culture

Paris, France

Paris delivers on the postcard, but 2026 brings mandatory timed-entry booking everywhere, a two-tier Louvre price for non-EU visitors, and a metro ticketing system mid-overhaul.

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Photo: Edisonblus (CC BY-SA 3.0)

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What went wrong in Paris

“It is a heavily touristed institution and the cooking reflects that. The set menu is lunch-and-early-evening only. The Napoleon's hat…” RuinMyTrip research · Le Procope
“The seating politics are real and being sent upstairs feels like what it is. Service can be curt to visitors. The cooking is reliable…” RuinMyTrip research · Brasserie Lipp

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Official Review rating

★★★★☆ 4/5

Safety 4/5 · Value 3/5

Official Review ★★★★☆

Paris in 2026: the Louvre now charges non-EU visitors 45% more, and paper metro tickets are being phased out

By RuinMyTrip Editorial

Paris earns its reputation, and two years after hosting the 2024 Olympics the city is still cashing in the legacy. The Seine reopened to public swimming after a century-long ban, with three supervised sites at Bras Marie, Bercy and Grenelle that opened on July 5, 2025, following a roughly 1.4 billion euro water-quality cleanup. For summer 2026, Paris is expanding to eleven supervised swimming areas starting July 4. …

What nearly ruins it: The friction is all in the fine print. The Louvre's new two-tier pricing, 22 euros for EU/EEA residents versus 32 euros for everyone else since January 14, 2026, is a real cost di…

Read the full editorial review

Written by RuinMyTrip Editorial from published research and official sources, not from a personal trip. It is not a traveler review and is never counted in the community rating. How we research.

Practical tips

Editorial

Book Louvre timed-entry slots at ticket.louvre.fr up to 60 days ahead; since January 14, 2026 non-EU visitors pay 32 euros versus 22 euros for EU/EEA residents, and even free entry (under 18, EU residents 18-25) requires a reserved slot.
Buy a reusable Navigo Easy card (2 euros) rather than relying on paper tickets: the old Ticket t+ is discontinued and remaining magnetic paper tickets stop working on buses in May 2026 and across the full metro/RER/train network in June 2026.
For the Eiffel Tower, book the lift up to 60 days out and stairs up to 40 days out on the official site; stairs-to-second-floor starts around 14.80 euros while summit-by-lift runs up to about 36.70 euros for an adult.
Budget for the taxe de sejour separately from your room rate: as of January 1, 2026 it runs up to roughly 15.93 euros per adult per night at palace-tier or unclassified properties, charged per person, per night, with kids under 18 exempt.
From Charles de Gaulle, take the RER B on the dedicated Paris Region-Airports fare (14 euros as of January 1, 2026) rather than a taxi for a roughly 30-40 minute direct ride into the city.
Ignore anyone at the Eiffel Tower, Louvre, or Montmartre/Sacre-Coeur who approaches with a petition to sign or a bracelet to tie on your wrist; both are established scams that end in a demand for money or a distraction for pickpockets.

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