Close Menu
    South of France

    Visiting Paris? Do NOT make these MISTAKES! | Paris Tourist Guide



    Do NOT Make these MISTAKES when Visiting Paris! | Paris Tourist Guide

    I know that a handful of you are eager to visit Paris or move to Paris at some point, so wanted to share with you the 10 Common Mistakes that I see Paris Tourists Make in order to help you navigate your trip without the stress and overwhelm that sometimes comes with it. From french faux pas to where to stay – don’t make these mistakes when visiting Paris for the first time!

    // get on my email list!
    https://bit.ly/3cRgzLi

    // contact.
    biz inquiries: info.tiffaniedavis@gmail.com

    // you’ll love these episodes too!
    cost of living in paris | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqtv2rcmZAQ&t=70s
    what I wish I knew before moving | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_CxH-VYjrE&t=78s
    how french men have approached me | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmF2uxkBGmg&t=503s

    #paris #france #expat

    // follow.
    instagram | @itstiffaniedavis | https://www.instagram.com/itstiffanie…​
    twitter | @itstiffdavis | https://twitter.com/itstiffdavis​

    // subscribe.
    https://www.youtube.com/tiffaniedavis…​
    new videos every week + hit the notification bell to be notified when I upload a new video! sub count at upload: 29.5K

    // music.
    https://www.musicbed.com/invite/wTEq5​

    43 Comments

    2. Conversations With Kath on

      Totaly agree with not doing too much in one day. My first Eurotrip, we went to Belgium, Barcelona and Paris in 15 days. By the time we got to Paris, all we did was walk around and eat. We did not visit a thing, other than the Eiffel Tower. We live in Belgium now so it's a quick trip to Paris, but if you are travelling from the US or Canada (as we were at the time) or some place further away, avoid this mistake to make sure you truly emjoy your visit.

    4. Blaqque Barbie on

      hi Tiffanie not sure if you are still answering comments however I'm coming to Paris for the first time with my service animal do you know anything about what's needed are they mean about service animals

    7. Hunchback on

      Growing up in the Netherlands, I had 3 years of French learning in school so I know a word or two. In Paris that knowledge turned out completely useless. Because they won’t understand me, or they start talking back in high speed French. So instead I ask them to speak English and if they can’t, I move on to the next person.

    8. Isla Cal on

      I’m trying to learn how to speak French, I just started. But is it also ok if french people see me use the GOOGLE translate as well? Or is that frowned upon too?

    11. Jeanie Aday on

      Not bringing a change purse! America deals with a lot of paper cash, but the euro is much more change-based and the wallet change area isn’t usually big enough. Also: don’t put your metro tickets in the change purse. Coins will demagnetize the metro tickets and they wont work anymore..

    18. Love. on

      It is so refreshing to see a black woman living in Paris as it helps remove some of the fears other regular black women like myself may have in traveling to there.

      Thank you.

    19. krishy prat on

      So what if you do full glam and you think I am not french I am not trying to be french. We are paying to visit your country as tourists please dont think that you are doing as a favor by letting us in.

    20. Elie JP on

      Staying in the surburb of Paris and come to Paris for activities, museums etc. is not more expensive with the pass navigo. It is the same price in Paris and in the surburb (monthly and weekly). The difference is only when you only take tickets.

    21. Jim (from Burbank CA) on

      OMG – Look at that HAIR. You need an MBA degree just to manage that HairDoooo (PS – Im totally bald).

      Loved the recommendations. When I was in Paris, the natives always told me "Dont believe what you read in the papers – We Love Americans. Its the British we cant stand" (I was there during Brexit).

      I always walk into an establishment, speak a few words of French, then quickly switch to American English. The natives then know they are dealing with a visitor. BONJOUIR is a MUST.

      Ditch the BACKPACK and wear a BLAZER (instead of a silly jacket).
      I always take a taxi. Smelly and tight metros are just not my thing. Im willing to pay the fee.
      In restaurants – I always speak in a whisper and use hand gestures.

      Keep up the good work.
      Jim

    23. Elly Dv on

      Sucks. I’m going towards the end of August. My son is going to study abroad in Nice. I want to meet him there and then head to Paris.

    29. simbaku123 on

      Indian here, if you ever come to my country, the ppl will learn your language to help you, that's the hospitality you will get! I respect that the world operate differently elsewhere.

