Paris 2011
One of the best pieces of advice we received was to greet shopkeepers when going into small shops. Bonjour Madame or Bonjour Monsieur, went a long way to getting service in a store rather than being ignored. Also it is best to ask for assistance when wanting to try things on.
“Paul” is a popular place in Paris that serves good sandwiches, salads, pastries, etc. It will be seen in many areas of the city.
Be prepared for line ups to major attractions. It is well worth pre-purchasing museum passes or tours if it will bypass the line. Also many times, the line ups close an hour or two before closing time of the museum or attraction.
It is more costly to sit down and eat rather than doing “take away” from the sandwich shops.
Most restaurants include tax and services in the prices, so there is usually no need to leave an extra tip. It will usually state at the bottom of the menu. Be prepared to pay 5 Euro for pop or other drinks. Often it is less expensive to drink beer or wine. If you want water at a restaurant, ask for Tap water, which is usually no charge.
If you are spending a bit of time in Paris, it is worth getting the Bus/Metro pass to get around. A single trip ticket cost 1.70Euro, which can add up if you are taking a few trips every day. Day trip and multi day passes can be pre-purchased her, or can be bought there as well.
It is worth taking a trip to Versailles. It is about 45 minutes from Paris. I would recommend taking a full day tour, so you have time to explore.
The Hop on, Hop off pass is also a great way to explore the city, and would probably be easier for those people that might not feel comfortable taking the metro, or buses.
MonoPrix is the name of a grocery/department store, and is a good place to buy bottled water, beer, wine or other things you may need. You will see them all over Paris. Galeries Lafayette is huge department store, and has 2 locations in the City.
It is definitely worth seeing the Eiffel Tower at night. In the summer, the lights go on at 10Pm, and every hour, on the hour, for 5 minutes, they put twinkling lights on. It was fantastic to see.
A visit to the Catacombs was very interesting. Montparnasse Tower is a modern tower, that takes you up 59 floors in one of Europe’s fastest elevators. The views of the city are fantastic, so is well worth a visit.
Sale season in Paris usually runs from about June 20-July 20, and you can get some great bargains on fashions and shoes
A great area for dinner where all the Parisians eat is on Rue Montorgueil. It can be accesses from the Subway station of Sentier, or Les Halles
