The Art of the Reservation

Paris runs on reservations. The tables worth having are booked two or three days ahead, and the truly

coveted ones several weeks out. Most good restaurants seat two services in the evening, around

7:30pm and 9:30pm; the earlier one is easier to secure and unhurried. If your plans change, cancel:

no-shows are the one sin Parisian restaurateurs never forgive.

Eat When Paris Eats

Kitchens here keep strict hours: lunch from noon to 2pm, dinner from 7:30pm to around 10pm. A

restaurant serving hot food at 4pm on a major avenue is, almost by definition, one to avoid. As a rule,

the best addresses close on Sunday or Monday, and many take their holidays in August. When in

doubt, walk one street away from any monument: prices drop and quality rises with every step.

Coffee Like a Local

A café is not one price but three: standing at the counter, seated inside, or on the terrace, each a little

dearer than the last. You are never rushed; a single espresso buys you the table for as long as you wish

to stay. At the end of a meal, try a café gourmand: an espresso surrounded by miniature desserts, the

most Parisian compromise ever invented.

Tipping, Decoded

Service is always included in French bills, so tipping is a gesture, never an obligation. Parisians round

up a coffee, leave a euro or two for a casual lunch, and five to ten percent in cash for a dinner that was

truly memorable. No one will ever chase you for it, and no one will be offended without it.

Move Like a Parisian

Paris is a walking city above all: the arrondissements spiral out from the Louvre like a snail shell, and

few great addresses are more than thirty minutes apart on foot. For everything else, the metro remains

the fastest way across town; a Navigo Easy pass, bought once at any station, spares you the ticket

queues. After midnight, or with luggage, order a car rather than hoping to hail one.