Help needed from folks who live in Paris, France.

In My Humble Opinion
1

I’m planning a trip to Paris in early August. Gosh, that’s just around the corner! :eek: Yes, I’m looking at guide books and asking folks about stuff. But, as part of my research, I wanted to consult Parisian/French natives/any other Dopers who’ve traveled/lived in Paris and ask them what are the out of the way places I should visit so that I can see the Paris that tourists don’t get to see. What are areas that I should avoid. What are the fashions like over there now so I can try to blend in somewhat or not look so obviously touristy. What are some good restaurants to eat at. Is there any other information I need to know to survive in Paris? Help? :smiley:

Merci beau coup

2

I lived Paris for about 10 years, returning to the States in '98.

A lot of the Paris that tourists get to see is pretty nice, so I wouldn’t get too worked up about that. Heck, going up in the Eiffel Tower is fun. Another really standard tourist thing that is still enjoyable is to take one of the Bateaux Mouches (“bug boats”) that ply the Seine. If you are going to be there in August, the place will appear to be populated mainly with tourists anyway, as much of the local citizenry will have decamped for the beaches.

Offbeat possibilities include a trip through the catacombs (access from Place Denfert-Rochereau, open only for a few hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays at last recall); renting a bike and riding out of the city along the Canal de L’Ourcq; the Passages, or covered shopping arcades, that still persist in some parts of the city; a stroll through the Marais section of the city, between Chatelet and Bastille; open-air movies in August, shown in the gardens of the Parc de la Villette (avoid the science museum there, though, it’s a thumping bore). In the evening, check out a couple of the funky bars in the Marais or on Rue Oberkampf.

Here’s a description of the Passages, with links to some of the other sights mentioned above (sorry, it’s in French):

There are not too many areas to downright avoid, but probably the least interesting from the tourist viewpoint are the far northern areas of the city (other side of the Montmartre hill). I cannot stress enough, however that any money and valuables you carry arround with you should be securely hidden away on your person. While violent crime is nearly non-existent, pickpockets are abundant and highly skilled.

Depending on the length of your stay, I strongly recommend getting a “Paris Visite” (three-day) or Carte Orange (weekly) ticket for RATP, the city public transportation system. These tickets can be purchased in any Metro or railway station. Ride the Metro when you need to get somewhere relatively quickly, bus when you want to see the sights.

To keep from looking like a typical American tourist, simply avoid the white T-shirt w/printed slogan-khaki shorts combo that makes Americans look like amusement park refugees.

As for restaurants, there are more than 10,000, and the majority are good, if a bit more expensive than in the States. Some will be closed for the August vacation, however. Personal favorites included La Dame Tartine near the Pompidou Center, the dripping-in-tradition Brasserie Lipp in Ste Germaine, the extremely fancy (and expensive) restaurant in the upstairs of the Gare de Lyon, and a funky little Japanese noodle joint called Higuma, on Rue Ste. Anne.

If any are to be avoided, I would say don’t bother trying to eat in any of the places around Chatelet or the ‘Ptomaine corridor’ around St. Michel.

Harvard Univerity Press’ Let’s Go to paris is full of solid, fairly reliable information on where to go and what to do. If you can read French, the magazine (and web site) “Pariscope” summarize what’s going on around the city each week:

http://www.pariscope.fr/

I thoroughly enjoyed living there and hope your visit goes well.

3

Paging Anahita and Claireobscure!

Let’s hope I spelled their names right, and let’s hope they do vanity searches. :slight_smile:

4

Paris, France?
Is it really necessary to write the name of the country after the city?

Don’t buy the bottled water in tourist areas its cheaper out of the centre, avoid the white shorts white t-shirt combo worn by many a camera wielding foreigner and use the underground (subway) to get around, its clean, reliable and the only downside is the accordion musicians plying their trade.

egg

5

Paris is big & wonderful! See it all – esp. if this is your first time. One of the interesting minor attractions is their sewer systems tour. Stop in at the tourist office on the Champs Elysees near the Arc de Triomphe & inquire about a Museum Pass. Your tour books should discuss this.

Bon voyage!

6

Paris, France? Oh, THAT Paris. Trust me, you might wanna lose that one before you go. “Hi, I`m from New York, America. You know the one?”

7

Don’t eat dinner before 9:00 PM. The only people in the restaurants then are American tourists. Plan for late evenings.

