Trip Report: Paris for the Anxious Girlies (May 2026)
As an anxious girly that, despite my excitement for the trip, had anxiety about going to Paris, I wanted to give a trip report for those in a similar spot.
Crowds: My first couple of days, I had the traditional Paris itinerary, jumping from spot to spot, but quickly became overwhelmed by the crowds and the frenetic energy of my fellow tourists. I realized a few days in that a much easier/calmer way to experience Paris is to pick a neighborhood and spend the day wandering around- once I started doing this, I went from hating the vibe to loving it! Reducing the number of transitions by staying in one neighborhood really helps.
I have to mention that I would not recommend the Louvre if you struggle with crowds. I had heard the Friday night entry was a bit more chill and if it was, I would hate to see the daytime! I did end up having a panic attack because it was wall-to-wall people and I couldn’t get out (followed exit signs but many exits were blocked off). Staff did not care that I was having a panic attack and wouldn’t help me find the way out, just pointed at the exit signs and said to follow the signs. This was the worst experience of my Paris trip and I wish I had skipped it entirely tbh!
Metro: This was not as intimidating as I expected at all. I put a Navigo pass in my Apple wallet and just tapped my phone to ride. Trains were always busy but could always get a spot to stand and never had any issues with fare monitors. Use the Citymapper app, it even tells you which part of the train to get on- takes all the guesswork out of it!
Restaurants & Shops: I learned some French before going- enough to navigate service situations and that was plenty. Less people spoke English than I expected but most people were happy to help me even if we had to use hand signals and stuff to figure it out! Just smile a lot and apologize for your bad French and go from there. Note: it’s normal for restaurant staff to ignore you until you ask for help, so just know that you’ll be waiting forever if you wait for them to come to you.
Shows: I went to Paris Opera and Paris Ballet, both of which were seamlessly run and very easy to navigate. I had an amazing time at both and would recommend them! Opera was more casual and Ballet was more fancy (likely due to the venues, Opera Bastille vs Palais Garnier).
Self-regulation hack: Stopping into churches when I got overwhelmed was such a hack. There are open churches all over the city that you can walk into and sit for a few minutes- they’re quiet, cool temperature, and there’s lots of ornate details to look at to distract yourself and get recentered. Highly recommend keeping an eye out for the churches when you feel the pressure building! (ETA: Drop a few euros in the donation box, if you can spare it.)
TLDR: Paris was hard at first but I fell in love as I got to understand the city and can’t wait to go back and explore more!