First Day in Paris Gone Wrong: Our Real-Life Travel Fails & Lessons

What happens on a successful first day in Paris?

Maybe you picture a perfect trip: you arrive in the city with no delays, no confusion, and no jet lag. You might walk along the Seine River, admire the Eiffel Tower, pop into the Louvre Museum, wander past Notre Dame Cathedral, and end the day in Paris with a glass of French wine as the lights come on over the Seine.

Well, we accomplished none of these.

Instead, our first day was full of small but memorable travel fails. In this post, we’ll share our story of that first time arriving in Paris, what went wrong, what went a little bit right, and practical travel tips so your own Paris travel experience can go more smoothly.

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If you’re planning your first visit to Paris or your first time in the city, read on for a real-life account of what can happen when expectations meet reality in this Paris diary blog.

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Why We Make No Plans on Day One

Our journey started in Los Angeles and ended in central Paris, but it took a long overnight flight to get there. By the time we arrived, jet lag was in full effect: we were tired, foggy, and more than a little cranky.

This is why our top tip for your first day in Paris is simple:

Make no firm plans for your first day.

On day one, Paris will still be there tomorrow. You may be dreaming about a tour of the Eiffel Tower, a stroll past Notre Dame, or a visit to a Paris museum, but the reality is that your body and brain are adjusting. If the only thing you manage to explore is the neighborhood around your hotel and a nearby café, that’s okay.

We went in with that mindset, and it helped us roll with the punches when things didn’t go as expected. Still, when we finally stepped off the train, we had that feeling of, “We’re really in Paris now!”

Tray of airline food with salad, vegan meal and yogurt and water bottle

The Long Flight: Compression Socks and Special Meals

To get halfway around the world, you have to settle into the long-haul routine. Before boarding, the compression socks went on. That’s non-negotiable for us on long flights.

We also made use of airline meal preferences:

If you have dietary needs, check your airline’s website before you fly.
Ordering a special meal often means you’re served earlier and sometimes get a better option than the standard tray.

Those early decisions were among the few things that went exactly right on day one.

train station of upcoming trains in Paris

CDG to Paris by Train: Our First RER Mistake

“They say getting from the airport to Paris is easy,” we thought.

In principle, it is. But first you have to decode the ticket kiosks, routes, and overhead boards at Charles de Gaulle Airport, all while running on minimal sleep. The Seine River and famous landmarks felt very far away at that moment.

Before our trip, we watched a few videos to learn about the RER and Metro systems. Those were useful, but once you’re on the ground, it’s still a lot to process.

We bought our RER tickets and boarded what we believed was the correct train to central Paris. The plan was to connect to another line, head toward the Arc de Triomphe, then take the Metro to our hotel.

A kind local explained that we should stay on the B line all the way to the end and change there. In reality, the connection we needed for the A line happened mid-route, not at the terminus. We realized this about five stops too late.

Instead of reaching our intended transfer, we had sailed past it and were headed deeper into the suburbs. Fortunately, we caught our error and hopped off in time to avoid going all the way to the far edge of the network. Then we crossed the platform, boarded a train going back the other way, and did a five-stop correction.

RER and Metro Travel Tips

If you’re planning your own Paris travel, here are a few quick tips from our experience:

Check in advance where your line changes happen. Don’t assume the transfer is at the end of the line.
Use Google Maps or a transit app as a light guide, especially when your brain is fogged by jet lag. We use Google Maps to track ourselves in real time, watching the blue dot move on the map relative to our intended destination.
Give yourself extra time for mistakes. They’re part of the learning curve on your first day.

Eventually, we made it to central Paris, transferred to the Metro, and navigated to our hotel area.

📌 PRO TIP: Download the Bonjour RATP App

This is the official mobile tool for Paris and île-de-France public transport (Metro, RER, Bus, Tram, SNCF). With the app, you can plan trips, get live disruption alerts, find real-time schedules, locate shared bikes/scooters, and even buy and validate tickets directly on your NFC-enabled phone or smartwatch. It’s a comprehensive, free app available for iPhone and Android, essential for navigating the region’s transport network.

