Paris essentials

Most visitors arrive at one of the two main Paris airports or by high-speed train into a central station. Which one you use shapes your arrival day, because the transfer into the center is a real part of the trip rather than an afterthought.

Paris is compact and dense, and the Metro plus walking will cover almost everything a first visit needs. A car is a liability inside the city, so the real decision is which transit pass fits your trip rather than whether to rent.

Spring and fall are the classic windows for mild weather and full city life, summer is warm and busy with a quieter local August, and winter is cool and low-key outside the holiday weeks. The right season depends on whether you want long days or smaller crowds.

France uses the euro, cards are accepted almost everywhere, and a small nightly lodging tax applies on top of room rates. The passes that matter most for a short trip are a transit pass and, if you plan several museums, a sightseeing pass.

Paris is a safe city to visit, and the main thing to manage is petty theft in crowded tourist spots and on the busiest Metro lines. Knowing the emergency numbers and a few common scams covers most of what a first visit needs.