Paris in general

Author's product rating:   

Value for Money	Average
Sightseeing	Good
Shopping	Good
Nightlife	Good
Ease of getting around	Poor

Advantages:	Montmartre, Busy Cafe's, Finding Interesting Parisians, Paris Ambiance
Disadvantages:	Rude Staring Parisians, Overrated restaurants, Obnoxious Tourists, Expensive Holiday

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Bienvenue à Paris! Parler Francais , s'il vous plaît!

Ahhhhhh Paris......How many movies have been set in or based on this City? In many ways, the word "city" doesn't fit. Paris is a way of life. It's a Country in itself. It, has it's own language. It has it's own fashion. It even has a piece of "Disney". So, what doesn't it have?

Something. Several things.

Many can't put their finger on it. Or, they are too afraid to point out it's faults. It's almost like, the moment they speak a criticism, the Parisian Mafia might come and throw them off the Eiffel Tower. Every tourist I've spoken with in regards to Paris, gushes about it for approx 20 seconds or less. When you dig deep and find out what they REALLY really loved about it, a lot of times I find, that many of them just loved the fact they were THERE.

That's understandable.....Growing up, it was considered beyond "cool" to go to Paris as a child. My father works for a French company and we have lived there for several years off an on. While, it was extremely difficult for my parents to acclimate to the culture change....I would eat it up. I'd stay up till 3am studying French. I'd torture my parents by only responding to them in French. I'd ask for Bread and Cheese for dinner. I was the quintessential Francophile.

Wisdom though, comes with age, and , how very true that statement is. I still love France. The food, history, wine, buildings, people, fashion, and scenery....It will always stay with you. What I "wised" up to, was that Paris in particular, is not like in the movies.

I'm sorry if I'm bursting the bubble of any of you that haven't visited Paris yet. But, I'm almost positive everyone reading this is aware of the fact that Paris has a stigma that Hollywood forces, and one that isn't realistic.

For those of you that love and adore everything and anything from Paris,....d'accord, je compondre..... mais, en fait, je ne comprends pas....I would be extremely interested in knowing exactly what is the everything and anything you love an adore. If you said....

"Oh well it's the history and the museums! Montmartre! Montparnasse! D'Orsay! Louvre! Champs Elysses! Eiffel Tower! Arc de Triomphe! ...EVERYTHING!"

My reponse would be.....

"Ok, sure those are great, but those are the tourist spots. Did you go around La Defense? Visit some seedy bars? Spend way too much money at a restaurant that wasn't even that good? Get lost on the metro or the train systems? Step in Dog Poo? Get stared at like you were Quasi Moto and belonged in the bell tower? Have random Parisians cut in front of you when you were in queue for something? Spend over 20 Euro's for a French Wine and not be that impressed?"

Alright maybe that wouldn't be my REAL response. That's what I would be THINKING though. What I would actually say is....

"Um yeah, yeah it's beautiful there.......So have you heard about this new movie that's out called ___"

Yup, I'd desperately try to change the subject. NO one wants to hear the bad things about Paris. They're only interested in the good. That is a positive way to live your life for the most part, but isn't it also healthy to take the good WITH the BAD?

I'll list for you random famous "Parisian Anything's" and break them down. So, lets just call this " The Good, The Bad, And the Beautiful", of Paris.

* The Good *

MontMarte, Cafe's, and the People

My first gander in the area of Montmartre was over 10 yrs ago now. I was 18 and at the highest of my Francophilia. My favourite Author was Victor Hugo (he still is actually), and my favourite Poet was Marcel Proust. I thought the best painters to ever grace the canvas were Degas, Monet, M anet, Renoir, Rodin, Gauguin, Seurat, Matisse, Chagal, and Toulouse-Lautrec. The most beautiful composer? Debussy.

If you wanted to get the spirit of the French Art scene. You would look no further than Montmartre which is part of the infamous "right bank". The area is still full of studios and random artists scattered in various parts of the district. Back when the "Impressionist Scene" was starting, this area became their haven. They even had artist communes that Picasso was a part of.

The Sacre-Coeur Basilica is one of the popular large pieces of architecture that is the focal point of Montmartre. Yet, it's not even 100 yrs old. IT is indeed worth a "look-see" and I would suggest having a picnic in front of it since the views of Paris from the Basilica are lovely.

