People of ParisTravelGuide, salut :-)

Who?

Cédric here, a 40-something long-time moderator of this sub... and also a tour guide in real life.

What & Why?

After exploring Paris for the past 20 years (on foot, by bike, or even flying over the city in my dreams!), I’ve made it my mission since 2023 to help curious people discover the less touristy neighborhoods of Paris… far from the clichés and definitely full of surprises... Yes, there are people and life beyond the museum walls!

How?

• on Semi-private Tours

Keep an eye on this schedule of the upcoming semi-private tours for the 4 next months or so. What I call “semi-private tours” are public tours with very small groups (usually a max of 5 to 7 participants).

⭐ Don't miss the special Arts & Crafts tours "Autumn sessions" from this week until early October ⭐

• on Private Tours

If you prefer a more private experience, check out the many available options of private tours

Misc

To catch a glimpse of my wanderings, you can follow the Paris B-sides Instagram

(Note: I'm still learning how to use it properly but starts to realize how bad is their for photo management for laptops... so Instagram on you smartphone recommended!)

Alors à bientôt peut-être ?

PS: no visits inside museums... apart from the ultimate one: the streets of Paris themselves ;-)

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This post will be renewed at the start of each new week.

Hi,

I’m an American living in London for a couple months for work, 24M. Going to Paris for first time this coming weekend for the saints Steelers game. Get in on Saturday morning from London and leave after the game. Looking for recommendations about what I should do all day Saturday (lourve, Eiffel Tower, Versailles, Notre dame). Also any advice on what not to do as a foreigner/traveller would be cool as my this is my first time in France. Interested in grabbing drinks at night in a social area/bar/club.

Hello, i am looking for some thrift stores with these kinds of jackets (20€ or less would be great). They dont necessarily need to be branded but just look like the photo refs (ex. hollister, abercrombie, gap, superdry, etc)

Tomorrow, my mother and 6-year-old will need to kill 4-5 hours around Gare de Lyon. My mother is wary of taking the metro (a few stops with no changes would probably be ok) and hates using GPS. They're both perfectly happy walking 20-25 minutes as long as the trip doesn't require using a phone map.

Any ideas for them to keep occupied? Her current plan is to spend the entire time at a cafe in the railway station with books and colouring stuff but that seems a little optimistic.

Hello! My husband and I will be travelling to Paris for the first time this March to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. Our 16-year-old son is joining us, and he has autism. He is a great traveler and has been all over Europe and the US. However, he does have a lot of sensitivity to noise and crowds (and heat, hence the trip in March). He can get overstimulated easily, so full-day tours are not an option for us. We need to build in breaks throughout the day for him to rest and regulate.

I have decided to go to Vaux le Vicomte instead of Versailles for this reason - Vaux le Vicomte seems less crowded and overwhelming. We live in Chicago, so he is used to city life and its crowds, but over time, I have also learned what places are good for us to avoid.

That said, does anyone on here have recommendations of places to avoid for someone with sensory sensitivity? Any places you'd recommend? I appreciate everyone's help!

I tried to do the right thing by going to the official taxi stand but still got scammed.

We took the Eurostar train from London to paris. Upon arrival, we sought the official taxi queue and avoided the individuals that offer rides in the terminal. We attempted to enter the queue which is organized by metal railings but one of the taxi stand attendants directed us to queue up adjacent to the metal railings and did not give a reason. In hindsight, he seemed to be targeting tourists who arrived from the Eurostar. I didn't question it because he was wearing an "official looking" vest that was similar to another man that was managing the metal railing queue. I now realize that we were not in the official queue but in a separate queue for tourists.

We boarded a taxi from the official queue so I was not concerned immediately, however, it was a van with high profile seats and I could not view the meter. The driver tried to charge us 44 euro for a 2 kilometer ride in moderate traffic that Uber would have charged 16 euro. We had two small carry on luggage only. I talked him down to 30 euro after complaining.

To avoid this scam, there's a few things that you can do. 1) cross the street and take an Uber ride instead. 2) or go directly to the metal railing queue and ignore anybody that tells you otherwise, even if they are wearing the official vest. 3) lean over and inspect the meter before the taxi leaves. 4) refuse the van taxi if you have small luggage because they charge more. This may seem rude but you must protect yourself. I think this scam would have still occurred in the official metal railing queue but this separate queue seemed to be for tourists that were ripe for scamming.

I have been seeing tons of Instagram reels on this place, for years now. They all talk about the atmosphere more than the food, how it’s so unique and feels like eating at someone’s place, vibey etc.

By now I’m starting to think it’s just not really a “hidden gem” anymore, since it’s so present online.

Does this place actually live up to the hype? I heard the food is okay, but the atmosphere is the real selling point.

If his is just hype, any other similar place worth visiting, where maybe the food is good as well?

Thanks so much!

Which is a better location: Rue Saint-Dominique (the end closest to the Eiffel Tower) or Bd de la Tour-Maubourg (across from Les Invalides)?

I think the latter is much closer to the metro so maybe this?

Thank you

hey i just got my phone stolen in paris, what should i do? I don’t have access to my gmail accounts as that is the only device i brought in that trip. i can’t access my icloud account before I go back to the UK that have my other devices logged in to my icloud. i logged in to find my iphone but it shows that the phone is offline.

I have my friend’s phone that I am using right now. I am going to apple opera paris tmr to get a new phone.

i already contacted my bank and closed my bank accounts. What else should I do?

do we know what phone stealers do with my phone? what should I be worried about? Please help thank you so much.

I went to the one in Galeries Lafayette. They said there is alcohol in EVERY pasty+macaron. then I went to other branch (one on road with Ralph Lauren,Dior etc.Forgot the name🙁). And they said they donot have alcohol in anything except a few items.
so is every branch different?

I understand it is supposed to be a mural by a certain artist but what is the meaning of this statement.

location : galleris lafayette

Hi!

I'm already sorry for the too vague question, I felt that doing separate posts for each flair/tag would have been very rude, I hope I chose the right alternative)

My friends and I (from Italy) will be in Paris from November 4 to November 8 for a card gaming event. The event is in Paris Expo area BUT we are gonna take one or two day AT LEAST for visiting the city, therefore the proximity to that area will not be a issue.

My friends are already planning all the classical and necessary activities to do in Paris (or have already did that) and moreover I often really appreciate more bizarre, grotesque or secondary things (i.e., I'm seeing that you have a Sewer museum).
What do you suggest?

Another possible (long) way of asking this question could be "what are the Paris experiences that could easily get ignored by tourists because holiday time is a short time, tourists can't do everything and therefore they have to choose what activities to kill off from the list?".

Also, we really like to eat (the reason beacuse I chose the food tag/flair) and, sadly, we are not exactly rich, so, are there maybe some area were there's good street french traditional food?

Do you also know some underrated nice places/parks/streets/elevations for simply wandering around or chilling on a bench or on the grass?

Finally, do you know of some cool events/fairs that take place precisely during those days?

Sorry for the many different chaotic questions, but I have been stuck on writing this post for more than an hour and I still wasn't able to convey what I wanted to ask in a better way. Hope you can forgive me and big BIG thanks in advance for the answers and for the patience!

Hi everyone! I’m traveling solo to Paris in December and trying to choose between these four budget-friendly hotels:
-Belambra Clubs & Hotels – Le Magendie
-Hipotel Paris Père-Lachaise
-Hipotel Paris Voltaire Bastille
-FIAP Jean Monnet
-Arty Paris Porte de Versailles
-Luna Park Hôtel
I chose these hotels because they’re within my budget, but I’m struggling to decide which has the best location.
My main priorities are feeling safe as a solo female traveler, especially when returning to the hotel around 12–1 AM, staying in an area with restaurants and shops, and being close to metro and bus stops.
Which hotel and surrounding neighborhood would you recommend? Are any of these areas deserted or uncomfortable to walk around alone late at night?
I’d really appreciate advice from anyone who has stayed at these hotels or knows these neighborhoods well. Thank you!

