Traveling To Paris Now

I am back home from a wonderful and amazing week long trip in Paris and one of the questions I’ve received over and over is about traveling to Paris right now and what it’s like. Are the tourists returning? What kind of documents do you need? Do you have to wear a mask? Here’s everything you need to know about what it’s like to travel to Paris now.

This post is being written on July 21, 2021 and the requirements are constantly changing, make sure to verify and do your research before planning your trip. Several things changed from the time I made the trip reservation to when I actually went.

Is This A Good Time To Go To Paris

For me, there is no bad time to ever go to Paris. Yes, things are different now but you can still very much enjoy the city of lights and feel safe at the same time. I think this is a great time to go to Paris for several reasons.

1. Not all the tourists are back yet, there were hardly any lines anywhere. When we arrived on Thursday we didn’t hear or see hardly any tourists that first 48 hours. There were definitely more people that arrived over the weekend, but not nearly what Paris is used to.

2. Parisians are very happy to have tourists back and are welcoming us with open arms. I don’t know if this is necessarily always the case but it sure is now.

3. We walked into the Louvre without a reservation and there were no lines to wait in, the only line was to see the Mona Lisa. We waited about 20 minutes but again I assume this is a much shorter line than normal.

What Are The Restrictions

The week before we arrived, Paris lifted it’s mask and curfew ban. However, you still have to wear a face covering in shops, in restaurants, and any kind of public transportation. Honestly, we wore a mask more than I was planning we would need to.

There’s also hand sanitizer in every shop right when you walk in the door and the sales associate will ask you to put some on. Most shops are still only allowing a certain number of people into them, so there were a few stores we had to queue to be able to go inside.

What Do You Need Before You Go

When we traveled to Paris we didn’t have to show anything to the airline except before we boarded the plane. They asked to see our vaccination card but that was all we had to do.

We also had to fill out a form asking a serious of covid questions before landing in Paris. Again, make sure to check before you go on what the requirements are at the time

What Do You Need To Return

To return to the U.S. you will need a negative covid test 3 days before your departure. This is for everyone including those who are vaccinated. Paris has covid testing sites all over the city, we had ours done for $29 at one of the corner pharmacies and it took about 15 minutes to get results back.

You can also do it at the airport but that would make me nervous if there was a long line to wait. You could also ask your hotel where to find a testing site as well. We had to show our negative covid test and vaccination card at the airport before departure so this is a step you can’t choose to miss.

Do You Need Reservations

I would highly recommend making reservations at restaurants and some of the museums when possible. Some places are still only allowing a certain number of diners at a time, especially if they don’t have outdoor seating due to social distance guidelines. Most reservations can be made online easily. I will have an update on my restaurant recommendations soon.

Overall, I felt very safe being in Paris right now and I do think if you feel safe and are ready to travel abroad, it’s the perfect time to go. Soon enough, all the tourists will be back and things will be normal again in Paris. I appreciated not as many people being there right now, it was like we had a little bit of Paris to ourselves.

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