Any Parisian mumsnetters about to help a VERY nervous traveler?

[SaunteringDownwards]

I'm spending five days in Paris in a couple of weeks via Eurostar for work which leaves me with two full days and two full evenings to enjoy myself. One day will be taken with Versailles. I am disabled and an anxious traveller so just have some questions for any lovely mumsnetters familiar with the city!

1. I am really confused by the metro system, I take it you can't tap in and tap out like in London. I want as little faff as possible so would a one week navigo card be my best bet? Do I need to get a photo taken etc for this?

2. Is the Metro system really as dangerous as people online make it out to be? I manage on the tube just fine whenever I am in London but people talk about the Paris metro like you can't step foot in it without being pickpocketed! Surely it can't be that bad? Do I need to take special precautions with my belongings other than the ones you would take in London?

3. How safe is it at night for a lone female tourist to walk about at night? I am staying in the 7th and would like to see the Eiffel tower light up my first night there, but it gets dark quite late now and it's about a miles walk back to my hotel or a short hop on the metro.

4. What should I say when it comes to ordering food? I HATE eating alone in public, but will need to figure out how to do the basics. Would just a 'Bonjour"' followed by English be ok? Or should I ask if it's ok to speak English first?

Any other tips would be so appreciated, it's my longest solo trip and the longest I have ever been away from my kids so I am really, really anxious about it all.

Thanks!

I’m not a Parisian but I am going to Paris in a few days as a single female so I’d be happy to report back with my experience!

First rule of France is to learn to say Bonjour to everyone. Including when you enter a shop. They usually say it first so you can just Bonjour back to them.

And at the end of the transaction say 'merci, au revoir, bonne journee' before you leave.

It is years since I was on the metro so I'll leave that for more recent visitors. The rest depends really on where you are staying. It is fine to eat alone though. And the walk back, again it depends on which area.

Have a wonderful time!

Metro system seemed fine to me though tbf I was with dp last time. As in most cities, keep track of your money and have it tucked away somewhere zipped, but I felt perfectly safe.

You don’t need a photo for a navigo card.

Most people in restaurants etc will speak enough English for you to get by. Just point at the menu. Bonjour Madame always a good start.

Thanks so much for the answers so far! Oh yes and one more question I had, I will be getting a taxi straight to the hotel when I arrive, will I be able to pay for this by card like in London? I plan to just go to the main taxi rank.

Unless it's later in the day! I got very haughtily told off by a Parisian waitress for forgetting to use Bonsoir rather than Bonjour 😄

Ah OP I'm so jealous! I can never get enough of Paris. You will have a brilliant time. Just keep your hand in your pocket and on your phone/wallet in the metro if you're worried (it's what I would do in any UK city). I've only been pickpocketed once and that was in the street near Notre Dame at a crossing when I was using both hands to carry something. You won't be that careless!

You stand even more chance of having a friendly interaction if you say 'ça vous dérange si je parle en anglais?' after saying hello. Then they see you are thinking about them. But you can start with English in some more international places like the Swedish Institute café - which also happens to be utterly charming, relaxing and very much worth a visit.

Oh and the café of the Montmartre museum is also worth going to if you need some chill time - lovely garden oasis in the city.

I would definitely have some local currency with you just in case not everywhere accept cards. I haven’t been for a while so the metro may have changed but you used to be able to buy a pack of 10 single journey tickets. Just treat it as any other city in terms of keeping your valuables safe etc

Even if you have no French beyond bonjour and merci you will get a much better reception in Paris if you use those words then switch to English, preceded by… . Parlez vous Anglais? And smile . If you launch straight into English most waiters will be grumpy with you in my experince. (And yes the smiling thing is naff but it works and likely to make whole situation less awkward).
metro is fine just don’t have your phone out and don’t have cards etc in back pocket of jeans.

ok but with the metro can I use my phone to get in and out of the gates or do I need to tap my phone?

Some taxi drivers take cards but prefer not to and get a bit grumpy about it. I’d get some euros if possible. You can get them from cash machines at St Pancras before you leave.

