Photo: Dan Taylor/Flickr

Photo: Dan Taylor/Flickr

When I first moved to Paris, someone told me that French women (in addition to not getting fat) don’t pee. I had also read a book that counseled never to ask for the bathroom in somebody’s home.

Neither of these turned out to be entirely accurate. But it is true that the French are more discreet about the callings of nature. Cultural sensitivities aside, travelers are obliged to make use of the local toilets. So when you gotta go in Paris, your options look like this:

Find a free public toilet. There are public restrooms near the following tourist monuments:

  • Carrousel du Louvre — the world’s greatest museum has a shopping mall beneath it, and that mall contains a bathroom. You’ll find it near the entrance to the Palais Royal-Musée du Louvre Métro station (1st arrondissement).

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