Monday, April 16, 2012

1st trip to Paris

Next year my sister and I are travelling to Paris . I have to admit I%26#39;m a little worried because of the language barrier. I%26#39;m starting to study French ( maybe something will come back to me from high school , lol) but aside from learning the language can anybody tell me what my sister and I should go see, what%26#39;s the easiest way to get around the city and anything else vital to the city . Thank you so much !




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Don%26#39;t worry too much about knowing the language. You%26#39;ll do fine if you know a few words like sortie (exit) and things like that. Get a good guidebook....I love the Idiot%26#39;s guide ones...the one for France was what I used the first time I went there. The easiest way to get around the city is definitely by subway. If you%26#39;re there for several days you can get a 3 day pass which is much cheaper than buying individual tickets. Everyone uses the subways including the locals and you%26#39;ll find a whole culture down there with musicians, stores etc. You definitely want to see Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Sacre Couer, Pont Alexander III, and the Arc d Triomphe. the Champs Elysees is a bit of a let down. Very commercial and a lot of stores from the U.S. The first time I visited Paris it took a good 2 days to see the major sites. But that was going nonstop from about 7am to 7pm.




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Thanks rivdeleq . I think our biggest concern with the language is when we hit the airport and when we leave it to go to London. I%26#39;ll check out the books you reccomend but in the mean time are their any clubs or restaurants that you reccomend.




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I agree that the metro pass is the way to go. It is just so very efficient. As to the language question, I suggest you know how to say a few very simple phrases and leave it at that. People in all the tourist places are able and willing to help you in English especially if you throw in at least a few words in French to show respect. The danger in doing more than that is that your simple question in French, if intelligeable, is likely to be replied to in very rapid French that will be difficult to understand.





We found people to be very friendly and accomodating. Enjoy your trip




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Thanks Mexifried.




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I never had French in school and found that after a year and then some of car CD%26#39;s, computer stuff and movies, that I could only muster up some basic phrases and questions. When poeple answered me in French I caught the main words and not much more. But between my dismal French and the Parisan%26#39;s nearly constantly switching to English after my honest attempts at French, things went very well. I still can%26#39;t speak French worth a darn, but am getting better at reading the language.





As far as what to see and do... You should go buy a guide book or two, a good map, and scour the archives on this site. There is an ENORMOUS amount of information and trip reports that you can get to with the search button. This will help you narrow down your choices. Once you have some more specific questions you will probably get alot more direct responses to your questions here on the Paris Forum.





I am no expert. We have been to Paris twice in the last three years and hope to go back in two years from now. I have learned a ton on this forum.





One favorite piece of advise I read somewhere was this: %26quot;Prioritize the things you want to see and do, take the top half and do half of that.%26quot; I think this is good advise. Go slow, enjoy the nooks and crannies of the city. Marval at the E Tower, but also notice the very cool grottos in the park at the base.




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Hello,





I really depends on what your interests are - if you love art, then you%26#39;re going to want to devote time to the Louvre etc.. If you love shopping then you%26#39;re going to want to head to Les Halles and Blvd Hausmann.





Do you want to get a general feel for the ambiance, then spend time walking around the city, and take a trip on a baton mouche.





If you want to see the %26#39;main%26#39; sites then Arc de Triompe, Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Notre Dame, Centre Georges Pompidou etc.. are all worth a look. Make out itiniaries for your days and divide Paris up as to what you want to see - you don%26#39;t want to waste time criss crossing the city!





The Paris Visite cards are great for the Metro and RER.





Don%26#39;t worry too much about the language barrier - once you make some effort to speak French, then Parisiens are more than happy to help you along. Although Paris has a reputation for being rude, I have always found them charming, helpful, polite and friendly and I have been there many, many times!





And most importantly...bon voyage!




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I would recommend buying a good Paris guidebook (like Rick Steves or Frommers). You are spending a lot of money traveling to France so you might as well do a little homework before you go. You will be happy you researched before the trip. Starting here at TA is a very smart way to prepare for your trip. In addition, head to your local library, bookstore, and video store for books and tapes on Paris.




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Thanks to all who replied . I%26#39;m a little less nervous about going and I%26#39;ll be picking up a guide book sometime this weekend.





glamgirl2007-





I do love to shop . Can you tell me some names of some places to shop for women and children ?




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keep your subway tickets until you are done with that trip



we were fined 25 euro for not having it




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There is generally no problem with the language at the airport. Most of the people working there can speak pretty good English. I think we took a train (can%26#39;t remember which one; probably an RER) from the airport into the city. It was recommended in the guide books and they specifically tell you which one to take. We bought the train ticket from an automated machine at the platform at the airport. Some of the automated machines in Europe now have a button for English instructions to make things easier. The train into the city is not very crowded so having luggage is not a problem. It%26#39;s more of a hassle when changing onto the Metro because of all the stairs in the subway system but most of the locals also come from the airport this way so they are used to people hauling luggage around.





One good Parisian restaurant we ate at in the Latin Quarter is called Balzar Brasserie...it might have been the other way around :). My uncle who lives there took us there and I guess it%26#39;s suppose to be a well known old establishment. You%26#39;ll definitely need reservations tho as it gets crowded. I also recommend having coffee at Le Deux Magots cafe in the St. Germain des Pres area. Very picturesque and thoroughly parisian. I think both these places are in the guide books too. Sorry, don%26#39;t know of any clubs.

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