Returning to Paris, first time since 2018. What changes should I be prepared for?

To me only a few things have changed - these come to mind:

• Museum Pass: Yes, to me this lost it's value in 2019 when they started allowing just one visit per museum on the pass. Some museums require you to book timed entries (at no charge) with the Pass. The Louvre seems to have many fewer Museum Pass slots available. People have come to the forum with complaints that the Louvre was "sold out" which it does do but if you are booking ahead there are often regular paid time slots when the museum pass slots are gone.

• Timed Entries: This method of museum crowd control started at the Louvre before Covid and now covers most of the big museums/venues. The Louvre, Orangerie, Versailles, Sainte-Chapelle, Musee d'Orsay for sure you should get ahead of time. Arc de Triomphe, Cluny Museum, some of the other less visited museums do not need to be booked ahead. I do museum heavy visits and it still works out better for me to book timed entries directly thru the museum instead of using the Museum Pass.

• Metro: The Navigo Easy is a credit card size pass that you load your "carnet" onto. The physical card costs 2E. The paper tickets are being phased out if not completely gone. (In April 2023 one of the Metro stations near my hotel had the paper ticket slots taped over) You can also get the Navigo Easy on your iPhone or Android using the IDF Mobilities app. You and your wife will have to have separate accounts.

• Last time I was in Paris (spring 2023) most every restaurant, venue, grocery store, shop supported contactless CCs including ApplePay and GooglePay. If you all don't normally use this pay method at home, I'd suggest you download your CCs to your wallets and start using them around your area.

• I'd actually do Giverny at the end of Sept where you MIGHT have a chance for less crowding. It will still be nice then. I've gone in mid-October and the flowers were awesome. And yes, train to Vernon, navette/shuttle bus to Giverny. You do not need to get your train ticket ahead of time but download the SNCF app and buy it on there a day or so ahead. You DO need to get your entrance to Monet's home and gardens ahead from their official website.

Hi Brad, Sept 8 is the last day for the special (increased) metro fees that authorities have put in place for the Olympics and Paralympics. Single metro tickets on that day will be four euros, a one-day pass will be 16 euros.

On the 9th and thereafter, they go back to regular prices. 2.15 EUR for a single ticket or 17.35 EUR for a “carnet” of 10 tickets. However, those carnets (packets of 10 tickets) are no longer available as paper tickets. You can buy them either for your phone on the IDF Mobilites app, or buy a two-euro Navigo Easy card at a machine and then load a “carnet” of tickets on to it.

There will still be some restrictions up for the Paralympics since the venues for the Games are mostly in the heart of Paris. But it won’t be anything like it is now.

Thanks so much for the replies. Nice to know the Metro price difference on the 8th. I was thinking about museums later in the month, thinking they would be less crowded. If I have to reserve anyway, I might just plan museums early in the month and Giverny later.

I was there last September and even before the Olympics hotel prices were substantially higher. Many of my lower priced hotels were 2 or 3 times more expensive than my last visit in 2019.

To be honest, I think there is going to be an upsurge in tourists later in September, as people have been staying away this summer. You might find it easier to get to museums when you are there the first time.

Hi Brad,
Here is a bit of ET information from my travel journal to share with your wife - maybe it will help you persuade her to find another use for valuable vacation time. LOL. There is supposed to be a lovely restaurant in the Tour Montparnasse with excellent views of the ET which we hope to enjoy on our next Paris visit.

" We have been up to level 2 of the ET a couple of times but never to level 3. So our last trip to Paris I bought reserved tickets to go all the way up. This was the experience in early October: wait close to an hour to gain access to the tower (lots of queue jumpers and no official types stopping them), smoosh into a very crowded elevator, exit into level 2. Crowded, but OK. Then it was time to think about going to level 3. The line (with more queue jumpers) for the tiny elevator stretched all the way around level 2. The wait would have been close to an hour. We decided to skip it. And this experience was in 2018 when we didn't have to worry about whether the stranger standing a foot away was Covid positive. The only way we would ever do the ET ascent again is if we had reservations at the over-priced Jules Verne restaurant and could take the private elevator. Instead enjoy a lovely lunch with a view of the tower. (Les Ombres is good.) Another enjoyable ET experience is sitting on the Champ de Mars around 9 P.M. with champagne watching the lights sparkle."

Since pre-pandemic, the biggest change in Paris? More tourists than ever before...my experience.

And I agree with others that many people (myself included) stayed away from Paris this year because of the Olympics (not just during the event, but in the months leading up to it), and the pent up demand will see huge crowds through the rest of the year....we are very close to booking a trip to Paris for this October...will decide this weekend, will not wait until the Olympics are beamed out around the world and people decide to go...

