What are the main attractions in Paris? What can I see in 1, 2 or 3 days? How does the subway work? How do I find my way in Paris? How do you say hello in French? Whoever visits Paris for the first time has lots of questions. This manual will get them started.
How is Paris laid out? Paris is divided into 20 arrondissements (districts) surrounded by the ring road, the boulevard Périphérique. The Seine river runs through the city from east to west. Fourteen arrondissements are located north of the Seine (the right bank or Rive Droite). Six are located south of the river (the left bank or Rive Gauche).
The division into arrondissements is very handy for tourists. If you have the address of the museum or monument you want to visit, the last two numbers of the zip code denote the arrondissement. If, for example, the zip code is 75006, the building is in the 6th arrondissement. If the zip code is 75012, you have to go the 12th arrondissement.
Street map
It is advisable to buy a map of Paris the minute you arrive at Gare du Nord or the airport. You can also buy one at one of the many newsstands all over the city. Many hotels will give you a free map at the reception. This free map does not usually contain all the streets of Paris, but it does give you an overall picture of Paris and includes a map of metro lines.
A good street map is Paris pratique, a small and practical booklet, divided into arrondissements. You can look up the street you want in the index at the beginning. The relevant arrondissement is given after the name of the street. Metro stations and metro lines are included. By the way, the number of the arrondissement is also included on the street signs. Easy when you’re lost. If you look up the arrondissement in Paris pratique, you will quickly find the street where you are.
Walking
The nicest way to explore Paris is by foot. You will see the most, you can enjoy the sights at leisure and you can take a break wherever you like. Keep in mind that strolling through the streets of Paris for hours will tire your feet. But there are numerous gardens and parks, large en small, where you can sit on a bench and rest.
Metro To get from one place to another you can walk, but the underground is a good alternative. The métro brings you everywhere in Paris. Buy a ‘carnet’ (book of 10 tickets, 12 euro) at a metro station (or at Gare du Nord or the airport) or a Carte Mobilis which is valid for one whole day for 6.10 euro. Download a map of the metro network
Getting the feel of it To get a first impression of Paris a bus tour is ideal, for instance with the Open Tour bus. You can choose one of four routes that will take you along the most popular sights in 1-2 hours. An audio guide will provide you with information about the sights.
A boat cruise on the Seine is also a nice way to see Paris. The boats sail past the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Orsay museum and Notre Dame cathedral. Another possibility is the Batobus. This is a hop-on hop-off boat with 8 stops, so you can get off wherever you want.
Open Tour boat cruise Batobus
1, 2 or 3 days?
You can follow these suggestions to make a program for your stay in Paris. You can also use one or more of the 36 menus with ideas for a day program.
1 day in Paris
Ile de la Cité, Notre Dame, boat trip on the Seine, Champs-Elysées, Arc de Triomphe, in th evening: Eiffel Tower.
2 days in Paris
Day 1: Ile de la Cité, Notre Dame, Musée d’Orsay, Montmartre.
Day 2: Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Elysées, Jardin du Luxembourg, Batobus or boat trip.
3 days in Paris
Day 1: bus tour (l’Open Tour), Ile de la Cité, Notre Dame, Musée d’Orsay, Montmartre.
Day 2: Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Elysées, Jardin du Luxembourg, Batobus or boat trip on the Seine.
Day 3: Louvre, Jardin des Tuileries, Galeries Lafayette, Sainte Chapelle, Grande Arche de la Défense.
Food and drink
You can eat and drink anywhere in Paris and prices vary from cheap to very expensive. A drink is more expensive on the terrace of a café than inside and tourist cafés tend to be more expensive than small pubs in a side street. Lunch is much cheaper than dinner. But you can also buy your food and drinks at a neighbourhood shop, a department store or supermarket, then take your lunch or dinner to a nice park, square or even a bridge and enjoy the picnic.
