I am going to paris soon, hints/ tips?

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Rillifane

While its better to know the local language than not to know it you will find that almost everyone in the service industry in Paris can speak at least some English. In fact, although I speak French, my accent is so vile that Frenchmen will switch to English just to avoid having to listen to it.

Even a tiny bit of French will help and, at a minimum, learn the following:

1) When you enter a shop or a cafe its customary to say "Bonjour" and "Madame" (if its a woman) or "Monsieur" (if its a man) to whomever seems to be in charge.

When leaving say "Au revoir" This is just considered basic politeness and will earn you at least a little acknowledgement as a civilized person.

2) Say please (s'il vous plait) and thank you (merci) even if you might not do it in similar situations at home. Again, its just being polite.

3) If you're not absolutely sure, always ask "Parlez vous Anglais?" (do you speak English?) before speaking English to someone. Chances are they will speak at least some English but people are offended by the assumption that everyone in the world understands English.

It will also help to be soft spoken. The French are generally a quieter people than Yanks and Brits. Speaking loudly is considered crude and boorish. Similarly, the French prefer more muted colors. They don't like loud colors anymore than they like loud voices.

On the other hand, the French don't smile as much as Americans. They think that big smiles that Americans tend to flash at everyone to be false and insincere, and perhaps even a sign of being a bit goofy.

sandra b

Congrats! Your trip will be wonderful. I went to Paris last summer for three weeks with my 4 year old daughter. It was a true adventure. I had previously been in high school with a student exchange. I am semi-fluent in French so the language was daunting (due to not speaking it for a bit) but I found that people could understand my French 100 percent. Frankly, it was more difficult to understand french people because they talk very rapidly. Common words like Bonjour, Bonsoir, Pardon are nice. If asking a question in a shop you might say, "Pardon, si je vous derange." Excuse me if I'm bothering you. French people are very nice if you try to speak their language. We were treated beautifully over there. Respect their culture. Take the Metro...it's an unbelievable way to get around the city. Bateau mouche rides on the Seine are great also. Be wise with your money as I found that our dollar is really getting a beating. Everything was so pricey. Don't eat out all the time if you can help it. Have little picnics in the parks or at one of the city's magnificent gardens. It will save you some money and you can sit and people watch and absorb the culture.

Melissa

We learned some basic phrases in French before going, but we didn't speak much at all. People seemed to appreciate that we tried, and most of those in restaurants and and stores could speak some English.

Other tips - use the train system to get around the city. It is very easy to figure out and it is very reasonably priced. Definitely the best way to get around!

You are probably better off finding an apartment to stay in than finding a hotel. http://traveljapanblog.com/wordpress/category/paris/

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