Paris: Lifehacks for the perfect trip

How to get from the airport to the center of Paris

Here it all depends on where you are arriving. There are three options (Le Bourget does not count): Charles de Gaulle Airport (Roissy-Charles de Gaulle) is the largest airport where most international flights arrive; Orly is mainly for domestic flights; Beauvais is a low-cost airport.

From Charles de Gaulle airport to Paris

The easiest and most budget-friendly option is suburban trains (RER)+metro, so we will tell you about this method. When you arrive at the airport, just follow the signs "Paris par train" - they will lead you to the station. You need line B. Don't get it mixed up, or you'll end up somewhere in Lille or Bordeaux (which, by the way, is not such a bad idea). When you arrive at the station, you will see ticket vending machines - that's what you need. Tickets cost €11.4.

From the airport, you need to go to a station where you can transfer to the metro. The nearest one is Gare du Nord. You transfer and go on to the place you are interested in.

Travel time from the airport to Gare du Nord is approximately 40-50 minutes. The trains run approximately every 12 minutes from 4:56 to 23:40.

From Orly to Paris

From Orly, you can get to the city by taking the ORLYVAL bus to "Anthony" station. From "Anthony" station take the RER suburban train in the direction of "Mitry-Claye" or "Aéroports Charles de Gaulle" station.

Travel time is 5-10 minutes by bus + 20-25 minutes by train.

Price - €12

Opening hours: from 6:00 to 23:35

LIFEHACK: the most budget-friendly way to get to Orly is to take the #183 or #91.10 buses. The 183 runs from and to Porte de Choisy station, while the 91.10 runs from and to Massy-TGV station. The fare will cost you just €2.

From Beauvais to Paris

If you have flown to Beauvais we have two pieces of news for you - good and bad. Good - you obviously flew to Paris at a bargain price, as it is a low-cost airport, bad - it is the farthest airport of the capital - it is 90 km from the city center.

There are two ways to get to Paris from Beauvais - by bus and train. The bus goes from the airport to Porte Maillo metro station and departs 15-30 minutes after the arrival of each flight. It will take you 1-1.5 hours to get to Paris.

LIFEHACK: the best way to buy bus tickets is online and in advance - it's cheaper. The price of a ticket online is €15.9, in a ticket office or vending machine - €17.

If you are not looking for easy ways, you can go to the train station in Beauvais and from there take a train to Paris to Gare du Nord (North Station). The cost of the ticket is €10.

You can book a hotel in Paris with a discount of up to -65% on the website.

Paris neighborhoods. Where to stay in Paris?

Paris has many districts and each of them is beautiful in its own way, so it is much easier to say where we do NOT recommend to stay:

• The 10th arrondissement near the Gare de l'Est and Gare du Nord, and the 20th arrondissement, where the effects of France's liberal migrant policy are felt more than anywhere else. If you know what we mean.
• Saint-Denis is not the most prosperous suburb of Paris. Yes, there are two places worthy of your attention - Basilique Saint-Denis and Stade de France - but that's no reason to stop here.
• The 11th and 20th arrondissement - Belleville and Couronnes metro stations are nearby. Belleville is an example of the internationality of Paris: go left and you will find yourself in the Chinatown, in particular, in its variation of the Red Light Quarter, go right and you will come to the Arab bazaar.

There is no racism, it is just our business to warn you so that such a diverse Paris does not put you in a cultural shock and leaves only pleasant memories.

Paris Metro

At first glance, a map of the Paris metro may seem like an incredibly confusing puzzle - there are 303 stations! But in reality everything is not so terrible. The metro in Paris is an incredibly convenient thing that eliminates the need to use cabs. It's also connected to the RER suburban train system, so you can easily get to the suburbs by changing from a metro line to a train line.

LIFECHACK: If you need a map of Paris with information about public transportation, you can ask for one at any metro station and get it for free.

What to see in Paris?

We cover Paris sights and itineraries in detail in these articles:

• The 20 most interesting places to see in Paris
• A 3-day Paris itinerary from a guide
• Free Paris: all the ways to save money
• Budget Paris: tips
• 25 useful links for those who are planning a French vacation
• Autumn Paris: a personal impression

Free Wi-Fi in Paris

Free Wi-Fi in Paris is available in 260 public places - parks, libraries and tourist centers. As soon as there is an ORANGE network within reach, you can safely connect to it, fill in the online form and - voila - you have free internet.

Other useful tips

• Great news for lovers of freebies - you can enter the Louvre for free! From October to March, every first Sunday of the month the museum holds an open day. If this day does not coincide with the dates of your trip, we suggest you at least save time: buy a ticket to the Louvre in advance on the official website. In this case, you will not need to stand long hours (no exaggeration) in line at the ticket office. The entrance for those who already have tickets is in the aisle opposite the Pyramid, leading to the Palais Royal. Alternatively, if you already have a ticket, you can enter the Louvre through the Carrousel du Louvre shopping center, which is on the same level as the museum box office.
• Large supermarkets don't sell alcohol after 10pm, but smaller stores have no problem with it.
• There are free street toilets all over Paris, which work from 6:00 to 22:00. They are very clean and decent, but you need to take into account one nuance: they have automatic cleaning, and therefore in no case do not go into the stall immediately after the previous person has left. So you risk being sanitized and doused with water. Only enter the toilet when the green light is on.