Paris and vacation?

Question

My wife is going to visita freindin Parisin feb. How much money do you think she will need,...she isstaying for 2 weeks. Culturally what should she do not to make a fool of herself?

Answer 1

Yes, it is very helpful to speak a few words of french.  And it would be considered rude not to greet shop owners with a bon jour as you walk in.  

Money:  Well right now it's about $1.35 for 1E.  I'd suggest she take her debit card and spend as much of the money using that.  Avoid "change" places.  They are in it to MAKE money.  It's a business.  Their exchange rates will be worse than the bank will give you.

I just got back from Paris a month ago.  That's what I did.  I took some cash for taxi's and small meals.  My shopping, admission to museums etc. I did with my debit card.  Word of warning:  The debit card may not work at all shops.  3 times I had to go out to a cash machine and draw money because the store owner's machine wouldn't accept my card.

Answer 2

If she is staying with friends and does not need a hotel room then 75-100 euros a day should be sufficient.

As to local culture there are a great variety of things.

Generally speaking the French are more formal than most North Americans.

In everyday speech this means appending "s'il vous plâit" to any request. It means saying "je voudrais" and not "donnez moi" when ordering from a menu. It means calling the waiter "Monsieur" and not "Garçon." It means greeting the staff at a shop with "Bonjour" (madam or monsieur as appropriate).

A little oddity...in Paris one asks for "la note" rather than "l'addition" as one does in most other parts of France and the Francophone world.

The French tend to follow the older practice of not calling each other by first names or using the familiar without at least some acquaintance (although this is not so much true of young people).

The easy presumption of friendship or the discussing of personal matters with relative strangers that is common in North America is sometimes seen as boorish or crude by the French.

Americans in particular who will talk about the intimate details of their love lives, the state of their personal finances, and the cost of everything they own with someone they met ten minutes ago are, for that reason, regarded as utterly outré.

On the other hand, Americans, who have been taught to never discuss politics or religion, sometimes think they are being singled out for abuse when the French express their opinions on such matters. They are not, of course. they are simply engaging in the second most popular French indoor sport (and the one that does not usually require a bed).

On a more prosaic level, you will notice that butter is not served with bread except at breakfast or when served with the cheese course.

Cafe au lait is only called that at breakfast. At other times it is "café crème " or "une crème."

Asking for special preparation of food items is generally frowned on as is the practice of the "doggy bag."

By law, prices must be posted in the window of cafes. You will notice that there are usually at least two price levels. One is for service at the bar (le zinc) and the other for table service. It is cheating to buy a drink at the bar and then take a table to drink it at.

When you pay for something the person taking your money expects you to put it down, rather than taking it directly from your hand. Most places have a sort of tray on the counter expressly for this purpose.

When you're in a theater and have to go by someone to get to your seat always pass in front of them facing toward them, that is, away from the screen or the stage. It's very rude otherwise.

Answer 3

Dress well, attempt a few words in french, greet shop owners upon entering their stores. The $ is difficult to say since I dont know the socioeconomic level of her friend. Do have her call her credit card ( visa or mastercard) and be sure she has a pin number for ATMs there if she plans to take out money.. I think in some places they are limited to four digits?But if she is just bringing cash, remember the dollar is way down in value so it will be expensive.   Why arent you going?