Looking for Loos

Where to go, when you ‘gotta go’.
It’s not always easy to find public toilets in Paris (or any of France for that matter), so our unofficial rule is “when you see one…go”. They are usually called WC or ‘toilettes’, never ‘restrooms’ (not that I’ve seen anyway). It’s not a bad idea to carry extra tissues or paper with you, as there may be none.
Museums all have free toilets, and if the museum is free you can just go in. Some of the major sights (for example, Notre Dame and Arc de Triomphe) have free WCs nearby, usually below ground, but be warned that they are closed for lunch, perhaps 1-2pm, but more likely 12-2pm. Down the stairs, at the entrance to many metro stations, are also free WCs but they also tend to close for lunch. Some, like in the Tuileries Gardens and most train stations, are not free and you can expect to pay about €0.40-0.50.
All cafes, bars, restaurants have toilets (often downstairs) and in an emergency you can walk in and find one of those.
Another option.
An interesting feature in Paris is the metal street-booth toilets. They are all free now (although in years past you had to pay), as part of the Mairie of Paris’s effort to help this scarcity of an essential service. Many of the main streets have these shiny silver booths, with a ‘Toilette’ sign on top and often the stylized male and female figures too. They are very useful, free, and usually pretty clean, but do take some getting used to. They can seem scary if you don’t know how they work.
Here’s how: On the door, a red slot says ‘occupe’ or a green slot says’ libre’. If it’s available, press (‘appuyez’) on the large button, and the metal door will slide round and open. Step in and the door automatically closes. Paper is provided, but you cannot flush. When you’re done, pull the handle and the door slides open again. It will automatically close behind you and a cleaning routine takes place before the next person. So, it’s very important to know and remember this: Don’t think you can quickly scoot in when the previous person comes out, as then you’ll be caught in the cleaning cycle. I know someone that this happened to and it’s not a pleasant experience—soapy water coming from all sides!! Wait a bit till the green slot shows again.