As a full time traveler and Travel Writer, I never really felt that I would be “legit” unless I visited Paris at least once. It seems funny, but there is such a huge hype about the French Capital that says you are not a true traveler unless you have been there. As a writer though, I read and hear a lot about all cities and countries, and what I always heard about Paris left me with the question, “is Paris overrated?’.
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This question always had me wondering if I really wanted to visit. I had my impression of the city, gleaned from Hollywood movies, tv shows and literature. Did I really want to spoil that? There was no overriding compulsion to visit, so why go out of my way?
As a full time traveler though, you get to the stage that it is hard to avoid. Eventually you have layovers in Paris that you just can’t ignore. Long transits, and cheaper flights that will take you conveniently through Charles De Gaulle Airport. This can only happen so many times before you give in, and decide that fate just WANTS you to give Paris a chance.
Is Paris overrated? Well, I guess we just have to find out for ourselves.
So a stop in Paris that might be a little underwhelming leaves you wondering if maybe it was just an off day or two. We all have them. So, you give it another chance. Stay somewhere different, and approach it from a different mindset. At the end of the day though, Paris is still the same, and no matter what angle you look at it from, you struggle to see it any differently.
So let’s take a bit of a deep dive into some of the reasons that have people leaving Paris with a sour taste in their mouths, and asking themselves, “is Paris overrated?”.
How crowded is Paris?
This is one of the first things that pretty much smacks you in the face when you visit Paris. The mass tourism is a real thing, and it hits you as soon as you step onto the streets.
The crowds are everywhere. At the Louvre, they are milling around taking thousands of photos, and lining up for hours to get inside. The majority of them don’t even know why they are doing it, and when asked, they will only tell you that they want to see the Mona Lisa. Of course, that’s the only answer they can give, as that is the only thing they know about the world’s most famous museum.
The Louvre is rather clever though. When I was there, Paris was crowded. It was shocking. But when I came to the Louvre, it didn’t seem so bad. Sure there was plenty of people outside getting selfie’s, but the line up didn’t seem overly dramatic. I found out not long after that they HIDE the crowd inside. There was actually a mile long line up under the ground, where the actual entry is!
Wandering the streets, parks and riverfront areas of Paris, the tourism is absolutely everywhere. Don’t get me wrong, there are many locals too, but the tourism is really front and center. You can’t help but think that the entire central district of Paris, pretty much from the Louvre all the way around the river to the Eiffel Tower, is designed around tourism.
A walk up the Avenue des Champs-Élysées is not so bad, and is actually a pleasant walk. The tourism is still there, but not quite so bad around some of the most expensive shopping in the world. When you reach the Arc de Triomphe, though, it returns in a hurry.
The crowds not only around the base of the famous monument have you shoulder to shoulder with others, but also across the road in every direction. Tourists push, shove, bite and scratch for the best views (ok, that’s exaggerated a BIT) and a photo of yourself in front of the monument with no one else in the frame is like gold.
Head back down the hill to the Eiffel Tower though, and you will see what crowds are really all about.
The lines to tour the Tower itself are extraordinary. The streets in all directions with a view are jam packed, and scam artists, souvenir sellers, and nearly anything else that is extremely annoying that you could think of are absolutely everywhere.
To make it worse, BECAUSE of the crowds that the city has created for itself, they are forced to close off half of the attraction to everyone, just for preservation reasons. You can’t walk UNDER the tower, as that is all cordoned off. You can’t sit on the large grassy areas that are perfect for admiring the view, as they have huge fences around them. Thousands of people are therefore jammed into the small paths and roads like cattle, and pickpockets think it’s Christmas.
Is Paris overrated? When it comes to crowds, yes it is. They are terrible, and really just leave you at the end of the day happy to be heading back to your hotel. There are plenty of other cities in Europe that I enjoyed so much that you had to DRAG me back to my hotel. For me, that really leaves Paris wanting.
I will leave you with one thought. The population of Paris is less than 3 million. The population of Istanbul is 15 million. I never felt that Istanbul was crowded, yet Paris? Terrible!
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How Dirty is Paris?
Around the tourist areas, it’s not so bad. They do a good job of keeping the parks, fountains and roads clear of trash, despite the sea of humanity. Perhaps in these areas though, it doesn’t really matter, because it’s the constant flow of human bodies that gives a possibly beautiful city an overriding sense of being “dirty”.
Walk away from the tourist areas though, and you will see why people say that Paris is dirty. Trash in the gutters, overflowing garbage bins, a stench that seems to follow you around some corners. These are the things that visitors remember.
For me though, it was the homeless that sleep on the streets. This not only gives you a sense of Paris being dirty, but also unsafe, uncaring, and totally devoid of any empathy toward those that don’t “fit” the profile of the term “Parisian”.
I have been to many big cities in the world. I lived for many years in Kings Cross in Sydney, and it was an everyday occurrence to see people sleeping in parks, gutters, and on benches beside the footpaths. I remember the first time I went to San Francisco, and the homeless living with their shopping trolleys in the back streets, sleeping in cardboard boxes and begging for change. It broke my heart.
In Paris, they take it to a new level. They actually have TENTS that they pitch beside the road in the MIDDLE of the city. You see them everywhere, and they do it as if they are challenging the authorities to do something. Perhaps they are, and I really hope it works for them. To have them doing this in the full face of the millions of tourists is bold, and I really can’t believe something isn’t done about it.
Now, I am not for a second saying they should be punished, or thrown in jail or anything like that. Quite the opposite, actually. Give them somewhere to live for crying out loud. Tourism can only improve if you do, and you can use the extra money to house them. It’s not rocket science.