Dropping Bags at Hotel Darcet

Once we reached our hotel, it was still too early to check in, but we were able to leave our luggage and step back outside feeling both relieved and exhausted. On a related note, we recommend a stay at Hotel Darcet in Paris. It has a great location, and we enjoyed staying here for just over a week.

Find more places to stay using our interactive hotel map below:

Julie from The Places Where We Go outside The Little Italy Restaurant in Paris

Lunch at The Little Italy

We did what many people do on their first day Paris: we looked for food.

We found a nearby café, grabbed a table at The Little Italy with a view of the street, and ordered:

A Caesar salad
A pasta dish
House wine

This was our first true French meal of the trip, and it came with a very Parisian mix of charm, flavor, and confusion.

Pasta dish at The Little Restaurant in Paris

First French Wine and a Very Confusing Bill

The house wine we ordered was light, almost like a dark rosé. We’re used to big, bold, jammy California wines, so this felt very different:

Lighter body
Easy to sip
Not overpowering

It wasn’t necessarily better or worse—just distinctly French. It became our first mini “compare and contrast” moment of the trip.

Then came the bill.

The server brought the check and asked if we wanted to pay cash or card. We chose a card and used Apple Pay. After the transaction went through, we looked at the receipt and realized it didn’t match what we’d ordered: it showed only one drink and one pasta dish.

We pointed out that we’d had more food and two glasses of wine. To fix it, the restaurant couldn’t void the original payment; instead, they calculated what we should have paid, subtracted what we already paid, and ran our card again for the difference.

When the new ticket arrived, it now showed three glasses of wine—even though we only had two. One of the “missing” wines we had ordered never even appeared on our table.

In the end, the server gave us the difference out of his own wallet. It was awkward, but also one of those stories that you remember every time you think about your first day in Paris.

Travel Tips for Restaurant Bills

Always check the number of items (especially drinks) on your bill before you tap your card.
If something looks off, politely ask for clarification.
Remember that small misunderstandings like this can happen anywhere, not just in Paris.

The Euro Exchange That Went Nowhere

One practical concern on our trip was whether to get euros on arrival. On our previous tour through Europe, we had paid almost everything with cards and mobile payments, but we still liked the idea of having some physical cash.

We stopped at a French bank and asked if we could exchange US dollars for euros. The answer: no.

Instead, we were told we had to go to an office near a gas station, reachable by Metro in about ten minutes. The directions were vague enough that we weren’t entirely confident we’d find it, and the bank’s ATM didn’t look familiar either.

For the moment, we decided to rely on cards and Apple Pay and revisit the euro question later. It was one more “we’ll figure it out eventually” moment on day one.

Our Failed Attempt to Visit Montmartre Cemetery

After lunch, with our bags dropped and our energy somewhere in the middle, we decided to fit in one low-key outing: a visit to Montmartre Cemetery.

From the main road, we could see the tombs below—a beautiful, atmospheric space that reminded us of old New Orleans cemeteries. Several famous figures are buried there, including composers whose music has been heard in concert halls and cartoons alike.

We walked along the perimeter, expecting to find a gate. Instead, we encountered nothing but a long wall and a handful of cars visible inside. No obvious entrance. No welcoming path. Just stone.

We knew enough about the cemetery to know that Hector Berlioz and Jacques Offenbach—two great classical composers—are buried there, and we were hoping to pay our respects. But at this point, it felt like an uncrackable puzzle.

We read a plaque on the wall explaining some history—another small chance to read about the site—but still no doorway in sight.

We Finally Find the Entrance… and It’s Closed

A quick online check finally solved the mystery: the entrance to Montmartre Cemetery is not along the main perimeter at all, but across the street at an address around 20 Rue Rachel.

We walked over, found the staircase descending to the gate, and for a moment felt victorious. We had explored the entire outside, and we’d finally found the way in.

Then we saw the sign.

