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πŸ—Ό Paris

βœ… The Cheat Sheet to Relocate to Paris





This cheat sheet will help you grasp all the information you need to know when relocating to Paris for the first time. No chit-chat, let’s go!

πŸ“± Mobile Plan in Paris

To get a local SIM card in an easy and fast way when coming to Paris, I recommend free logo which offers mobile plans between 10€/month and 19.99€/month (+10€ the SIM card) with a lot of data (up to 300 GB/month) and data roaming (up to 35 GB/month). The network can be sometimes weak in France, but don’t worry, this is a no-commitment plan, and you will be able to keep your phone number if you want to change your provider in the future.

You won’t be able to buy a SIM card in Paris airports, but if you can wait 1 hour, you will easily be able to get one in free logo stores or fnac logo shops in Paris, in 5 minutes:

free vending machines map
Click on the image to be redirected to Google Maps

Then, you will need to look for a free logo vending machine inside the shop, and subscribe to one of the mobile plans you chose. You will be able to get a mobile plan that stops automatically after 1 month as well as a normal subscription. After the subscription process is completed, you will get a SIM card working out of the box from the vending machine tray. The default PIN code is 1234.

To get more details, you can read this step-by-step guide:

If you want to learn more about the best mobile plans in France, you can check this article:

πŸ›¬ Go From the Airport to Paris

Here are the best routes to go to Paris from all Paris airports:

πŸ“ From Charles-de-Gaulle Airport (CDG)
🚊 paris rer logo rer paris line b logo + paris metro logoπŸ’° 11.45€
⏱️ 35-50 min
πŸš• Taxi / RidesharingπŸ’° 55/62€
⏱️ 30-90 min

For more routes from/to Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle airport, you can check this article:

πŸ“ From Orly Airport (ORY)
πŸš‡ paris metro logo metro paris line 14 logoπŸ’° 10.30€
⏱️ 35-50 min
πŸš• Taxi / RidesharingπŸ’° 35/41€
⏱️ 30/60 min

For more routes from/to Paris-Orly airport, you can check this article:

πŸ“ From Beauvais Airport (BVA)
🚌 aerobus paris beauvais logo (shuttle bus)πŸ’° Up to 16.90€
⏱️ 1h15-1h45
πŸš• Taxi / RidesharingπŸ’° 130-210€
⏱️ 1h10-1h45

For more routes from/to Paris-Beauvais airport, you can check this article:

πŸš‡ Transportation in Paris

Paris has a very complex ticketing system I had a really hard time summarizing, even though I am from Paris. To summarize:

🎟️ Ticket t+
To load in a Navigo Easy card (2€)
paris carte navigo easy
βœ… paris metro logo paris bus logo paris tramway logo paris noctilien logo
πŸ’° 2.10€
🎟️ Ticket Origin – Destinationparis ticket origine destination
βœ… paris rer logo paris transilien logo paris metro logo
πŸ’° Up to 5€
🎟️ Airport ticketsparis ticket airport railparis ticket airport roissybus
βœ… paris rer logo paris transilien logo paris metro logo to the airports
πŸ’° Special pricing

To learn more about the different tickets and passes to buy based on your needs, you can check this article:

Here are the essential mobile applications I use to navigate the complexity of Paris public transportation:

google maps logo
download on the app store logo get it on google play logo
google maps paris download offline map
Well-integrated with Paris public transportation
citymapper logo
download on the app store logo get it on google play logo
citymapper paris map overview
All the mobility available in Paris integrated into a single app
bonjour ratp logo
download on the app store logo get it on google play logo
bonjour ratp app screenshot top-up
Pay and load your transportation pass directly with this app

πŸš• Taxi / Ridesharing in Paris

Many ridesharing is available in Paris. Among others, you will be able to use uber logo (download on the app store logo get it on google play logo). However, you can use taxis which have improved their quality of service recently but are more expensive in general.

πŸ€‘ Compare the prices of the different taxi/ridesharing apps in a single view with citymapper logo
download on the app store logo get it on google play logo

To learn more about the other best taxi/ridesharing apps in Paris, you can read this article:

πŸš΄β€β™‚οΈ Bike in Paris

I love biking in Paris, even though cyclists can be dangerous. To do so, I can advise you to use:

velib logo
https://www.velib-metropole.fr/
download on the app store logo get it on google play logo
paris velib dock station man watching hub
The official Paris city bike. I use it in my daily life and it is super cheap (from 5€/day, 39€/year). However, the availability and reliability of the bikes in the dock stations are uncertain, and you will need to check the bikes’ availability on the Velib’ app.
lime logo
download on the app store logo get it on google play logo
lime bike
It is a much more reliable service but far more expensive than the Velib. You can order it with the uber logo app too πŸ˜‰.

