Okay, I see there is a General Tips below however, it seems to be more back and forth and arguments over certain issues than tips. I would like to see some ACTUAL things here that anyone could use when visiting Paris. (Not just watch out for doggie doo.) ;) Things that you have discovered after visiting Paris yourself. I read a few in one trip report that I would have never thought of before. Such as: Toilets only take exact change so make sure to have _____ on hand.
Let%26#39;s hear %26#39;em!
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Try to resist the urge to run around the city trying to see everything the first time (unless you%26#39;re fortunate enough to be staying for a month).
Savor Paris slowly, knowing you%26#39;ll be back one day. You%26#39;ll enjoy your visit SO much more.
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Mine is of the %26quot;Don%26#39;t miss...%26quot; variety.
Whatever else you do try to go out onto the Pont des Arts on a nice evening at about 7:45 or 8:45. The Pont des Arts is a pedestrian bridge which is the next one over from the Pont Neuf and has a good view of the tower. You can find a place on a bench in the middle or along the rail, open the wine and sip it until the hour strikes at which time the Eiffel Tour will begin to twinkle. Unforgetable.
Pjk
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I agree with both of the previous posts. The next time we visit Paris we will just wander around, not try to get everything in. We also arrive on a Sunday and leave the next Sunday so we opt for a Carte Orange to get around on the metro, rer and buses. I believe Carte Orange has a different name now but same function. The things I would really try to see are St. Chapelle, the l%26#39;Orangerie, Rodin Museum. I know others are probably on your list. These 3 we loved. We usually buy museum passes so we can skip lines. Just depends on what you are seeing. Wear very comfortable shoes as you will walk miles and miles. When you walk into a shop always say %26quot;Bonjour Madame, Monsieur%26quot;. That is all I can think of for now.
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Also, coca cola is more expensive to order than wine usually. For water ask for a a carafe of water not a bottle of water. A carafe of tap water is free, bottled water is not.
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...and all of those green painted Wallace fountains that you will see here and there provide fresh, potable water which you can use to refill your water bottle.
Pjk
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There is not a big difference between Canada and Paris you know...because of globalization I am afraid France will not be that exotic, except for the language of course. I think it is a pity as you will find the same Starbucks, Gap and Zara etc as in Canada or the USA now in Paris.
So the only tips to me are:
1) Learn some French before going
2) You don%26#39;t have to tip, service is always included
3) Look around and be curious, you will discover a few slighly different ways to live in an urban area, but you really don%26#39;t need to know that before going in my opinion, as it is part of the fun about travelling. Just as an example: you don%26#39;t have to wait until the red light is on for pedestrians to cross the street, just go when there are no cars (or bikes) coming!
Enjoy!
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FIRST....LAST...and...FOREMOST....take some time and make the effort to do some personal research prior to your trip...filtered through your own personal preferences, priorities, interests, special needs, budget and %26#39;..expectations..%26#39;.
Pick up a good Paris guidebook. Use the internet to %26#39;surf%26#39; any number of Paris travel information sites. SAVE those that interest or attract you to a PARIS folder on your computer%26#39;s Favorites List, so that you can find them again when you need them. In addition to this, we live in a world where even children as yet un-born, already have their own web sites, with daily %26#39;..blog-from-the-womb%26#39; and streaming video of their latest sonogram. With this in mind, use any good internet search engine--Google, yahoo, etc--to search for the direct web sites of a great many places and things. As an example, just about every museum and monument in Paris has it%26#39;s own dedicated web site with detailed information. Most 2-star and above hotels have their own dedicated web sites. Many restaurants have dedicated web sites (often with priced menus). More times than not, a quick search can get you specific, detailed INFORMATION in moments. NONE of this is %26#39;..rocket science..%26#39; or %26#39;..celestial mechanics..%26#39;. If you have difficulty doing it yourself, go down to your local shopping mall, kidnap a 13 year old, load %26#39;em up on Diet Pepsi and natcho chips and let them do it for you. The trick to this is paying an absurdly exorbitant %26#39;ransom%26#39;...to get the kid%26#39;s parent to take the lil%26#39; #*!!*##!! back.
Pick up a good Paris street map as part of this personal research process and orient yourself to the city%26#39;s layout and the relative locations of the places and and things that attract or interest you. Do this during the research stage--BEFORE--you arrive in Paris (it%26#39;s not as if you aren%26#39;t going to need it once you%26#39;ve arrived. For GENERAL planning and touring purposes, its hard to beat the STREETWISE PARIS compact, accordion-fold map-- streetwisemaps.com/city-map/paris-map.html
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KDKSAIL:
Excellent advice.
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I may be reading more into this than there is, but there seems to be a big difference between saysing, simply, %26quot;Merci,%26quot; (thanks) and %26quot;Merci bien%26quot; (Thanks very much). The former seems to be taken almost slangily while the letter more heartfelt.
Pjk
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Take along a good corkscrew to open the wine at your daily picnics in the wonderful parks, along the Seine, and while watching the sun go down and the Eiffel Tower begin to twinkle.
You%26#39;ll never be the same after Paris.....
oprah44
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