The posted hours said the cemetery should have been open until 17:30, and we arrived around 15:00. However, another notice stated that, due to a strike, the cemetery would be closed that day.

The one window of time we had on our first day to visit Montmartre Cemetery lined up exactly with a strike closure.

So we learned two useful pieces of information:

The entrance is indeed separate, across the street from the main cemetery grounds.
Strike-related closures in Paris are very real and can directly affect your plans.

Statue of composer Hector Berlioz in Berlioz Square in Paris

Nearby, we also enjoyed a small park dedicated to Hector Berlioz and saw his statue. It wasn’t the tour of the cemetery we’d hoped for, but it still gave us a small musical connection to the place.

A Glimpse of the Moulin Rouge

As we explored the neighborhood, we passed the Moulin Rouge—the original cabaret with the iconic red windmill, one of those famous sights many people associate with Paris.

If you’re considering a dinner-and-show there, be aware that prices can be steep: for a couple, the total can easily approach $500 USD. It’s a classic Paris travel experience, but definitely a splurge.

On our first day, simply walking past the building and seeing it in person was enough. We mentally added it to the list of things to consider for a future tour or trip.

Planning Your Own First Day in Paris: A Quick Guide

Our first day in Paris wasn’t full of iconic sights, but yours might be. Many visitors imagine a classic Paris travel itinerary for day one:

A walk along the Seine River with views of Notre Dame Cathedral and the famous façade
Photos of the Eiffel Tower from the Tuileries Garden or Palais Royal
A relaxing stroll through the Latin Quarter, where you can explore streets and cafés in one of the oldest parts of the city
A visit to a Paris museum like the Louvre Museum, perhaps using a museum pass to skip lines and squeeze more than one museum into your day
Time in central Paris, just soaking in the atmosphere before an evening along the Seine or even a show at Moulin Rouge

If this is your first big European trip, it’s easy to want to do all of the above immediately. Our experience suggests a softer approach: treat your first 24 hours as an orientation period, not a full sightseeing tour. This was also easy for us, as we would be in Paris for nearly three weeks. We figure that if we’re paying a lot of money for airplane tickets, we might as well maximize our time in our destination.

Paris First Day Travel Tips (So You Don’t Repeat Our Mistakes)

Here are our top travel tips for your first day in Paris:

Keep the schedule light. Plan only very gentle activities near your hotel on day one.
Use public transport smartly. Before you board, check your route and where you need to change lines.
Allow for jet lag. Your body may feel off; give it grace.
Double-check restaurant bills. In any French café or restaurant, verify that what’s on the ticket matches what you ordered.
Decide how important cash really is. Cards and mobile payments are widely accepted; euros are nice to have but not urgent. (During our time in Paris, we used physical money just once and that was to pay for entrance to a toilette).
Research entrances and hours. Whether it’s a cemetery, a Paris museum, or a major site like Notre Dame, don’t assume the entrance is obvious or that it’s open every day.

These simple travel tips can turn a potentially chaotic first day into a smoother, more enjoyable beginning to your Paris adventure.

Looking Ahead: Beyond the First Day

Our introduction to Paris included train mistakes, a confusing café bill, a failed cemetery visit, and the lingering haze of jet lag. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was real—and it gave us a story we’ll always remember.

We didn’t make it inside Notre Dame, didn’t climb the Eiffel Tower, and didn’t stroll through the Tuileries Garden or the Palais Royal on that very first day in Paris. But those experiences were still waiting for us later in the trip, when our energy returned and we were ready to fully explore the city.

If you’re planning your first visit to Paris, we hope this honest look at our first day in Paris helps you travel with better expectations, more patience, and a sense of humor.

Watch the Full Story

Want to see how it all unfolded in real time?

We filmed this entire trip for our YouTube channel, showing the RER confusion, the café bill mix-up, our attempt to visit Montmartre Cemetery, and our first glimpse of Moulin Rouge and the surrounding streets of central Paris.

👉 Check out the video: First Day in Paris Gone Wrong: We Didn’t Expect These Paris Travel Fails