A trip to Paris is always exciting, whether you’re visiting for the first, fifth, or fiftieth time (lucky you, if that’s the case!). But if you’re planning your first trip, the prep and packing can be rather overwhelming. You’re probably trying to figure out how to balance planning for sightseeing, transportation, food reservations, and packing.
Here at Paris in My Pocket, we can help you plan for anything and everything - and today we’re going to focus on the basics: Our top recommendations for preparing for your trip to Paris. This is a non-exhaustive list - we have already written countless articles on how to prepare for your trip that are all available in our Guide as well as many other blog posts that focus on specific topics or travel during certain times of year. This blog will cover several categories and include our top 5 recommendations per category.
Our Paris Travel Checklist
Paris vacations often involve full days of sightseeing, plenty of café culture, museum visits, and navigating public transportation. You’ll have a significantly more enjoyable trip if you’re well prepared in each of these areas - even if the preparation is as simple as “We’ll just stick to Rue Rambuteau for lunch, and find a place on the fly.” When you plan ahead of time and are well prepped with realistic tools and manageable itineraries, you’ll have a better travel experience.
What Is Paris Like for Travelers?
In our opinion, Paris is the best destination for any type of traveler. Are you a museum person? Paris has hundreds. Are you a foodie? You won’t be disappointed. Like theatre or comedy? There’s tons on offer. Into fashion? A few times a year there’s a full week dedicated to that. Prefer to get off the beaten path? We know where to send you. Luxury shopping? Paris has that. Thrift shopping? We have that too… you get the idea! If you know where to get your information, you’ll find a version of Paris that you love. That’s where we come in!
What To Bring To Paris France: Our Top 5 Items
When it comes to travel items and accessories, we have our favorites that we use when we take a trip, and here are our top picks for you.
A Classic USB Charging Cable
Bring whatever plugs and cords you want, but be sure to include one simple USB A cord (we’re talking old school) that connects to your phone. This is helpful because every bus stop in Paris (barring stand alone signs and provisionary stops due to road works) has a USB port. If you forget your portable battery or your phone gets so hot its battery drains (this can happen in the summer!), you know you can always grab some charge from a bus stop.
A Portable Charger
And keep it fully charged! You won’t regret this when your phone starts to hit rock bottom and you’ve still got several hours of the day left.
An Anti-Theft Bag
Yes, when we first heard these existed we were suspicious, too. But after trying out a backpack, there’s no doubt that a bag designed with pickpockets in mind is a great purchase. Pickpockets can find their way into backpacks, crossbody bags, fanny packs, hidden pockets, you name it. Chances are you’ll be in tourist-heavy areas or on the metro, where you’re most likely to encounter them. Rest easy with a bag designed to keep your property safe.
An Umbrella
In any season, this is good to have on hand. Don’t bother with a large cane-like umbrella - those will only get in your way. Grab as compact an umbrella as possible.
A Phone Stand
This one is particularly great for content creators - it’s all Jay uses on filming days when he’s out and about - but it can be helpful for anyone looking to take selfies or grab unique shots. This phone stand is magnetic and can be used as a stand-alone tripod, to wrap around railings, and even to magnetize to poles making it easy to set up and grab your photo.
Water bottle. Yes, ideally you’ll bring a reusable water bottle with you, but we understand they can be cumbersome. Try to opt for a small bottle, or even a collapsible cup - there are many water fountains in the city to fill ‘em up for free!
Enjoying these tips? Here are even more.
What To Wear In Paris: Our Top 5 Accessories
When it comes to what to wear in Paris, we don’t like covering anything but the basics. Paris is a fashion hub, absolutely, but it’s also a big city with millions of people living their daily lives. You don’t need to buy a new wardrobe when packing for Paris, and you can repeat outfits and wear unflattering but comfortable shoes. The most important thing is that you bring clothes that will make you feel the most comfortable. And remember: All the fashion week people you see in photos are not spending the day trudging between tourist attractions in the hot sun!
Here are some non-negotiables we’d add to our packing list:
A Trenchcoat
A staple of Parisian fashion, and perhaps French fashion in general. A trenchcoat is good for almost any season. Layer it over sweaters in the winter, skirts in the spring, and use it as a breathable raincoat during those summer storms. Water and wind resistant (at least, the best ones are), you’ll find these will keep you dry while looking cute.
