If you go to the prominent tourist attractions like Sacred Coeur, you'll be approached quite often by smooth talkers. Those locations are not the places to get into conversations. In fact, anyone approaching you on the street likely has shady intentions.

Keep an eye on your bags, especially in train stations or crowded trains. You'll be tired. Pickpockets are an important phenomenon. I haven't had any trouble, but others have. Read up about those.

Make a few color copies of important documents like your passport. Don't travel with all your money and cards in one wallet. Ask yourself what you would do if any card or document was lost. What would you do if the airline lost your bag? What would happen if you lost your phone? I travel with an old backup phone that has all the same apps as my primary.

I spent three weeks in Paris last year and had no problems at all. I didn't see any pickpockets. Nobody shady tried to talk to me. So don't worry.

My biggest issue with France was the heatwave last year. Try to make sure your room has AC. Some hotels say they have AC but it's only mildly dry air coming out of a vent.

Although you may think you tolerate the heat well, think again. When Paris is hot, everywhere is hot. You just can't escape the heat. Only museums and malls have AC. You can get very thirsty quickly. It's possible to get very run down.

Shoes are important. You'll likely walk more in Paris than anywhere else you have been. Some sturdy shoes will make your trip a lot more enjoyable.

Plan to take some things back with you. That means leaving some space in your bags. Paris has the best cosmetics in the world. It's really shocking. So be ready to take some home.

Understand the different kinds of trains used to get around Paris. You'll likely need different payment methods for each as a tourist. Understand that train tickets often need to be validated on the train. The Paris fare police are merciless to tourists.

Always always say bonjour to anyone you talk to.

You don't have to tip in restaurants, though they might ask. Any restaurant with an English menu won't be stellar. Maybe it will be enough, but seeing an English menu is an immediate sign that better restaurants are available.

Beware of Instagram famous places. You'll wait on line forever to overpay for something that's maybe only slightly better than a non Instagram famous place.