What to Expect on Your First Trip to Paris: The Good, the Bad & the Surreal

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What should you expect on your first trip to Paris? It’s somewhere we all know – we know it through books, we know it through films. We see the romanticised, stylised version of Paris and like any infamous location, the reality is often a little different.

That doesn’t mean it will disappoint you, far from it! I was giddy with all the beauty and magical places that Paris had to offer. It just means that there are some unavoidable realities we sometimes don’t anticipate.

This post is here to give you the unfiltered version of Paris. I will share some of the things that surprised me and some of the challenging moments that come with any solo trip! So here’s what to expect on your first trip to Paris.

For more on solo travel in Paris.

The metro will be your best friend

You will use the metro system way more than you expect to! Perhaps this is foolishness on my part – Paris is a big city after all (and I do tend to cram a lot in). I worked out my itinerary and decided I would probably have a maximum of four metro rides but in reality it was a lot more.

It helps that the metro is super easy and affordable. Don’t waste money on taxi’s or sit around waiting for a bus. The ticket machines have different language options so there’s no worry on that count and one ticket covers you for as many changes as you need. The only thing you need to watch out for (if your not used to cities and big metro systems like me) is if you end up going in the wrong entrance where you can’t buy a ticket and can only travel if you have a card you can top-up.

One standard ticket costs: 1,90 euros

Paris Pass/Museum Pass

It’s worth knowing to expect this because you might want to factor it in when deciding whether to purchase a Paris city pass. I didn’t use this or the museum pass because I had decided to mostly wander and not go in too many museums! But if you’re stuffing your itinerary full of museums and attractions it is worth looking into and working out if it could save you money!

The city pass includes sights and the metro. Whereas, as the name suggests, the Museum Pass is just for museums. It offers free access and skip the line to 60 of Paris’s museums, including all the big names. However, as I mentioned I didn’t go for it because to make it worth the money you really need to want to visit museums all day long!

The City Pass encompasses a much wider selection – public transport, museums and attractions. But again you have to look carefully at your budget and how you want to spend your time in Paris to decide if it’s for you.

This is a handy guide comparing the two passes.

So even if you plan to wander Paris to your heart’s content don’t be surprised when you’re sliding through yet another ticket barrier.

Not all croissants are made in heaven

Now this was the one area I was slightly disappointed in. I had expectations of fluffy, buttery croissants every morning, from whenever I strolled in the door – I mean this is Paris, France! I imagined it to be croissant heaven!

The reality is that Paris is a big city, with good and bad food alike. Not all cafes and boulangeries will live up to your visions of pastry decadence.

I counted one croissant that made me go mmm! And it was at Boulangerie Alexine in Montmartre.

Now I freely admit this could have been averted if I had researched more and perhaps I even got unlucky. I could have gone on a croissant sampling spree and perhaps found tons of treasures. So I’m not here to say Paris has terrible croissants! Only to not go expecting to find perfection on every corner.

Restuarant-wise I enjoyed almost all my meals in Paris. The only one that fell below par was one I chose based on proximity and the need to sit and chill and write my notes up. It was in a very touristy area and I knew what I was getting into!

So be open-minded, don’t expect Paris to offer up her culinary delights on a plate to you… you might have to dig a little deeper!

It’s the most photographed place I’ve visited (yet)

I thought I had been to some tourist hotspots (Amalfi Coast, Venice, Dubrovnik) but none of them hold a candle to Paris when it comes to photography!

Even though this is something you expect when visiting one of the most iconic places and landmarks in the world it still managed to surprise and amuse me with the sheer scale of the operation.

When I reached Trocadero to view the Eiffel Tower not long after sunrise it was still fairly quiet but the space was filled with people having what looked like professional photoshoots. There were couples posing for wedding photographs – but when did they get married? Had they even got married? It was fun trying to guess if it was an actual couple or models! There was endless entourages and wardrobe changes, women slipping off their heels to walk to the next photo op position. It was on another level to anything I’d seen before!

It definately made it hard for me to pipe up and say ‘er hey, could you take a picture of me please?’ cue self-conscious pose!

You cannot see it all

I gave it my best shot but there is no way you can devour all that Paris has to offer in one short break. Sometimes (okay always) I go to a place feeling like this is my one shot and I must SEE IT ALL. Which is insane. Explains all the blisters too.

