Last month I headed to Paris for three blissful days with my boyfriend. It really is such a beautiful city and I would recommend it to anyone. That said, there are a few things to be aware of so here are a few of my tips
- Budget! Even if you're only going for a short stay, Paris is an expensive city, food especially, and service charge is always included in the bill. It's also a very large city so you'll definitely be wanting to use the metro to get around as it's by far cheaper than a taxi.
- Don't be too tempted by that all-you-can-eat hotel breakfast. A lot of hotels, including the one we stayed at (Mercure Paris Centre Eiffel Tower Hotel- would definitely recommend!), offer breakfast at an additional price, but it's actually a lot cheaper to head to a Boulangerie for a bite of a croissant and some freshly squeezed orange juice.
- As with most big cities, you need to be wary of scams.Several popular ones floating around Paris are a fake petition for disability that you'll be coerced into signing and then expected to hand over money, this can also be used as a distraction for pickpocketing. Another one to be particularly wary of is anyone offering 'assistance' when you are purchasing a metro ticket. The scam artist will insist foreign cards do not work and purchase your ticket for you, then charge you a much higher amount, often for the cheapest possible ticket that will only work on one particular journey.
- Hit the tourist attractions early in the day, everything gets busy quickly. If you can, definitely try to avoid the summer season, although Paris is busy all year round. Not a lot of people know that the Louvre is closed every Tuesday so plan ahead to make sure you don't miss it. To avoid queues at the Eiffel Tower, try taking the stairs, it's also a lot cheaper! Make sure you see it at night, as soon as it gets dark, the tower sparkles with thousands of tiny lights for five minutes on the hour- it's truly magical to see.
I had such an amazing couple of days and already cannot wait to go back, there's so much to see and do.
