Photo: stevenvanwel
Matador’s destination expert on Paris lays out avoidable attractions in the City of Lights…and what to do instead.
1. Don’t… see the Mona Lisa
More than 25,000 people visit the Louvre every day, and it seems like the majority of them head straight for this painting.
The Mona Lisa is much smaller than most people think and is easily blocked by just a single head in front of you — it’s nearly impossible to ever get a clear view.
Photo: Lynt
Do… beat the crowds at the Louvre
Head in the opposite direction of the masses and discover some of the other 35,000 masterpieces on show, such as Napoleon III’s apartments, the incredible Egyptian gallery, and the ruins of the original Louvre constructions, built as a 12th-century fortress.
Thanks to Da Vinci, the vast majority of these can be viewed in complete solitude.
2. Don’t… take a Seine dinner cruise
River cruises themselves aren’t a bad deal. They only run about eight euros and offer a great perspective from which to take in the city’s architecture and sights.
But when you add dinner, the cost soars to over 100 euros a head, and all you get for it is sub-standard food served in a crowded, noisy dining area.
Do… find the best in Parisian cuisine
There’s no good reason to eat bad food in Paris, a city with some of the most highly regarded restaurants in the world. And, contrary to what you might assume, not all of them are beyond the budget of the average traveler.
Paris’s oldest restaurant, for example, serves tasting menus that start from 45 euros. Check it out: Laperouse
3. Don’t… climb the Eiffel Tower
Checking out Gustave Eiffel’s masterpiece — the world’s most-visited monument — is practically mandatory for every Paris visitor, but that doesn’t mean you have to go up.
If you do, you’ll stand in line…and not just one line. There are a total of seven, including one for each lift and the line for tickets.
Photo: tibchris
Do… find yourself a sweet city view
There are plenty of other places to get a photogenic panorama, like the Tour Montparnasse, or even the Arc de Triomphe.
The queues are short (if not nil), and you’ll have a city view that includes its most famous landmark — something which isn’t possible if you’re standing on it.
4. Don’t… visit the Bastille
Not so much you shouldn’t visit this, but that you can’t.
The entire Bastille complex was destroyed during the Revolution and many tourists hop off at the ‘Bastille’ metro stop only to be disappointingly confronted by a busy traffic intersection and nothing more.
Do… brush up on city history
Should the Revolution — or any other period in Paris’s past — be of particular interest, check out the free Musée Carnavalet for your history lessons.
5. Don’t… take a Da Vinci Code tour
These tours are among the most expensive in the city and take in relatively few sights.
Not only that, but if you’re a fan of the novel, be prepared to get off the bus wondering if Dan Brown has even been to Paris, let alone researched any of the sights he mentions in the book.
Do… pay for a real tour
Instead of bowing to pop culture, sign up for an outing that’ll fill you in on the real stories behind Paris, such as the Rive Gauche Tour, Montmartre, or the Paris Food Crawl. More info can be found here.
Photo: gillesklein
6. Don’t… sip coffee in a famous café
It can be tempting to hit up Café de Flore or les Deux Magots — favored spots of Sartre and Beauvoir — or Café des Deux Moulins, which took a starring role in the film Amélie.
However, while the clientele may once have been notable, the only thing you can expect now is bad service at double the price of any neighbouring café.
Do… stop in next door
Whether your thing is people watching or a caffeine fix, the best thing you can do is turn your back on the famous names and choose the café opposite (or next door) for a practically identical experience at a more reasonable price.
7. Don’t… escape to Nice
Many people looking to venture beyond Paris automatically think Nice, and I’m not exactly sure why. Nice is a busy city with terrible traffic, little history or culture, and an ugly pebble beach.
Put a pin anywhere in a map of France (except perhaps Marseille) and you’ll hit a place with more attractions and charm than this.
Do… consider other extra-urban destinations
For a beach break, Bordeaux is pretty nice, home to international windsurfing competitions and Europe’s largest sand dune, the Dune du Pyla.
Photo: geoftheref
But you don’t have to travel far from the city to explore more of what France has to offer. The Loire Valley is just an hour from Paris and features enough culture, history, castles, fine food, and “authentic” small towns to keep you busy for weeks (if not months).
8. Don’t… fly into (or out of) Beauvais
There are dozens of places close to Beauvais Airport, but Paris isn’t one of them. It’s a 90-minute ride into the city (longer during rush hour), and the one-way trip cost of 13 euros eats up a lot of the savings made on that budget flight.
Even worse is when you have an early morning departure. You’ll most likely need to take an expensive Parisian cab to the bus station, since the Paris metro doesn’t run before 5am and sleeping in the airport is not allowed.
Do… stick to the time-honored hubs
Use a search engine like Kayak to find the most competitive fares to Charles de Gaulle or Orly Airports, both of which have direct — and much quicker — links to the city.
