Everything You Need to Know for a Fantastic Trip to Paris
To be honest, I had heard some things about traveling to Paris as an American that had me a bit nervous for my trip. I did some reading to make sure I understood French culture (at least enough that I wouldn’t stand out as clueless tourist), got a basic understanding of the city layout, and figured out the best things to do, and all those concerns ended up being totally unrealized! Here is everything I learned:
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How to Act Like a Parisian
1. The French, and especially Parisians, are very fashionable and tend to dress in timeless business casual-type clothes. If you want to blend in, do some quick research on what’s in style and go shopping for a few key pieces before your trip if you need to. Ideally, you would put together a “capsule wardrobe”; that means packing pieces that are simple, elegant, and neutral that you are easily able to mix and match together to look great for whatever activities you have planned.
2. Make sure to greet everyone. And when I say “everyone”, I
mean everyone (clerks in the store, waiters, the hotel staff, everyone
in the tour group you are in, etc.). The French will always take a moment to
greet staff/workers/acquaintances when entering a new place before doing
anything else, and it’s considered rude if you don’t do the same. You
especially would not want to launch into a question without saying hello (in
French) first. Just a simple “bonjour” during the day or “bonsoir” in the
evening is sufficient and will go a long way in starting off your interactions with
Parisians on the right foot. If someone starts talking to you in French that
you don’t understand after your greeting, you can follow that up with “I’m
sorry I’m not fluent in French” and most people will happily switch to English
at that point.
3. Try to eat when and how everyone else is eating. Breakfast
is typically around 8am, but is light; perhaps just a coffee with a croissant
or pastry. Lunch is around noon, but should include several courses and shouldn’t
be rushed. If you just order a single entre for lunch, you may get some weird
looks or they may be concerned you aren’t enjoying your meal because a typical
French lunch will include a salad or appetizer, a main course, bread, cheese,
dessert, and an espresso digestif. Children and some adults will have a snack
around 4pm, but restaurants are typically closed between lunch and dinner
service. Then dinner is usually at 7pm or later and, like lunch, includes
multiple courses. The portion sizes are very reasonable in France, so having
multiple courses for lunch and dinner isn’t nearly as overwhelming as it might
sound to someone used to American restaurant portions.
4. Waiters are paid a fair hourly wage in France so that
tipping them is unnecessary and there is no need for restaurants to turn over
tables quickly. This encourages people to slow down and enjoy their meals, but
also means that your waiter won’t bring you your check until you ask for it! If
you want to ask for your bill in French you can say “L’addition, s’il vous plait”
(pronounced la-di-shon sil voo-ple).
If you have exceptional service and would like to leave a
tip for your waiter even though it is not required, 5 to 10% of the bill is
appropriate.
5. In the mornings, the French will order a cappuccino or a
milky coffee such as a café crème or café au lait. They will absolutely not
order those same drinks later in the day. Instead, they will just drink
espresso (or simply a café).
6. Always eat with cutlery. Eating with your hands is
considered very impolite, so even things like a sandwich, pizza, or fries
should be eaten with a fork and knife in a restaurant.
7. Having loud conversations is frowned upon, especially on public transport. Try to remain conscious of your conversational volume as a sign of consideration to those around you.
Using the Public Transportation
Getting around Paris using the metro system is fairly
straightforward because it’s already integrated into Google Maps. If you are
using that app to navigate the city, it will let you know what stations to
enter, where to transfer, estimated arrival times of the next train, etc. to
get you to your destination as quickly and easily as possible.
The metro operates exclusively in transportation zones 1-3,
which includes pretty much all the major tourist attractions in the city,
including the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Musee d’Orsay, the Arc de Triomphe,
hotel districts, and more. The RER train goes to zones 4 and 5. Zone 4 contains
Versailles and the Orly Airport, and zone 5 includes Charles de Gaulle Airport
and Disneyland Paris.
All metro stations have ticket kiosks, and some of the
larger ones also have ticket counters with an attendant, where you can buy single
metro tickets (called t+ tickets), a Navigo Easy Pass, or a Paris Visite Pass.
An adult t+ ticket will cost you €2.10, and get you to any
metro station regardless of zone or whether or not a transfer is needed (as long as you don't exit the metro network). Once
you purchase a ticket, you’ll use it to scan yourself through the gate and then
hold onto it to scan yourself back out at the gate of your destination station.
The Navigo Easy Pass works the same way, except it’s reloadable at a slightly
discounted price per ticket, and you have to purchase the card with an
attendant at one of the manned stations. The Paris Visite Pass is a multi-day pass that
covers unlimited transportation on the metro, RER trains, and buses for either
1, 2, 3, or 5 consecutive days. When you purchase your Visite Pass from the
ticket booth or kiosk you can select either just zones 1-3 or all zones and
then choose your desired number of days; the cost of the pass will vary
according to what you pick. Tickets for the RER are more expensive than t+
tickets, and so the price of a Visite Pass will also be much higher if you
include zones 4 and 5 in it.