    30. ⵜⴰⵔⵉⴼⵉⵜ on

      Parisian here : Please tourist, don’t speak French to tourist professionals in France or anywhere else.

      People who work in the tourism industry have been trained to speak several languages and off course the de facto international language which is English.

      I’m a hotel clerk and we have to handle many questions and many checks in, billing questions etc and most the time, there’s a line with people waiting their turn.

      So we speak in the customer languages to speed things up and make things done quickly ✅

      If you come to the reception and you see many people waiting, don’t start speaking in French if you’re not fluent. Your french is gonna be broken, slow, hard to understand and CONFUSING.
      We aren’t french teachers, we are here to do our jobs.

      1 example : once I had an American lady who had a decent basic french vocabulary and she always wanted to speak in French at the reception and she wanted to book a private cab that take her to the airport to meet her sister and she wanted the same cab to wait and drive her back to the hotel and she said I want to get picked up at the hotel at 4h45 ( she said that all in french )

      I called a cab that work with us all the time and he came at 4h45.
      Problem, she wanted to be picked up at 4h45 PM and she said that if she wanted such an early and unusual pick up time she would have mentioned it and we should have assumed that it was 4h45 PM and not AM.

      But, I was the one who took the order and she told me 4h45 in french and never ever a Parisian would tell you 4h45 in order to mean 4h45 PM we would have said 16h45.

      Bear with me, In France we can also use 4h45 to says 4h45pm but we will always ad 4h45 in the afternoon. If we only say 4h45, it’s means AM. However 99% of people would just say 16h45.

      Thank god the director was there in the afternoon and I ask the lady if she agreed that she ask for the cab in French, she said Yes, and then I ask her how did you ask 4h45 in French ?
      She said : “I said 4h45 without saying PM because therefore you should have assumed that it was 4h45PM and if you had a doubt you should have ask me “

      My director immediately understood what was wrong and I responded : “No Ma’am , 4h45 said in French was totally clear for me, no doubt at all”

      To this day, I believe she didn’t understood why I was not being blamed and why she had to pay the penalty.

      In behalf of the our private cab, we charge her a no show of 50€ ( because at those hours the cabs isn’t working doing other rides, he literally woke up and drove to the hotel just for this private trip ) In the afternoon she went with that same driver and paid 160€ for the whole trip + the driver pick up his 50€ at the reception.

      So please, it’s ok if you’re alone at the reception to try to speak French but if your receptionist is having a person on hold on the phone + another person is waiting behind you, just speak in English, we are literally paid to speak the customer language.
      If everyone comes to the reception at rush hour wanting to speak a very broken french pronouncing 1 understandable word per minut, we would need 20 receptionist instead of 2 ( In a small 45 room’s hotel )

      Find the right moment to practice your french with a tourism industry professional or try it with an average french people in the street to ask for your directions, they will be more than happy to acknowledge your talent in french.

      In the tourist industry we are absolutely against speaking anything that isn’t the customer language.

    31. Yvonne Williams on

      Hello coming to Paris for the entire month of May 2024. I rented an Airbnb condo 3 minute's walk from the Mirabeau Metro. Do you consider that too far into the suburbs?

    32. IronFreee on

      People who complain about the rudeness of the French often say that they don't respond in English. Well, English is not their language and many of them are very bad at it.

      The French also have a different conception of the service industry. Customers are not princesses, the French like their principle of equality. So you are expected to greet and be polite if you don't want to be perceived as rude (which will probably lead them to be equally rude to you).

    34. Thanos H. on

      As a French, hopefully soon going to Miami, I can tell you living in Paris sucks. It's all stress and not sophisticated nowadays, mostly due to all the migrants form Africa and arabs that are hanging here everywhere…

    35. Khalifa Al Ghafli on

      So when ur in dubai, you’ll try and speak Arabic???? Pfffffft give me a break , the French ARE and will ALWAYS be the rudest , most entitled pieces of …. Even if you speak their language , trust me , I know I speak their language and I’ve been to Paris at least 30 times … but an Arab in Paris , they’d instantly hate on you! That’s just my experience

    42. Clark Wade on

      Great video and very informative. I have 20 hours in paris for an art show in June. Give me your best Italian restaurant, best place for afrohouse music and best place to people watch. Thank you again!

    Leave A Reply