Mar 27, 2023

Tourist traps to avoid in Paris…and our tips by locals !

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Some knowledgeable informations to prepare a trip in Paris, written by a Parisian.

1- Book a hotel in the wrong place in Paris, far from monuments and museums.

Very nice hotels exist everywhere in Paris, and given the price, you might as well avoid having to take a taxi every time you go out. Thus, you should avoid the Hyatt Regency or the AC Mariott located on the western border of Paris, and even less the Nest M Gallery in La Défense business center (which is not in Paris). The arrondissements in the heart of Paris are to be preferred, they are the last two digits of the postal code: 03 (Le Marais), 08 (Champs-Elysées), 01 (Place Vendôme, Louvre, Tuileries), 07 (Tour Eiffel, Museum of Orsay, Invalides, Rodin Museum, Le Bon Marché) 06 (Luxembourg Garden, Saint-Sulpice Church, Odéon, Saint-Germain) 05 (Latin Quarter, Sorbonne, Pantheon, Cluny, Quai vers Notre-Dame). Our preference goes to the Latin Quarter for its calm and cleanliness, its restaurants and its location. The *** Le Moderne Saint Germain hotel, for example, allows you to be near the Panthéon and the lively restaurants and bars of rue (street) de la Montagne Sainte-Geneviève. Another option is the Hôtel des Marronniers *** with its pleasantly calm tree-lined interior terrace, ideally located between the Saint-Germain des Près church and the Pont des Arts bridge, at a very reasonable price.

2- Try to catch a taxi without a reservation

Paris is the European city where taxis are the least available. Your Uber application will be very useful to you, but beware of trips that are too short, drivers tend to cancel. Freenow and G7 taxis are very reliable too, load apps. Studying the bus map is useful because the network works well and the buses have a dedicated lane which allows them to go fast. The metro obviously is efficient, although without elevators and somewhat dirty.

3- Neighborhoods where security is uncertain at night.

If you want to go to the Moulin Rouge in the evening in the Pigalle district, don’t linger in the adjacent streets. Another option for a good Parisian cabaret is Paradis Latin in the quiet and safe Latin Quarter (75005). Montmartre-Sacré Cœur are to be done during the day, leaving after 6 p.m. Attention to people asking you to sign petitions, not to agree to play street games, to put your wallet in the inside pocket of your coat. The trend of this year 2022 is the fake stain on your clothes, a pretext for theft.
Around the Gare du Nord and Gare de l’Est, 75010 above all do not book a hotel, avoid the 20th and 19th arrondissements where there is no tourist interest.

4- Tourist restaurants

On the left bank of the Seine, not far from Notre-Dame cathedral, streets are entirely dedicated to catering for tourists, with bad fondues, crêpes (french pancakes) and non-homemade dishes. Thus, the streets Saint-Séverin, Galande and De La Huchette are to be avoided. If you are in Paris for less than a week, try an authentic brasserie like Le Zeyer (place Hélène Basch, 75014), Le Welper (place Clichy), La Lorraine (place des Ternes), L’Alsace (Champs-Elysées), La Coupole (seafood in Montparnasse quarter) or, if you are near Les Halles, Au Chien qui fume, (33 rue du Pont-Neuf).

If you want to take advantage of the much lower prices of hotels and restaurants outside Paris, why not plan a night in Normandy or Champagne with our driver-guide services who will drop you off at a castle in the middle of the vineyards or a charming hotel in Normandy ?

5- Alternatives to Overcrowded museums

If you like impressionism, certainly the Musée d’Orsay is a high place, but do you know the Musée Marmottan Monet, a stone’s throw from the La Muette metro station? The crowd at the Louvre puts you off and you appreciate painting, why not go to the Jacquemart André Museum instead ? You will contemplate Botticelli, Bellini, Perugin, Canaletto, Fragonard…all in a magnificent palace adorned with a fresco by Tiepolo, not far from the Galeries Lafayette (picture below). The Palais Galliera near the Trocadero, too little known,  houses the largest collection in the history of fashion.

Original content by Champagne-tours.paris

Champagne Tours is a French company that accompany you from your Parisian hotel for day trips in the most famous sparkling wine region in order to discover its heritage, its history, its landscapes and its cellars.