I've called Paris home for nearly six years, but I understand that even people who don't live here love Paris as much as I do.
Paris Tourism reports that Greater Paris attracted 38 million tourists in 2019, a shocking visitor-to-resident ratio when you consider the fact that central Paris has only 2.1 million dwellers.
As a travel writer, I regularly visit exhibitions, popular streets, and attractions, but over time I've learned to avoid certain areas like Montmartre and the Champs-Élysées because of the crowds.
After the COVID-19 lockdown hit and we were eventually allowed out and about again, it was amazing to see the city with at most a handful of European tourists — as beautiful as ever, but blissfully empty.
On my first day out, I walked down the Champs-Élysées and booked a ticket to the Louvre. This was my chance to enjoy Paris at its best: with everything it has to offer, but just for residents.
Of course, it's not all positive — many businesses are probably closed forever due to their reliance on tourists. Still, there's an undeniable pleasure in being able to sit on a café terrace without having to queue for a space, or visiting the big museums and being able to linger in front of a picture without the guilt of delaying the people waiting behind you.
Here's what Paris is like without the tourists.