The Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Orsay, Notre-Dame, Montmartre — the world's most visited city. Art, history, food and shopping, plus family trips to Versailles and Disneyland. No direct flights from Ulaanbaatar: one connection via Frankfurt (MIAT) or Istanbul (Turkish Airlines), 14–17 hours in total. Mongolian citizens need a Schengen (C) visa, applied for in person at the French Embassy in Ulaanbaatar.
🛂 Visa: Visa required · 90 days✈ Flight: 14h☀ Best months: April, May, June, September
The symbol of Paris: stairs or lift to the 2nd floor, lift to the summit (276 m). Buy timed tickets in advance only on the official site; at night the lights sparkle for 5 minutes every hour.
Culture€32 (non-EEA adults); free under 189:00–18:00, Wed and Fri until 21:00; closed Tuesdays
Travel guide
Like a well-travelled friend for a first-timer: before you go, landing, SIM, transport, money, food, safety, manners, apps, leaving — step by step.
🧳Before you goThe Schengen visa takes longest: get the visa first, then confirm your tickets.+
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Schengen visa: the French Embassy in UB
Mongolian citizens need a Schengen short-stay (C) visa, up to 90 days in any 180. If France is your main destination, fill in the form on france-visas.gouv.fr and book a slot on consulat.gouv.fr; go in person to the embassy (15 Peace Avenue) on Monday, Wednesday or Friday 9:00–11:30 to give fingerprints. Fee €90 (ages 6–11 €45), cash in tögrög only. Apply from 6 months and at least 10 days before travel; the passport comes back in 2–3 weeks.
Tip: Slots get scarce before the summer and winter holidays — book as soon as you know your dates.
Medical insurance of at least €30,000 covering the whole Schengen stay, recent bank statements, an employer's letter, hotel bookings for every night, a return-ticket booking and ISO-standard photos. Children under 12 give no fingerprints but must attend. Incomplete applications are not accepted.
Since 10 April 2026 the EES is fully live at Schengen borders: instead of passport stamps, your face and fingerprints (over age 12) are recorded — nothing to do in advance. ETIAS is an online authorisation for visa-exempt nationals, so it does not apply to Mongolians with a Schengen visa; beware of fake ETIAS sites.
🛬Landing and getting to the cityCharles de Gaulle (CDG) lies north-east of the city; on a first visit, EES registration can make the border queue slow.+
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The RER B train
RER B runs from CDG to Gare du Nord, Châtelet and Saint-Michel in about 35–50 minutes. The 'Paris Region <> Airports' ticket costs €14; load it in the Bonjour RATP app or on a €2 Navigo Easy card. A Paris Visite pass already covers the airport journey.
Tip: Keep your suitcase in sight on RER B — pickpockets work this line.
Official taxis charge a fixed fare from CDG: €56 to the Right Bank (Rive droite), €65 to the Left Bank (Rive gauche), luggage included. Take only cars with a 'Taxi' roof sign from the official rank; never accept a 'taxi' offered inside the terminal.
Land in Frankfurt on MIAT and the Schengen border check (EES) happens there; you arrive in Paris as on a domestic flight. Via Istanbul, the border check is at Charles de Gaulle. If you take the ICE/TGV train from Frankfurt to Paris, book on SNCF Connect early for lower fares.
📶Phone and internet+
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A Europe eSIM
If your phone supports eSIM, buy a Europe plan from Orange Travel, Airalo or Ubigi before flying: Orange Travel Europe 14 days 20 GB is about $30. One plan works across the EU/Schengen — handy on a Frankfurt connection too (note that Turkey is not in the EU).
Tip: Download Paris in Google Maps for offline use.
Orange, SFR, Free and Bouygues Telecom shops (around Opéra, the Champs-Élysées and Châtelet) and some tabacs sell tourist SIMs; a passport is required. Roaming on a Mongolian SIM is very expensive, so switch data roaming off.
