When to go
Late April through June is the best window — leaves are out, café terraces are open, and you’ve missed the August "everyone’s on holiday" emptying-out and the July tourist peak. September is also lovely and slightly cheaper. December has the Christmas lights on the Champs-Élysées. January and February are cold, grey, and bargain season.
Getting there
JFK and EWR each have multiple nonstops daily — Air France, Delta, United, La Compagnie (all-business). Flight time is 7 hours eastbound, 8 westbound — shortest long-haul out of the East Coast. CDG to central Paris is 35 minutes on RER B (€11.80) or 45 minutes by taxi (€56 flat rate to right bank, €65 left bank).
Visa & entry
US, UK, Australian, and Canadian passports get 90 days visa-free in the Schengen zone (which includes France). Starting in late 2026, the EU is rolling out ETIAS — a $7 authorisation similar to the US ESTA. Until then, no pre-travel paperwork is required.
Money
Euro (EUR) trades around 0.92 per USD. Cards work everywhere; cash is mostly for tipping (€2–€5 at restaurants where service is already included by law, round up cabs). The Paris Métro/RER is the cheapest way to get around — buy a Navigo Easy card (€2) and load it with carnet tickets (10 for €17.35).
What to see
First trip: Louvre (book the 9am slot; budget 3 hours, see the 10 things you came for, leave), Orsay, the Tuileries / Rive Gauche walk, Notre-Dame exterior (interior reopened late 2024), a sunset Seine cruise, and a day trip to Versailles (book skip-the-line ahead). The Eiffel Tower is best seen from a distance — Trocadéro at golden hour or the Champ de Mars with a picnic.