Now, I know I will get some comments from Parisians for my opinions, but I don’t honestly care. If you live there and disagree, then you are part of the problem.
Is Paris overrated? They rate themselves too highly, and to the detriment of those less fortunate. They let the city go to squalor in areas they don’t consider “important”.
My tip is to stay in the city center (if you can afford it) and try to enjoy your time in Paris without having to see the dirty underbelly of the city.
Are Paris attractions overhyped?
Can you really overhype the Eiffel Tower? I guess the answer is YES you can, and that is why people often ask me, is Paris overrated?
The thing about the attractions in Paris is that you know what you are going to get before you even get there. There is no surprise factor. You’ve seen them on tv and at the movies so many times, you probably feel like you have already been there.
This is a real shame in my opinion. And remember that. It is ONLY my opinion. Probably a very unpopular one at that.
But the fact that there is no surprise factor in Paris takes away one of the reasons that I love to travel. There are other cities in the world that I can go to time and again, and still be surprised. This just doesn’t happen in Paris.
Now, don’t get me wrong. The first time I saw the Eiffel Tower I just stood and stared at it. I remember getting a sore neck that stuck with me for days. But the reason for that was not because I was overawed by it. It wasn’t even because it was so impressive. It was actually because once I was standing under the Eiffel Tower I really felt like I was in Paris. I mean, the Tower IS the symbol of the city, right?
Up until then I just hadn’t been impressed enough to really take in the fact that I was in Paris.
So let’s answer the question that we asked at the beginning of this section. Are Paris attractions overhyped?
My answer is yes. And no. Confused?
The main attractions are overhyped. The Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe and Louvre to name just 3 of them. They have been so overhyped that they leave nothing left for the traveler to really savor.
Instead, take a good look at the rest of Paris. Check out some museums. Walk the bridges. There is plenty more to Paris, (and guaranteed you have heard about every place before) that can leave you feeling like maybe you discovered something, and enjoyed Paris away from the crowds.
Are the people unfriendly?
This question comes hand in hand with “is Paris overrated?’. Why? Because no one wants to go somewhere overrated when even the locals don’t treat you nicely.
This is also a question that can only be answered from one’s personal experience. And everyone’s experience is different. For what it’s worth though, here is mine.
I think they are.
Parisians are a breed all of their own. I don’t think (and have it on good opinion) that even other French people that DON’T live in Paris like them. They are the butt of everyone’s jokes, and if you traveled to another part of France and mentioned you were from Paris, you would probably get shunned.
Is this because Parisians think they are better than everyone else? Probably. ARE they better than everyone else? Most definitely NOT.
The French people on a whole are very nice and welcoming people. In Paris, if they are really nice and polite to you, then rest assured they probably want something, are paid to be nice, or are simply not true Parisians!
So that being said, if you visit Paris, beware that people may seem rude and may not be very helpful. If they are, then enjoy the moment. You may have found a rare case of someone being really nice in Paris.
I will leave you with a tip. When you travel somewhere else in France, to break the ice when you meet someone, try making a joke about the people in Paris. You might just get a laugh.
How to get around in Paris
One thing that is NOT overhyped in Paris is the public transport.
Is Paris overrated? Not in this regard!
From the moment you arrive at the airport, you find the RER train will take you directly into the heart of Paris. This is the first clue that maybe Paris has things on the right track. (Pun intended)
After that, getting around in Paris is really easy. The trains and the Metro will get you nearly anywhere you need to go. The major interchanges are all at the same stations, so its a simple process of moving between platforms.
Buying tickets is simple as well, with the ticket machines set up for multiple languages, and multiple choice options to just choose the station you want to go to. Payment can be via cash or card, which is also a real winner in my books.
The bus in Paris is also easy, and if you find a rare place you need to go that cannot be reached on the metro, then bus may be your best option. Around the center of the city, and between the main attractions, you can also get the tourist hop on hop off buses that makes it really easy to see everything in one day. There are a couple of options available for the hop on hop off buses, and they are impossible to miss as they stop outside every attraction.
First is the Toot Bus, that you can check out HERE.
Second is the Big Bus Paris that you can check out at THIS link.
I found the public transport in Paris to be a real shining light. But then, anything that helps avoid the crowds is pretty good in MY book!
Alternatives to Paris
If you were thinking of going to Paris, and are still on the fence, then there are plenty of alternatives. I actually wrote an article on the alternatives to Paris, that you can read HERE. It lists some really great places, both in France and abroad that you can go for romantic and memorable experiences. None of them have the Eiffel Tower obviously, but they are all amazing destinations. My personal favorite is Annecy, in South East France near the Swiss Border.
Deciding to visit Paris, or not, is a personal decision. The reason I decided to write this article about “is Paris overrated?” was to try and point out a few things that I found true when I visited myself. This does not mean it will be YOUR experience, but to be forewarned is to be forearmed.
Would I recommend Paris?
It entirely depends. Let me explain.
If you travel a LOT and have been many places, I would say go. Check it out and see what you think. In the end you have nothing to lose, and you can at least say you went there.
If you are a person that doesn’t travel much, lives a LONG way from France, and wants to visit Europe, but this may be the only chance you ever get, then I would say NO. Don’t waste your one visit to Europe on Paris, UNLESS you have always dreamed of going there. Try Barcelona instead, or Rome, or Dubrovnik. I am in Plovdiv, Bulgaria right now, and would choose it over Paris any day of the week.
Summary
Is Paris overrated?
I think we have established that my opinion is that, Yes it is. Don’t let that stop you from visiting if you really want to go though, and don’t be afraid to tell me what YOU thought as well. Everyone has different experiences.
For me, I much prefer less crowds, and the chance to explore more. I just couldn’t find that opportunity in Paris.
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