Don’t Do This In Paris: 20 Things to Avoid and What to Do Instead

• Share on Facebook
• Share on X
• Share on Telegram
• Share on WhatsApp

Don’t do this in Paris: assume the postcard version is the whole story. This guide breaks down what actually catches visitors off guard: the traps, the scams, and the everyday habits worth adjusting. So that you can get the city right from day one.

Paris is one of those cities that manages to live up to the hype in person: the Eiffel Tower still gets you, the Seine at golden hour is exactly as good as everyone says, and you can eat well on nearly every corner. It’s a city built on centuries of doing things properly. That said, it’s also the most visited city in the world, and it shows.

And that is also why this guide exists: a practical, don’t do this in Paris rundown of what actually works, built after watching plenty of visitors get it wrong. The areas around the big landmarks now run almost entirely on tourist spending, longtime residents have been pushed out of central neighborhoods, and some of the most “iconic” spots barely feel like Paris anymore.

Paris Basics

Don’t Do This In Paris: Overview

In reality, Paris draws close to 20 million visitors a year, and most leave with the trip they came for. But the city center also runs some of Europe’s most persistent scams, a set of landmark-adjacent traps built to overcharge and under-deliver, and a handful of etiquette rules that, if ignored, mark you as a tourist the moment you open your mouth.

The following Don’t Do This In Paris list wasn’t meant to put you off this beautiful city. It’s rather what someone who visited the city number of times before would tell you over coffee: what to watch for, what to skip, and what to do instead in the French capital, so your time and money go toward the Paris that’s actually worth experiencing.

#	Category	Don’t Do This In Paris	Do This Instead
1	Trap	Eat at restaurants directly by the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame, or Louvre	Le Marais, Canal Saint-Martin, Batignolles – look for a “formule du midi”
2	Trap	Buy souvenirs from landmark street vendors	Independent boutiques in Le Marais, Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Montmartre
3	Trap	Only visit the Louvre and Eiffel Tower, queuing for hours	Musée d’Orsay, Centre Pompidou, Musée Rodin, or Arc de Triomphe views
4	Trap	Add a “love lock” to Pont des Arts	A Seine stroll, picnic, or river cruise instead
5	Trap	Shop only on the Champs-Élysées	Rue Saint-Honoré, Galeries Vivienne/Colbert, Le Marais boutiques
6	Trap	Pay a Montmartre street portrait artist without confirming price first	Agree the price in writing before sitting down
7	Trap	Stick to touristy pubs and bars near attractions	Wine bars in Oberkampf, Bastille, Canal Saint-Martin
8	Trap	Only visit the Tuileries and Luxembourg Gardens	Parc des Buttes-Chaumont, Parc de la Villette, Promenade Plantée
9	Trap	Treat Montmartre as just Sacré-Cœur and Place du Tertre	The quieter residential streets, the vineyard, Musée de Montmartre
10	Scam	Accept a “free” friendship bracelet at Montmartre	Pull away immediately, keep walking
11	Scam	Sign a charity petition near the Louvre/Eiffel Tower	Don’t stop, a firm “non” is enough
12	Scam	Buy Eiffel Tower tickets from a street QR code	Book only at tour-eiffel.fr
13	Scam	Accept a “found” gold ring from a stranger	Never accept unsolicited items, walk on
14	Scam	Keep your bag loose on Metro 1/6 or RER B from CDG	Bag zipped and in front, luggage between your feet
15	Scam	Take an unlicensed taxi at CDG or a train station	Only official “TAXI Parisien” cars from the rank, or pre-booked transfer
16	Culture	Skip “Bonjour” before asking a shopkeeper anything	Always open with “Bonjour, madame/monsieur”
17	Culture	Expect fast, check-in-heavy restaurant service	Relax the pace; ask for “l’addition” when ready
18	Culture	Talk loudly in restaurants, the Métro, or museums	Match the ambient volume around you
19	Culture	Assume shops keep US-style hours	Check hours in advance; treat Sunday as a museum/park day
20	Culture	Tip generously assuming it’s expected	Service is included by law; round up as a bonus only

For a more detailed take on each of the listed Paris items, chose a “Don’t Do This In Paris” category below:

That’s it, this is our list of tourist traps to avoid, scams aiming at visitors and a few cultural tips. If you want to make the best out of your visit, don’t do this in Paris!

Heading to a different destination? Here’s what not to do in Barcelona, Rome, London, Vienna, Budapest, Berlin, Amsterdam or Prague.