Paris > Tourist Mistakes > #7

Top 11 Tourist Mistakes in Paris
(and how to avoid them)

Continued from previous page

ABOVE: Why view Paris from a tour bus when the city is so easy to explore on foot?

Mistake #7: Booking unnecessary tours

Escorted sightseeing tours have their place. If you've got mobility problems or you're in Paris for only a short time, a guided tour from a company like Viator (a Paris for Visitors affiliate partner) can help you enjoy the city without running short on energy or time.

Tours can also be handy if you want to go outside the city with minimum fuss--to Versailles or Giverny, for example--or if you have a specific Parisian interest such as touring by motorcycle or in a vintage car.

However, if all you want to do is see the sights, we recommend buying a good Paris tourist map (we especially like the Blay Foldex Paris par Arrodissement street atlas) and exploring the Paris on foot. You'll save money, you'll enjoy your own itinerary at your own pace, and you'll have more serendipitous encounters than you would in a tour group.

Our Paris sightseeing articles will give you ideas for planning an itinerary, and our Paris transportation articles will help you find your away around by Métro, bus, boat, and other forms of transit when you don't feel like walking.

Next page: Mistake #8: Driving in Paris

About the author:

Durant Imboden is a professional travel writer, book author, and editor who focuses on European cities and transportation.

After 4-1/2 years of covering European travel topics for About.com, Durant and Cheryl Imboden co-founded Europe for Visitors (including Paris for Visitors) in 2001. The site has earned "Best of the Web" honors from Forbes and The Washington Post.

For more information, see About our site, press clippings, and reader testimonials.

Top photo copyright © Paris Tourist Office. Photographer: Catherine Balet.

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