Gare du Nord is notorious for pickpockets and bag-snatchers, and with good reason, but so long as you don’t appear to be an easy target, you’ll be fine. Phone away, unless you absolutely have to use it, bags closed/kept close at hand, and be obviously aware of your surroundings - channel your inner meerkat. There are always so many oblivious people zombie-ing their way around GdN, and unfortunately it makes them an easy target.

I’d say Paris is broadly safe, and if you’re used to London, you’ll be grand. Years ago, I think the areas near the Eiffel Tower were somewhat gritty, I seem to remember the nearest metro station wasn’t exactly unsafe, but it wasn’t pleasant. Probably worth doing some research if you want to go there of an evening.

Service is Paris is also notorious; I’ve always found it efficient and polite, but sometimes there’s a lack of patience. If you’re going to a cafe or restaurant, particularly if it’s very busy, don’t take too long to order - ordering drinks soon after you sit will give you more time to choose your food.

The metro is a wide mix of very old and very modern lines, with accessibility to match. Line 14 is super modern, all lifts and driverless trains; others are far trickier to navigate. I believe there are metro maps which show stations with, for example, step free access from street to train. iirc, the big interchange stations, such as GdN and Chatelet-les-Halles have good accessibility, but can be crazily busy in peak hours - though it might be less so since covid.

And in Paris, as most places, even a little very basic French will earn you a lot of goodwill, particularly the niceties of please/thank you/hello/goodbye. In my experience (visiting the city and having friends there) most Parisians will speak English, but dislike the presumption. Always start with bonjour and you’ll be off to a good start.

Some excellent advice on here. I second the “Parlez-vous anglais?” (Parlay vooz Onglay) before speaking. Also be prepared that french service is MUCH slower than the UK. It’s not abnormal to be seated in a restaurant and wait 20 mins+ for your order to be taken. Just relax and go with it.

The navigo card is a bit of a faff to set up. Do it here before you leave. The automated machines all usually have a choice of English translation so don’t worry. Be aware when visiting Versailles that it’s quite a trek from the station, you might want to jump a cab. Especially at the end of the day when you’ve done thousands of steps and then have to schlep back. (It’s worth it though, Versailles is wonderful. Try and do the Trianons as well as the main palace).

I don’t feel any less safe in Paris than I do in London. Just keep your wits around GdN. Keep your head down and walk, and ignore anyone who tries to speak to you.

Book any of the sights you want to visit online beforehand.

Also, worth mentioning - I got a taxi from Gare de Lyon to GdN on Monday. It’s usually around €17 (a journey I do regularly) but the driver tried to charge me €80 because apparently there’s a strike on. I don’t know whether it’s legitimate and all ‘striking’ taxi drivers inflate their prices enormously (I had no idea there was a strike, there were loads of taxis about) or if he was trying it on because he thought I was a dumb tourist. Hopefully it’ll be over by the time you’re there.

Former Parisian here! You can now get a temporary Navigo and just top it up with 10 tickets at a time. I think the Navigo itself costs 5€, no photo required, and you can buy it and top it up at most metro stations. The tickets can be used on the metro, buses and trams and if you are switching from one to anohter it often counts as "a correspondance" so you won't be charged for two tickets.

As other PPs have said, the metro is easy enough to figure out. Instead of "Victoria Line northbound" you just need to know the two end points of the line and which one you're heading to, i.e. to travel from GDN to Châtelet you'd use "ligne 4 direction Bagneux". The Parisian metro is also not very acessible step and lift wise, so if you struggle with this you may be better off looking at the bus options. The public transport in general is notorious for pickpocketing, but just be sensible about what you carry and where:

• if you must have your phone out then maybe invest in a cross body lanyard
• always close your bag properly, something with zips or zipped compartments for valuables is better
• never, ever sit near the door of a metro/RER/tram with your handbag on your lap
• avoid/don't loiter in those large crowds on the Champs Elysées around dance troupes or magicians

Do not worry about eating alone - one of the great pleasures of Paris is the café culture. A polite "Bonjour" and "Parlez-vous anglais?" will be fine - all waiters speak English.

