Hey there, fellow travelers! Today, we’re talking about all the places to visit in Paris. Paris is a great city and we visit often, however, there are some Paris attractions that are totally overrated. We’re going to save you some time and frustration by telling you which Paris sights you should skip and which attituded and rumors are overrated.
The Mona Lisa Experience
The Mona Lisa painting by Leonardo da Vinci is one of the most popular attractions in Paris. It’s located in the Louvre, and people crowd around this tiny little painting. Yes, it’s an iconic piece of art, but after fighting and shoving your way to the front of the crowd to get a glimpse, you may be a bit let down.
Notice that we don’t list the whole Louvre as being overrated. There is a ton of cool art to check out, but you might be underwhelmed by some of the most popular pieces.
Ascending the Eiffel Tower
I’ve done this several times, and you do get a great view of Paris. However, the entire experience is underwhelming. You have to go through security checks, wait in several lines, and be crammed in with a lot of other people. If you are claustrophobic or you don’t like heights, this is not the Paris experience for you. If we visit Paris with friends who want to go up the Eiffel Tower, we usually hang out in the park below and wait for them.
Shopping on the Champs Elysees
The Champs-Elysees is probably the most famous shopping street in the world. Because of its popularity, it’s also the most expensive street in Paris. It’s also pretty touristy, so you’ll pay more to shop or dine along the Champs-Elysees than you will anywhere else in Paris. There are way better places to go shopping in Paris. We recommend exploring other arrondissements in Paris and finding out of the way boutiques and cafes.
TGV Schedule
If you are traveling around France and returning to Paris for a flight back home, don’t count on the TGV being on time. The TGV is great, you can get anywhere in France relatively quickly. However, you can’t count on it being on time. We almost always come back to Paris the night before our flight so that we don’t have to worry about missing our flight due to train delays.
Parisian Reputation
If you’ve never traveled to Paris, you’re going to assume everyone is rude. That’s the reputation that Parisians have, but it’s pretty unwarranted. Sometimes, you’ll get bad service if you are in a heavily touristed area, so I think this Parisian reputation mostly comes from the service industry. All the Parisians we have met are perfectly friendly and helpful. The reputation of rude Parisians is just not true.
Five Things You Will Love & Hate About Visiting Paris
Anti-Americanism
Another rumor you might have heard is that the Parisians hate Americans. We’ve been coming to Paris for years and have not experienced this at all. If you have a bad experience, don’t assume it’s because you are American. Now, if you are a loud, demanding tourist, you might be shunned a bit, but we’ve always had great experiences traveling in Paris.
Uncleanliness of Paris
Another unfounded rumor about Paris is that it’s a dirty city. I haven’t found Paris to be any dirtier than any other capital city in Europe, or the United States for that matter. There are over two million people in Paris, so of course, it’s not going to be squeaky clean like a small Midwest US town. Paris has great parks and green spaces to escape to when you are feeling too constricted by the concrete streets and buildings. The dog poop rumors are true, though, so watch where you step!
12 Things That Will Shock You in Paris
What is NOT Overrated in Paris?
There are plenty of things in Paris that are not overrated. These include:
- Food in Paris – AMAZING!
- Traffic in Paris – definitely frustrating, do not recommend! You don’t need a car in Paris.
- Public Transportation in Paris – easy to use and takes you anywhere you want to go
- Shopping in Paris – fantastic!
- Number of Tourists – there is no “off-season” in Paris; expect crowds year-round.
Some people may go so far as to say all of Paris is overrated. We don’t agree with that at all, but we do agree that these sites in Paris are overrated. There are still plenty of cool things to see in Paris, though! If you want more tips on family travel in France, check out some of our other blog posts: