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Paris, the city of love: One of the most famous places to visit for families, lovers, travelers, and aspiring ones. It is famously known for its breathtaking culture, food, and fashion. But before you get too excited, here are a few guides and tips that we’ve compiled to help you explore the wonders of Paris with convenience:
WHAT TO EXPECT
Prepare carefully prior to your Paris trip.
It’s one of the common mistakes that beginners fail to do, yet it’s a crucial task. Having a background research/study on an unfamiliar place before exploring it is a lot more convenient and will save you a lot of time and confusion. So make sure to make a thorough plan in advance before flying to Paris. You may read about the ideal places that you want to go or research on the easiest and cheapest way to navigate the city. Read and take notes as much as you can. Make sure you’re bringing with you everything you need and leave anything that may not be necessary.
Expect a lot of people lining up for famous attractions.
You won’t be the only person to visit a museum or the Eiffel Tower on that day. For convenience, you may research online the certain place you want to visit and check if they accept reservations of tickets online. That way, it’s more convenient than lining up and wasting precious time.
Blend in with the locals.
Unlike in other foreign and unfamiliar places you’ve gone to where it’s a common thing for tourists to wear a tank top and short shorts—in Paris, wearing this attire will surely get you attention. Part of travelling to a place is adapting the culture and norms of the locals. Bring clothes that you can only wear in Paris to avoid having heavier baggage too.
Always have a notebook and pen in hand for important notes.
Going to a foreign place whose people speak a foreign language, it’s crucial to have a notebook and pen in handy. Write your hotel’s address or the addresses of the places that you’re going to visit. Write down phone numbers and a few greetings and expressions to talk with the locals.
Keep your essentials safe.
Tourists attract people who may do harm to them. Before you leave the place you’re staying in, make sure that your essentials (including papers, passports, gadgets, money, etc) are with you or are safely hidden.
Don’t travel without travel insurance.
One of the most important travel tips that we’ve got is from Adventurous Kate. She says that, “Don’t even think of going to Paris without travel insurance. Whether you cut yourself and need to go to the hospital for stitches, whether you get your phone stolen on the metro, or whether an injury means you need to cancel all or part of your trip, travel insurance will help you out. I use and recommend World Nomads as travel insurance for Paris.”
WHAT TO WEAR
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One of the most useful guides we’ve found on what to wear in Paris comes from La Petite Noob where she meticulously discussed the appropriate attire in the city of love. She said, “Dressing appropriately [in Paris] is not just merely a superficial task – it will actually guarantee you better service and hospitality in any Parisian restaurant, boutique, or attraction.”
Black is the way to go when packing clothes for Paris. Besides from black, pack also white and striped pieces. Basically, just stick to the basics and solid colors.
Pack a scarf or two to add style to your basic attire. It’s not just for fashion’s sake but because you’ll never know when the temperature might send you shivering when you’re outside. Add to that, you might want to bring a sweater too. Another essential—considering the unpredictable weather in Paris—is to bring with you a travel-sized umbrella.
Expect that you will be walking a lot because, come on, it’s Paris. So if you don’t want to appear too “touristy” and your feet feeling hurt, just wear your most comfortable flats—not running shoes, not heels, but flats.
FAMOUS PLACES TO VISIT
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Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower has become the symbol of Paris through the years. The tower rises at 984 feet. It was built for the World Exhibition held in 1889, in celebration of the French revolution in 1789. If you can’t have the chance to see it up close, you’ll still have the chance to see it all over Paris. There’s no escaping this picturesque and world-famous structure.
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The Louvre
Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, Michelangelo’s Dying Slave—you’ll find them all at The Louvre. Originally a royal palace, The Louvre today is one of the world’s largest and important museums. It houses a lot of the world’s celebrated works of art. Anyone who has even the slightest appreciation for art should visit here.
