Thanks to the City of Light’s pantheon of iconic sights, it’s easy to find things to do in Paris on your first trip. But nobody likes looking like a total tourist while visiting popular must-see spots, not to mention dealing with long lines and pushy street hucksters. Fortunately, we have a few simple tips to help you explore Paris’ top attractions like a true insider. Allons-y!

Skip the Lines at the Eiffel Tower

Fun fact: A world-famous icon today, the tower was considered an unsightly eyesore when it was originally built in 1889.

How to skip the lines: By midafternoon, the line for the tower can be hundreds of people long. Head out early in the morning to beat the crowds and enjoy watching the city wake up from on high. (The tower opens at 9 a.m. from mid-June to early September and at 9:30 a.m. the rest of the year.)

Pro tip: If you want to see the skyline with the Eiffel Tower actually in it, head to the observation deck in Montparnasse Tower, Paris’s tallest building. Go in late evening to get a one-of-a-kind view of the Eiffel Tower’s stunning light show from nearly 700 feet up.

Get the Most Bang for Your Buck at The Louvre

Fun fact: When the Louvre opened in 1793, it had a collection of 721 items; today it has more than 400,000 pieces in its collection, a growth of more than 50,000%.

How to get in for free: The first Sundays of the month are free October–March, which is also Paris’s off-season, meaning you won’t have to fight nearly as many crowds. Fridays from 6 p.m. to 9:45 p.m. are also free year-round for the under-26 crowd. 

Pro tip: The throng around the Louvre’s most famous resident, the Mona Lisa, is typically dozens, if not hundreds, of people deep. We don’t recommend skipping her—we’re talking about one of the best known, most visited works of art in the world after all—just limiting your time there to 5–10 minutes so you can explore the museum’s other equally impressive pieces, such as the Code of Hammurabi and Whistler’s Mother, at a more leisurely pace.

Avoid Crowds at Sacre-Coeur

Fun fact: Painters like Toulouse-Lautrec and Salvador Dalí gave the surrounding neighborhood of Montmartre its reputation as an artists’ haven at the beginning of the 20th century.

How to avoid crowds: Get here early in the day to evade the mid-morning crush of visitors and to secure a spot on the steps of Sacre-Coeur, which offer a prime vantage point for people watching.

Pro tip: Don’t linger too long on the famous front steps of the basilica, which can be overrun with peddlers and street performers. Slip around back instead, where you can relax in a lush park while enjoying views of the Sacre-Coeur in relative peace.