In the following restaurants and (lunch) cafés, you will pay reasonable prices:
La Ferme, 55-57 rue Saint-Roch, 1st arrondissement (sandwiches, salads, fruit juice) Le Père Fouettard, 9 rue Pierre Lescaut, 1st arrondissement (French cuisine) Le Pain Quotidien, 2 rue des Petits-Carreaux, 2nd arrondissement (sandwiches, salads, also breakfast) Le Traiteur Maroccain, Marche des Enfants Rouges, 39 rue de Bretagne, 3rd arrondissement (couscous, tajines and tea on a very basic terrace) Au Duc de Montmorency, 46 rue de Montmorency, 3rd arrondissement (cheap market menus and menu of the day) Le Trumilou, 84 Quai de l’Hôtel de Ville, 4th arrondissement (fixed menu, casual atmosphere) l’As du Falafel, 34 rue des Rosiers, 4th arrondissement (famous for its falafel and other meat dishes) Café de la Nouvelle Mairie, 19 rue des Fossés-Saint-Jacques, 5th arrondissement Cosí, 9 rue Cujas, 5th arrondissement (Mediterranean cuisine) Polidor, 41 rue Monsieur-le-Prince, 6th arrondissement (simple French cuisine) La Cuisine de Bar, 8 rue du Cherche-Midi, 6th arrondissement (subsidiary of bakery Poilâne, bread, salads) Au pied de Fouet, 45 rue de Babylone, 7th arrondissement (French bistro) Salon de Thé Sugar, 3 avenue Duquesne, 7th arrondissement (savoury pies, salads) Boulangépicier, 73 boulevard de Courcelles, 8th arrondissement (bread and sandwiches) Arthur, 15 rue de Madrid, 8th arrondissement (sandwiches, salads)
Chartier, 7 rue du Faubourg-Montmartre, 9th arrondissement (huge restaurant in art-deco style) Cojean, 17 boulevard Hausmann, 9th arrondissement Chez Papa, 206 rue Lafayette, 10th arrondissement Maria Luisa, 2 rue Marie-et-Louise, 10th arrondissement (Italian cuisine) Le Bar à Soupes, 33 rue de Charonne, 11th arrondissement (soup, cheese, charcuterie) La Table d’Aligre, 11 place d’Aligre, 12th arrondissement Tricotin, 15 avenue de Choisy, 13th arrondissement (Chinese) TiJos, 30 rue Delambre, 14th arrondissement (Basque pancakes) Le bistrot d’André, 232 rue Saint-Charles, 15th arrondissement Le bistrot 31, 31 avenue Théophile Gautier, 16th arrondissement Le bistrot des Dames, 18 rue des Dames, 17th arrondissement Un Zèbre à Montmartre, 38 rue Lepic, 18th arrondissement A la Goutte d’Or, 41 rue de la Goutte d’Or, 18th arrondissement Zoé Bouillon, 66 rue Rebeval, 19th arrondissement (soup, savoury pies) La Boulangerie, 15 rue des Panoyaux, 20th arrondissement Le Casquet d’Or, 17 rue Saint-Blaise, 20th arrondissement (Mediterranean cuisine)
Look for the more expensive restaurants in restaurant guides such as the Guide Michelin France or Paris and the Guide Gault Millau Paris Ile de France.
Paris is divided into 20 arrondissements (districts) surrounded by the ring road, the boulevard Périphérique. The Seine river runs through the city from east to west. Fourteen arrondissements are located north of the Seine (the right bank or Rive Droite). Six are located south of the river (the left bank or Rive Gauche). 
free map at the reception. This free map does not usually contain all the streets of Paris, but it does give you an overall picture of Paris and includes a map of metro lines. 
To get a first impression of Paris a bus tour is ideal, for instance with the Open Tour bus. You can choose one of four routes that will take you along the most popular sights in 1-2 hours. An audio guide will provide you with information about the sights. 
1 day in Paris
Le Traiteur Maroccain, Marche des Enfants Rouges, 39 rue de Bretagne, 3rd arrondissement (couscous, tajines and tea on a very basic terrace)