🚇Getting aroundThe metro network is dense, with a station near almost everywhere. Walking the centre is the best part.+
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Tickets: Navigo Easy or your phone
Since 2025 there is one flat fare regardless of zone: metro–train–RER €2.55 a ride, bus–tram €2.05. Paper tickets are no longer sold — load them on a €2 Navigo Easy card or on your phone through the Bonjour RATP app.
The Navigo Day Pass at €12.30 gives unlimited travel for a day across Île-de-France (Versailles and Disneyland included, airport buses not). Paris Visite costs €30.60 for 1 day (under 10s €15.30) and includes the airport journey. Worth it from about five rides a day.
On strike days (grève) some metro and RER lines run reduced service — check Citymapper or the RATP app in the morning. Book taxis in the G7 app or at a rank; Uber and Bolt also work. Vélib' bikes are all over the city.
💳Money and taxes+
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Cards and cash
Euros. Cards (Visa, Mastercard, phone payments) work almost everywhere, even in small cafés. Use bank ATMs (BNP, Société Générale, Crédit Agricole) and avoid private ones like Euronet and airport exchange desks. If an ATM offers to charge 'in your currency', choose euros.
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Tax refund (détaxe)
Non-EU residents spending over €100 in one shop on one day can reclaim VAT: ask the shop for a tax-free form with your passport and scan it at a PABLO kiosk when you leave.
One pass for over 50 museums and monuments (the Louvre, Orsay, the Arc de Triomphe, Sainte-Chapelle, Versailles): 2 days €85, 4 days €105, 6 days €125. Most sites still need a separate time-slot booking. Under-18s get into most museums free, so children don't need a pass.
🍜FoodBread, cheese, cafés and bistros — in Paris, food is half the trip.+
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What to eat
Croissants and baguettes from the corner boulangerie in the morning; at lunch a bistro 'formule' (a set lunch menu) is cheaper than dinner. Steak-frites, croque-monsieur, onion soup, macarons, crêpes. With children, crêpes, pizza and burgers are everywhere.
A meal in a cheap restaurant is about €16 per person; a three-course dinner for two in a mid-range restaurant about €70. Service is included (service compris), so tipping is optional — leave a few euros if you were happy. You can ask for free tap water (carafe d'eau).
Tip: Dinner starts around 19:30; book popular places ahead.
Picking up bread, cheese and fruit at Monoprix, Carrefour City or Franprix for a picnic by the Seine or in a park is cheap and very Parisian. Markets: Marché des Enfants Rouges (Marais), Rue Cler, the Bastille market.
European emergency number 112, police 17, ambulance (SAMU) 15, fire 18 — free, 24 hours, even with no credit on the SIM. For assault or theft on the metro or trains, call 3117 (SMS 31177).
By metro doors, on RER B, at the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and the Montmartre steps, don't hold your phone out and wear your bag in front. Steer clear of 'deaf' petition girls, someone who 'finds' a gold ring on the ground, and anyone trying to tie a bracelet on your wrist. If robbed, report it at the nearest commissariat and get a statement for your insurer.
Tip: Keep a copy of your passport on your phone and leave the original in the hotel safe.
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Hospitals and pharmacies
Pharmacies with a green cross are everywhere; ask the pharmacist about minor ailments. In an emergency go to a public hospital's emergency department (urgences); the American Hospital of Paris (Neuilly) is a private, English-speaking option. Call your insurer's assistance line first.
Say 'Bonjour, madame/monsieur' when you enter a shop, café or bus, and 'Merci, au revoir' when you leave. Jumping straight to a question without a greeting is considered rude. A few words of French make people noticeably warmer.
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Churches and museums
In working churches such as Notre-Dame and Sacré-Cœur keep quiet, cover your shoulders and don't take photos during services. Museums refuse large bags and suitcases — arrive early for the Vigipirate security check.
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On the metro and in the street
Stand on the right on escalators and leave the left for people in a hurry. Speaking quietly is the norm. Smoking in the street is common but banned in parks and playgrounds; use the bins.
