subject: Paris, France: What to Do and What Not to Do [print this page] Paris, France: What to Do and What Not to Do
My intention in this article is to give some quick tips of what to do and what not to do when visiting Paris, France. I'm sure some of these tips are buried in travel books but as someone who lives here, I hope I can add a bit more and give a different perspective.
A little bit about myself. I moved to Paris a few years ago from new York City, USA so I am no stranger to big cities. I also have lived in other countries, most recently Belgium. But Paris is a city unto its own with its own little quirks as you can imagine. One little caveat I would like to add is that in general the French are great people. But as in most big cities, people are stressed and don't have a lot of patience with tourists. I am guilty as charged, not only here in Paris but even in New York City I could not stand to go to Times Square. I even heard that someone painted a line down the middle of the sidewalk in Times Square labeling one side for tourists and the other side for New Yorkers. Not a bad idea!
Ok, lets get to what this article is about. A quick list of do's and don'ts when in Paris. Of course this is just my opinion, feel free to ignore me
* Do eat a crepe
* Do visit Montmartre
* Do find time to go to a flea market (marche aux puces) or a brocante (flea market specializing in antiques)
* Do look at the sidewalk when walking. Some Parisians have a difficult time cleaning up after their dogs
* Do walk along the Seine at night (but stay in the
* Notre Dame)
* Do walk along Canal St Martin
* Do try to experiment with eating the different food. Steak tartare is actually VERY good and you wont get sick from it. So are escargot, mostly a good garlic taste
* Do have a picnic in the one of the millions of parks.
* Do go to a boulangerie (bakery) around 5pm when all the baguettes are made fresh for the people getting off work and heading home. Nothing is better than a warm one right out of the oven. Just eat it while walking down the street
* Don't bother with Champs Elysee unless you have a ton of time and wan't to be able to say 'I went there' or shop at The Gap or eat bad food
* Don't bother going to the catacombs. It's cool the first 10 minutes but boring for the rest of the 50 seeing the same thing. And if you are claustrophobic, don't even think about it
* Don't light up a cigarette in a crowded area, someone will ask you for one
* Don't don't drink too much wine...ok that really can be a Do!
* Don't go to the top of the Eiffel Tower, go to the top of the tour Montparnasse instead...much better views
It's not an enormous list but should cover the basics from a local perspective and help you have an amazing time on your trip.
Happy travels!
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