What should I avoid in Paris?

The stretch of Rue de la Huchette in the 5th arrondissement, two minutes from Notre-Dame, is Paris's most efficient tourist-extraction zone. Every restaurant has a man outside waving a laminated menu in four languages. The food comes from a microwave. You'll smell reheated béchamel and hear the same pitch in English, Spanish, and Japanese within thirty seconds. Walk two blocks south to Rue Mouffetard instead — the crêperie at the corner of Rue de l'Arbalète does a proper galette complète for €9, and the street market on weekend mornings sells cheeses that actually smell like something. The same pattern holds along the Champs-Élysées: it's a chain-store corridor now. A café crème on a Champs-Élysées terrace runs €7-9; the same coffee at Café Lomi in the 18th is €3.50, and they roast their own beans on-site. If someone outside a restaurant is trying to seat you, that restaurant is the one to skip.

Paris has a short list of street scams, and they haven't changed in twenty years. The gold ring trick works like this: someone "finds" a gold ring on the ground near the Pont des Arts or the Tuileries, offers it to you as a gift, then asks for money. The ring is brass. Say "non" and keep walking. At the base of the steps to Sacré-Cœur in Montmartre, men will try to tie a friendship bracelet onto your wrist before you can pull away — once it's on, they demand €10-20. Hands in pockets as you climb. The petition scam runs near the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower: someone with a clipboard asks you to sign for a charity, then asks for a donation while an accomplice lifts your phone from your bag. Mind you, these are all avoidable by simply not engaging when a stranger approaches with something in their hand. The city itself is safe — it's the predictable grifts around the big-ticket monuments that catch first-timers off guard.

Métro Line 1 — the one connecting Châtelet, Louvre-Rivoli, Champs-Élysées Clemenceau, and Charles de Gaulle–Étoile — is where organized pickpocket teams work during rush hours and weekend afternoons. They tend to operate in groups of three or four, crowding you at the doors during the boarding crush. Crossbody bag, zip facing your body, phone in a front pocket. That said, the Métro is still the fastest and cheapest way across Paris. Don't let pickpocket warnings scare you onto expensive taxis. The RER B from CDG into central Paris is fine and runs about €11.50; the taxi queue at Terminal 2 will cost you the regulated flat rate of €55 to the Right Bank, which is reasonable if you're arriving at midnight with heavy bags. What's not fine is the unofficial "taxi" men inside the arrivals hall offering rides — those are unlicensed, unmetered, and will charge €100 or more. Use the official taxi rank outside or book a transfer before you land.

The Eiffel Tower summit queue runs 90 minutes to two hours on a summer afternoon. The view from the top is — to be fair — mostly grey zinc rooftops and milky haze. The view from Tour Montparnasse's 56th-floor terrace is better because it includes the Eiffel Tower itself, the queue is ten minutes, and the ticket is €18 versus €29. Skip the Moulin Rouge dinner show unless someone else is paying: €185 per person for lukewarm chicken, a thimble of champagne, and a production that hasn't changed since 1999. Le Lapin Agile on Rue des Saules in Montmartre still charges €35 with a drink — a warm room with thirty people, cherry wine, and performers who can actually see your face. Weather-wise, Paris in July and August has been hitting 35-40°C during heat waves, and most budget hotels and residential buildings still have no air conditioning. You'll hear traffic through open windows all night and sleep badly. If you're visiting midsummer, confirm your hotel lists climatisation — and test it before you unpack.