When You Arrive in Paris

After your long flight to the City of Light, head straight to a cafe to enjoy a French cup of Joe or a glass of wine. You need to stay awake. If you are coming from the United States, you will be tempted to go to sleep but force yourself to assimilate to the local French time. Treat yourself like a Parisian with some delicious sometimes smelly French cheese, a crusty fresh baguette and a bottle of red wine. The French eat their cheese room temperature so do not worry if you are staying in a hotel without refrigeration.

Go to the local newsstand and purchase Pariscope. This guide covers released every Wednesday covers Paris culture and features many listing for the latest hot spots including restaurants and music venues. If you cannot locate Pariscope another alternative is Figaroscope which features articles and reviews for the latest art exhibitions.

Do not fall into the trap of using the tourist maps provided by hotels. It is worth it to purchase a pocket size complete map of Paris, arrondissement by arrondissement. This is the only way to truly understand the numerous streets of Paris otherwise you will walk in circles.

For visitors staying one week or more, get a metro pass. A metro pass can be ordered online and delivered to your home in the United States. The one week pass is valid from Monday to the end of Sunday. If you purchase individual tickets do not discard them, wait till you leave the station. The uniformed Metro police occasionally stop passengers and ask to see a valid metro pass. If you are without a ticket, expect to pay a fine on the spot. It is best to buy the metro pass instead of individual tickets.

Do not become intimidated by the metro system, it seems overwhelming at first with all the colored lines but the truth is that it is very simple to navigate. The easiest way is just to determine your starting point station and follow the colored line with your finger. The key is making sure that you are fingering the right direction. If for any reason you are headed in the wrong direction, just get off in the next stop crossover to the opposite direction. It usually takes about 2-3 days before you feel like a pro on the Paris metro.

If you are lucky to arrive in Paris on a Sunday do not be alarmed that the city seems dead.
Departments stores are closed and most Parisians are with family and friends. The bustling part of town is the Marais (the 3rd and 4th arrondissement) the metro stops are Hotel de Ville, St.Paul and Rambuteau which will lead you to Place des Vosges and many boutique stores which are open on Sunday.

Paris has over 100 museums and is home the largest museum in the world, the Louvre.
The triple threat are the Louvre, Musee d'Orsay and Centre Pompidou so even if you are not a museum person, make an effort to checkout these amazing collections. Do not forget that on the first Sunday of the month, most museums are open for free to the public. The only caveat is that everyone wants to take advantage of this so the lines are incredibly long.