8

[giggle]

Y’all, thank you so much for the advice. Don’t worry. I won’t do the t-shirt & shorts thing. I’ve been trying to look at the French fashion magazines to get a sense of what folks are wearing, but good heavens, if they ain’t full of haute couture stuff. I really don’t thing las Parisiennes wear stuff like that everyday. Of course, maybe I’m looking at the wrong magazines. The reason I specified the country is because ain’t there other cities around the US and other places called Paris? Still, since it offends y’all’s aesthetic sensibilities so much, I’ll drop the France part. I’m so giddy with excitement. Watch out Paris, here I come! :smiley:

Oh, I don’t know if y’all EuroDopers want to do a small Dopefest thing or not. Please email me if you’re interested.

I’ve gotta run right now. I’ll try to get back to this thread tomorrow. Please keep the good advice coming.

9

i take it you guys aren’t familiar with Paris, Mississippi.

10

Or Paris, TX
http://www.cityofparistx.com/

Or Paris, IL
http://www.ci.paris.il.us/

Or Paris TN

OK, I’ll stop now :slight_smile:

11

Get a map. Today!

This will make planning your days easier. For instace you will avoid planning to visit Sacre Coure and of say the Rodin Museum on the same day. (btw the Rodin museum is just a bunch of stupid statues of people kissing and thinking, there are no Japanese monsters at all!)
Also get a three day museum pass.

Look like a tourist and take lots of photos. I shot a roll a day there thinking that would be sensible. It wasn’t and I wish I took more.

12

Like Zebra said, look like a tourist and take lots of photos. Who cares what the Parisians think? You’ll definitely be glad you have them. If something catches your fancy, take a snap. I only have about 2 photos of the inside of Versailles and I wish I had about 2 rolls of it.
Set aside whole days for certain places you’re planning to go. Even an entire day at the Louvre won’t be enough, unless you just plan on seeing the famous pieces. An entire day at Versailles might be in order as well. A tour of the inside is not long, but you’ll want to take your time in the absolutely stunning gardens and maybe even take an afternoon to sunbathe by a fountain.
Be aware in the subway of people looking to make a quick buck (franc?). We were accosted by these giant black men (we were 3 little 18 year old girls) who insisted we give them money. It was something about children from their home country somewhere in Africa who were starving to death. My insticts immediately told me it was a scam (the fact that they sounded American kind of helped) but they wouldn’t take no for an answer. They shoved pictures in our faces and yelled that they needed the money to help these children. My friend gave them money, equivalent to about $100 CDN. I couldn’t believe it. I just told them I didn’t have any money to give them and walked away while my friend forked over her cash. Do NOT give to anyone like this, even if you think it might be real.
If you’re a student, grab yourself an ISIC card quickly before you go. You’ll get discounts on things that you normally wouldn’t.
You’re going to have such a fabulous time! I wish I was going with you. I hope you’ll tell us all about it when you get back!

13

Other sights to catch:

The Holocaust/Deportation memorial - It’s located at the very tip of Ille de City, below a little part at the end of the island, past Notre-Dame. Very hidden, very eerie.

Markets - Find a street market near your hotel and visit there early in the morning. Don’t eat breakfast in your hotel, even if it’s cheap, go out and find a boulangarie or street market.

Buy a metro pass or 10-ride booklet. Learn where you need to get to and which “connected” stations have huge underground walks.

On the side of Sacre Couer is the entrance to the crypt and towers. It’s not that obvious, since you have to go down to go up. Very nice view.

If you are going to Versailles, buy an RER package that includes train fare and discount entrance to the palace.

I went last August and had a fine time. Learn a little French to help ease things along, look both ways before crossing the streets (Parisian drivers are nuts), watch out for stepping on dog poop, and explore, enjoy, experiment.

14

Don’t wear sneakers.

Don’t walk the stairs to the bell tower in Notre Dame.

Be polite.

Have fun!

15

Here I am. Unfortunately, I shall not be in Paris, France in August. I’ll be in Philadelphia, USA.

But pretty much, everyone said what I have to say. As far as August goes, it’s pretty rough NOT to be recognized as a tourist in August. Most people in France take their one month holiday in the month of August, so most of the people you’ll encounter in Paris are either tourists or in the tourism industry.