A Light Scarf
Great to keep your neck warm in the autumn, or to protect yourself from the sun in the warmer months. Scarves are also great to have on hand if you find yourself wanting to visit a church while wearing a tank top. Throw this over your shoulders and you’ll be good to go. Pro tip: You can also use it to wrap the rest of the bread from the bread basket at lunch…
A Good Pair of Jeans
… but make them anti-theft! No, we’re not kidding, these exist. Jay’s been wearing anti-theft jeans for a while now. He has a few pairs, and can attest that they’re super handy when traveling in the metro. They come with hidden spaces for passports, wallets, and phones. If your bag doesn’t feel secure enough, this is a great option for when you’re in busy areas.
Sunglasses
Sunglasses are perhaps more necessary in the spring, summer, and fall, but can be used on a bright winter’s day as well. Weather in Paris can be surprisingly fickle, so it’s always great to have sunglasses on hand - even if the morning starts out rainy. The light reflecting on the Seine? Gorgeous and migraine-inducing!
Walking Shoes
Bring some very comfortable shoes that you have broken in. If you’re willing and able, you’ll probably hit upwards of 15k steps a day in this city, and many of those steps will be on cobblestone streets. You don’t want blisters from breaking in new shoes.
What Apps to Download: Our Top 5 Most Useful
We have many apps that we recommend to help you have the best possible time in Paris, but these are by far our top five. If you want the full list, you can find it in our Guide, along with hundreds of recommendations for food, drinks, and experiences - all available by list or on our interactive map.
Citymapper
The best app for up to date transportation information. We’ve tested them all, and this is the best. You’ll get information on closures, rail works, strikes, delays, and almost always in real time. Use it to plan your journey either right away or for later in the day. It’ll even recommend which carriage on the metro is best based on where you’re going - and what exit you should take!
Wise
Yes, we realize you probably have your own bank, but hear us out, because Wise makes international travel so much easier with conversion rates so competitive you can forget about the concept entirely. Put as much money as you need into the account and convert it between currencies as needed. You can get a physical card as well as a digital card to add to your Apple Wallet or Google Pay. This is also a great option for travel because you can freeze your card from the app at any time. So on the off chance you lose your wallet or are pickpocketed (unlikely to happen following our advice!), you can immediately freeze your card and flag any suspicious activity. You’ll be able to get a new digital card right away, and almost everywhere in Paris accepts contactless payments now.
Get Your Guide
… For entry tickets! Get Your Guide is a great place to purchase timed entry tickets to monuments all in one place; it’ll save you time scouring each monument’s website and keep all your tickets on one app. And, while French customer service may have a bad rap, Get Your Guide’s team is international and very quick to respond should you run into any difficulties on your trip.
If you’re planning on booking guided tours, please try to do this directly with the business in question. Many tour companies in Paris are small businesses and lose a considerable portion of their fees with sites like this. Here are our top recommendations.
UBIGI
UBIGI is a company we’ve recently started recommending, and we’ve had only good experiences using their eSIMs so far. You’ll want to make sure your smartphone is unlocked (contact your carrier to confirm this). Once that’s all set, you can purchase your eSIM and set it up on your phone so that when you land in France all you need to do is toggle your regular SIM off and your eSIM on. Make sure to double check that your regular carrier is turned off for the duration of the trip to avoid fees. Use code JAYSWANSON for 10% off.
IDFMobilités
This is the app you’ll need to buy your metro tickets and have them downloaded directly onto your phone! You can also use the RATP app, but we tend to lean towards the former. If for some reason you can’t connect your phone, don’t worry - you can still buy a Navigo Easy on site - this is just a great way to plan ahead. Keep an eye on our YouTube channel for the next transportation video to drop; it’s always a good idea to keep up to date.
Paris Checklist
Worried about keeping all this information straight? Don’t worry, you can download a PDF of highlights of our advice here. And if you find it useful, please feel free to share with someone you love who is traveling to Paris soon!
And if you’re looking to take your trip planning one step further, have a look at our Guide+. Our Guide+ offers all the elements of our base guide (geolocalized map, search capabilities, dozens of articles on planning your trip…) plus three full-day itineraries and an audio walking tour offered through a partner company. There will be more goodies along the way, of course, which you won’t miss out on because with your one time purchase, you’ll get access for LIFE!
