My first trip to Europe, need advice

I%26#39;m going to Paris in May and I am concerned because I%26#39;ve never been out of the country before--I%26#39;m not really counting canada...no offence Canadians.

Can you get by visiting Paris if you don%26#39;t speak French? I am studying now but I%26#39;m not that great at languages and don%26#39;t hold out much hope that I will be fluent in 4 months! How easy is it to travel using public transportation if you don%26#39;t understand the language?

I wish I had chosen french in highschool instead of spanish--a hundred years ago!

Thanks!

Tara

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Tara,

You%26#39;ll be fine, Paris is a very safe city. If you learn a few words of French and bring a small phrase book with you, that will be helpful as well. The Metro system is very easy to use as long as you can read a map.

Have fun!

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Just learn to say %26#39;Hello, please, thank you and goodbye%26#39; and use them at every encounter and you%26#39;ll be fine.

My husband is Chinese, totally fluent in english with a smattering of spanish but no french except for - %26#39;bonjour, au revoir and merci%26#39; - and he sometimes gets these confused! However, he tries and it is manners more than language that get you by in Paris. Actually, he always does pretty well and enjoys our months in Paris as much as I.

Always say hello and goodbye when entering /leaving a shop. Always say please and thank you and you%26#39;ll be ahead of most of the pack.

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When we travel, we also add sorry into our vocabulary.

We found that if you try to speak French you have more of a chance in getting help or what you want, then speaking English. Most people speak English, but they just decide if they want to speak to you or not.

I also tried to learn set phrases, as in how to ask for a cup of tea or coffee and %26quot;Do you speak English?%26quot;

A phrase book is a must. Particularly to decifer menus.

Have the fun is overcoming the language barrier.

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I must respectfully disagree with previous poster about one point. Instead of asking if someone in Paris speaks English, you might learn to say, %26quot;I%26#39;m sorry, I don%26#39;t speak French%26quot; or %26quot;I only speak a little French%26quot; whatever the case is. Small point, but it seems that the French are justifiably proud of their language and it seems a bit presumptuous to ask if they speak English, the assumption being that they should if they don%26#39;t.

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Hi

It is not a big problem if you can%26#39;t speak French. Sure, there might be a few misunderstandings but you will be OK. The metro (subway) in Paris is a great way to get around. My wife and I went to Paris in April last year and I have a trip report that I can share with you if you are interested. Send me a mail on gardkarlsen@hotmail.com and I%26#39;ll get back to you. Have a great trip...it is a beautiful city :-)

Regards

Gard

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French thing you will be fine... Just know the basics. Almost everyone working in the service industry can speak English. I have been learning it for 2 years and I%26#39;m not fluent. So you will def not be able to say much.

Regarding the transportation you will be fine...just learn about how to use a Subway - it is the same as here in the USA (DC or NYC).

Don%26#39;t forget that they do not use the same electric outlets...so for hairdryers, curling irons and phone chargers etc...you will need to do a little research on this site...

$$ is a big issue. do a search on exchange rates/fees for conversions...fyi if you use your credit card - they sometimes charge a 3% fee per transaction for exchanging the money.

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Hello. When are you going in May? My wife and I are going from the 10th -22nd for our second trip.

As others above have said, learn a few phrases, be very polite, and don%26#39;t yell, and you will be fine.

You can search lots of things on this forum. I have been digging back through old posts using the search function for places to eat, out of the way places and such.

I agree totally with the poster who said to learn, %26quot;I am sorry I do not speak french very well%26quot;. We found that as soon as I stumbled over a few french words the Parisans would switch to English. It was like. %26quot;thanks for trying, now lets to your language.%26quot;

Paris is wonderful, wonderful, wonderful! You may see my wife twirling in the streets again this time.

Rob

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I had the same fears as you as I had never been to Europe. I am pleased to let you know it was very easy and the french were lovely.

I only spoke a few words and I never approached anyone for directions etc If it was obvious they were in a hurry. You can read my trip report I posted last year.

