Eiffel tower from the hotel balcony

Recently my wife and I took a trip to Paris where we spent 8 days visiting the sites and enjoying the diverse and unique eateries. In Paris, every day is basically like living in a postcard scene. You can see world-renowned landmarks and monuments, visit the artists at Monmartre square, and enjoy some of the best bakeries and coffee shops in the world.

In the following description I will talk about some of the pitfalls a tourist needs to watch out for and some important things to keep in mind so you can make the most out of your journey. A lot of the information here is just good knowledge to have so you don’t miss out on the best parts of the city. In some cases I found it surprising that certain information was not easily found in the sources we researched prior to our trip, so I wanted to share it for the benefit of other travelers out there.

Note: The exchange rate at the time this article was written was around $1.25 US dollars for every 1 Euro. You can base all prices on that.

For the most part, you can do everything you need to do in Paris knowing only English. Having said that, let me stress that practicing a few key things in French will make your life a lot easier. Specifically the numbers 1 through 10 and a handful of phrases related to common courtesy. In addition to making your life easier it will also make the locals a lot friendlier.

The numbers are useful when ordering tickets for shows or buying baked goods at the corner Patisserie (bakery). Of course French words are spoken completely different from how they look (to an English speaker) so it’s also a good idea to listen to the words as you are learning. You can get language software like Rosetta Stone, or you can listen to language CDs but the easiest/cheapest way to go about it is to just look on youtube for what you need.

There are also some websites which can help you pronounce certain phrases and words. This site is especially useful for learning pronunciation of any of the common phrases/words listed here: http://www.acapela-group.com/text-to-speech-interactive-demo.html
Just select one of the French language speakers, type in the phrase and click on “Say it!”. It’s very useful.

Common words and phrases:

Hello - bonjour
Do you speak English? - Parlez-vous anglais?
yes - oui
no - non
sir/mister - monsieur
ma'am/madam/Mrs. - madame
Please - s'il vous plait
Excuse me - pardon OR excuse moi
Thank you - merci
Thank you very much - merci beaucoup (Mehrsee bohkoo)
You're welcome - de rien
Goodbye - au revoir
Good evening - bonsoir
Good night - bonne nuit
Please - s'il vous plait (seel voo pleh)

Numbers:

one – un (masculine)/une(feminine)
two – deux
three – trois
four – quatre
five – cinq
six – six
seven – sept
eight – huit
nine – neuf
ten – dix

RER: This is one of the two types of train lines in Paris.  If you ask someone about the R-E-R line in English you might pronounce it “ARE-EE-ARE” but you will be met with a blank stare from the locals.  That’s because the pronunciation of the letters of the alphabet are significantly different between English and French.  In the French language it is actually pronounced a lot different.  In fact if English is your native tongue then it may be very difficult for you to say it. 

Say R like the English word "air"
Say E like "oo" in the English words "book" or "took".

Therefore, the pronunciation is “AIR-OO-AIR”.

By far the easiest way to travel in Paris is the train. The routes are easy to navigate and all places in Paris are within short walking distance from a metro stop. There are two different types of trains in Paris : the “Metro” and the “RER” (as mentioned in the language section, this is pronounced “air - oo – air”).

You can pay for the train each time you get on or you can instead get a Navigo Transit Pass for easy access. The Navigo Transit Pass will get you on any form of public transportation including the RER trains, the Metro trains, buses and other forms of public transit service in Paris. If you’re a tourist, the best idea is to get the Navigo Decouverte or the Weekly Metro Pass. Keep in mind that you will purchase the ticket for a specific week, not 7 days from the time you purchase it (one calendar week). They will expire on Sunday so you’ll need to purchase a new one on Monday. The best idea is to wait until Monday to purchase a 1-week pass and just purchase smaller versions until Monday comes around. Or, if you’re only there for a few days, look into the option of purchasing your tickets for a shorter duration of time.

Paris Metro train line map

The area around Paris is broken up into about 6 different “zones”. When you purchase your metro pass you need to specify which zones you want to include. Additional zones will cost more. Make sure you only purchase zones 1 and 2 if you’re planning on sticking around Paris. Most of Paris is within zones 1 and 2 and it’s only about 18 euros to get a full week in these zones.

