Pretending that Parisian metro is "crime infested", that it is hard to find any good restaurant in Paris, that shopping experience is poor in Paris... seems slightly exaggerated ;)

I would advise you for your next trip to take some advice at this selection of city guides online (and of course to take your time to discover why Paris is a wonderful city):

Excellent tips to discover Paris like a vrai Parisien:
http://www.mylittle.fr/mylittleparis/en/

Gastronomy walks in Paris:
http://travel.nytimes.com/2013/04/21...pagewanted=all

Selection of restaurants:
http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/...is-restaurants
http://www.lefooding.com/restaurant/ (some articles are in English)
http://www.cntraveler.com/food/2012/...e-where-to-eat
http://www.cntraveler.com/food/2013/...nts-2013/paris

Affordable bistros:
http://www.cntraveler.com/daily-trav...-french-dining

Trendy places:
http://www.fabsearch.com/location/Paris

Contemporary architecture:
http://travel.nytimes.com/2013/03/31...anted=all&_r=0

Not for the tourists spots:
http://www.cntraveler.com/daily-trav...k-paris-france

10 things NOT to do in Paris:
http://www.cntraveler.com/cities/par...to-do-in-paris

Pickpokets:
http://www.cntraveler.com/perrin-pos...d-theft-041113

Enjoy!

Paris Metro
 

Thanks, nicolas75, for returning this thread to focus on information for 1st time visitors to Paris!
I like the Paris Metro and make extensive use of it. I must say, however, it has seen better days:
- both the trains & platforms are small, overcrowded & poorly maintained;
- the system has not kept pace with population growth.
Still, it sure beats the alternatives!

I don't find the Paris Metro any more dirty, unsafe, or overcrowded than the New York City subway. Actually, I think I'd rather be on the Metro.

Transportation and Museums
 

Museums can be free if you time your visit. We just returned from our European vacation (GE, IT, UK, and FR) last night. We had a blast! See the link below. My friend in Paris also told us to time our visit in the future.

http://www.timeout.com/paris/feature...y-of-the-month

Here are some of the lessons learned from our 3 nights/4 day stay in Paris:

1. Purchase train (metro) tickets. The ticket is good for trains and buses. We purchased tickets valid for 3 days. Get a map because the subway (metro) system can be quite challenging if you're not familiar. We live in NYC, so we have a good idea how the subway works but the problem was there are too many exits (better known as SORTIE) when you get off train. Try to find out which SORTIE to take, otherwise, you'll be going in circles. It appears that the closest metro to your hotel is on the 6 line. We stayed at the Hotel Concorde Montparnasse

2. I was warned of pick pockets upon our arrival into Paris. I had a monopod (almost like a tripod) mainly for my camera but also to keep pick pocketers away. The day before we left Paris, I changed pants with snap-ons to secure the pockets. On the subway, two guys got on the train and shortly thereafter, I felt a bump from behind. I checked my back pocket and surprisingly found my snap-on pocket unsnapped. I secured my snap-on pocket again and I felt a second bump from behind on the next stop. It was then that I decided to transfer my wallet to my front pocket. I turned around and was ready to pipe the two thieves when they suddenly left the train in a hurry. They knew that I know they were trying to steal my wallet. Lesson learned - do not wear pants/shorts that snap-on your pockets shuts. Instead, wear a pant/short that secure your pockets with at least two buttons.

3. Taxi or bus to CDG. There were buses that directly left our hotel to CDG or ORLY but the timing didn't work out. We thought about leaving at 4:00 AM on the metro but decided against because we had three bags. In addition, traveling at that early may or may not be safe in the metro. We asked the front desk and they recommended a taxi for a fixed price. I think this is best because we knew what we were paying. If you flag a taxi on the street, you may ended up paying a lot more. From our hotel in Montparnasse to CDG, the hotel contracted for a taxi the night before for 59 EUR for the two of us. We paid the taxi fare directly to the driver with a fare slip given to us by the hotel. The journey took about 45 minutes. From your hotel, the journey should take at least 60 minutes, depending on the departure time.

Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions. Good luck and enjoy your trip!

RSonny2010, I'm glad you enjoyed your trip.

Just a few comments about your observations:

It sounds like you may have bought a Paris Visite pass; other options are a Navigo Découverte pass or carnets of 10 tickets. These options have been discussed extensively in the forum so I won't reiterate them here.

In smaller stations this is not much of a problem; in larger stations, it can be quite confusing. Normally on the wall by the platform and also on the wall in the entryway where you buy tickets, there is a close-up map of the streets surrounding the metro station. The exits are indicated with numbers (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4) and certain street names. First, using the map, find the number & streets of the exit nearest your destination; then, look for the blue overhead signs with that number/street combination and follow those to your exit. For non-French-speakers, côté pair means the even-numbered side of the street; côté impair is the odd-numbered side.

Yes, certain museums are free on the first Sunday of the month, although for some of them the lines can be quite long. For people with lots of time and not much money, it's a good deal; however, others may prefer to get a museum pass to bypass lines and save time.

The real lesson here is to keep your wallet in your front pocket.

The metro doesn't start running until around 5:30 a.m. Your only real option before then is a taxi.


For anyone planning a trip to Paris, the sticky thread Paris Digest: all you need to know at the top of the France forum has a wealth of information in it.

Thanks for your feedback IFF