The village is very picturesque in it's own quaint way. There are lots of stairs and alleyways, and in a way, it reminds you as a French version of Bellagio. (The famous Village in Italy). My father called it "Artistically Blissful", and he doesn't even really like "artsy" places. =)

The nightlife is....Interesting......They have tried to recreate some of the Cabaret scene. The Moulin Rouge for instance has such a history, but it's been turned into a huge tourist trap. The only remaining Music Halls and Cabaret's worth a real trip to are;

* Au Lapin Agile:

This place is amazing! It's very authentically, FRENCH. They sing old French songs, drink plenty of French wine, and are "somewhat" friendly (The French version of "friendly" at least=) There is just a long history with this place as there is with the Moulin Rouge.

* Bistrot des Cineastes:

This is roughly translated to the Filmmakers Bistrot and it is technically considered a "Cinema", but it also has a very popular wine bar and turns into a cabaret on the weekends. Then, during the week, you can see a movie and drink wine while watching it, I dunno a better experience than that!

The Cafe's:

Me saying the "Cafe's" is an all encompassing statement. It means bistros, and caberet's, and bars, and anything that's not an obvious "Restaurant".

As your walking through the streets of Paris, or any other village, town, city in France even....Make sure you go to a few Bistro's. These usually are always "Authentically French" in cuisine. Which means lots of Poached Egg and Bacon and Ham on top of a Salad, or Tender Duck with Au Gratin type Potatoes, or Smoked Salmon with Roasted Goat cheese and Tomato Coulis (that's my personal fave). I have always at least "liked" any meal I've gotten at a Bistro, so they are a safe bet.

*Chez Papa - This Bistro/Restaurant is almost considered a "Chain". There are several in Paris now, and are very popular among the younger generation since you can have your REAL French food, at a fraction of the price. I paid 10 Euro's for my Smoked Salmon w/ Roasted Goat Cheese and Tomato Coulis. Plus, you get a free basket of fresh baked French Breads. The portions are a good size and are served in cool vintage style dishes. Salads are served in Crocks of sorts, and most other things are served on wooden trenchers or Cutting boards. This place is a diamond in the rough. Go online and find one in the area of Paris you'll be visiting.

Cafe's though are quinessential PARIS........They are the reason Paris is so beloved when you come right down to it. How many would be visitors say " Oh I can't wait to get to Paris and go to a little cafe and have a little espresso an sit on a little table outside".....It's almost sickening the cutesy "little" picture they present.

If you think you can go to any Cafe in Paris and feel "fullfilled in your perfect little daydrems", your in danger of being disillusioned. Most cafe's have "regulars". Meaning, a lot of times, you will not be able to find a table outside and will have to end up going inside, which, that just kills part of your daydream right there. Of course, if you walk about 10 seconds past that Cafe, you'll come across another that might have all it's outside tables available. AVOID UNBUSY CAFE'S LIKE THE PLAUGE.

There is a reason why a Cafe has no people outside. It's similar to going to a Pub on a Friday night with no one there. Either it's too expensive, or it has really bad beer and food. Same with an unbusy Cafe.

Also, if you notice your at a Cafe and everyone is speaking English around you, that could be bad....Unless your in maybe Versailles. Versailles has a huge amount of English and American Ex-Pats. They might have a cafe they all congregate at. In Paris though, it's just going to be a "touristy" Cafe that was probably "Unbusy". So all the English speaking tourists SAW it was unbusy and gathered towards it like moths to a flame.

The best Cafe's I've come across are ones in Alleyways, and off main roads. Also you'll notice the "ritzy" ones will have outside heaters attached to the tables. These are extremely popular with the locals and usually serve good food and wine.

The Cafe Louvre -

A favourite Cafe of mine with the outside heaters is about 2 blocks away from the Louve. As your leaving the Main Entrance of the Louvre, walk to across the street and go to your right. You'll pass many boutiques and expensive looking shops, and come to a large Cathedral to your left and a Metro Entrance to your right. Directly in front of you, will be the Cafe.

I could never remember the name of it, but that might be because my French friends always referred to it as the "Louvre Cafe". As your sitting outside drinking a Chinon or Chocolat Chaud, you'll hear the choir singing in the Cathedral next to you and see the busy street in front of you full of people coming and going from the Louvre or businesses around it. It has terrific ambiance and, with the heaters, you can be out there in the middle of January and perfectly cozy. =)

* The People *

You'll see that, I also have "the People" listed on my "BAD" part below as well. I guess in any place you visit, your going to be stuck with Good, and Bad, people. Except when you are virtually bombarded with rude French people it feels like they really are the nastiest people on earth. But.....They really aren't.