When we first arrived at the airport we assumed we needed all the zones so we purchased zones 1 through 5 which cost us a lot more than we would have needed. If you look on a metro map you will see that the routes that go outside of zones 1 and 2 are marked with an “X” across their tracks or a break in their line. This is mostly for the RERs that are the regional trains and go across multiple zones.

If you’re using the Navigo pass, you won’t have any problem going OUT of Paris on these tracks because it allows you to use RER lines. However, coming back into Paris will not work if you don’t have access to the trains on this zone. You will need to get what is called an “extension” if you just want to use that zone for one trip. The easiest way to do this is to just take the train from Paris to wherever you’re going and once you reach your destination go to the local ticket counter. Give the attendant your metro card which they will scan and tell them you want to add an extension so you can get back to Paris. If you don’t show them your metro pass you’ll end up paying twice as much for the ticket back to Paris.

Once you choose the train line you are taking, you have to decide which direction you are going. The direction is signified by the end point of the desired train line. So, if you want to take the train two stops away from your current position you need to look for the name of that train’s final stop in that direction. This will tell you what signs to look for.

The name on the train matches up with the name on the screen.

When you’re looking at the RER trains there’s one additional step that you sometimes need to take. Some RER trains branch off in different directions from your starting point, so you need to make sure you are getting on the correct train for your destination. There are television screens at the RER platforms which continuously scroll through a list of the destinations for the given train. Look at the TV screens and find the one that refers to your desired destination. This screen will have an arrival time and a 4-letter designation (such as VICK if you want to go to Versailles – River Gauche (Chateau de Versailles)). Look for that 4-letter designation on the sign on the front of the train to confirm that you’re getting on the correct one. If you take the wrong train it could take 30 to 60 minutes to backtrack and get onto the correct one.

If you’re planning on taking the train to your hotel upon arriving in Paris, it’s a good idea to figure out the route beforehand. Although the metro is easy to use it can be a handful to figure it out when you’re just arriving to the city with your entire luggage in hand. Some Metro stations do not have escalators or ramps to carry heavy luggage easily. In such cases, you might have to haul them across multiple flights of stairs depending on your destination. If you think this is too much hassle, just pay for a taxi from the airport. Alternatively, you can check with your hotel to see if they have an airport shuttle.

The RER is the only train that goes to/from the airport. Keep in mind that the RER from the airport closes at night around 2am and doesn’t open again until 5:30am. That means if you have a flight arriving in Paris anywhere inside that window of time it will be impossible to use the train system.

If your flight is leaving any time between midnight and 8am it would be a good idea to forget about using the train. If you miss one of the trains along the route to the airport it could mean missing your flight as well. The best idea is to just call a taxi cab from your hotel and take that to the airport. A taxi from the middle of Paris to the Charles De Gaulle airport will cost about 50 euros, but it’s well worth it so you don’t get stressed out.

 

The exchange rate at the time this article was written was around $1.25 US dollars for every 1 Euro. 

Credit and Debit cards are the easiest way to go. All the ATM machines work just fine with your Credit or Debit cards. Just make sure you have your pin number in order to access your account – just like in the United States.

You can take Traveller’s Checks but this isn’t the best solution. Our bank in the US had a $20 flat processing fee for issuing Traveler’s Checks.  In Paris, most banks will not process Traveler’s Checks. You need to find an exchange business (they usually have a sign outside called CHANGE) – they are located on some of the busier routes such as Champs Elysees. These exchange businesses usually rake out about 10% from your total for their cut of the transaction. Since it’s inconvenient compared to the ATM there’s not much use for Traveller’s Checks in Paris.

US currency won’t get you too far. You can use it in certain high-traffic areas like the airport and Champs Elysees, but don’t expect to use it at a corner café.
 

Paris is known for some of the finest museums in the world.  Wherever possible you should definitely consider getting the audio tour headsets.  These can guide you through the museums which are otherwise a little overwhelming.  They can also point out interesting trivia about some of the artists and history behind the pieces.