To learn more about biking in Paris, you can read this article:

🌍 Travel From Paris

To travel from Paris, you will have plenty of solutions: plane, train, bus, carpooling, car rental, and hitchhiking for the most adventurous ones πŸ˜‰.

To book your train, you have two main options:

sncf connect logo
download on the app store logo get it on google play logo
sncf connect web screenshot booking train
The official app from SNCF, the company managing the trains in France, to book your ticket.
trainline logo
download on the app store logo get it on google play logo
trainline web screenshot booking train
A great user experience to book your ticket.

However, if you want to compare prices between different means of transportation (planes, trains, buses, and carpooling), I would recommend you to use:

omio logo
download on the app store logo get it on google play logo
omio website screenshot price comparison bus
Plane, train, bus, and carpooling tickets in the same user interface.

🏦 Banking in France

Nowadays, opening a bank account in France has never been that easy. I will recommend 2 online banks where you can open a bank account easily in 10 minutes:

  1. Revolut Logo (revolut.com)
    It has the best user experience, with many features included in the free plan: French IBAN, free debit card, no currency exchange fees, etc. A must-have 🀩!
  1. wise logo (wise.com)
    For πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ US or πŸ‡§πŸ‡· Brazil citizens, I recommend opening an account while still in your home country. Indeed, you will have access to multiple 9 distinct IBANs including an EUR IBAN from Belgium. As this IBAN is from the European Union, you will be able to pay most of the bills by direct debit in France, so you won’t be blocked when paying for internet/electricity in France.

πŸ’‘ If you already have a EUR IBAN from the European Union, you will be able to pay most of the bills by direct debit in France (internet, electricity, etc), so it is ok to not open a new bank account in France. However, only a very few services are still forcing people to have a French IBAN.

To learn more about the best banks in France, you can read this article:

🏠 Renting an Apartment in Paris

Paris is divided into 20 districts called arrondissements. The trendiest neighboorhoods are the 9th, 10th, and 11th arrondissement, and the North-East of Paris among the youth.

To learn more about where to live based on what you like, you can read this interactive guide:

Moreover, to start your apartment hunting, I would suggest you download jinka logo (download on the app store logo get it on google play logo) which is an apartment listing aggregator. You won’t miss any apartment available with your alerts set up πŸ˜‰. Here are the rent you can expect in Paris:

  • πŸ›Œ: ~1000-1200€/month
  • πŸ›ŒπŸ›Œ: ~1900-2300€/month

Moreover, you will need to prepare your application, but what is even more important than your application is to have a guarantor (a friend or family based in France, or a company you pay such as ). To learn more about this important part, you can read this article:

Finally, when you get your apartment, you will need to subscribe to many things:

πŸ”’ Home insurance:leocare logo (leocare.eu)
Contact me to get a 100€ referral
⚑️ Electricity & gas:totalenergies logo (totalenergies.fr)
Add the referral code 104892513 to get a 20€ referral
πŸ›‹οΈ Furniture:ikea logo (ikea.fr)
πŸ“Ί Appliance & electronics:fnac logo (fnac.com)
darty logo (darty.com)
πŸ›œ Internet:red by sfr logo (red-by-sfr.fr)

To get more details about renting an apartment in France, you can read this article:

πŸ‘¨β€βš•οΈ Healthcare in France

If you feel sick, it is super easy to book an appointment with a doctor in France, you only need to use doctolib logo (download on the app store logo get it on google play logo). It is easy to use and it is free.

For a general practitioner, you should make an appointment with a mΓ©decin gΓ©nΓ©raliste (consultation at ~25€).

However, if you live in Paris, you can be reimbursed partially for your medical expenses by opening a social security account in France. To do so, you can follow this step-by-step guide:

πŸ‡«πŸ‡· Learn French in Paris

French people can seem rude if you don’t speak their language. If you want to integrate French culture, it would be a great idea to learn French. Mairie de Paris (scap.paris.fr) provides inexpensive French classes for Paris inhabitants (160€ for 45h).

To learn more about where to learn French, you can read this article:

πŸ‹οΈβ€β™‚οΈ Gyms in Paris

You might want to stay healthy while enjoying Paris. Here are some recommendations of gyms depending on what you are looking for:

To learn more about the best gyms in Paris, you can read this article:

β˜•οΈ Coffee Shop in Paris

You will be able to relax with quality coffee in Paris. My recommendations are almost all located in the 3rd arrondissement in Le Marais. I/O CafΓ©, Dreamin’ Man, or RECTO VERSO will be great for enjoying a great coffee πŸ˜‹.

To learn more about the best coffee shops in Paris, you can read this article:

Conclusion

That’s it about the essentials when you are a Paris newcomer πŸ™‚. To check about other topics, you can check the homepage.

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