📱Useful apps+
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Transport
Bonjour RATP — buy tickets and tap through the gates with your phone, plus route search. Citymapper — the clearest metro, RER and bus routes, with strike alerts. G7 — official taxi booking.
Google Translate's camera mode translates menus and signs on the spot; download the French pack for offline use. You can ask for an English menu — most places in the centre have one.
Buy Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Orsay, Versailles and Notre-Dame tickets and slots only on the official sites — fake 'mirror' sites are common. Paris je t'aime (the tourist office) lists events, festivals and opening times.
RER B from the centre to CDG takes about 35–50 minutes; a taxi is a fixed €56–65. Plan to be at the airport 3 hours before an international flight — EES registration, security and possible strikes.
Scan your tax-free forms at a PABLO kiosk before passport control (green screen = approved); carry the goods unopened in your hand luggage. EES records your exit from Schengen — don't overstay the 90-day limit.
AI answer: double-check anything beyond our researched facts with an official source.
The world's largest art museum: the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, the Egyptian rooms. Since 2026 non-EEA visitors pay €32. Buy timed tickets only on ticket.louvre.fr — 'skip-the-line' tickets sold on the street are fake.
Culture€16 online (€14 at the desk); free under 189:30–18:00, Thu until 21:45; closed Mondays
The Impressionists in a former railway station: Monet, Van Gogh, Renoir, Degas. The Seine and the Louvre through the great clock. The entrance area is under renovation until 2028.
The Gothic cathedral reopened in December 2024 after the 2019 fire: restored stained glass and gleaming white stone. A free time slot from the official site shortens the queue.
Culture€22 (non-EEA); €30 with the Conciergerie; free under 18Oct–Mar 9:00–17:00, Apr–Sep 9:00–19:00
A small 13th-century chapel whose 15 m stained-glass windows in the upper chapel blaze on a sunny day. It sits inside the Palais de Justice, so security is strict and big bags are not allowed.
The white basilica on the city's highest hill, with all of Paris below the steps. Behind it, the painters' Place du Tertre, narrow lanes and cafés. Keep clear of the bracelet sellers on the steps.
Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Élysées★ 4.7 (200,000)
City€16 (Apr–Sep €22, Wednesdays €16); free under 1810:00–22:30 (Apr–Sep until 23:00), Tuesdays from 11:00
Climb 284 steps to the roof and watch 12 avenues radiate like a star. Below, the Champs-Élysées runs 2 km to Place de la Concorde. Enter through the underground passage.
Seine river cruise (Bateaux-Mouches)★ 4.5 (40,000)
City€17 (ages 4–12 €8, under 4 free)Daily, regular departures from morning to night
A ~1 h 10 min commented boat trip: the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre-Dame and Orsay all in one go. Best in the evening when everything is lit; easy with children.
CulturePassport €35 (Apr–Oct), €25 (Nov–Mar); free under 189:00–18:30 (Nov–Mar until 17:30); closed Mondays
Louis XIV's palace: the Hall of Mirrors, the royal apartments, 800 ha of gardens, the Trianons and Marie-Antoinette's hamlet. About 40 minutes by RER C. Book the palace time slot in advance; closed on Mondays.
Kids1 day/1 park ≈€60–130 depending on dateUsually 9:30–21:00/22:00 (varies by day)
Europe's biggest theme park: Disneyland Park and Disney Adventure World. About 40 minutes by RER A to Marne-la-Vallée–Chessy. One or two days with children; dated tickets bought early are cheaper.
An old quarter of medieval streets: Paris's oldest square, Place des Vosges, boutiques, falafel, cafés, the Picasso and Carnavalet (free) museums. Shops open even on Sundays.
A 1912 department store under a stained-glass dome; the free rooftop terrace looks out to the Opéra and the Eiffel Tower. The Palais Garnier opera house is next door. Purchases over €100 in a day qualify for a tax refund.