Musee d’ Orsee
This was our favorite museum in Paris. It is full of an assortment of popular paintings and sculptures. If you want to see a great collection without the intense crowd that you’ll see at the Louvre, then come here for an entire day. It will take a long time to get through the whole area.

Rodin
Rodin was a famous artist best known for his bronze sculptures. The site of the Rodin museum is an old mansion which was later converted into a girls boading school, which was later turned into the Rodin museum. It has a couple of courtyard areas, the main building with two floors, and a great little restaurant / café where you can get some refreshments, or some great panna cotta. This place has some great works of art, including “The Thinker”, an iconic sculpture that everyone will recognize. One of Rodin’s biggest works was “The Gates of Hell” which was technically never finished. Rodin worked on this for decades and you can see the main “gates” if you turn off to the left after you enter the courtyard of the museum. However, most of the big bronze sculptures at the museum are simply larger versions of what can be found on the gates themselves – that includes “The Thinker”! The gates are made up of Rodin’s sculptural interpretation of each part of Dante’s Inferno, so if you break off each piece it stands alone quite well with its own story.

Louvre
Whenever anyone thinks of a museum in Paris, the first one they think of is the Louvre. This place is huge. You would need several days to get through the whole place and all that it has to offer. You can see the main parts in one day, though. There are a lot of great pieces here including the Mona Lisa, and the Venus De Milo, an ancient marble statue of the Greek god, Venus.

Musée de l'Armée
The Musée de l'Armée is a museum at Les Invalides in Paris, France. Originally built as a hospital and home for disabled soldiers by Louis XIV, it now houses the Tomb of Napoleon and the museum of the Army of France. The museum's collections cover the time period from antiquity until the 20th century.[1]
 

Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel tower looks great from far away, but it’s really amazing when you walk underneath it. The trip up to the top of the tower is great any time of day, but visit the Eiffel tower during the night time for the best panorama. Paris is lit up pretty well at night so you will enjoy the view. You can even make a stop at the lower deck and grab a hot chocolate or a coffee while you look out over the Paris landscape.

Arc De Triumphe
There’s not much to say here. It’s a big arc with sculptures on it. Beautiful, yes, but you can view it once, stand in front of it for an awkward picture, then move on.

Champs Elysees
This is a street leading directly off of the Arc De Triumphe. It’s THE hot spot for nightclubs, bars, caberets and expensive department stores like Louis Vuitton. There’s even a McDonalds … yeah. Since we were focusing more on history rather than the modern additions to Paris we didn’t spend too much time here. There is a lot of history about this street, but it looks more like Times Square now rather than typical Paris because of all its glitzy lights and department stores. We did go to a historic cabaret here called Lido which certainly lived up to its great reputation. The world-famous Buddha Bar is further down the street past the park.

Champs Elysees is also a good place to exchange traveler’s checks and other currency if you want to get some euros, but the exchange stores will take around 10% for their share of the profits.

Notre Dame Cathedral
Notre Dame de Paris is considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic Architecture and holds some amazing pieces of stained glass work.  It also has a rich history involving war, desecration, and reconstruction.  Take a look at the schedule of events on the Notre Dame website and try to arrange your visit at a time when you can attend mass.  You can experience its famous organs playing as the sound of the choir and the smell of incense fills the air.  The services are in French, but if you go to the International Mass some of the prayers and readings are in English.

Basilique du Sacré-Cœur
A popular landmark, the basilica is located at the summit of the butte Montmartre, the highest point in the city.[2]  You can visit this the same time as you visit the artists in Monmartre square.  There are a lot of winding roads, but once you get in the area it's easy to find - just keep climbing up the hill!

Bakeries (Patisserie)
Paris has some great bakeries where they sell all kinds of exotic pasteries which you have probably never seen.  You will find traditional French desserts as well as Middle-Eastern desserts in some areas. It’s hard to look away when you pass by a Patisserie. The French must take great pride in their presentation because all the desserts look like they could be hung on the wall with a plaque underneath. We purchased a couple boxes of bakery items every other day just to try out all the different flavors. It’s worth it to find out some info about the typical French baked goods so you know what you’re eating.  I went a little overboard taking pictures of all the desserts, but I couldn't help myself.