No matter what major city you are in, you should always be aware of your surroundings on public transport and keep personal items secured in front of you to avoid pickpockets; Paris is no exception to that rule. But a tip that is Paris-specific is to grab a seat on the metro whenever you are able to. Even if you are just riding for a stop or two, if there are seats available and you stay standing, it will make Parisians uncomfortable and probably signal that you’re a tourist. Also, having loud conversations or eating on public transport would both be considered very rude, so avoid doing either of those things.
If you don’t want to deal with the public transport at any point, Uber does work in France. I personally don’t enjoy navigating to and from the airport on a train with my luggage, so I was happy to use Uber on my way to and from my hotel instead.
Where to Stay
The 20 neighborhoods of Paris, called arrondissements, start
at the Louvre and then spiral clockwise to the outskirts of the city like a
snail shell. Each one has a unique personality. For example, the 5th
arrondissement is known as the Latin Quarter and is one of the best
neighborhoods for nightlife, and the 7th arrondissement includes
some major landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower, Musée d'Orsay, and Musée Rodin.
If you want to stay in the center of the action, obviously the 7th arrondissement keeps you close to all the best sightseeing spots. Some of the rooms and balconies at Hotel Duquesne Eiffel even offer views of the Eiffel Tower. Staying in the central arrondissements may be convenient, but even an unassuming hotel such as Duquesne Eiffel will come with a high price tag.
The 16th arrondissement is fantastic because it’s
cheaper than the central neighborhoods, but the northeast side of the district is
in between the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower. Hotel Elysees Union is ideally located in that area, just a 10–15-minute walk to
either monument and within a few hundred feet of a major metro station. In
fact, you have views of the Eiffel tower from the street in front of the hotel
and the balconies of the superior double rooms that rival many of the views
from the 7th arrondissement.
Another good option is to stay on the north side of the city
in the 18th arrondissement, aka Montmartre, which is known for its
artistic history. In addition to a bunch of bohemian charm, the neighborhood is
home to cabaret venues including Moulin Rouge. Just a short walk away from that
famous cabaret show is Mom’Art Hotel.
Where to Eat in Paris
There are no shortages of places to eat or drink in Paris,
since it’s a true foodie paradise. There is an abundance of Michelin
starred restaurants to choose from, but there are also cafés, rooftop bars,
patisseries, hotels, etc.
In America, I don’t think about hotels that I’m not staying
at as being a good place to hang out, but, in Paris, hotels and their bars are
considered open public spaces. If you see a hotel, you’re able to go inside to relax
or grab a cocktail whenever you would like. They often have rooftop areas with
great views of the city!
As you’d expect, a rooftop restaurant will give the same views but usually provide a better culinary experience. One in particular that I enjoyed was Parruche.
Another location offering a very unique (and very French) experience
is the Ferrandi school. If you go to one of the school’s restaurants, Le
Premier or Le 28, culinary students from the prestigious cooking school will prepare
your meal while they are evaluated by their teachers. You may even have your
meal prepared by a rising chef before they become well-known! Just make sure to
make a reservation – you’re unlikely to get in without one.
On the days when you don’t have a place to eat already
picked out, there are a couple of things to keep in mind when deciding where to
stop. For savory restaurants, look for the symbol of a sauce pan with a roof
above it. Between a restaurant with this logo and one without, always choose
the one with the logo because it indicates that the food at the restaurant is
made in-house with fresh ingredients.
If you’re looking for sweets, know that all patisseries are legally required to employ licensed master pastry chefs that have gone through an extensive training process. However, the best pastry chefs are given the “Meilleur Ouvrier de France” (or MOF) designation that they are aloud to display on their patisserie. They also might have the chef’s picture on display with the tri-colored collar on their chef’s jacket that they are allowed to wear once they’ve achieved this honor. Seeing these indicators mean that the patisserie will be top notch.
Other Great Tips
On our trip, we did have the happy accident of walking by the Place du Trocadero shortly after sunset. We noticed there were a lot of people there and decided to join them. We originally thought the crowds were just drawn to the really great views of the Eiffel tower from that plaza, but it turns out there’s a quick light show that plays on the Eiffel Tower once it’s completely dark! If you’re in the area in the evening, stopping to watch the light show is a perfect end to an evening in Paris.
Finally, my sister gets full credit for this last tip: you can continue enjoying delicious French food after your vacation ends by visiting a specialty grocery store called La Grande Épicerie de Paris! The best part is that, at the cheese counter, there is a vacuum sealer that the store will use so that you can take butter or cheese back home. I confess, I took several different butters to the counter for vacuum sealing. They melted a little bit in my carry-on during my travels, but since they were vacuum bagged, I just tossed them in the fridge when I got back home and they firmed right back up!
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