Welcome to Paris! Street-savvy tips: Now that you're dressed and all ready to venture outside, here are a couple of useful tips: Avoid taking a taxi during the day , and notably in the morning until 11:00, and in the late afternoon from 4:00 to 8:00. Streets are jam-packed during those periods, and seeing the meter run while you're a sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic is a disheartening experience. French people do lunch between 12:00 and 1:30 PM, and dinner between 7:30 and 10:00 PM. If you wish to avoid the crowd, lunch at 12:00 tops and dine out from 6:00 to 7:00 PM. Restaurants rarely serve between 2:00 and 6:00 PM. Having a drink at the terasse of a sidewalk cafe is a necessary experience in Paris (skip it between November and March though,except if weather ermits). However, terasse drinks are often charged premium prices. Although they are saddled with a reputation, cafe waiters are not necessarily rude: they're just in a hurry. So don't take offense if they are impatient with you.