Escargot (baked snails)

Escargot - snails baked with parsley and olive oil.

Pâté (Duck Liver)
This is is a mixture of ground meat and fat minced into a spreadable paste. If you enjoy something with the consistency mashed potatoes that taste like dirt and dried blood then you’ll love this! Joking aside, we never gained an appreciation for the pate. It is typically served with toast as an appetizer.

Crêpes
Crepes were among our favorite food items in Paris. They’re perfect for the tourist on-the-go between destinations. You can find them at some restaurants but more commonly it is the food choice of street vendors. That’s probably because they’re easy to make quickly and the ingredient list is a fairly limited choice of meats and cheeses. It is made by first pouring a layer of batter on a circular griddle to make what looks like a big, thin pancake. This is then covered with meat and/or cheese and occasionally a few other items, then folded into a layered wedge shape.

Long Lunches
In the US we have come to expect servers to keep close tabs on us and keep asking if we need anything. However, Paris isn’t the place to expect a quick lunch. This isn’t because of poor service, rather it’s expected that lunches are taken at a slow pace with several distinct courses (ending in coffee). In Paris the servers tend to try not to ‘bother’ you during your meal. If you’re in a hurry, it isn’t too difficult to get a quick lunch - you just need to interact with your server more frequently.

HUGE skewers in the Latin quarter - basically you can choose seafood or ...everything else!

Latin Quarter
There is some impressive food diversity in the latin quarter. Among the eateries you can find Middle Eastern bakeries, flaky croissants filled with gelato and meter-long skewers of Jumbo Shrimp or steak.

Rule number 1: Wear what’s comfortable. After looking around on the internet I got the impression that you need to dress up in semi-formal clothes and black leather shoes all the time. After a few days in Paris you get a feeling for what’s normal street-wear. Some people are wearing slacks or a formal sport coat but the majority is just wearing jeans or other common clothes. A button up shirt with Jeans is common for guys.

Of course it’s a whole different story if you’re going out to the clubs or the cabaret or a nice restaurant, but that’s true anywhere. In that case just make sure you have appropriate attire such as black pants, black shoes and a button up shirt or you might not even get in the door.

Not many people wear tennis shoes in public unless they are out running, but sandals can be seen all over the place on guys and girls. If you are walking a lot get a good pair of walking sandals with arch support and ankle straps. Ecco makes great sandals in this style. If you go for leather shoes make sure they’re something comfortable for walking a lot or you will quickly get sore feet. A lot of people in Paris are also wearing common street shoes such as Sketchers or Asics.
 

Cabarets are best known for their erotic nature, typically featuring topless female acts and a variety of exotic costumes. Regardless of the content, the shows are done tastefully and they are visited by both men and women because of their variety of skilled performances.

The first cabaret was located at Monmartre, Paris and opened in 1881 as ‘cabaret artistique’. Shortly after opening it was renamed to “Le Chat Noir”. Although this cabaret no longer exists, the original advertising poster for the cabaret is a common purchase for modern tourists.

Cabarets are one of those unique events to experience in Paris which are very characteristic of the city. They display a rich collection of performances celebrating the beauty and expertise of the performers. They typically include song and dance, but can also include theatrical performances, and even acrobatic displays. The shows are usually accompanied by dining and drinks, but you can skip the dinner for a reduced price. Remember to dress well for the cabaret as it is typically considered a semi-formal event.

Le Lido:

Le Lido cabaret of Paris

We visited this one during our stay in Paris and we had a great experience. The impressive meal they served included some appealing local food choices along with a bottle of champagne. They have several food packages to choose from at different prices. You can check the Le Lido website for the current menu items and prices.

Instead of seating couples together at individual booths or tables, guests are seated alongside each other at long dinner tables seating about 20 diners each with couples seated across from each other in a formal setting. As a result, you end up sitting with other audience members, which gives it a communal feel so it’s easy to start up a conversation with people next to you. After dinner there is a band and a singer performing and eventually the stage opens up for the audience to use as a dance floor. It feels a little like a spectacle to dance on a stage with everyone sitting there in the audience watching, but after a few drinks even my wife and I got up and did a few turns!