You just need to learn to stand up for your self with the French....Especially the Parisan French. This doesn't mean to be AS rude to them back, but try to beat them at their own game. If you see a Parisian giving you a dirty look simply stare at them like they are an enigma but don't smile, or if you smile, make it a smirk with no teeth showing, and don't look away till they do. Staring to them is a contest. If you look away first, they've won.

When you stand up for yourself without being Brash or vulgar, you usually gain a bit of respect with Parisians. If you are wanting to find your way somewhere. Go up to a Parisian and ask them "Pardon moi, Parle Vous Anglais?" in an professional questioning voice.
Do NOT say while smiling and acting sheepishly contrite......

"Ummmm Bonjoouuur! Je suis desole, mais , je ne parle pas Francais. Parle vous Anglais?"

If you say the above, they will know several things. That English is your first language. That your annoying them with your smiling "I'm sorry" and bad French. And, they will wonder what the heck you are smiling about. If you merely pose a question to them in respect and seriousness, they will respond to you and attempt to speak English. You may strike out with several and need to ask more than one person , but generally someone will come to your rescue.

Once you get a Parisian comfortable with you, they can be very intriguing. They will want to know what you think about politics, what you think about France and the French culture, and tons of other "non-personal" questions. (Whatever you do, try to avoid talking about your family or asking new Parisian acquaintances about their family.) Parisians do not fake an interest in people. IF they are asking you questions in an inquisitive way, they are interested in you as a person.

To me, this is a very good quality. It means, they don't do fake politeness. In the states, Americans generally are nice to everyone. Yet, when that person leaves, they immediately start badmouthing them. Americans are simply "fake polite", so you never know when they are being sincere.

With Parisians, you know that if they are taking an interest in you, it's a sincere interest. If they do not like you, they simply will not talk to you. There are no games involved. I can't tell you how refreshing that is!

Parisians also love to talk about their city. If you get them to open up to you a little bit, they will tell you all the best places to go to or the ones to avoid. Also, do not feel weird about making plans to meet up with them somewhere. Suggest that the next night to go to one of these 'best places" they talked to you about. The Parisians do not invite themselves unless they know you VERY well. YOU have to do the inviting.

Overall, you just have to play a bit of a chess game with the Parisians to really understand them. Remember that you are THEIR turf and try to play the "When in Rome" game without appearing subservient. If you can get them to take notice of you and carry a conversation with them, you will come to appreciate what they offer. If you actually are there long enough to enter into a Parisians "Circle of Friends", then you've made a friend for life.

Parisians are extremely loyal, to a fault. Cross into their inner santcum and they will kill for you. It's a bit like joining a cult. The cult of being a friend of a Parisian. You can argue with them, you can tell them they are horrible and they smell and you wish they would die, and they still won't put you out of their circle. They feel arguing and disagreements are a sign of true friendship....haha, crazy eh? It might be slightly psychotic sounding, but I dunno....I find it rather cool myself.

***** THE BAD *****

The People, The Tourists, The Restaurants, The Public Transportation, and The Cost

I'll wrap this allll up together for you because all of these things are innertwined. I know it might seems strange that I mentioned "The People" in the Good above and am now mentioning it in the Bad, but for every good thing a Parisian does, they do one bad thing as well. I won't point out every one since that will take WAY too long. I'll summerize as best I can.

I've talked to many non-French visitors that have been to Paris that say they've "never noticed" anyone being that rude to them. In so many words, I tell these people they are lying.

Unless they made sure to ONLY go to the Tourist areas, there is no way they could have escaped EVERY single Rude Parisian. If a Parisian found out say, an American left Paris without meeting a single Rude Parisian, they would feel personally responsible for them leaving without being badly treated.

Parisians feel it is their duty to be mean. It's a game of sorts. Just how mean can I be before a person tells me off? Of course, if your on vacation, odds are, your not going to tell off a Parisian for him or her staring at you rudely or giving you dirty looks.

You will be treated rudely if you speak French somewhat fluently but are obviously NOT French. You will be treated VERY rudely if you try and speak a little French. You will be treated.....Nonchalant, if you just speak.....English.

This has been the bane of Paris for a while now. Everyone seems to have an opinion about it.....Some people think that if you try to "attempt" to speak French, they'll applaud your efforts.........You are getting the French mixed up with the Italians I think.

