5 Important Things About Paris

Going to Paris is probably one of the most exciting things in a person’s life. The crowded, dense city of France does not bother tourists to explore the fashion capital to their content. The boulevards with monuments, superb gastronomy options, beautiful people with high fashion sense and the exquisite French art and culture is what attracts crowds globally. The foodie inside will have a great time exploring the neighbourhood bistro or the triple Michelin star restaurants, while they maintain the reputation of the French cuisine. You visit Paris as a tourist but stay there as a Parisian. So, to be the true Parisian, there are a few things you need to keep in mind before planning the trip.

 

Learn the basics of French

This will help if you are a backpacker and looking a longer vacation in the country. It is better to learn the language basics when you are visiting a new place with a different dialect. English is acknowledged globally, but not everyone can speak or understand the language. The Parisians are proud of their Vernaculars and lie to entertain those who respect and recognize their language, and even the basics will do. Few phrases and term that will be of help are-

 

- Good Evening - Bonsoir

- Good Day - Bonjour

- Please - S'il vous plaît 

- Excuse me and sorry - pardon

- Thank you - Merci

- No - Non

- Yes - Oui

- Do You Speak English? - Parlez-vous Anglais? (Most Important)

- Where Is the Bathroom? -Où se trouvent les toilettes?

 

Tough Navigation? Public transport in service!

For a tourist, Paris is a crossword puzzle or a maze of similar difficult street names and 20 districts making it more difficult. With all these, if you lost the GPS, then the hard time starts. Don’t worry! Public transportation of the city got it covered. At most of the alley corners, you can locate a bus station or a Metro sign. As long the destination is clear, language won’t be a barrier with public transport. On a bus, you can hop on hop off anywhere you like with the valid ticket.

 

Few things that will help in the metro are-

- Be sure where to get off, as you have to use the lever to open the gate for both entry and exit.

- Don’t lose the ticket. If you get caught without the ticket, then be prepared for a nightmare in Paris.

- Metros don’t work at night and cabs are expensive during that time. So plan out your night out accordingly.

 

Visiting the top of Eiffel tower is overrated!

The top of the Eiffel tower is in the wish list of every traveler! After having a splendid view of the city from the top and being the spendthrift, there is a realization that it is too overrated. Instead of climbing the top of the tower for the view, tourists can opt for Tour Montparnasse’s top. One can actually have the Eiffel Tower in the line of sight from there. Another option is the Montmartre Hill, a charming large hilltop in Paris.

 

Tipping

Unlike the restaurants in the USA, tipping after the meal is not necessary. If one like the service then the 5%-10% of the bill can be left as the tip. If the service wasn’t up to the mark, then don’t bother for the tip.

 

Know the best Food outlets!

The food joints and restaurants at the popular tourist sites are mostly showbiz and will extract till the last buck in your pocket for some mediocre foods. The offbeat restaurants which are not in the famous places are the one serving the authenticate French flavours in a worthy price.