Going to Paris soon, any advice?

[Shi Huangdi]

Tourism to France has been way down since the row over Iraq..

[Spiffor]

Some extra advice:

- Avoid to carry too much cash. There is a risk that you get robbed, so make sure not to lose your entire budget in the process. I don't want to make you paranoid (I have never been robbed in Paris ever), but you can't completely rule that out. Make sure it doesn't have too many consequences if **** happens.

- In the Eiffel tower, climb with the stairs rather than with the elevator. It is much easier than it sounds (heck, even I made it ), it is cheaper, and you won't have to wait two hours in a line full of impatient tourists.

- There is some possibility that the subways are on strike. Know the French words for "strike" : Grève and its PC equivalent: Mouvement social. In general, one or only a few subway lines are on strike at a time. Try to read the information screens in the subway stations.

- In general, don't look like a tourist. Prefer plain clothes if possible (T-shirts and Shirts, Jeans and trousers are perfectly acceptable). Shorts and hawaiian shirts are to be avoided if possible. You can even buy clothes in Le Marais, since it's one of the trendiest quarters of Paris.

- Avoid to speak English with your gf too loudly, especially in areas with few tourists. Loud Americans English-speakers correspond to the stereotype of the assholish American tourist. Don't hesitate to speak English with your gf though, as soon are it can't be deemed obnoxious. Parisians hear foreign languages every day, so they won't be shocked any.

- Know where is the American embassy / consulate, and know how to go there quickly. If you have any problems, it'll be a relief to be helped by people used to them, who speak a perfect English.

- Don't hesitate to go to the Tourist Information ("Office du Tourisme") if you have any question. They're a public service whose aim is to give all the information a tourist needs. They speak a satisfying English, and should give you all the ordinary info a tourist needs.

- One of the very ordinary sights of the Parisian daylife is the café terraces that are full (on sunny days). Don't hesitate to go on a terrace to enjoy a fresh drink. Prefer smaller cafés, however, since big cafés are more touristic, and are generally more expensive and soulless. You'll find throngs of these smaller cafés in the small street of Le Marais or Quartier Latin.

- Some French indeed are rude. Many are indifferent. Don't let the rudeness of some ruin your vacation, and simply dismiss them as ordinary *******s. French people, especially Parisians, are generally colder than Americans, but don't consider this distance as rudeness or dislike. It's just the way things are. (Then again, things are quite different in Le Marais).

- I have never seen a 24/7 supermarket. You can buy your goods in general between 08:00 and 20:00 (some open up to 22:00). Supermarkets in Paris are quite small, and the big ones are found in the suburbs, so don't be surprised if you can't find your favourite peanut butter . If you miss the closing time, there are plenty of "Arabs of the Corner": Small food shops that open very late (up to 23:00 or 02:00) which are owned by Arab shopkeepers. They're more expensive, but they can really help sometimes.

- About food: French food is the sum of very many regional foods. There is nearly no "French food" to speak of, but you can talk about "Breton Food", "Alsacian food" etc. You can find many decent regional restaurants in tha capitol. I don't know all of them, but here is a list of a few restaurants that I enjoyed.

- Chez Papa. Good food from the Southwest part of France. I suggest to try the Cassoulet (~15€), which is really symbolic of this region's cuisine.

- L'Avant Goût. I didn't come back there in years (my father is annoyed with the owner), but my last impression was that of a good restaurant with imaginative cuisine, and an excellent price-quality ratio.
They have been noticed by some NY newspaper, and they got a surge of American clients after that, so they're clearly used to American tourists. It's better to book your table in advance though, since the restaurant is small and often full.

- You can buy fine food and wines at Les Papilles (held by friends of my father, and indirectly of mine). You can find some pretty good wines for about 9€. Just don't be lured by champagne's prestige, and follow the suggestions. If you like red wine, I suggest you to buy a Léon Barral

[Brundlefly]

Spiffor thanks for your detailed advice! This will help me a great deal.

I am progressing well with my French language audio tapes.

Do you know of any place in Paris where American expatriates hang out?

[Starchild]

Relax a bit too. I got through Paris just fine knowing only the most basic of basic French (literally, I survived on "Je suis desolé, je ne parle pas francais, parlez vous anglais?") Just start the conversation in French and most people are more than eager to help out.

Don't be afraid to try the food even if you can't translate it.

It's a bit touristy but go on a boat ride along the Seine at night. Absolutely the most beautiful and romantic thing I've ever done.

[Panag]

Re: Going to Paris soon, any advice?

Originally posted by Feephi
Hi. Three weeks from now, I will take my first trip to Europe. I am staying in Paris for one week. I've rented a flat in Le Marais area of the city. Hopefully it will not be too hot there. I don't speak any French. Should I change $US into Euro or Francs? Before or after I get there? Should I avoid taxi? I will see all of the tourist attractions, but I would appreciate any advice on lesser known sights to see. Any advice at all on how to enjoy my Paris stay and save $ would be appreciated. Thanks.

hi ,

francs are long gone , so are all the other european coins and notes , ...... only the euro in use now (!)

well if you are there and want to have a good time , write a PM or so , .....

have a nice day

[Boris Godunov]

I find it pretty amusing that the types who badmouth the French for being offended when people don't even try to speak in their language are often the same type of American who gets their panties in a knot over bilingual education, and would likely get offended if someone came up to them and started speaking in another language.

My experience with the French was very good. If you approach them in French and ask if they speak English, they will most often do so. If you approach them and start speaking English right away, they tend to get ticked off, and I can't say I blame them.

[Spiffor]

Some little extra advice:

- You can go to the movies in Paris. Most foreign movies are subtitled in the theatres, so you'll understand any English-speaking flick. You can buy the cheap weekly "L'Officiel des Spectacles" or "Pariscope", which will list every movie airing in Paris. The acronyms for subtitled versions are VO, VOST or VOSTF. Avoid the VF acronym, since those are movies in French version.

- If you are interested in learning French after your travel, you'll find tons of DVDs of English/American movies with French subtitles and English or French audio. I'm less sure about English subtitles though. The major culture stores in Paris are Virgin (on the Champs-Elysées) or the FNAC (pretty much everywhere, but there's a big FNAC right next to Le Marais, in the big Forum des Halles

- Beware the dog crap. Things have become way better than they used to be, and big avenues are now nearly 100% clean. However, in smaller streets, dog crap can still be a major pain in the ass. My own method to avoid it is to systematically watch my step when I walk. I look up only when I don't move.

- If you ever went to Disneyland in the US, there is no need to go there in Paris. Disneyland Paris is about the same as its American counterparts, and even slightly less impressive.

- There are American-like fast foods in Paris. The market is cornered by McDonalds and a Belgian equivalent called Quick (qualities are similar IIUC). You'd have no trouble finding either of them. Obviously, I'd hate you if you ever went to fast-foods during your trip in Paris

- Still about food. You can find a good introduction to French cuisine in the street "Rue du Pot de Fer" (Métro station: Monge- you'll have to walk a bit). I just went there yesterday, and all the "French Restaurants" had their menu translated in English. I was surprised by the fact the food was well cooked, despite these restaurants being touristic

- Lastly about food: many Parisian students eat greek sandwiches (Gyros), which are quite similar to kebobs. If you don't know what to eat for lunch, you may want to taste this aspect of the Parisian life. There are Greek Sandwiches pretty much everywhere, but you'll find the most impressive concentration of them in the Rue de la Huchette (Métro station: Saint Michel, but it's about 15 minutes at feet from Le Marais)

- There aren't many Americans living in Paris, and I don't know any of them. However, after a google-search, it seems the American community mostly hangs out in the Montparnasse area. OTOH, you'll have little trouble finding American tourists in the touristic places

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by Starchild
Don't be afraid to try the food even if you can't translate it.

Excellent advice !
If you go to good restaurants, about everything they offer tastes good (I even enjoyed things I normally dislike in such restaurants, like oysters )

[Proteus_MST]

As for Food,
better don´t try the Pizzas

A Friend went to Paris for a three days and on their second or third day they went to an Italian Restaurant to eat.
After returnung home he suffered from Gastric Disorders for some days. Very probably from the Pizza he ate at the Restaurant, as he said, despite of the Meals being overprized, the Pizza looked, as if they didn´t take the freshest Ingredients for the Pizza.

[alva]

- There are American-like fast foods in Paris. The market is cornered by McDonalds and a Belgian equivalent called Quick (qualities are similar IIUC). You'd have no trouble finding either of them. Obviously, I'd hate you if you ever went to fast-foods during your trip in Paris

These are also a good idea if you want to sit down and still have something to drink, which are very castly in Paris (throughout France btw) especially (american) soft-drinks.
Also remember that the further from the bar you are sitting the more the drink will cost.

[monolith94]

Finnish pizza is actually surprisingly good.

[Konquest02]

Wow Spiffor, you really gave great advice.

I've been to the Rue du Pot de Fer and it's great. All of that area (rue Mouffetard) displays some great food. It's a little bit touristy, but it just taste good. In that area, if you want some great ice cream, stop at Gelati d'Alberto, on rue Mouffetard (don't remember the exact number though). It's a bit pricey, but that's one of the best ice creams I've ever tasted.

Hope you got my PM.

--Kon--

[Brundlefly]

Thanks in large part to everyone who contributed to this thread, my girlfriend and I had a great time in Paris last week!

Just a few observations. I'll give more if anyone requests...

Best breakfast: Croque Monsieur from any Pastiserrie on Rue Vielle du Temple.

Best lunch: Crepe avec jambon, fromage, oeuf !!! She liked banana + chocolat. The ones from the vendors in Les Halles are particularly good. We really need crepes in America!

Best Dinner & ice cream: Equinox on Rue Des Rosiers.

Best place to share a bottle of wine: Western tip of Ile -de- St. Louis.

[Spiffor]

Wow !
Glad to read you enjoyed it !

Please don't hesitate to share your experience, I'm always curious to hear about the other side of the mirror

[Japher]

We really need crepes in America!

There's about 4 crepe places in Davis where I went to college... Haven't seen them anywhere else though, it is odd.