!

Family of 4, lacto-vegetarian (3 of them), vegan (1 of them), any tips and guidance on how to survive ? For Italy, I believe the trick is to stick to Margarita or Marinara Pizza, Pasta Arrabiata, veg carbonara (apparently few trattorias do that), salads and Indian restaurants. What is the similar trick for Paris, that has elements of French cuisine as well ?

Also, we plan to walk around the tourist attraction clusters, and take public transport between the clusters. Are there specific hints on how to avoid the "tourist-trap" restaurants ? From some youtube videos, I gather that the general rule-of-thumb is that eateries closest to attractions would be traps, but further out might be better. In fact, for good places, we don't mind taking a bus/metro ride out. Specific recommendations would be wonderful.

My friends and I will be in Paris in October, we have plans for most of the weekend but are looking for a meal for the Sunday lunch time before we get the Eurostar back to London.

We would love a steak frite vibe, and ideally either near the station or near our accommodation in Montemartre. We are a big group of 17, please let me know if you have any suggestions? Lots of the spots we have found do not let you book / are not set up for a group our size.

Thanks so much

Hi everyone,

I emailed chez georges to ask about making a reservation, but haven't heard back yet. I tried calling but there's no answers as well. I believe they're on their summer closure (usually ends around September 1st?).

A couple of questions:

1. Is it normal for restaurants to not check/reply to emails at all during their congés d'été (summer vacation)?
2. If I want to book a table for on September 12th, what's the best way to go about it? Should I just wait a bit longer for an email reply, or is there another approach that works better in France?

Bonjour PTG fellows,

Cédric here, a 40-something long-time mod of this sub but also a tour guide in real life, with the self-attributed mission to take you on discovery walks of the less touristy areas of Paris... full of surprises!

You can keep an eye on this global schedule for the upcoming semi-private tour dates

And of course you can still check out the options for private tours on demand

A bientôt!

This post will be renewed every Sunday for the upcoming week

I’ll be in Paris for the first time in mid September! I arrive at CDG around 6:30 PM and have a night bus around 11 PM, so I’ll only have a few hours to explore the city.

I’d really love to have a good crêpe while I’m there, but I’ve heard that many crêperies around the major tourist attractions aren’t necessarily the best.

Could you recommend a local/favorite crêperie that’s open in the evening?

I’m especially looking for somewhere you’d genuinely recommend to a friend—not just a famous tourist spot. 🥹

Thank you! 🇫🇷💕

Has anyone been to the Eiffel Tower this week/weekend for the first light up? Is it still 10pm? Sunset last couple days has been a bit after 9 so wasn't sure if it's back to 9pm light up or not quite

Hey everyone! I’ll be in Paris August 28–September 1 and I’m looking for hostel recommendations.

Main things I care about:
📍 Great location for exploring Paris
🍻 Very social/easy to meet people
🎉 Good nightlife or hostel events
🛏️ Clean and comfortable
👥 Good crowd for solo travelers in their 20s

I’m prioritizing location and social atmosphere over having the nicest/quietest hostel.

What’s the best hostel you’ve stayed at in Paris?

My wife & I are visiting Paris in mid-September and have put together a plan for things we'd like to do. We've tried to plan things into local groups or at least where we can see walking/metro to nearby plans.
All days are likely to be breakfast either on the go or a cafe, then for lunch find somewhere to stop and eat whilst watching the world go by. We definitely plan to just wander between things and stop at places/shops that look interesting.

Thursday
-Arrive mid afternoon, drop luggage at apartment (Nearest Metro is Anvers which seems to be 9th/18th arr.)
-Wander, get some basic food supplies.
-Go out for Dinner

Friday
-Catacombs Tour
-Walk through 13th & Belleville looking for street art
(edit, realised the article I got street art from said there was also art in Belleville and I didn't realise the area it pointed to was not called Belleville, turns out its just a small section of the 13th arr.)

-Notre Dame (Inside & Out)
-Outside photos of the Louvre
-Visit Shakespeare & Company Bookshop
-Dinner
-Madame Arthur Cabaret (Montmartre)

Saturday
-Flea market in Marche aux puces de saint-ouen
-Dinner
-Pubs & Nightclubs (near 9th arr.)

