What should I excpect going to Paris?

Question

Is there anything I should know before going to France? Any travel tips or things to buy before going?

Answer 1

Rillifane, tu dois t'emmerder grave dans ta vie pour prendre le temps d'écrire tout ça ...

Answer 2

Rillifane said it all and better then what i could explain to you. Just to add about the people...the generalization that the french are s****. and rude to Americans isn't true. Yes, it may seem like that if you go to touristy places or a restraunt but theyre usually pretty helpful. The thing about alot of the French is that unlike americans theyre not quite as erm... expressive or quite as outgoing, but that does not mean that if you attempt to speak some french (no matter how horrible it is) and check out some of the non-touristy places, that they won't be friendly. In my experience, alot of the French people that i have met are very helpful and anxious to talk to Americans, but they keep things more to themselves and to some people they interpret this attitude as stuck-up....but theyre usually nice. Make sure to try and use french, be polite, don't act "touristy" and check out some cool places. Im sure youll have fun!

Answer 3

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) before ordering something and saying goodbye when you leave.

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).

[As a personal observation, I have never hesitated to make my own opinion perfectly clear, even when it is one unpopular with the French. Despite the fact that I speak French with an obvious Canadian accent (I learned how to speak French in Montreal) I always correct people who identify me as a Quebecois and never hesitate to say I am an American. If people want to argue politics and/or current events I am happy to oblige. I have never met a worthwhile person who was offended by a sincerely held opinion that is supported with logic and facts. Some Americans seem to believe that they must meekly agree with every opinion expressed in France (or pretend to be Canadians.) to avoid being labeled an "Ugly American." This is, in my opinion just as bad as those halfwits who routinely mouth insulting anti-French platitudes. The French are some of the most well informed and intellectual people in the world. Match them thought for thought and you'll be respected and liked.]

When in a cafe, which often seems the center of life in Paris, recall that Cafe au lait is only called that at breakfast. At other times it is "café crème " or "une crème." If ordering the a standard tiny cup of black coffee, sound like a native by calling for "un espress."

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.

Butter is served with bread only at breakfast and with the cheese course.

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.

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. Ushers in theaters, including movie theaters, should be tipped when they show you to your seat. A small coin is enough.

Although there are fewer and fewer of them with each passing year there are still public toilet facilities that have attendants. They should also be tipped.

When traveling on public transportation you'll notice little fold down seats close to the doors. These can be used until the subway car fills up. If and when it does become crowded you should stand up to make more room. You'll also notice that there are some seats which are identified as being for wounded war veterans, pregnant women etc. You may sit there but should give up your seat if someone in these categories needs it.

If you keep you eyes open, watch what others do, and bear in mind that even in the simplest things there can be differences, you'll do fine.

I know this sounds silly but being a "good" tourist is hard work and you should spend almost as much time preparing as you do actually being there.

So get at least one good guide book and read it.

And while you're at it, read some of the books written by people about their experiences in Paris. there are a lot of these type of books too. Hemingway's "A Moveable Feast" is a great one but even a funny book like Art Buchwald's "I'll always have Paris" is worth reading.

Make a list of what you want to see based on your personal interests and the amount of time you have. Of course, its fine to come back to this forum with more specific questions after you have had the time to do some research of your own.

There's also a lot to Paris that is beyond the tourist sights. Its the ambience and the attitude of Paris which need to be lived and felt.

You should spend some time just strolling around the city to appreciate its architecture and to get a feel for its medieval layout, the Belle Epoch improvements of Baron Hausman, and the modernizations seen in places like the Les Halles Forum and the new Opera in the Place Bastille.

You should take a little time to just sit in a cafe in the Latin Quarter or St. Germaine and people watch.

Enjoy some of the nightlife of Paris. Not the tourist ripoffs like the Moulin Rogue or the Lido but the vast number of fantastic music venues, from the jazz joints to discos.

Eat! And be a bit courageous. Go to places that don't cater to tourists and don't have English menus. Just point to things on the menu or, better still, walk into a cafe at lunchtime and ask for the daily special which you'll almost always see displayed on a chalk board. don't worry if you don't know what it is! Try it! The worst that will happen is that you'll have a hilarious story to tell about how you got served a calve's head with cream sauce or something else too weird for you to eat.

Mainly, don't stay in a tight little tourist cocoon. Strike up conversations with strangers, be open minded, put your map in your back pocket and just wander around, get lost, experiment, learn, take the time to really look at things.

Bonne chance!