First Time in Paris: 12 Things a Licensed Guide Wishes You Knew
By Hafid Assaoui · 2026-06-15
A licensed Paris guide shares 12 practical tips for first-time visitors — Metro tickets, museum timing, tipping, safety, and the small habits that make Paris feel effortless.
Most first-time visitors arrive in Paris with a list of monuments and leave with a list of mistakes. This guide replaces the second list with the first. 1. Buy a Navigo Easy card, not paper tickets The Navigo Easy is a rechargeable transit card sold at any Metro station for 2 euros. Load it with a carnet of 10 rides. It works on Metro, bus, and tram, and it removes the daily friction of fumbling paper tickets at every gate. 2. Museums close on…