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Removed on: 12:24 am, August 22, 2009

Hiring a car in France

We are looking to hire a car while in France in May and we are finding that the company we were hopping to use will not allow pick ups and drop offs on Sundays. Can any one recommend a reliable company that may be able to help us?

We want to pick up a car in Cahors for 5 days and drop it off in Beziers.

Thanks

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Check with Autoeurope. They are a broker working with various companies.

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Removed on: 9:20 am, August 23, 2009

Best way to purchase train tickets from Paris to Bordeaux??

We are a group of 9 people that are staying in Paris for 4 nights, and have rented a house in Castlenaud and plan to take the train to Bordeaux and drive to Castlenaud via St. Emillion. How do I buy the train tickets? Any help would be apprecitated!

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Easiest way is Rail Europe but more expensive than buying directly online on the SNCF website. Search for Morgan B%26#39;s thread if you want to buy through the SNCF.

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You can easily buy the tickets on the SNCF website :

www.voyages-sncf.com

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Tickets can be ordered up to 90 days in advance. On SNCF check for prem fares.

Or you can order them over the phone and have them mailed to you.

33-8-92-35-35-39

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Hi nevaway

Here is the MorganB thread that yymca6 mentioned

tripadvisor.com/…3511456

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Apartment on Rue Saint Gilles in 3e - good area?

Hello, I am thinking of renting an apartment on Rue Saint Gilles near rue de Tournelles. I am not familiar with the Marais...is this a good area to be in? I would like to be in very close proximity to shops, restaurants, cafes, etc., and just basically in a lively neighborhood. (Not a party atmosphere, just an area that%26#39;s inviting to stroll in.) Would this part of the Marais fit the bill?

In case this info is useful to know, I%26#39;m in my early 3os, travelling with my boyfriend, and intend to do a LOT of eating and even more shopping! We do want to eat in neighborhood bistros, as well as going to Mariage Freres, having macarons and chocolate chaud, and seeing some open-air markets. Any advice on whether this is a good base is appreciated.

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Hi s323, that is a great location in the Marais just about 150m north of Place des Vosges and close to the Musee Carnavalet and Musee Picasso. You are also quite close to the Bastille and the Oberkampf areas for nightlife. Plenty of good places to eat in the area too. There is a good food market in the Place d%26#39;Aligre near the Bastille with cheese shops, butchers, seafood shops, charcuteries etc in a covered market and lots of fruit and vegetable stalls in the street outside. There is also a covered food market in rue de Bretagne to the north.

Check out your address on this site to get an idea of what your street looks like

http://photos.pagesjaunes.fr/

This site will give you an idea of what you will find in the northern (3rd) area of the Marais

www.parismarais.com/historical-marais.htm

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Removed on: 10:15 am, August 23, 2009

Seine dinner cruise

I have just booked a Valentines day dinner cruise on the Seine for my wife and I. Has anyone ever done it? Will we enjoy it?

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Hello Chris and welcome to the forum. If you do a search of %26quot;Seine/ River Cruises%26quot; you%26#39;ll see many responses...however.....

General feedback seems to be that it%26#39;s pretty pricey for the meal quality - however it is good for a memorable occasion - which it appears to be as you%26#39;ve got it booked for Valentine%26#39;s day - your wife is a lucky gal!

enjoy!!

Sandra

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Yes, I did it last year. It was nice enough but the food was just ok and quite expensive. If I were you I would go to a nice restaurant such as the many recommended on this board then take a cruise afterward. I%26#39;m pretty sure there are some you can take without dinner that are very nice.

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Removed on: 9:15 pm, August 22, 2009

eaterys in antibes-juan-les-pins

I will be spending a couple days at the Mexicana hotel and looking for suggestions on budget minded places to eat.I%26#39;ll be there early Oct....tanks for any suggestions Loretta

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Cafe de Chineurs, Antibes, does excellent food at very reasonable cost in good location.

Only thing to watch is the occasional outbreak of %26quot;French Waiter%26quot; Syndrome. The food is really good and eaten there many times, but last trip we were forced to walk out , after twenty minutes of no-one willing to take our order, waiters just scuttling backward and forward avoiding eye contact. We gave up.

