25 Essential Paris Tips in 8 Minutes

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Music by: @Dyalla
Patron Producer: Nolan Stamm

There are a lot of tips for visiting Paris, these are 25 quick tips to visit Paris and get the most of your trip to Paris, France, when you make it over after planning your vacation to Europe. I hope my tips for Paris travel help!

Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
00:11 - 1. Don't stay here
00:30 - 2. Stay here
00:34 - 3. Electric plugs & adaptors
00:48 - 4. You can charge phones and laptops
01:06 - 5. Where to get a French SIM card
01:22 - 6. Glowing green signs
01:34 - 7. Where to get painkillers
01:43 - 8. 24hr pharmacies
02:09 - 9. Emergency Numbers
02:30 - 10. Non-emergency medical app
02:36 - 11. Best coffee with a view in Paris
02:48 - 12. Taxis from the airport
03:10 - 13. Don't get stuck cashless in a taxi
03:21 - 14. Avoid possible taxi scams
03:33 - BONUS: Don't forget to take some video!
03:47 - 15. Use flat rates to compare with rideshare apps
04:08 - 16. Best, least-taken photo of Sacre Coeur
04:38 - 17. Best app for managing Metro tickets
05:14 - 18. Paper tickets don't transfer
05:23 - 19. Not all metro doors work the same way
05:37 - 20. Use the toilet you paid for
05:47 - BONUS: Can't find the toilet? Look here
05:55 - 21. Cars can't turn right on red
06:11 - BONUS: Which stoplight is mine?
06:20 - 22. What's that RED plus?
06:42 - 23. Tipping in France
06:50 - 24. Tipping by credit card in France
07:08 - 25. The magic word that changes everything
07:36 - Want more? I wrote a whole book on visiting Paris and it's great!

My name is Jay Swanson - I'm an American writer living in Paris on an artist visa and hoping to make the city of light my home base - at least for the foreseeable future. I write science-fiction and fantasy, vlogged daily for 3+ years, and love pizza a little too much.

Links below to Amazon are affiliate links - meaning if you click through them and buy something, I'll get some pennies. Thanks! (The FTC wants me to tell you that up front)

FAQ:
How long have you lived in France? Over four years now, holy cow.

What do you miss most about ho- NACHOS

Where are you from originally? - Pullman, Washington - a small university/agricultural town near Idaho (and yes, the potatoes are amazing).

What do you edit with? - Adobe Premiere - it's pretty much all I've ever used since high school.

Aren't you ever freaked out by leaving your camera behind to film yourself? - Yep. But not too badly - I tend to be careful when I do.

Do you make money off YouTube? - Ha, sorta. I wish. It took me over 500 videos to make my first total $100 off adsense. I think it will slowly change, but VERY slowly.

But I want to send you something tangible! - I do have a wishlist on Amazon, though it's a bit complicated with the international shipping situation. So instead people often drop off or ship things to the Peloton Cafe in Paris for me.

Thanks for watching!

#paris #travel #traveltips

[StarRiderMoto]

I'm French and was expecting yet another "American guide to France" but I loved this video. Very well written, not dissing the French. Good content mate! On behalf of my compatriots: Merci l'ami :)

[bdimon]

Tip number 26: the best view in Paris is not from the top of the Eiffel Tower;it's from the top of the Arc de Triomphe.

[ant]

Paris is simply wonderful. Everyone needs to enjoy this city.

[stewartjungers]

It took my five years of living in SW France and 3 months in Paris to learn all this 😅
My tips: go to the back of every church you can! Prettiest views are back there! Also most streets are too small to turn right on red, literally will not work if two cars try to move through the intersection at once 😭 If you’re just visiting Paris for a week, spend each day in a different neighborhood. Take the metro (it is its own experience) but walk as much as you can to get a feel for the city! If you only have a week in France, head south!! Saying “Bonjour” will change your entire trip for the better 🙌🏼 Try out all the French you can, most people will really like it or at least they won’t be insulted by your attempt. And finally, eat the baguettes, take every opportunity for a croissant, and worry about walking it off layer.