To be honest...ALWAYS listen to Kim's advice over mine, lol!! That woman knows what she is talking about and is a real asset!

Regarding hotel prices. Yes, I'd say about double. I visited Paris 8 times between 2016 and 2018, a few nights each time. I'd say prices are roughly double what I paid then. Last September, we visited Italy for most of the month and prices were more like triple what I paid on my previous visit.

About an uptick in tourism. Yes, I figure I better book my accommodation before the Olympics. I'm worried a lot of people will watch and someone will say, "I"ve always wanted to go to Paris"...

I was sort of hoping it would work out the opposite: people would flock to Paris for the Olympics, leaving it less crowded afterward. I know I'd never visit with something like the Olympics going on - better to watch on TV and visit another time.

Airfare is certainly cheap. I booked about a month ago (from Dulles, through Iceland, to CDG). Round trip for my dates was less than $350 for each round trip. I think that's the cheapest I've ever booked. I was regularly around $500 round trip, Dulles to Paris, before the pandemic.

Kim,

Do you know if I'll need the pass jeux (?) during my stay. I had the impression that would be over when the main Olympics ended.

If so, I'll have to start the process as soon as I book something (as early as tonight).

Brad

Travel Boss, You are correct. We were on vacation in Hawaii watching the Olympics in London on tv, and I said, "how come we aren't there? And booked immediately for after the Olympics!" (Though we'd been before!)

We were just in Paris in April. Beautiful, wonderful and crowded, but it's Paris! It had been a few years since we'd been. More preplanning required perhaps, but that's how it is now everywhere. And yes, having Kim on this forum is like having private concierge Paris service!

Last September (2023) we were in Paris from the 5th-14th and then again from the 17th-19th. On the 8-14th in Paris, there were record high temperatures (I remember 96F one of those days and not much less on the others). For the last few days it was lovely. Fortunately, we had hotels with air conditioning. You might want to consider that possibility.
We had been in Paris the December before (2022) and the crowd sizes were quite noticeable especially in the Louvre and Orsay. It was Christmas time, so maybe that was the reason, but we had also been in Paris at Christmas in 2016 with no crowding.

We went to the Eiffel Tower in September and things went very smoothly. Even though it was crowded, it was nothing like the Louvre or Orsay in December. I did literally get up in the middle of the night to purchase tickets the day that our visit opened on their website. Even then, I didn't get the time that I wanted but it was still fine. After that, actually being in line was fast, onto the elevator was fast and then we were on the second floor for a fun and scenic time. Look for the Statue of Liberty, Napoleon's Tomb, etc. It's a happening event.
We visited Monet's Garden this past May on a very rainy day and it was packed--add to that all the open umbrellas, but everyone was very polite and we had a fine time with the explosion of blooms. We had been there in April 2019 with many fewer people. If you do visit, Restaurant Baudy was a delight for lunch. I'm going to call some, if not all the crowds the "Covid Effect" because so many didn't travel and went through travel withdrawal. I'm hoping to see the point of diminishing returns soon, but then, I keep traveling and adding to the crowds!
Loading Metro tickets onto your smart phone is a beautiful thing. Take a look at the IDF Mobilitès app. all you have to do is load the app and then Tap at the turnstile. Google Wallet (I have an Android) is also a blessing. It was after this poor woman's experience that I loaded credit cards onto Wallet: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france/disaster-has-struck-lost-all-money-and-credit-cards.
The crowds have not deterred us, we are returning this coming January.

Hi Brad, the Pass Jeux (one of the special metro passes available) will have its last day of existence literally on September 8. (I am realizing though that maybe we are talking about different things. Maybe you mean a special pass for getting around Paris? There will be very few spaces that are off limits to pedestrians by that very last day, so I don't think you will have to worry about that. To check that, you can use this interactive map and put in the date of Sept 8. Fair warning: even though I know my way around Paris, I find this virtually impossible to use. Maybe your browser will like it better :

https://anticiperlesjeux.gouv.fr/en/interactive-map-travel-impacts-ile-france

As I mentioned above, metro tickets that day will cost 4€ each. A one-day Paris Pass 2024 for that day would cost 16€, so you could get one either for convenience or because you think you will make more than four journeys that day.

It also depends if you are 1) arriving at an airport on Sept 8 and 2) if so, if you plan on taking public transport into the city from that airport. In that case I would definitely recommend the one-day Paris Pass, because the metro or RER ticket into the city from the airports is raised to 16€ during the special (increased) rates time.

Good point Lindy,

I generally am fine without AC, even when it's hot. I let the cool air in at night and close everything up in the day. Most of the old buildings have really thick walls that keep things cool.