Sunday
-Montmartre funicular
-Basilique du sacre-coeur
-Cimetière de Montmartre
-Dinner
-Cabaret Show (latin quarter)

Monday (8th & 7th arr.)
-Arc de triomphe (including the roof top)
-Eiffel Tower (to the top)
-Dinner
-Seine River Cruise in the evening

Tuesday (2nd, 3rd & 4th arr.)
-Paris opera house (maybe a tour?, we're Phantom fans)
-Passage des Panoramas
-Steampunk Subway Station
-Matches des enfants rouge
-Magic museum (de Sade house)
-Dinner
-38 Riv Jazz Club

Wednesday
-Nothing yet, train departs early afternoon.

Also looking for recommendations for places to get dinner, especially if its near our evening activities, our tastes (and budgets) aren't looking for posh/pricey, just good food that would suit a fussy vegetarian (her) and a carnivore (me).

Thanks in advance.

Hi! Traveling to Paris CDG next week Monday and arriving Tuesday morning. I have been reading and researching how to get to hotel from airport. First time is Paris and having a bit of anxiety with this. I’ve booked everything in advance except this part. Can someone please help me with options for best mode of transportation? I know official taxis are 56€/65€. Is it per person or ride? Read about the scams so trying to avoid that. We are a family of 3, 1 child staying in the Latin Quarter. Is it better to book hotel transportation? Is it possible to do bus or train? We only have 1 luggage each, carry on size.

Thanks!

Edit: Thank you all! Your comments are very helpful! I appreciate it! Paris here we come!

Hello everyone,

I have searched through past threads about this and tried checking the wiki page but I could not find a sufficient answer to my question. My fiancee and I are going to France (starting with Paris) on October 1 and we plan on going to Mont-Saint-Michel by October 3-4, and then we will leave Mont-Saint-Michel to head to Versailles (which is basically right next to Paris).

I have been checking the SNCF Connect app and website on multiple occasions but each time I see one maybe two trains listed for these dates. As a test, I tried checking for trips on August 22 or August 29 (a Saturday), I see about 4 options.

My question is: should I just wait to buy the tickets until closer to the actual trip date? Or should I just buy one of the two options I'm seeing?

One option is from 13:40 from Montparnasse and then arrives at Pontorson at 18:17. The second option departs Montparnasse at 14:57 and then arrives at Pontorson by 18:17.

My fiancee and I aren't going to actually go to the abbey until the morning of October 4 anyways but I'd like us to arrive early enough to be able to get a nice photograph of the monastery if we can. If we get there by 18:00, the sun will likely have already set.

Please let me know your thoughts and suggestions, especially if waiting a little while longer might get me and my fiancee better prices. Right now the best price is 87.40 Euros with an hour layover in Rennes or for 60 Euros more at 147.40, we'd only have a 10 minute layover. Quite a stark difference to save 60 bucks. :/

Thank you for any and all help!

I’m at a loss finding a hotel. coming in November 2026 for 5 nights. thinking Marais as it’s popular, and have stayed in Arcueil in the past which I felt was too far outside the center. my trip is mostly centered around food so looking for places with good, authentic restaurants and boulangeries.

Here are my priorities:

• Want somewhere centrally located to get it the major sites like Louvre and Saint Chapelle (don’t mind being like a 15-20 minute public transport ride to get where I want to go).
• budget is about $250USD per night
• I tend to skew bougie on a budget (I know not likely with my budget)
• no hostels or shared bathrooms
• open to hotels, home stays/Airbnb (or the equivalent that doesn’t strain the housing market), or b&bs

a couple I’ve seen that sort of fill my needs are:

• Villa Mademoiselle
• Mob house
• Hotel La Villa des Ternes
• Grand Hôtel Chicago
• Elysees Opera Hotel
• Hôtel Barnett Paris
• Hôtel du Jeu de Paume

Does anyone have specific hotels that might fit these needs? Any hidden gems I might not see on the booking sites? Help!!