All the seating has a great view and when the show finally starts the back seats actually get elevated! They are sitting on some kind of mechanical stage so that everything gets gradually lifted up so everyone gets a good view of the show.

Le Crazy Horse
Crazy Horse was originally a wine cellar, and the modern theatre was constructed by combining 12 cellars together by knocking down the walls between them. It is

Entrance for the Moulin Rouge

Moulin Rouge
The Moulin Rouge is a well known cabaret, made famous in part for the movie of the same name. Created in 1889, it is located in the red light district of Paris and features a big red windmill on its roof. This was the birthplace of the “can-can” dance which has remained a part of the show ever since. At this point some might call it a tourist trap since everyone knows about it and a lot of people mistakenly believe it to be the best or even the only cabaret in Paris. I have heard that the shows lack the quality as compared to some of the others mentioned here but I’m sure it’s still a great show.

 

Wine Tasting

A map of France with each of the wine regions listed.

The official wine-tasting sessions in Paris can be interesting, but generally I think they are more expensive than they’re worth. If you’re interested in hearing about wine from someone who likes to talk about earth and oak then go ahead, but it probably won’t be anything new and all the information can be found on the internet these days. The best idea is to go to one of the outer regions and tour an old vineyard. The atmosphere is more authentic and historic.

One nice thing about going to an official wine tasting session is that you learn about all the different wine regions in France and what they are known for. It’s very interesting to hear a description and history about all the names that have become common place in the wine world over the centuries (Champagne, Syrah, Merlot…etc).

Cruise the River Seine
There are several businesses which offer site-seeing cruises down the river Seine. We purchased tickets through O’ Chateau which offers a combination River Cruise and a separate Wine Tasting in their wine cellar tasting area. They even allow you to split the package into two separate days if you like. By splitting the package you can adapt it to your schedule. This way you can have the Champagne cruise one day and the wine tasting on another if it works better for you. They are pretty generous with their champagne so it’s a good value.

Bike Tours
Bike tours are very popular in Paris whether you are there for only day or you stay for a week. One of the well known companies is Fat Tire Bike Tours[4]  You can choose a day tour, night tour, or go somewhere close by like Versailles or Monet’s garden.

The world famous Buddha Bar

Bars and Nightclubs
Most of the good dance clubs are on Champs Elysees, which is the main drag in Paris. That means things are expensive! Expect an entrance fee of about 20 Euros.  Brace yourself – standard mixed drinks will be around 15 to 20 Euros! I saw no big difference between Paris clubs and a good night club in a big city in the United States.

Absinthe:
Absinthe has been illegal in France since the 1800s, but it recently became legal again. In its heyday, the drink was a favorite among artists. Why did it become illegal in the first place? It is believed that the wine industry waged a campaign against absinthe in the 1800s because they were losing too many of their customers to the new drink. There were also legitimate health concerns regarding the drink’s main ingredient, the absinthinium herb. It was found that the herb caused brain damage after prolonged use. That ended its use for a long time. Then, in the last few years brewers found a way to create absinthe without the harmful herb.

Now you can get absinthe presented in the traditional fashion at a few different places around Paris. One such place is the Hotel Royal Fromentin at 11, rue Fromentin.[5] The bar in the lobby will give you the ice water bath, sugar spoons, sugar cubes and a shot of absinthe in the traditional style glass. Each drink will cost about 6 euros.

Of course now the question is this: am I really drinking the absinthe that was so popular with artists a century ago? Or is this just a fake? I found the drink to be a good flavor but the effects seemed just like vodka. Either way it’s pretty fun to use the traditional absinthe tools and see what people used to do when they drank the stuff.

The traditional Absinthe drinking set - as served at the Hotel Fromentin.

Get some Absinthe with the proper traditional presentation here. This is the front of a booklet they give you at the hotel when you visit.

The Les Puces flea market best known for the expansive selection of antique stores.  These are all indoors at complexes that resemble malls.  The only difference is that most of the places are gated and closed up when the flea market is not happening. There is a huge amount to see here and every little store is full to the brim with odds and ends and little pieces of history. 

