1. We did not have a single interaction with anyone in Paris that was not courteous and polite.
2. Language was not a problem. Everyone involved with hospitality and tourism (i.e., 90 percent of the Parisians you are likely to encounter) seemed to have a good working grasp of English. The only exceptions that come to mind are a cheese monger at a sidewalk market, the ticket seller at an obscure Latin Quarter theater, and possibly the taxi driver from the airport (not sure because I side-stepped the issue by handing him a piece of paper with our destination address written on it). If anything, having invested considerable time and energy in restoring my French language skills, I was disappointed that I did not have more opportunity to use them.
3. Based on my experience, I can only assume that all the warnings about long lines, big crowds, etc., must pertain primarily to July and August. We were there for the first two weeks in May and didn’t encounter any of these. We arrived at the Picasso Museum to find a large entry courtyard with pathways staked out for three different lines, and not a single human being in the courtyard. The massive entry courtyard at Versailles was about 10 percent occupied. Lines at the Eiffel Tower were quite short.
4. Sharpen your pencil before buying a Paris Museum Pass. I made a list of the museums we most wanted to visit and got ticket prices from their web sites. The total was only very slightly higher than the cost of a two-day pass — but to make the pass worthwhile I would have had to do all those museums in two consecutive days, which would have greatly diminished my enjoyment of them. It may be that the priority-entry feature would make the pass worthwhile in busier times, but as noted that was not an issue when we were there.
5. I was unable to conjure up any scenario under which the more inclusive, and much more expensive, Paris Pass would have made sense. Seems like a pure ripoff to me.
6. The fact that something can be reached via the Metro doesn’t necessarily mean you should take the Metro to get there. I ran all our journeys on Google Maps and there were many times when the Metro was the slowest option. You really can cover a lot of ground quickly on foot, and the Paris bus system is also an excellent option. Do not ignore the cost in time and blood pressure involved in finding your way through the average Metro station looking for your transfer.
7. We used Uber several times and it worked extremely well. Better than taxis in my opinion.
8. Notwithstanding point 7, use a taxi to get from CDG into town. They’re very conveniently located at the airport which minimizes the schlepping of luggage, and the fare is fixed by law (50 euro to the Right Bank, 55 to the Left Bank) so you can’t get ripped off. You’re tired, you’re jet-lagged, you’re not sure where you’re going...Spend the money, take the taxi.
9. We succumbed to the lure of a boat cruise on the Seine. It does indeed allow you to view the city from a different perspective. Unfortunately it is really not a particularly good perspective. We went in the daytime so I can’t speak to what a night cruise might have been like.
10. The weather in Paris is capricious. No matter how sunny it is or what the forecast says when you set out, bring an umbrella.
I should emphasize that this reflects the experience of a middle-aged married couple traveling without children during the first two weeks of May. Your mileage may vary.