First-Time Visitor Guide to Paris: The No-Cliché Briefing
Paris is small, walkable, and easier than first-timers expect, if you skip the rookie mistakes. Here’s how to spend 3 days like you’ve been before.
Arrival logistics
CDG to central Paris: RER B train (€11.80, 35 min) is fastest and beats taxis in rush hour. Orly: Orlyval + RER B (€14.50, 40 min). Buy a Navigo Easy card (€2 + day passes) for unlimited metro/bus.
Where to stay
1st-4th arrondissements for first-time tourists (walk to everything). Marais (3rd/4th) is the cool pick — historic, bars, museums. Avoid 18th/19th/20th if it’s your first trip: too far from sights.
Walk, don’t metro
Paris is 10km across. Almost everything is walkable. Metro only when you’re crossing the Seine or going further than 30 min. The walks ARE the experience.
Restaurant rules
Lunch is 12-2pm, dinner doesn’t start before 7:30pm. Bistros close between services. Tipping isn’t required (service compris) but round up. Don’t order American coffee, it’s espresso or café crème.
First-timer mistakes
Eiffel Tower restaurant (overpriced). Champs-Élysées for dinner (tourist trap). Buying Louvre tickets at the door (book online or skip the line via Carrousel entrance). Trying to do Versailles AND a Paris day — Versailles needs a full day.