I Love Paris in the Springtime

"I love Paris in the springtime, I love Paris in the fall." — Cole Porter, from the classic musical Can-Can

Gardens at Versailles

In honor of one of the four nations that have made it to the 2026 World Cup semi-finals. I want to highlight one aspect of each that I love, starting with France.

Paris tends to get a bad rap from foreign tourists and non-Parisians for being unfriendly, if you do not speak the language, and overall a bit pretentious. Strangely enough, I think I lucked out while also being incredibly unlucky during my first visit to the City of Love. I first visited the city back in 2013. I was mainly motivated after watching what would become one of my favorite movies, “French Kiss”. It left me with a sense of wonder and a lovely narrative around the positives and negatives of the city. After all, the protagonist only traveled to Paris to win her trifling partner back.

It was a rainy long weekend in Paris, that was supposed to be a week. It was cut short due to a hellish case of strep throat. As a history buff, I loved visiting so many historical sites and enjoyed not only the food, but the architecture and overall culture. My barely-there high school French and the assumption that I spoke French due to looking West African got me by. I am West African, but belong to the one country that was a British colony, not French. As we explored everything from the Eiffel Tower to the Palace of Versailles, I knew Paris and France, in general, was somewhere I would need to return to. In the meantime, here are some dos and don’ts to help you before your first trip to the French capital.

DO:

1. Greet people with "Bonjour" (or "Bonsoir" in the evening) before asking anything, even in shops, restaurants or asking directions. It's considered basic courtesy, and skipping it can come across as rude.

2. Dress reasonably well. Parisians tend to dress a notch more put-together than typical American tourist attire. Skip the head-to-toe athleisure.

3. Try your best in French, even just a few words. "Parlez-vous anglais?" goes a long way versus launching straight into English.

4. Validate your metro or train tickets before boarding if required. Inspectors do check, and fines are steep.

5. Reserve dinner tables in advance, especially for popular bistros. Walk-ins can mean long waits or turned-away service. I personally loved the dinner cruise on the Seine.

6. Keep your voice down in restaurants and on public transport. Volume is one of the biggest tourist tells.

7. Tip modestly. Service is included in French bills by law, so a euro or two rounding up is plenty, not American-style 20 percent.

8. Explore beyond the main sights. Neighborhoods like Le Marais, Canal Saint-Martin, or Belleville give a much richer sense of the city than just the Eiffel Tower queue.

DON'T:

1. Don't skip greetings and launch straight into a request or question.

2. Don't wear flip-flops, gym shorts, or overly casual gear to nice restaurants or churches. Some sites like Notre-Dame or Sacré-Cœur expect covered shoulders and knees.

3. Don't assume everyone speaks English. Many do, but starting in French shows respect even if you fumble it.

4. Don't eat while walking through nice areas. It's not a huge taboo, but sitting to eat is culturally preferred over grabbing food on the go.

5. Don't linger with your camera blocking foot traffic on narrow streets or metro entrances. It's a fast-paced city and blocking flow annoys locals very quickly.

6. Don't expect shops to be open on Sundays or during typical lunch hours. Many smaller boutiques close for a couple hours midday.

7. Don't overtip or make a scene about tipping. It can come across as showy rather than generous.

8. Don't only stick to the Champs-Élysées and major landmarks. It's touristy, overpriced, and not reflective of daily Parisian life. Every arrondissement has it’s own charm.

If you are looking to travel to Paris and need some guidance, check out my Viator Shop where you can find some tours and experiences I recommend. If you take anything away from this piece, let it be to approach the Parisians with empathy, not fear, eat everything and explore everywhere.

À bientôt!