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Notre Dame Cathedral (Notre Dame de Paris – “Our Lady of Paris”)
Because of our nature with Christianity, it’s hard for us Filipinos not to have an appreciation with beautifully structured cathedrals. One of which—and one of the most famous—is the Notre Dame Cathedral. It has been the center of Catholicism in France since it has the “cathedra”, the official chair of the Archbishop in Paris. The Notre Dame Cathedral is also considered one of the finest French Gothic architecture. And although it has suffered a handful of damage and vandalism all throughout the years ever since it was built in 1345, they were still able to reconstruct and preserve its beauty up until this day.
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Moulin Rouge
Ever since it opened its doors nearly 120 years ago, Moulin Rouge has set the standard for the world’s most famous cabarets. It soon gained a reputation of a place where men could get “entertained” by Parisian women. In later years, the establishment cleaned up its act (so to speak), eventually lost its reputation as a brothel, and became a fashionable music hall known for its extravagant cabaret shows, attracting a high-class clientele. Today, Moulin Rouge is still famous with adult visitors. The show features more than one hundred performers decked out in the most extravagant costumes, which include lots of feathers, rhinestones, and sequins. The sets are equally as spectacular.
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Musée d’Orsay
The Musée d’Orsay is a museum housed in a grand railway station built in 1900. Home to many sculptures and impressionist paintings, it has become one of Paris’s most popular museums. When it opened, the museum contained some 2300 paintings, 1500 sculptures and 1000 other objects. Most of these works of art came from other museums such as the Musée du Luxembourg. Over time the collection has expanded significantly mainly due to acquisitions and gifts. It covers a period from the mid-nineteenth century up to 1914 and contains works from Degas, Rodin, Monet, Manet, Renoir, Cezanne, van Gogh and others.
(Source: A View On Cities)
THINGS “NOT” TO DO
Don’t spend all day in one place.
There are so many spectacular places to visit and eat in Paris. If you can’t visit the places in your itinerary, check out other museums and restaurants. Better yet, if you want to maximize your time, you might want to avoid the tourist attractions especially in high season.
Don’t wear shorts.
We’ve said this before, and we’ll say it again: Avoid wearing shorts at all costs.
Don’t take the cab if you don’t really need to.
Taxis are hard to come by in Paris. And since you’re there to see Paris, might as well walk. Don’t be afraid of taking the Paris metro system, or you can rely on smartphone car services like Uber, LeCab, or AlloCab. (Source: 15 Things NOT to Do in Paris)
Don’t buy into stereotypes.
French people have a reputation for being rude. Actually, the French people are just much more formal and reserved than other people. So if you’re worried or if you find it rude that your Filipino smiles and greetings are not returned, don’t take it personally. Instead, be mindful of your manners, be polite, keep a neutral expression, and only speak when necessary.
COMMON FRENCH GREETINGS AND EXPRESSIONS
Taking an effort to learn a few French might get you better treatment in Paris. Here are a few that might help you along the way:
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“Hi” – Salut (sah-loo)
“Good morning” or “Good day” – Bon jour (bohn-zhoohr)
“Good evening” – Bon soir (bon-swar)
“Good night” – Bonne nuit (bonn-nwee)
“Goodbye” – Au revoir (oh ruh-vwar)
“Mister/Miss” – Monsieur/madame
“Excuse me” – Excusez-moi (ex-kewzay mwah)
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“Sorry” – Pardon (pahr-dohn)
“Please” – S’il vous plaît (seel voo play)
“Thank you” – Merci (mer-see)
“Yes” – Oui (wee)
“No” – Non (nohn)
We hope that this guide will help you in preparing for your Paris trip. Maximize the web for more tips and guides. Bon voyage!
This year, Hizon’s Catering has decided to mix things up a little bit for soon-to-wed couples. One lucky couple will have a chance to win a trip to Paris for 5 days and 4 nights! Brides and grooms who will register online within the promo duration will get raffle entries; one raffle ticket per soon-to-wed couple. Wedding date must be from March 2016 and onwards. Promo duration is within 6 months—from November 2015 to July 2016.
