Book your hotel (or better yet arrange to stay with a friend :-)) before arriving. Reasonable hotels are hard to come by. Best bets:

- The neighborhood is a bit dodgy but very convenient if you have an early/late plane to catch, Hotel Agora (2 stars) is central to all transport and makes a good base for walking. A friend of mine stayed there and told me the staff was gay-friendly. Single room with shower 68-94€, double 94-108€. Just across the way, at Taverne les Halles, is a pretty good moules à la crème place in true Belgian tradition down to the beer. Walking distance to the Centre Pompidou. Hotel: 7, rue de la Cossonnerie, 75001, métro Les Halles, +33(0)1 42 33 46 02, FAX +33(0)1 42 33 80 99.
- M.I.J.E. (Maison Internationale de la Jeunesse et des Etudiants), http://www.mije.com, a youth hostel in an authentic "hôtel" (hôtel in French means a private mansion, usually dating to before the revolution) without the need for a youth hostel card but with the purchase of "une carte d'adherent", €2,50 good for the year. Convenient to Place des Vosges and its always free Victor Hugo museum, Musée Carnivalet, Photography museums, the Picasso museum, the Jewish museum, the Jewish quarter and the many little expensive boutiques on rue Vieille du Temple. Rooms run 36€ for a double. There's also a cafeteria-style restaurant on the premises (€10,50 for a 3-course meal with wine, lunch served 11:30-13:30, dinner served 18:30-20:00, closed weekends), 6 rue de Fourcy, 75004, Métro Saint-Paul, +33(0)1 42 74 23 45.
- Familia Hôtel in the Latin Quarter offers a Single rooms with shower 74 €, Double with bathtub or shower and balcony 110€ all with breakfast included. Convenient to the Nôtre Dame and its crypts, l'Église Saint-Étienne du Mont, the Panthéon, the Sorbonne, the medieval musée Cluny, the Luxembourg gardens and the marché on rue Mouffetard. There are many nice, small restaurants in neighborhood. I highly recommend this one. 11, rue des Écoles, 75005, métro Cardinal Lemoine, +33(0)1 43 54 55 27, FAX +33(0)1 43 29 61 77.
- Convenient to La Défense (the futuristic industrial park where I work), Champs-Elysées, the Baccarat museum, Palais Tokyo, Musée de l'Homme (anthropology), Grand palais, Petit palais, Tuileries, Fondation Cartier, Fondation Jacquemart-André and finally the Eiffel Tower, place d'Étoile is the next best center of transport to Les Halles. Hôtel Cécilia (3 stars), 11 ave. Mac-Mahon, +33(0)1 43 80 32 10, FAX +33(0)1 40 53 05 96, métro Charles-de-Gaule-Étoile. Although I've never stayed there, I've walked by it many times. At 130€ for a single with bath and 150€ for a double, rooms over the street look attractive with possible views of the l'Arc de Triomphe, but risk to be a bit noisy with traffic sounds. Might want to ask for a room in the back. At night, the théâtre MacMahon specializes in old black-and-white American films in version originale. For breakfast, there is a new boulangerie across the street and also the small but charming Marché Poincarée where I recommend the fromagerie and the seller of towels, napkins and other typically french daily textiles.
Get a good street map and metro guide. There are free bus & metro guides available at the metro ticket counters. Ask for "le plan numéro 3" and the tiny pocket guide. Number 3 is for Île-de-France, that is all of Paris (in case you want to see how to get to Versailles) and the tiny pocket guide will get you through the Paris center. You can buy a good street map at any journalism kiosk (little stand on the corner of busy streets). If you plan to stay in Paris two weeks or more, invest in the pocket-sized, plastic-covered "Plan de Paris par Arrondissement".
Transportation is expensive, so figure out how much you need. Unfortunately, there's no way around the trip from the airport to city center which costs €7,75 Charles de Gaule or €8,8 ORLY each way. Since it's a trip you'll probably only make once or twice, you can't really do any better. If you're only in Paris for a week and don't want to worry about counting the times you take public transport, get the "hebdomodaire" metro pass. It costs €14,50/week for unlimited travel on any train or bus within the city center, Monday - Sunday inclusive. If you land in Paris in between a paris transport "week", the best deal is "un carnet, zones un et deux", 10 tickets for €10 for within the city center. If you're a student under the age of 26, ask for the "imagine-R" card, €26/month includes unlimited travel within Paris center and free travel to all Île-de-France locations (airports, Versailles, Fontainebleu, etc.) weekends and holidays. With the card, you also get 50% reduction on all long-distance train travel in France. (If you buy the "hebdomodaire" or "imagine-R" card, for example, you will be asked for a photo to place on the orange card that goes along with your ticket. Be sure to write the number that appears on your "carte orange" (including the "W") on the ticket itself. Technically you can be fined if the number isn't there or doesn't match because it could mean that you stole the ticket from someone else!)
Bring your student ID card, if you have one. You can get discounts on entertainment, internet, and access to the student cafeteria system ("Crous"). And, if you're also under the age of 26, more power to you! You are entitled to further discounts on transportation, rent, phones, and insurance. Go to the "Hôtel de Ville", city hall, and ask for "Le Guide Etudiant á Paris". Your benefits are outlined there.
While at the metro ticket counter, also buy a France Telecom card, €7,75 for 50 units (1 unit per minute for local, land calls). The phone booths do not take money, so the only way to call is to use the card. Beware calling any number starting with 06. . Those are mobile phones and it costs 4 units per minute from a land line (number starting with 01.). It also costs quadruple between a mobile and a land line. Bottom line, always try to call 01. numbers from other 01. numbers and 06. numbers from mobile phones.