You're in the 7th which means that the Tour Eiffel, Les Invalides, l'Ecole Militaire and the Musée d'Orsay are all within easy reach, depending onwhat you fancy seeing. As a frequent Eurostar traveller, it is usually very smooth and you should turn up at the GDN a full hour before your train departure time, however if there is even a sniff of disruption, turn up 3 hours in advance.

You can now (finally) get an app to use on the metro so no need for cards or the little paper tickets of old.

Google maps will tell you which line you need as well as which platform to go to.

Can't say whether taxis take cards but you can uber.

Disagree with the last line, turning up 3 hours before if there's disruption means you'll be standing in that horrible queue on the balcony for hours and hours. Just turn up at the time on your ticket.

I’m not sure what kind of disability you have but I would caution that the Paris Metro is much less well served by escalators / lifts than the London Underground. So if this would impact you, you may just need to research your route first. Have a lovely time, Paris is great.

Hello, I’m in a rush now but will reply later.
i live in paris. You’ll be fine. Do get citymapper app to help you navigate though

You can no longer buy a book of paper tickets but you can get the BonjourRATP app and buy a few single metro tickets in advance. When you go through the barriers the tickets are automatically read off your phone as if you are using contactless (no need to open the app). This will be better than Navigo if you aren't sure you will use the transport much.

Top tip for your return from GDN terminal is to go right the way down the waiting room to the far end as that's the only bit if the terminal with appreciably functioning air conditioning.

I'm just back from Paris. You can't just tap on and out with contactless but the navigo card is a bit like an oyster card and only costs 2 euros. Then you top up either passes (like London travelcard) or journeys (like oyster pay as you go). The individual journey is like 2.5 euro and day card 12 euro.

I would suggest buying the navigo wooden you arrive in gard du Nord you go downstairs following the metro ducks and there are machines there where you can buy which have an option to change language to English. I bought one last year and the balance was still working this week. I had to get another one for companion this time and made mistake of trying at slightly smaller station which meant having to buy at ticket office with long conversation in french as they only had facility to to up on machines not but new card. I had tried the app last time but it was not easy to use.

You have to push the gates to get on and off metro and they are heavy, don't just open when you tap the navigo like ticket gates in England.

Metro line 7 has lovely view of Eiffel tower of you travelling that way. It was lit from just before 10pm and sparkles for first five minutes of the hour. We were near base at 11pm and it was very busy. It felt safe but I was a bit on guard for pick pockets.

If you have Spotify French pod101 had really slow French practice, just a phrase or two each episode with pronunciation and syllable breakdown. You could learn couple phrases including "sorry, I don't understand"

The metro and streets seemed busy at night and I didn't feel unsafe but there were definitely neighbourhood that felt safer than others

Also just back from Paris. I found using the metro & navigo so easy. Download the IDF app and you can plan your journey. It will tell you how many stops before the one you want and if you have to change lines. It’s very simple.
I didn’t feel unsafe at all and although wary of pickpockets, I had my phone in my hand often for photos/google maps. I bought a wrist strap thing so it was always attached to me.
Ignore anyone who come up to you trying to sell something.
Almost everyone in cafes & restaurants speaks English but I think they do appreciate tourists attempts to speak French.
I also downloaded the Bolt app (a bit like uber). So easy to use and they even have a women for women option. It cost around €15 for a 20 min journey.
Have a great trip!

I was in Paris a couple of weeks ago - don't bother faffing with physical tickets, use the IDF app! You can then buy a day ticket or a week ticket on the app, and then it's just tap on the way through the barriers or getting on a bus. Didn't have any problems at all.

I've been to Paris twice by myself and no pickpocketing or mugging or anything. And last time around I stayed in a rough area where people were living in cars and tents under a bridge in the same road as my budget Ibis hotel! Once had someone ask me to do one of those petition scams but I was confused and just walked off, no troubles. Pay attention, don't flaunt money around, keep pockets zipped etc and you'll likely be fine.

Pretty much everyone seems to speak English enough to get by to buy something in a shop etc. But saying bonjour, au revior, merci, sil vous plait etc is polite minimum. There are English language signs everywhere. They get millions of English speaking tourists every year so they're all very very very used to the likes of you and me and want us to spend money there, they make life easy for us.