[chenoir]

Another Tip. Or rather, travel advice. If you look for a very nice place to visit in an afternoon, take the line H at Gare du Nord, and visit Enghien-les-Bains. It's a 15 minutes train ride that'll lead you to a small town, but it's absolutely beautiful, and it's home of one of France's best chocolate maker. There is a beautiful lake, and in the summer there's often a Jazz Festival where they'll set up a floating scene on said lake. Plus there is a Casino if it's your thing.

So yeah, try and visit it, it's worth it.

[maaikejacobson]

We watch you in Paris all the time and went to a restaurant our first day here and you were there. So glad to see you and your pup in real life

[HerrBrutal-blfk]

I'm Swedish. I've visited Paris twice. I speak very little French. On both occasions, everyone was super-friendly. Because I accustomed. Big cities like NYC, Paris and even Malmö can't be expected to pamper you day long.

[Rotadiva]

Came across your video, I was curious cause a lot of people give wrong info, you were spot on. good info. I’ve lived in paris now for 14-years. I jus want to add that if it’s really stormy out, do not take a cab or eg Uber. Traffic becomes horrible and you’re better off taking the metro.

[helixdork]

I didn't realize how helpful watching these videos would be, until I went to Paris and would think to myself "oh my god, Jay Swanson did video on this"

[AroopBose]

We met once if you might recall, it was at Hotel Executive Enclave, Bandra, Mumbai, India during breakfast time at the hotel restaurant. It was probably in the year 2016 or 2017, I can't exactly remember. I told you that I too am a YouTuber but I don't do YouTubing professionally, for me it is a hobby & passion.
Jay, I am toying with the idea of visiting Paris in early June 2023. I plan to go to London and then to Paris by train. I think your tips will be of help, thanks for posting this video. Wish you Happy 😊 & Successful traveling.

[bonniesommer]

Jay, thanks for doing this video. When I told my husband that Metro tickets were no longer available in carnets of 10 he was stunned. I had him watch this with me and we took notes. Now we know we need to get a Navigo card for our next trip in May, our 7th visit in 9 years. We enjoy your videos. Having Cooper as your sidekick is a bonus.

[marinhusky]

I appreciate videos like this that are "to the point" without the fluff. Thank you for the information.

[Alex-AJ]

I’m from Los Angeles and recently moved here to Paris 4 months ago.. I love it! Very useful tips, also for tourists.. be prepared for some stares from locals on the metro. I thought I was doing something wrong when I first arrived, but it was just that I looked “touristy”.. don’t take it personal, it’s just easy to tell whose a tourist or a local :) … You may also say, “Bonjour, ça va?”— it means, hello, how are you?.. If someone says it to you, then you can just respond with, “ça va” to let them know you’re good. Moreover, if it’s evening, you say “Bonsoir”. And another important word you may already know is “merci”.. which means, thank you. I myself am still learning some social cues, but nobody is perfect, so don’t worry too much about language barrier, just enjoy your time in Paris!

[pattya]

As an American who loves travel and France in particular, thank you for such very insightful tips on visiting Paris, and - as other commenters mentioned - I’m so glad this was NOT another giddy, uneducated, 20-something video showing us where to drink chocolat!! Merci 🌻

[AAbshier]

Oh yes, I forgot my "bonjour" when entering a few places in Paris, and the proprietors would usually give me a polite but pointed "Bon jour" at that point. It finally got so automatic for me that I was doing it in store and restaurants in Sarasota!

[KimberlyFairchild]

I arrived in Paris today and I am so happy to be back! I’ve traveled here nearly every year for 25 years and agree with your tips and also picked up a couple new ones. Agree completely about staying near Notre Dame. We finally figured out staying on the Champs Elysee was boring and we spent all our time traveling. I bought your first guide and appreciate all you have done!

[VapidToast]

Man I just got back from 2 weeks in Paris. I used to watch your videos to learn, and I still do; but now I watch them to be reminded about Paris. The sound they play when the metro is coming really brought me back haha

[newberley]

Jay, the best part of your videos is whenever you tell us to *not* do something. It's hysterical and just makes us want to take your advice all the more seriously.

[kathrynball]

Yup, I LOVED this one! Your energy was super, personality, well what can I say, it was JAYtabulous, and lots of fun to watch. Really great job and thank you!

[kathleenmahoney]

LOVE THIS! I hope you had as much fun making it as it was for us watching it.