Anyway Paris is huge and although it’s hard to accept, you have to pick and choose your highlights! You either need to dip into a few different areas or explore and relax thoroughly in one or two (probably the better option).

If I had to choose I would suggest a brief flurry of photos at the Eiffel Tower (it’s your first time you have to), see the sunrise over Paris from the Sacre-Coeur and wander Montmartre, spend a lazy afternoon browsing shops and nosing round the streets of Le Marais and finally a stroll or boat ride along the Seine.

There’s also a million other things I want to recommend but the point was to trim it down, I really tried.

Paris really is magical

On a positive note I was surprised at how Paris really did live up to my expectations! Like when I went to Venice it’s easy to wonder if the actual place will be as wonderful as it seems on tv. But it turn’s out these places are popular for a reason!

It really is full of beautiful sights and so many incredible buildings round every corner! It’s hard not to be impressed by such a splendid city.

However, even my favourite moments came with their own challenges…

The Reality Behind The Magic Moments

Sunset from Arc de Triomphe

This is the most incredible view of Paris and I 100% encourage you to see it! The view is worth everything, and definitely better than going up the Eiffel Tower where you can’t actually see the Eiffel Tower in the view.

However, getting to the perfect sunset takes some effort. For starters the winding staircase to get up goes on and on until your head is spinning! (It doesn’t help if you haven’t eaten dinner yet – hello light-headedness).

Once you get up there you will likely find a huge crowd of people who also want to see the sunset. You might have to wait a while to squeeze in round the edge to get your pictures. And then you feel obliged (or nice polite me did) to move after awhile to let other people have a chance.

It isn’t somewhere you can sit and enjoy the sunset. I wouldn’t recommened it as a romantic thing to do. It’s mostly just to get a picture and briefly enjoy the stunning view.

Tip: Give yourself plenty of time to get there for sunset. Otherwise you will find yourself half-running down a street on blisters willing the sun to stay up! (In the end I had plenty of time but it made for a stressful start to the experience). It’s also definitely worth booking a skip the line ticket ahead of time – especially if you’re the kind of person who might find themselves running late for sunset! These are valid 365 days of the year so you don’t need to worry about having your schedule all planned out. Just make sure to download the ticket properly (check it has a barcode on).

Being a Flaneur Isn’t Easy

It’s true that the best thing to do in Paris is to wander the streets, explore and absorb the atmosphere. I love nothing better than a good wander and wandering round a new city is one of my ultimate highs. However, it does come at a price!

In normal, everyday life there is much less reason to wander, no impulse to explore the streets of your hometown in quite the same way (sorry Grimsby) so your precious, pampered lil feet are in no way prepared for all this wandering! (Unless you’re some kind of weirdo who likes to go on long jogs/hikes on a daily basis). So it might be worth building up your feet stamina before you go!

I spent the last two days hobbling around feeling/looking like an old woman! I tried to save on packing and didn’t take many different pairs of shoes with me. But as soon as I changed shoes I found it much easier to walk! So my advice is – make sure you do have several options of footwear, (that go with most of your outfits), use the metro when you can and stock up on blister plasters! (I think I might be keeping Compeed in business!)

All that glitters…

One of my favourite Paris moments was when the Eiffel Tower sparkled in all its glory! The only thing was, because I was sat on a boat waiting to glide down the Seine, after a moment the view was partially obscured by the light of every single phone around me capturing the sight!

The main downside to the Eiffel Tower and surrounding area is simply the unavoidable fact that it is a world famous tourist attraction and it makes it not the nicest area to hang out in! You’ve got so many hawkers selling their wares and lots of people looking to scam you. So be careful! I definitely advise only stopping briefly around the tower.

I never find the hawkers to be a problem but they don’t make the whole experience seem lovely. The main scam to look out for (which was tried on me) is people with clipboards asking you things to distract you. It’s hard to be impolite but sometimes it is the safest way, especially as a solo female traveller! If in doubt say non merci and keep walking! This also happened to me in Montmartre where a guy with a clipboard told me he had seen me earlier this morning – definitely something which could throw you off! I saw he had a clipboard and simply ignored him and kept walking.

Safety-wise Paris felt like most big cities and other than the clipboard crew in the touristy areas I didn’t have any trouble. As usual common sense and staying alert is the main thing.

So that’s what to expect on your first trip to Paris. If you need any more Paris tips the rest of my posts are featured below.

More on Paris…

My Solo Travel Guide to Paris