1. Brush up on some basic French.
Remember, you're the foreigner. At least make an effort to speak their language. I know you'll sound funny, but trust me, they know you're not French and they will appreciate the gesture. Make sure you know the french translation to these basic questions/words/phrases:
Hello!
How are you?
Where is the ___ ? *especially asking for the bathroom*
Where do I go?
How much?
Please & thank you.
I don't speak French.
I can only speak a little bit.
I am Canadian. *a foreign country always assumes you're American if you speak English*
2. Keep an eye out for pick pocket-ers/gypsies.
There are a lot of gypsies/pick pocket-ers in Paris. They are mostly found in tourist congested places, so that means all the Parisian monuments and tourist attractions. I've been warned. Make sure to stay away from people "doing surveys." The trick is one will distract you and ask you questions or ask you to fill some type of form while another will go through your bag/purse. DO NOT FALL FOR IT. Keep your bags/purses in front of you at all times where you can always see it.
3. Everybody and I mean EVERYBODY in Paris smokes.
If you want to stay away and enjoy your fresh air, stay inside restaurants or cafes. Mind you, a part of being in Paris is enjoying your Parisian pastry with some coffee while sitting outside a cute little cafe.
4. Plan out your trip wisely.
I am an OCD traveller. I planned my Paris trip down to the hour. Paris is a HUGE city. Make sure you tackle one section or an arrondissement or two at a time so you're not going north to south or east to west.
5. Some things in Paris take a longer duration of a visit than others.
You have to take into consideration how much time you want to be at one place. Something like going to the Louvre can take, and I suggest that it should, a whole day to enjoy. But that's just me, I love my museums. If you're the type to just take a couple of photos of a monument and you can move on to the next, you can actually get a lot of things done in Paris in a day. I on the other hand take my time enjoying the place, and also the taking pictures part takes time as well.
6. The Paris Pass is a good investment.
When I went to Paris I purchased the 3 day Paris Pass. I planned our trip wisely to map out the monuments we plan to visit for the next three consecutive days. Gentle reminder, once you activate your Paris pass you have to go use it consecutively as you cannot pick and choose which day you want to use it. The 3 day pass cost about 200+ euros. The Paris pass gets you to the front of the line to avoid LONG line ups. You have to remember theses museums and monuments are WORLD RENOWNED therefore no matter what day or time you go there will be A LOT OF PEOPLE. We used 2 days to go to the monuments like the Tour Eiffel, and the Arc De Triomphe, and museums like the Louvre, Musee D'Orsay, and we even went on a double decker tour bus as a day ride is included in the Paris Pass. We used the last day to go to the Palace of Versailles. This needed to be a day trip as it is outside of Paris and we took the first train out of Paris to go to this place before it opened. There was a line to enter but our line was significantly shorter than people who were buying tickets to the palace that morning. In the package they give you when you purchase the Paris Pass, it comes with the map of Paris and all of the Museums & monuments included in the Paris Pass. I purchased my Paris Pass online and picked it up at the Big Bus Tour office.
7. When ordering water, order bottled water ALWAYS.
They don't do tap water like we do here in Canada over in Paris (it is not clean). Also, when ordering water make sure you mention whether you like flat or fizz because 9 times out of 10 they will give you the fizzy water (I guess Parisians like their fizzy water).
8. Make sure to enjoy some French cuisine/delicacies.
As much as I was disgusted by the thought of eating a snail, I had to eat an escargot. How can I not? Surprisingly it tastes really good, very buttery and garlic-y. I ended up eating it a few times during my stay in Paris. You need to enjoy some bread, cheese, and some wine. Friendly reminder, wine is cheaper than water in Paris. Once you've had French pastry/bread nothing back home will taste the same.
9. Make sure to wear comfy shoes (or at least pack some backup).
There's a lot of walking to be done in Paris. I don't think I've done that much walking in my life. Also, they rarely have elevators. Depending on where you stay airbnb or a hotel most DO NOT have elevators. If you want to take some awesome outfit pictures, just pack an extra shoe and change to the comfy ones afterwards. Also, I love how everyone in Paris can be wearing a dress but would have white sneakers on. #ParisianFashion
10. USE UBER.
I cannot stress it enough on how much I love UBER. Thank goodness they have UBER in Paris. It's easier and not to mention safer. Also, with the traffic in Paris your meter can run pretty high. With the UBER app you can see how much your trip will cost already and that is the price you pay even if you get stuck in traffic.
LASTLY, enjoy. Paris is a beautiful place. Although I am an organized traveller, take some time to just walk around and get lost in the city - you find the cutest gems this way.You will not regret making a decision to come to this city. You will be in awe for sure.
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