You can’t see everything in a day, but you’ll get a good feel for the place and you will probably see what you want in a day excursion. There are also several old book stores. Most of the books are French but you can also find some in English if you ask for something specific.

Take a break at one of the restaurants or coffee shops to keep you in the browsing mood.  About half of the vendors are actually in temporary outdoor tent-like shelters in the designated flea market area.  They sell purses, clothes, luggage...etc.  We didn't spend much time in these areas, but if you're interested in some cheap "Louis Voitton" you could probably find it there.

 

There is also a lot of things to see on a day trip outside of Paris. If you plan on visiting anything outside of Paris it is a good idea to plan on using up the entire day and evening for the event as you will want to enjoy the destination through the entire day and it can take a lot of time to take the train there and back.

Chateau De Versailles
The palace at Versailles is so great we came back a second day just to have a picnic by the canal. The palace is big lot of land so you need to have your walking shoes on for this one. Once you get past the main building and into the garden area you can rent a bike. I highly suggest getting a bike rental for the entire day. It comes with a lock so you can hitch it up to a bike stand when you want to visit one of the palace buildings or stop for a bite to eat.

Panorama of Versailles from the end of the canal looking towards the palace.

Panorama of Versailles from the Palace looking out over the canal.

Stop by a local grocery store and pick up a picnic basket assortment of wine, cheese and meats. This way you can stop and snack on stuff while you enjoy the scenery. Take a shoulder bag or a backpack with you so you can carry it all with you conveniently. We visited Marie Antoinette’s home and had a picnic in her garden. We also stopped at the end of the canal and drank some wine while we fed one of the hungry local swans.

You can take the RER train to Versailles from Paris. Look for the “C” line ending at “Versailles-River Gauche”. The trip takes about an hour from central Paris.

Monet’s Garden
Monet’s Garden is located in Giverny, about 50 miles outside of Paris. Monet was the founder of French impressionist movement in painting. He moved to Paris to visit the Louvre museum of art. After several years he moved to this lot of land in Giverny and eventually expanded it by purchasing the neighboring property.
In 1890, Monet started renovating his garden, inspired by tranquil scenes from the Japanese prints he collected. He diverted a river to form a pond, planted willows and bamboo on the shores, filled the pond with water lilies, then crossed it with a wooden footbridge. As years passed, the bridge became overgrown with wisteria. He painted it at different times of day and year, exploring different color schemes.[6]

There are two parts in Monet's garden: a flower garden called Clos Normand in front of the house and a Japanese inspired water garden on the other side of the road. You can find more information at the Giverny Monet’s Garden website. [7]

Also in Giverny is the Museum of the Impressionists which houses temporary exhibits related to the impressionist movement.

Wine Vineyards
Being the mecca for wine lovers around the world, France is abound with wine vineyards across its countryside. Most French wine is still made by thousands of small, independent, and passionate vintners. You can taste wines in France which you will never see in the store so it’s a great opportunity to experiment with some different flavors and types.

Loire Valley Castles
Loire Valley is located at the middle of the Loire River in central France. This area is known as the “Garden of France” for vineyards and agriculture, but it best known as a tourist destination for its castles. There are bike tours available for this area as well.

The largest of the Loire castles, the turreted Chambord Castle was built for King Francois 1st as a hunting lodge. It has intricate stone "double helix" staircases leading up to the spires and turrets of the rooftop terrace. As this was a hunting lodge, it is now surrounded by an immense park.

Cheverny Castle is the most beautifully furnished of the Loire Valley castles, with a fine collection of 17th-century furniture.

Chenonceau Chateau was built over the River Cher in traditional Renaissance style, and is known as the Chateau des Dames (the Ladies' Castle) because of the influence of the famous women who lived there. The chateau was built in 1513 by Catherine Briconnet, embellished by Diance de Poitiers and Catherine de Medicis, and saved from destruction during the Revolution by Madame Dupin.

Mont Saint Michel
A popular attraction in France, the fairytale island of Mont Saint Michel is located off the coast of Normandy. The Benedictine abbey of Mont Saint Michel is one of the wonders of Europe. During your visit, you can also walk around the island and visit some of the local shops and restaurants.