Some of us save up our whole lives to visit the City of Light, so pricey mistakes aren’t something we want to keep as souvenirs.

While a few faux-pas here or there won’t ruin your experience, there are a few common mistakes to look out for that will make your first days a little smoother. Avoid these in order to keep within your budget and to save time to get the most out of your trip.

More Paris tips:
• Our favorite budget hotels in Paris
• 50 Ways to save on your Paris vacation
• Eating your way through Paris for €20 a day
• How to get the most out of your first day in Paris

8 Mistakes to avoid on your first trip to Paris

Tap water is free at restaurants. Just ask for it with the magic words “Une carafe d’eau, s’il vous plait.” Photo: photokitty07

1. Paying for water

Waiters will prey on innocent tourists who may be wondering if the tap water in Paris is drinkable. The days of the plague are mostly over, so don’t fear — French tap water is just fine. Don’t feel pressured into buying pricey bottled water unless you want sparkling or mineral varieties. Just ask for a “carafe d’eau“, and spend the euros on an extra dessert instead.

2. Booking too many passes

Armed with a Paris Museum Pass and a Metro pass, you can avoid some lines and having to worry about purchasing tickets. But there will always be that pressure to use the passes. What if it’s a nice day and you want to walk, but you haven’t used the pass yet? What if you want to linger more in the gardens but you need to use the museum pass before it expires? If you want the security of the passes, just be sure to plan your route to make sure you don’t lose out in the end.

3. Going to Versailles

Is it a mistake to go to Versailles? No. But with only a few precious days in Paris, is it necessary for a first-time visit? We’ll let you decide. If you’re going in the spring or summer, however, be prepared to surrender several hours of your vacation time to waiting in line at the majestic chateau before fighting crowds inside to catch a glimpse of Marie Antoinette’s bed. If you’re on the fence, don’t feel bad about skipping the trek out there, or even opting for a lesser-visited chateau-like Chantilly.

4. Tipping when you don’t have to

With taxi drivers, hairdressers and tour guides, don’t feel bad about tipping. With anyone else, there is absolutely no need to, unless the service went above and beyond the norm. Just round the bill up and leave the change. Paris tipping rules are as simple as that.

5. Eating breakfast in the hotel

There’s no need to dig deep into your pockets for a bit of breakfast. Head to a café for a coffee and croissant for under €5 or just get an assortment to go from your local bakery and leave the breakfast buffet for when all the bakers are on strike. Yes, it has happened before.

Hotel Henri IV is literally in the bulls-eye center of the city at the tip of the Ile de la Cité. Photo: EuroCheapo

6. Not staying central to save a few euros

That cheap hotel out by Disneyland seems great because it’s just so gosh-darn cheap. But the commute into Paris isn’t much different from those who come from London (I exaggerate…kind of). We love cheap hotels, too, and that’s why we push our favorites in the heart of the city — because you didn’t fly all the way to Paris to spend hours on a train, did you?

7. Being a slave to lines

Queue up in Paris — we all need to at some point. While you’re at the Eiffel Tower, I’m at the grocery store, and the lines are often comparable. But pick your battles. Lines at the Louvre are shorter on Wednesday and Friday nights, and the same goes for the Musée d’Orsay on Thursday evenings, while the Eiffel Tower is always pretty busy. Plan ahead so that if you have no bookings or pre-purchased tickets, you won’t hit all of the lines at all the wrong times.

8. Trying to do it all

You planned and planned, you thought you could do it all, but alas. It’s just impossible. Paris will be here for quite some time, so if you didn’t get to every major sight, there’s always tomorrow. The Mona Lisa isn’t going anywhere (hopefully), and the Eiffel Tower should still be standing, so try to enjoy what you do experience and make the to-do list for round two.

Your tips

Do you remember your first time in Paris? Let us know if you had any stories from your rookie visit.

The post Visiting Paris for the first time: 8 rookie mistakes to avoid appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Avoid the English-Speaking French Breakfast

Experienced travelers don’t need to be told to avoid restaurants and cafes in tourist-heavy areas like the street that runs alongside Notre Dame. If you see a sign that says “French Breakfast” in English, you can guarantee that it has been designed and priced for unwitting tourists, and no more authentically French than a French kiss.

B.Y.O.C.

Believe it or not, as long as you order a coffee or something else, it’s socially acceptable in most sidewalk cafés to bring your own croissants. Don’t bother asking first, since the French answer to almost any question is non, just be discreet, and don’t be surprised if the waiter doesn’t care (or even notice).

Go here to read about Paris cafés that offer espresso for a euro.

Boulangerie Breakfast Specials

Some boulangeries have a little counter or a few tables where you can sit down for as long as it takes you to finish off your pain au chocolat or sandwich, but beware of separate café menus and table service where you will pay a hefty price.

Also note that some boulangeries offer breakfast specials where you can get a coffee and a pastry at a discount. The boulangerie at 32 rue Vieille du Temple in the Marais has a handful of tables and stools and offers a coffee and a croissant breakfast special for €1.90, meaning you are paying the regular €1.10 they charge for a decent croissant, plus only 80 cents for a coffee, which is an average of €2.20 elsewhere in the neighborhood, including next door.

Don’t Buy the Milk If You Can Get It For Free

Ever noticed that the price of a two-sip espresso in Paris is often less than half of a coffee with milk? If you want an efficient caffeine hit but need a drop of milk to take the edge off of that bitter espresso, here’s a clever way to get a mini latte for the price of a naked espresso: ask for une noisette. This is simply an espresso with a little added bonus nut of milk, and may be delivered to you already in the coffee, or with a separate pot of milk.

Remember that many Paris cafés serve a little cookie or a caramel or a square of dark chocolate with your coffee, and a glass of water is always free; if they don’t automatically bring it, which they often do, then just ask for un verre d’eau.

The post How to save money on breakfast in Paris appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.