My favorite part of Paris at night is the Latin Quarter. It’s between Notre Dame and Cluny-Sorbonne. I also like the ‘gay’ area, which also happens to be the Orthodox Jewish area. Great shops, beautiful boys and delicious Jewish pastry shops. (Wait, the shops themselves aren’t delicious, the pastries inside them are yummy.) This area is called The Marais. You won’t find it on a map, because it’s kind of just a neighborhood, not really a specific region. You can find it around the stations Temple all the way to Republique. A lot of tourists miss that area, because there are no major tourists sites there.

You should also get OUT of Paris (but not to EuroDisney - the Cultural Chernobyl of Europe). Try going south or south west, to Versaille or southeast to Fountainbleu.

Have a fun trip. If you have any specific questions, you can email me anahita444@hotmail.com

16

there’s a really cool open air food market on the rue mouffetard, near the left bank latin quarter (behind the parthenon kinda). lots of fruits and bread and cheese and stuff. that’s also a really good place to go for restaurants, because they have lots of variety, and you’ll hear french spoken there, unlike the champs d’elysees.
when you’re out to eat, please moderate your voice. americans are the loudest ones in the restaurant and are sometimes very obnoxious.
don’t expect the servers to wait on you hand and foot. americans seem to think the french are really rude, especially waiters. but they don’t understand the cultural differences. in france, dinner is an event. you don’t go out to eat for forty five minutes, you go for three hours. your server doesn’t bug you unless you call him over. he respects your right to a cool time with your friends or acquaintances. so don’t think they’re being really rude cuz you’re american simply because they’re leaving you alone.
sneakers are fine. people will know you’re american anyway, unless you speak good french. i just got back from seven months in france, and i wore black sneakers. they thought i was british or swedish (i have blond hair).
above all, whatever french you know, use it! say merci and bonjour and au revoir. they appreciate you trying even if you don’t do much!

17

At the risk of hijaaking this thread, it looks we’ll be going to France, including but not limited to Paris this winter. If all works out, we will be flying out on Christmas day and staying for as long as two weeks. Any pointers? I have already been warned that I will have to bundle my son (who will turn one year old while we are in France) up so much that he might risk heat stroke, or risk being accosted by every French matron and told how he looks cold.

I’m taking a French class before going, but fear that I will only learn to say “I would rather not insult your far language by attempting to speak it”.

18

I’d second this and add that the waitpeople (except in some really touristic places like cafes near Notre Dame) won’t usually bring the check/tab/bill until you ask for it, instead letting you sit (almost) as long as you like.

Which is a custom I wish would be adopted in the US. “I’ll take that when you’re ready.” :rolleyes:

19

Also, no matter what your guidebook says, never call your waiter “garçon,” which means “boy.” Call him “monsieur” (or her “madame,” but I assume or at least hope you wouldn’t need to be told not to call her “garçon” in the first place…)

I’m convinced that this is the #1 cause of Paris waiters’ bad reputation.

20

Wow. Look at all this good advice. :slight_smile:

Anahita, I’m sorry I’ll miss you while I’m over there. Thanks for telling me about Marias. I think some friends of mine mentioned that as well. :slight_smile: Don’t worry. I’m not in the least bit interested in EuroDisney. I don’t care for Disneyland here in the U.S. either. Is there a dress code for the clubs? Like do I have to wear heels and a slinky dress to get in, or could I go in regular clothes?

Oooh, Sivalensis, I’ll be wanting to get me some good ol’ local produce and fresh bread and stuff. [celestina taking out her map and trying to figure out where the Latin Quarter is] I also appreciate the advice on the etiquette one uses with waitstaff in France.

matt_mcl, I wouldn’t dream of calling a waitperson “garcon.” :eek: I read somewhere that if I want to get a waiter’s attention I should say: “S’il vous plait.” I could amend it to: “S’il vous plait, madame/mademoiselle/monsieur.” Will that work? :slight_smile:

benson, don’t worry. I’m going to take me some photos. The question is will they turn out. I’m a complete ditz when it comes to using cameras. But then, that’s what postcards are for. :smiley:

Telemark, thank you for the info on the metro and RER. I couldn’t imagine any other way to get around Paris for cheap.

Sue Duhnym, I don’t own a pair of sneakers. [giggle] And, now that you’ve warned me, I won’t be climbing the stairs of Notre Dame’s bell tower. :slight_smile:

Zebra, thanks, hon. I got a map. I happen to like Rodin, though, and I’m glad he’s not a Japanese monster. [giggle]

Zette & bedhead, thank you for giving folks a quick geography lesson. :wink: