Know before you go: France

Verified essentials for France: connectivity, transport, tickets, money and etiquette — checked by humans, with dates.

Last verified: 2026-07-08

Before you book3

1. Check your passport and entry rules first.

   Before booking anything, check your passport's validity and the entry rules for your nationality — visa or visa-waiver, allowed stay, and any pre-registration your destination asks for. Rules differ by passport, not by airline.

   Documents

2. Sort travel insurance while flights are refundable. Travel insurance for this trip

   Medical care abroad is paid care — a short hospital visit can cost more than the trip. Buy a policy that covers medical treatment and trip interruption when you book, not the week you fly.

   Health

3. Europe's border rules changed — know EES and ETIAS.

   Non-EU visitors now register biometrics (photo + fingerprints) at the border under the EU's Entry/Exit System — no pre-registration, just expect the kiosk on first entry. The separate ETIAS travel authorization (€20, online) is launching in late 2026 — check its current status before you fly.

   Documents

2–4 weeks before3

1. Set up an eSIM before you land. Get an eSIM before you land

   Install a travel eSIM at home over Wi-Fi and it activates when you land — no airport SIM counters, no roaming surprises. Keep your home SIM active for bank SMS codes.

   Connectivity

2. The Louvre is timed-entry only — and pricier for non-EU. Tickets on Klook

   Every Louvre ticket now carries a mandatory time slot (book up to 90 days ahead at the official site), and since 2026 non-EU visitors pay €32 vs €22 for EEA residents. It's closed Tuesdays; the Musée d'Orsay closes Mondays — plan the pair around that.

   TicketsParis

3. Eiffel Tower tickets open 60 days out — and vanish.

   Official elevator tickets go on sale 60 days ahead (stairs: 30 days) and high-season slots sell out weeks early — book the moment your dates firm up, and re-check 24–48 hours before for cancellations. The stairs option is cheaper, faster through security, and a great kids' adventure to the second floor.

   TicketsFamilyParis

A few days before3

1. Download offline maps and the language pack.

   Before you fly, download your destination's offline map area and the offline language pack in Google Translate or Apple Translate. The camera/Lens mode reads menus and signs instantly — it works best with the pack already on your phone.

   Apps

2. Prep your cards, skip the worst exchange rates.

   Tell your bank you're traveling, carry a second card in a different bag, and when a terminal offers to charge you in your home currency, always choose the local currency — "dynamic currency conversion" is a built-in bad rate.

   Money

3. European plugs at 230V.

   France uses round two-pin type-C/E sockets at 230V — UK and US devices need an adapter. Modern chargers cope with the voltage fine.

   Connectivity

On arrival1

1. Load métro tickets on a Navigo card or your phone.

   Paper ticket packs are gone: buy a Navigo Easy card at any station (or use the Île-de-France Mobilités app on your phone) and load flat-fare tickets — one fare now covers the whole métro/RER region, with a separate cheaper bus-tram fare. Airport trains and buses use their own tickets; check before you tap.

   TransportMoney

Daily on the ground7

1. Say "Bonjour" first — it changes everything.

   Walk into any shop, café or bakery and greet before you ask for anything: "Bonjour" (or "Bonsoir" after ~18:00), then your request, then "merci, au revoir" on the way out. Skipping the greeting is genuinely rude in France — this one habit is why some visitors find Paris cold and others find it charming.

   Etiquette

2. Kitchens keep hours — eat on French time.

   Lunch runs roughly 12:00–14:00 and dinner from about 19:30; between those, kitchens close and you're down to cafés and bakeries. Book anywhere you actually want to eat, even same-day. Service is included by law ("service compris") — tipping is just rounding up — and a free "carafe d'eau" is your right with any meal.

   EtiquetteMoney

3. Pickpockets work the classics.

   Crowded métro lines, Montmartre, the Eiffel Tower lawns and museum queues are the hunting grounds — front pockets or zipped bags, phone off the café table, and walk past anyone with a petition, a "gold" ring or a friendship bracelet. Violent crime is rare; distraction theft is an art form.

   Money

4. Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays — check before you go.

   Most shops close Sundays; museums split their rest day — the Louvre closes Tuesdays, Orsay and Versailles close Mondays. In August, many small restaurants and boutiques shut for holidays entirely. A 30-second check saves a dead crossing of the city.

   Tickets

5. Strikes happen — check the morning of.

   French transport strikes ("grèves") are announced ahead and rarely total: check the RATP/SNCF apps the morning of travel days, leave buffer for airport trips, and have the bus alternative in mind. Museums occasionally close rooms the same way; it's part of the rhythm, not an emergency.

   Transport

6. Détaxe: 12% back over €100 per store.

   Non-EU residents spending over €100 in one store on one day can ask for a détaxe form with their passport, then validate it at the PABLO kiosks at the airport BEFORE checking the bags. Refunds land on your card; department stores have dedicated desks that do the paperwork for you.

   Money

7. Tap water is excellent — carry a bottle.

   Paris tap water is safe and good; the city's green Wallace fountains refill you for free all over town, and any café must give you a free carafe with food. Skip buying bottled — your wallet and your daypack both win.

   HealthFamily

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