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For more advice from Matt, check out How to Save Money in Paris.
Other Matador resources on Paris:
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27 Comments... join the discussion!
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I agree with many of your don’ts, particularly the dinner cruise and Beauvais. But, I have to confess that seeing the Mona Lisa – and specifically, the crowds jockeying for a photo op in front of it – was fascinating. It’s smaller than you’d think, and (at least when I saw it years ago) it’s on a wall with many other paintings as well. And yet this one painting was the one behind glass, the one books have been written about, the one everyone flocks to see because they “have” to. The experience of not only seeing the painting, but of watching people look at it, is something I’ll remember for the rest of my life.
I also ascended the Eiffel Tower the first time I went to Paris, and if nothing else it made me realize how odd it is to see the panorama of the city without the iconic building in view. It made me fall in love with Paris even more, knowing that the city itself was beautiful even without the tower’s looming presence. It’s also a photographer’s dream up there.
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Yeah, I agree that seeing the Mona Lisa just once is cool. Although if time is limited and you know you’re coming back to Paris, skip it. Also, Paris has an active couchsurfing community, and the CSers would probably have great recommendations on things to see and do.
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The last time I went to Paris, I took my hubby for his first visit. We got an “evening” pass to the Louvre on a Friday and there was very little in the way of crowds and we walked right up to the Mona Lisa. We had a nice look and then went on our way to explore some of the other treasures before heading for a “late” dinner. Given all the time in the world, I would have taken a walking tour, but since we were time pressed (only there for a long weekend, specifically for a wedding), we took one of the hop on and off bus tours. We sat up top and had a great view of many of the spectaculor sites, even if we couldn’t have devoted the necessary time to each. Can’t wait to go back, again.
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IMO, the best view of Paris is from the top of the Samaritaine department store. Right on the river bank, the store has a little-known rooftop deck with viewpoint and a small cafe. It’s accessible by a tiny spiral staircase that’s super hard to find. But if you do, you’re rewarded with an unexpectedly beautiful 360 deg panorama of Paris, right at the heart of the city.
PS. Don’t tell anyone!
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I’ve visited the Eiffel tower twice and walked up both times. There’s always a long line-up for the lift but I found less enthusiasts when it was time to scale this famous landmark. Agree with your other observations though. How would you rate going to the Moulin Rouge or the Lido? They are also among famous Paris ‘things to do’ and I resisted twice. Not sure if I should consider or not next time around.
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Brilliant post!! I’ve been to Paris many times and found all of these things to be true… so glad someone finally put pen to paper to tell the first-timers. Thanks!
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Agreed. Beauvais sucks.
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This article was perfect – I bookmarked it for when I (hopefully) take my mom to Paris within the next few years!!!
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You are forgetting the most beautiful city view of all: The hill of Montemartre at the Sacre coeur, in the 18th arrodissment of Paris. Just be prepared to climb PLENTY of stairs to get there. It is worth it. (Also, make sure it is a sunny/clear day, you wont see the full view when its cloudy) Don’t get caught up in the tourist traps however. There usually aren’t too many people there towards the evening and into the night. You can usually find a well-hidden restaurant in the surrounding area.
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Your post makes me feel the need to out myself. Do you know that I lived in Paris for nine months and never went to see the Mona Lisa? Then I had had an opportunity to do so when I was there with my two kids last summer and also passed.
Boy it feels good to get that off my chest
I think these are super recommendations, although we did go up in the Eiffel Tower because my kids really wanted to. And they were so in love with it and I got such magical pictures of them watching through the glass as the elevator went up that it made waiting in line worth it.
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Excellen postt!
Must-sees in Paris don’t deserve the hype. So much more available!
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I agree with Nico, the view from the Samaratain was beautiul, sadly it’s since been closed. Hopefully it will open again some time in the future.
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Oh rats, that’s too bad! Well, things change. It has been 6 or 7 years since I was up there.
In that case, I’ll change my nomination for best city view to the one from the escalators of the Pompidou Center Museum. Only 180 degrees though.
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I’ve now been to Paris a handful of times, but I remember the first time, back in 2004, and trying to find the Bastille…it was marked on my map and I was at that busy roundabout looking around and around…I finally figured all you get is a monument. I was expecting…well, I don’t know what I was expecting, a building of some sort I suppose.
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Absolutely, there are great views from up there. The Printemps department store is also a pretty good place for a free view.
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I would disagree with the eiffel tower comment. if you are in any sort of reasonable shape and show up early the line to take the stairs up to the main platform is really short. not worth the wait for the lifts, but definitely worth a climb up-or maybe im just an architecture student
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I agreed with everything except the part about not going to Nice. Sure I would not go to Nice for the beach, those aren’t even pebbles they are stones. But the old part of Nice, especially at night is terrific. And how can you dislike a city with both good French food and good Italian food. We stayed in a flat in Nice and loved it.
