How to see Paris like a local

The first time I visited Paris, I was 15 and had just moved from Australia to England with my family, which I was completely unimpressed about.

Despite my best efforts, I fell in love with the place.

I remember laughing because crêpe sounded like crap (I was fifteen, okay?), being shocked at the old guy having a beer and a cigarette for breakfast in the cafe where we were having a more civilised meal of croissants, and having my silhouette cut out of black paper by an artist in Montmartre.

(Quite) a few years and a bunch of visits later, and the magic of Paris still takes my breath away every time I visit.

But with each new trip to my favourite city, I feel the need for more. I want to see more, to discover new corners, to taste something different, to learn and practice new phrases.

I want to know Paris like a local does.

Short of moving to France (tempting) or getting myself a Parisian BFF (applications welcome), it’s tricky to have an authentic experience when you’re just visiting for a weekend or a quick break.

Tricky, but not impossible.

Want to see Paris like a local? I’ve got you covered, mon amie.

Live in Paris like a local: stay in an Airbnb

Not only is this tip practical (because who can afford Parisian hotels?) but staying in an Airbnb is also a great way to feel super French.

You’ll wake up in your Parisian apartment, skip downstairs to the local boulangerie where you’ll eat your bodyweight in croissants without ever putting on a pound (because French pastry is magical), and at the end of a day of exploring you’ll drag your fromage-saturated body back to your neighbourhood where you’ll nod to other locals in passing because of course, the tourists don’t stay here, darling.

You are a local.

I’ve now stayed in two Parisian Airbnbs (this one and another that’s sadly not available anymore) and I’ve loved being able to really get the feel for a neighbourhood like a local would.

Plus, it’s way easier to have a wine and cheese party in an Airbnb than a hotel room.

Just saying.

Pssst: If you sign up to Airbnb using this link you’ll get £25 in travel credit. And so will I. Win-win.

Explore Paris like a local: get INSIDR.Paris

I genuinely cannot rave enough about this service, but I’ll try to keep this review slightly shorter than War and Peace.

Before my last trip to Paris with my brother and his wife, I was tweeting with Greg about something in Paris (which I’m 97% sure would have been food-related) when INSIDR.Paris jumped in to offer us some tips.

Intrigued, I checked out their website and I was quickly convinced that their service would give me the kind of local experience I was craving.

I got in touch and Nina kindly offered to let me try INSIDR.Paris for my weekend trip.

A few days before I arrived, they got in touch to check my arrival time and the address where I was staying.

When I got to our Airbnb I emailed Nina to let her know that I was in town, and about half an hour later she arrived at the door with a smile and a bag containing the INSIDR goods.

So what is INSIDR.Paris? Essentially, it’s a phone, but it’s also so much more than that. The smartphone (which comes with a charger, a portable charger and a few extra surprises) is loaded up with all the maps, guides and apps that you could possibly need during your stay.

It comes with unlimited 4G data, which means you can use it as a wifi hotspot (hello, constant Instagramming!) and they even pre-load your address into Citymapper so you can find your way home at the tap of a button.

All of this is great – as in, great enough to book INSIDR.Paris alone – but the real benefit, the feature that makes you feel like you’re a real Parisian, is the WhatsApp community.

When you get your INSIDR phone, you’ll automatically be part of a number of WhatsApp groups, with the rest of the members being actual, legit locals.

You can ask them anything – really, anything – about Paris and they’ll be able to give you tips and ideas to help you have the most authentic trip ever.

I have to admit, I was a little nervous about texting a group of strangers (what if they thought I was just a dumb tourist? What if I interrupted their fun night out?) but when the restaurant I wanted to eat at was closed (tip: never visit Paris on World Cup final night, when the final is in Paris and France is playing), I was too hangry to care.

“Can anyone recommend a good restaurant in Montmartre?” I asked, and within minutes I had a handful of mouthwatering suggestions, complete with links to Google Maps so we could find them easily.

Hanger, be gone!

It didn’t take long for me to get into the swing of the community thing.

Over the course of my two-day trip, I asked how to find my favourite ice cream shop (Berthillon), where to buy the most delicious cheese, how to catch a bus, where to buy train tickets and where to eat lunch near the Eiffel Tower.

Each time, I had a reply within minutes, and every suggestion was on point.

Without INSIDR.Paris, I’d never have discovered stunning alleyways like this one near our apartment:

My sister-in-law also would never have been able to FaceTime her parents in Australia from the Eiffel Tower:

And I wouldn’t have experienced Paris like a local. In fact, I might have even looked like this:

Just kidding – but on a side note, how hilarious is people-tourist-watching in Paris?!

There are loads of other features pre-loaded onto the INSIDR.Paris phone, so however you want to see the City of Lights, you’ll have all you need at your fingertips.

At the end of our fabulous weekend, Nina met us at the Eurostar terminal to wrestle collect our phone and accessories from us.

It was tough to say goodbye, but at least I know that when I come back again (hopefully soon), my new Paris bestie will be there, ready to give me the local experience I’ve always craved.

INSIDR.Paris starts from €29 for a weekend – mine was complimentary but my rave review is as authentic as my Paris trip. I can’t recommend this service highly enough!

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