Guard your wallet, camera, and any expensive belongings in a safe place, i.e. in your front pocket where you can keep your hand over the opening, around your neck, and/or in a bag which you can keep securely closed and under your arm. Never walk around with your wallet in a pocket of your backpack and your backpack on your back. A thief can easily open the pocket without you knowing it. I see many a Japanese boy with his backpack open and he doesn't seem to be aware that things were probably taken out of it. I personally (knock on wood) have not been pick-pocketed, but I know it is common. Once during the Tour de France, a friend and I saw a thief take off with someone's backpack. The police were nearby and made a half-hearted chase, but the thief got away. The man from whom the backpack was stolen, surprisingly didn't seem surprised.
Before exiting a metro station, look for the "plan du quartier", map of the quarter which shows the orientation of metro "sorties" or exits. The exits are (usually) numbered and named. This can save time if there is a busy intersection and you have the choice of exiting on one side or the other. Also, look immediately for major monuments, churches, train stations, or post offices to orient yourself. They are always shown on the maps. Also, look for the brown signs (like street signs) which point the way to major attractions such as museums, theaters, etc. By the way, the street signs are usually plaques mounted on the sides of buildings.
Dress in layers because except for the dead of winter or summer, the temperature can vary a lot during the day. In the winter(November-March), it is cold all the time (around 30^oF). In the summer (July-August), it's hot all the time (around 90^oF. The rest of the year (April-June, September-October), it can vary anywhere in between. Those scarves aren't just for looks, they are very handy! Also, wear comfortable shoes, because you will probably walk a lot. Times have changed for fashion. Dress shoes are still admired, but tennis shoes are quite commonly seen, especially on young women even with a skirt. (Note: European tennis shoes are more stylish with more choices of colors and designs than our boring white ones!)
If you want to blend in, don't wear your jeans, over-sized sweatshirt with University logo, money belt, and white tennis shoes! For men, the standard wear is a t-shirt or shirt in the summer with jeans or pants. In the winter it's a collared shirt with a pull-over sweater. For women, there are lots more skirts then pants. The skirts are medium to long, and quite often with interesting, flowing cuts. No short shorts or mini-skirts with bare legs (unless you want uncomplimentary stares)! A more recent trend is to wear a mini-skirt over pants to feminize the pants. The key is to coordinate your outfit (something we Americans rarely think about), but a thing which is noticed by the French. No need to over-do it with fancy, expensive clothes, but look to your accessories: scarf, handbag, shoes, belt, hair ornament, or jewelry which match your outfit.
Always greet people with whom you deal, even the vender or waiter, with "Bonjour, Monsieur/Madame" before launching into what you want. You'll get better service. It seems small to us, but it's a sign of politeness to the French. Asking right off for "un café au lait" without saying hello is one reason why they think Americans are rude. It is also nice to say goodbye with "Au revoir" or "Bonne journée" when you leave but not as crucial. If someone does something polite for you such as holding open a door, say "Merci, Monsieur/Madame". If you step on someone's toes in the métro, say "Pardon, Monsier/Madame".
In terms of tipping, our 15% tip is extravagant and unnecessary here. Yes, some French have gotten used to the big American tip, a thing which I think is unfortunate because it adds to the image of Americans who don't care about their money and throw it around. Here, the tip is more a gesture of appreciation, not a part of the income for the servers. At the café bar itself, it is courteous to leave from €0.05 (for a coffee) to €0.20 (for several alcoholic drinks) in the payment dish before you take your change. In a sit-down environment, it's customary not to leave any tip at all since a generous service charge was already included in the cost of your meal. Myth: if the service charge isn't marked on the bill, you should tip 15%. In a sit-down restaurant with waiters, the service charge is always included in the cost of your meal even if it's not marked explicitly.
When you go to a café or restaurant, you will have to ask for your bill with "l'addition s'il vous plaît". Otherwise, they won't bring it to you. The reasoning is that you've paid (a hefty 15% table and service charge included automatically in your bill) so you should be able to sit and enjoy as long as you want. If you just want a quick drink, prices are about half if you take it at the "comptoir" or bar. Another useful thing to know for tourists is that if you buy one of those extravagant pastries in a boulangerie/pâtisserie, you can bring it with you and eat it in the café, as long as you order at least a coffee. They don't mind because they figure you could come in and order only a café whether or not you eat your pastry there, so "voilà".
In summer, carry a small, plastic bottle with you to refill with water when you need it. You can refill it for free at any café bar or one of the numerous Wallace Drinking fountains scattered throughout Paris. Anytime you stop at a café or restaurant, you can always ask for a free carafe of water "une carafe d'eau s'il vous plaît".
Pack or buy a bottle opener. You will inevitably want to buy a bottle of French wine and try it. €7 can buy a luscious bottle of wine. (French wines in France are much cheaper than California wines in California). Best bet: go to a "caviste" and ask the merchant for advice and if you can "deguster", taste before buying. That way you can be sure to get something you like. If you happen to be in Paris during a "Salon de Vins", take advantage. The quality is high, the prices are low, and the people are oh so very serious about their wine.
Unlike the U.S.A., where people buy everything at the supermarket, in France, you go to the specific kind of market for the specific kind of thing you want. The best and cheapest local products are at the "marchés" or farmers' markets. The best bread is naturally at a "boulangerie". The best and perfectly ripe cheeses at a "fromagerie". The best meats and rotisseried fowls at a "boucherie". Drugs at the "pharmacie", perfumes at the "parfumerie", beauty products at an "Institut de beauté". If nothing else, go to a marché and a boulangerie. Unless one is pressed for time, it's a shame to buy all these products at the supermarket when there's so much better quality and usually for less elsewhere.

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