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I couldn’t agree more about the Mona Lisa! I went to the Louvre on Bastille Day (when it’s free) and you could tell where Mona Lisa was just by the direction everybody was running in. I sat in front of Delacroix’s Liberty Leading the People for ten minutes reflecting while only a couple other people meandered through (on Bastille Day!!).
I disagree about the Eiffel Tower. It’s an incredible view from the top and, seriously, could you ever go to Paris and not go up the Eiffel Tower? Two tips to make the trip up faster:
1) Walk up. You can’t walk all the way, but you can walk to the second platform. Additionally, the ticket line for the walk-up tickets is a lot shorter than the ticket line for the elevator.
2) Go early. Go right when it opens. Much fewer people.↵ -
Nice list and article. Just a few details to add/change please:
Mona Lisa: Yes, I’d agree. I’ve been in that area many times and it’s a bit disappointing BUT, just across the hallway from the entrance to where the Mona Lisa is displayed are 2 works by Leonardo da Vinci that are even better (and more interesting) and just a couple people even notice they’re there (and no 3 inch thick glass).
But seriously, I still like going to see the Mona Lisa simply for the amusement of hundreds of people straining to take a photo of it.
les Deux Magots: this cafe (famous in the Amelie movie) was updated this year and is actually a fun place to go. Of course popular with the 20-30 something tourtists but surprisingly a lot of French young people go there (maybe to try to meet 22 year old film buffs!).
Laperouse: Have to disagree but only about the price… This is a strange place to go and is very unique (and dates back to the 17th century). The small reception rooms were once a secret meeting place when one wanted to do out with ones mistress. But, the prices are very high. Dinner for 2 was well over 200 euros.
I actually like Café de Flore. Especially upstairs in the winter. The chocolate is good (not as good as Angelina’s but it’s good). sure, it can be touristy but it’s still a fun experience. For an alternative, check out La Rotonde in Montparnasse (the big 1920’s and 30’s hangout for ex-pats). It can be touristy but also has a sizable French crowd. The faux-art and service are really a unique experience.
Eifel Tower: in the winter it’s more manageable to get in. they also have a small skating rink that is open in January. And the lines can be shorter if you use the stairs. But, during the peak season it’s really tough to get into (go early – real early is best way). Alternative view (and free): Go to the rooftop of Gallery Lafayette. It’s a popular place at lunch time. You’ll see all sorts just having lunch up there enjoying the marvelous view. Great place to catch some sun (weather permitting).
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One more thing to add: Alternative to Nice: Cassis or Bandol. Cassis is in the middle of the Calanques (enormous and beautiful cliffs along the sea). The beaches accessible only by boat are breathtaking. There is almost no sand – instead smooth rock surfaces and pebbles. The village itself is very charming and while quite touristy it’s still a great experience for a few days. If you must have real sand, drive a bit further east to Bandol – not as charming as Cassis but nice beaches (and not as crowded as Nice).
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Evan,
Thanks for your comments and thoughts. About Laperouse, you’re right it’s a very expensive restaurant, but every lunch their tasting menu is just 45 E. They also have a few evenings every month where you can sample their dinner selection for the same price.↵ -
I’ve not been to Paris since I was a teenager, but this sounds like solid advice!
Wasn’t there some story about a French artist that hated the Eiffel Tower so much that he ate there every day, saying it was the only place in the city he couldn’t see it! Dunno if this is true, but I like to believe it.
I’ve been up that sand dune in Bordeaux. My brother stepped in dog poo (barefoot) and then got bitten by a spider! Fun times.
What’s wrong with Marseille, though? I thought it was great!
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Haha…what a great comment Nick. It had elements of everything.
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I agree with most of what was said about the do’s and dont’s. However, I think Nice is a city with breath taking views and is a must for travelers going to France. As mentioned before, the food is amazing there and of course you have Monaco which is a short train ride away. All in all, seeing as the article’s title is, “What NOT to do in Paris.” I would have to side with the author but for a different reason. If you visit Paris, visit Paris. Don’t try to trek too far because you’ll lose out on all the amazing things to do there.
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I absolutely love France and have traveled around it pretty extensively. I don’t like Nice though.
But very good point about sticking to Paris and really seeing what it has to offer. I would also venture into the surrounding suburbs of Paris. We camped twice, once to the north west and once to the southeast. We biked into Paris once (and had to bike back to our campground at 1:30 AM as we just missed the last train), really cool experience…so get out there.
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My argument is not strickly against Nice per se, while it’ not my favourite city it does have it’s charms. I put it on this list as it seems that practically anyone who goes beyond Paris has Nice on their list, yet there is SO much more to France than simply Paris and Nice.
I think every country suffers from a problem of a tourist route, where much of the country is forgotten, I find it a shame that Nice is far from the country’s most charming nor interesting city.↵