But its good enough to go back.

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Greetings Loretta,

Had some great shellfish at L%26#39;Oursin in Antibes last year. It was located on rue Republique, and there were some other retaurants in the same area. Pimm%26#39;s for an atmospheric coffee, was a local hangout. Also had great mussels at Le Ruban Bleu on the Promenade du Soleil in Juan-les- Pins. Enjoy!

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many thanks for the suggestions.I%26#39;m not teribly fond of seafood so I may be in trouble.Any other places that may lean more heavily on veggies ?? Loretta

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Removed on: 9:20 pm, August 22, 2009

Laundry

I%26#39;m planning to go to paris this summer for 2 weeks.I know this should be the last thing to think of when planning a visit to this beautiful city, but I was wondering where can I find laundry facilities around my hotel area?

I booked two hotels : first 7 nights at hotel opera folkestone in opera/ Madeline area and then 7 nights in hotel d%26#39;albe st michel area. does any one have an idea what%26#39;s the most practical way that doesn%26#39;t cost a fortune to do a laundry ?

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We%26#39;ve had similar questions before - for a variety of answers do a search. THere are launderettes in Paris; average €3.50 for a wash and weird pricing for dryers - could be 40 centimes for 8 minutes, 50 for ten minutes etc. etc.

Get a map of Paris, go t pagesjaunes.fr, type in %26quot;Laverie en libre service%26quot; as your search item and the location %26quot;Paris 8%26quot; or whatever to work out your nearest.

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Thanx alot for the info. btw the link in your post is in french but in the top right is the UK flag for the english language version .

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Yeah sorry, forgot they have English too. Happy hunting :-)

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i will be using self-launderettes as well but am wondering,

do i need to bring some detergent? does it matter liquid or powder. I could use some tips as last year I turned our load of laundry grey! (this was washer in apartment) :)

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I have been in the same predicament as you. When I was in Rome last year, I simply brought my laundry to a Chinese laundry in the morning and picked it up in the afternoon. It was about $15. It was nicely washed, dried and folded and I didn%26#39;t ned to wait around for hours.

When I was in Mexico last week, I had an apartment with a washer/dryer but I had to go out and buy laundry detergent, which was enough detergent for about a month%26#39;s use.

So, my suggestion is to find a laundry where they will do it for you. If you plan to do it on your own, bring some powdered laundry detergent with you (remember, limited liquids on the plane), or bring some of those small personal-size packs of detergent. Knowing Paris, laundry detergent will be costly there.

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b --

Don%26#39;t ask for directions at your hotel, they prefer to do your laundry at their high prices - and the fact of the matter is that underwear and tee shirts are cheaper to replace than the price for most hotel laundry services - and that%26#39;s everywhere in the world I%26#39;ve ever been, except small inns in Tanzania.

Ask at your corner brasserie - often the at least some of the staff there drop their laundry off in the morning and pick it up on the way home, so someone there will have your answer. It%26#39;s always worked for me.

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This post is very helpful. We are staying in an apartment for two weeks this March and it does have a washer but after reading all the horrow stories re: drying time, I will try BC1Traveler%26#39;s suggestion of asking at the corner brasserie. Thanks!

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Most places have detergent dispensers - but they%26#39;re not cheap. I can%26#39;t see any reason not to use liquid but I%26#39;ve only ever seen powder or tablets being used.

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I was able to buy a small bottle of Tide for $1.79. I found it in the travel section at Target. It was enough for 4 loads and was small enough that it took up very little space in my luggage. they also had travel size packets of Woolite. I%26#39;ve seen laundrymats all over Paris. Just never when you seem to need one. As far as washing in the apartment if its just small stuff like underwear. Wash it and hang it up to dry. For towels we washed them in the apartment while we were out and took them down the street to the laundrymat to dry while we shopped for dinner supplies. We happened to be staying just off Rue Cler that time so it was really convenient.

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Suzanne,

With the liquid container restrictions when traveling from the US, it makes it nearly impossible to bring liquid detergent with you purchased from a place like Target.