I'm visiting Paris early february and I was wondering what type of attire is worn. I'm from Florida so the coldest it gets here is maybe low 40s fahrenheit or 4 celcius. The cold in florida is more windy chilly cold rather than actual cold. Is the weather in paris like a layering up type of cold or can i wear one layer and a jacket?

We're headed to Paris for a week in March - 1 adult, 2 younger teens. I typically travel solo and stay in hostels for the social aspect. I'm looking for a place to stay that has a similar social vibe - we love meeting new people and all speak a few languages. I'd love to stay in the 3, 4, 5, 6e and on a budget but am open to any suggestions. I found Yooma in the 15e but think we would prefer a more central location. Does anyone have any recommendations? Merci beaucoup! 🗼🥐

Bonjour,

Je cherche des recommandations.

J'ai fait une balade le long de la Seine la semaine dernière au Parc du Chemin de l'Île à Nanterre.

Ma chérie aimerait faire une autre balade comme celle-là avec des zones un peu aménagées le long de la Seine et si possible voir les feuilles d'automne.

Je n'ai pas d'idées de lieu donc je vous écoute !

Bonus, si ça a des petits pontons en bois comme le parc du Chemin de l'île.

Merci par avance

Hi my brother is going to paris next week.
He has broken one of his arms so he will need help at the baggage claim.
Are there porters around which you can pay for help?
If not, is there a service at the airport upon arrival that can help

My family and I (F44, husband M44, daughter 12, son 8) are planning to come to Paris from Canada next year, April 17 to 24th or 25th 2027, we're so excited! However, we just realised that the presidential election will be April 18th 2027 and my FIL (he's from Belgium) is convinced that there will be so many protests and so much disruption that it will be impossible to do "tourist" things in Paris that week. We've been before and managed some shut downs due to protests, so I wasn't that stressed about it, but he's gotten into my head a bit. Is it something to be worried about? We can't really change our travel dates, the only option would be to go to somewhere else in Europe.

Edit: Thanks everyone! I gave my head a shake and came to my senses. Of course it will be fine, and even if we don't get to do something we planned at least we're still in Paris.

I’m going to Paris soon and hoping to find a Beninese restaurant! 🇧🇯

Any suggestions very appreciated! Thank you!

Hello, this will be my first time in continental Europe and will be celebrating my wife’s birthday in Paris! She’s a huge Marie Antoinette fan and fan of Parisian culture in general.

I am confused between which one of the two to book, will be staying for 3 nights and the price difference between the two is just 2 euros a night so there isn’t much to compare on that front.

For those who have stayed at either or both I’d really appreciate your input or recommendation as well as general tips on exploring the city. Thank you!

My boyfriend and I will travel to Paris in December and celebrate his birthday there. Now I am already starting to look into good restaurants with a good view (e.g. seeing the eiffeltower)
Do you have any recommendations where we could go? Maybe not those ones where we pay 300€ per Person 😅
Oh and I am vegetarian, so maybe a place where they offer veggie options as well. :)

I am looking into staying at a hotel near CDG airport and am planning to use the RER a lot. However, Google maps tells me that the fare will be 14 EUR per trip instead of the usual 2.55 EUR.

Does anyone know if this is correct? Does this mean that I will have to pay 14 EUR to take the RER out of the hotel into the city and on the way back every single time?

Thanks in advance!

Just wanted to give everyone a head’s up. I have received three emails in the past two days that appeared to be from my Paris hotel asking me to confirm my travel details and credit card info. It contained the correct name of the hotel and it’s location, the correct dates of my reservation, and ALMOST the correct rate (off by 2 numbers). However, it didn’t state that I had already paid a 50% deposit. My spidey senses were tingling so I wrote directly to my hotel. It appears that a reservation system provider in France (AVANTIO) has been hacked.  They told me to ignore any of these messages and just delete any more I receive. (I did a search but cannot find anything online about it. If mods need to see my email string I can send it for verification.)