Tourist in Paris: What you need to know

As a tourist in Paris you will probably face cultural barriers, here’s what you need to know. Your Parisian experience will be much more pleasant if you are not treated like a tourist. As there are many great things to do in Paris, try to remember everything that follows to get the best out of you experience. Check out this post on a Tourist in Paris: What you need to know.

First, the locals tend to get annoyed by tourists. Parisians will be nicer to you if you try to act like them. Tourists are also more likely to be victims of scams. Finally, if you want to truly enjoy your Paris visit, it is better not to stick to the most famous landmarks but to also discover more secret places. So if you do not want to be seen as a tourist, then do not act like one!

Don’t act like a tourist and Parisians will be nicer to you

The French, and especially the Parisian politeness has its own rules, so learn a few of them and you will see that Parisians are actually not rude at all! If you are polite with them, they will be with you. They might seem distant because there is no culture of “instant friendship” in Paris. I am sure that if you do not know someone well, then you can not immediately be familiar with him/her.

It is also important to greet everyone. For instance, before asking your way to a local or when you enter a shop, always say “Hello”. If you don’t, you will appear rude, which is not a good thing especially for a tourist! Even better, say “Bonjour”. Learning a little French will make a good impression.

Instead of saying “Thank you” say “Merci” and when you ask for the check in a restaurant say “L’addition s’ilvous plait”. Your efforts will be appreciated. In a restaurants, also try to enjoy your meal and not to rush it. In France, we take the time to eat and waiters do not like to be asked to hurry.

Practice Parisian politeness in restaurants

One last thing; never, ever hug someone in Paris. For example if you spent a great day with your guide and want a hug goodbye, your guide will be surprised and embarrassed, and he will seem rude to you.

The tourist look attracts scams.

There are two tips for tourist traps in Paris; the con artists and the restaurants. The tricks of the con artists are known by every Parisian. Plus, you often carry a lot of money while on a trip. So these are some of the reasons why the con artists like to take advantage of tourists.

To know more about the con artists, read our article about “Tourists traps in Paris, the con artists and how to avoid them”. A good way to avoid them is also to avoid looking like a tourist. The typical tourist look is sportswear or sloppy T-Shirt, tennis shoes and a camera around the neck.

Looking like a tourist in Paris attracts the con artists, especially around the Sacré Coeur

If you do not want to look like a tourist in Paris, remember that you are in the capital of fashion! Even though we dress more and more casual, our casual dress is still dressier than American casual dress. You will blend in with the French more if you go with something casual but elegant.

To avoid expensive and not so good “tourist trap” restaurants, never choose the one with a menu in English and go for the restaurants featuring a few meals on their menu. When the meals change everyday and are written on a chalkboard, then the food is also likely to be fresh.

Do not visit the big landmarks only.

Of course it is important to see the Eiffel tower or the Cathedral of Notre Dame while visiting Paris. But Paris is also full of hidden places and nice neighbourhoods that are not known by many tourists.

Your trip to Paris will be much more enjoyable if you also discover the secret Paris. Discover these places by reading our article “The secret places around the touristic landmarks of Paris”.

If you only visit the touristic attractions, you will miss a whole other side of Paris