I'm not solo this trip, so I have to make sure my wife is happy.

Brad

Cynthia,

I read your post to my wife. She says she'd be happy with dinner at Montparnasse. I've been by the building. It's an uninspiring modern building but I can see how it would have a brilliant view.

Brad

Super helpful Kim,

I'll follow your recommendation. We arrive around noon at CDG and will take a train into Paris. Even though I regularly arrive with a stamped passport (from Iceland) and no checked bags, it still averages an hour from landing to leaving CDG on a train, and nearly another hour to get downtown.

Because we travel much lighter than the average traveler (our bags fit Ryanair rules), it's no problem to walk up to a mile when we need to.

Brad

Travel **oss,

Re higher hotel prices in Sept., I have read that due to the fashion weeks in Sept., hotel prices are usually higher than normal in Paris. I imagine that will still hold true this September.

Pam sums it up pretty well. The biggest change for me is that I used to never wait in lines because I knew the tricks including timed reservations -- and that I could just buy a ticket from the newsstand by the Orsay and walk right in. Now post COVID everything is booked ahead and it is much harder to avoid lines.

Many restaurants that we could book with a couple days notice are harder to book. We have been unable to book dinner in old favorites for the entire month we are there, so if there is a place we must go to, we book early.

Oh and the most important one of all, prices for restaurants and hotels are way way up -- often doubled since that time.

I'd like to add a comment about metro tickets. Based on my own experience, I recommend you buy a Navigo Easy card rather than load tickets on your phone.

I did the latter last year and successfully used 3 of the 10 tickets. However, in January and May the phone tickets failed entirely and so I bought a Navigo Easy card. I now have seven tickets trapped on my phone.

Tickets on the phone are held in an app called My Navigo Tickets and reviews suggest I'm far from the only person with this issue. Admittedly, I haven't sought help.

Others, of course, may have had more luck.

Thanks for the information, Kim! Since €17.35 is the price for carnet of 10 tickets (after the Olympics) I imagine that for one day including R/T from CDG to Paris as well as unlimited travel within the city of Paris the price of €20.60 is probably an excellent deal (I'll just be in Paris for one day, October 9). Does this sound right to you? I don't know what the "normal" price for the RER into CDG to Paris is.

Hi Kay - normally (in non-Olympics times so now this price only comes back into effect September 9) the price of the RER B ticket from CDG into Paris is €11.80.

So yes if you plan on doing other trips that day as well (once you get into Paris), the Navigo Jour is a pretty good deal.

(Edit to add: re-reading your post I see you are going from CDG into Paris and then back out to CDG all in the same day?? Then yes the Navigo Jour will be an excellent deal for you ).

Keep in mind that even though the Paralympics will end on the 8th, it will take weeks/months to disassemble all the temoporary stadiums so you can expect to have obstructions in your way where those are located.

Charles,

It will be interesting to see. Paris has so many major activities, they seem to set up and take down as well as anyone. I won't mind if I have to walk a little extra to get around Olympic infrastructure.

Brad

Thanks, Kim! I thought that would probably be the case. So I guess I can just add a one day navigo jour, zone five to my navigo easy card at the automated machine. I'll be staying near terminal three. It looks like I would just take the shuttle to terminal one to purchase the navigo jour and catch the RER.

I know it sounds insane to spend only one day in Paris but the alternative was not see Paris this trip at all!

So again, many thanks.

Regarding Giverny, I suggest seeing it on a day you have a car and can be there at either the 9:00 AM opening or later in the day, say 3:00 PM. I have stayed nearby and was able to go at 9:00 with relatively few visitors before 10:00. No personal experience, but I've read on this forum that crowds thin out after 3:00 as well.

My wife was there in May with a good friend, taking the train from Paris and the tram from Vernon. They left Paris mid-morning and returned in the afternoon. All went well for them. It was a little crowed to get into the house.

Hi again, Kim. Just thought of another question. Is it possible to load a navigo jour pass onto my navigo easy card if I already have a carnet of Metro tickets or at least some Metro tickets left on my navigo easy card? I just read something online that indicates one cannot have both at the same time. Or will I need to buy a new navigo easy card just to load the navigo jour pass?

Since I will be arriving at CDG the night before I need the navigo jour pass and would like to purchase it then, can I purchase the pass at an unmanned booth or ticket machine? Or do I need to go to a manned booth?

Thank you so much for all of your help.

jkh,

I was thinking along similar lines. Either get there early or later. Because early would require getting up and hurrying, we'll likely aim to get there around three or three-thirty. My theory these days is that many are using guided tours, rather than navigating themselves. Most tours seem to arrive no earlier than ten and are gone by mid-afternoon.