Go to Italy and say a few words in Italian, and they will hug you and kiss you and invite you over for dinner. Go to Paris and say a few words in French...And they will squint their eyes at you, and say they do not understand you....And then usually walk away.

Don't get me wrong, French is a beautiful language. I love it, and I have taken and put in ,a lot of time and effort in learning it. What French teachers do not usually tell you though, is that the best way to really learn French is to live with a Parisian for at least 5 yrs. During those 5 yrs you will be corrected with every other word that you say. It will go like this....

"Tiffany....Non, Non, NON! C'est "JOOOOUUUUAAAAA"....d'accord, toi maintenant"

"Umm.....JOOOOOOOUUUAAA" ( I'm being told how to correctly say "Jouer" which means "To play")

"Non, JOOOOOOOUUUUAAAAA"

"Quoi? J'ai dit cela? JOOOOOUUUAAA" (What? I said that?)

" Non, vous avez tort....encore, c'est JOOOOOOUUUUAAAA." (No, you are wrong....again, it is....)

"D'accord, D'accord......J'ai aller maintenant, A Bientot" ( Ok , Ok, I have to go now, bye)

No matter how hard you try , you still will be told your saying a word wrong, or at least, saying it with the wrong inflection or accent. In addition to having bad grammar. They hate bad French grammar almost as much as having an off accent. Although, once you are there for a while, and end up learning to repeat things "almost" to their liking, they do try and warm up to you.

Getting into the Parisian circle though, is next to impossible. They are extremely picky with whom they let into their lives. In order to breech their cocoon and become their friend, you have to wear them down. This takes time, and a considerable amount of effort. It's like they are saying;

"I am Parisian, therefore, I am special. You have to work to get to have the honor of being my friend". It's haughty, it's snotty, it's ....Parisian! It doesn't necessarily make me angry or ticked off at them, it just can be frustrating. You can't fault them for being particular about who they want to include in their circle of friends.

My dad said the best example of how Parisians really are. He said;

"They are almost the exact opposite of Americans in terms of personalities". He makes an excellent point. They really are the polar opposite of American's and maybe even some of the British.

Parisians are rude, hardly ever smile, feel the only conversations worth having are about Politics, the Arts, Cultures, and Sex, they take a while to warm up to someone, and feel that the best way to make people understand you is to disagree with everything they say.

American's are friendly, smile too much, feel the only conversations worth having are about work, TV Shows, the economy, and Shopping, they are overly eager to warm up to someone , and feel that the best way to make people to understand you is to agree with everything they say.

* The Tourists *

I'll be brief here.......Your can understand a little bit why Parisians hate visitors. For every respectful and normal tourist, there are two disrespectful, loud, arrogant, and brash tourists. Mostly Americans unfortunatly....Well ok and Russian and Middle Eastern. Those were the worst tourists I've ran into so far. When you go to the Eiffel Tower, or the Louvre, or the Arc de Triomphe, etc... just ignore whomever is around you and take it all in without people watching. Tourist people watching isn't worth it. =)

If you are a single somewhat attractive female alone in Paris. Bring mace. Some Parisians will pose as tourists to cozy up to you. They will usually be immigrants or alien residents from Asia or Africa. If you get hit on by someone speaking English be momentarily flattered but then say loudly and clearly "I'm not interested", and walk away. If they follow you, then do not be afraid to tell them you will scream or get out your mace.

This may sound overly paranoid, but there have been several occasions where I've seen single Tourist girls get accosted by "pretend Tourists". Believe me, it's dangerous!

* The Restaurants*

Honestly, I'm not overly impressed with French restaurants. I've been to dozens. Some are expensive, some are resonable, some are authentically "French", some are not French at all. The common trait with these restaurants is that the environment is not very comfortable.

If you are an English speaker and are talking to someone at a table you are with in English, you will be stared at. Hands down. Oh and not just stared at inquisitively-like , stared at as if to say;

"What are YOU doing HERE? Go back to where you came from!"

Which, looks that say that, are slightly uncomfortable, n'est pas?

In three words though I can sum up French Restaurants.....They....Are....Overrated.

* Public Transportation*

( See my previous review about the SNCF - It's the French Rail System......You'll fully understand how badly it sucks)

The busses are "OK" ....At FIRST.....But they are easy to get lost on.

The Metro is "OK".....At FIRST.......But it is easy to get lost on.

If it's easy for ME to get lost on them, and I speak French....How hard will it be for the non-speaking Visitor be to be misdirected?

* The Cost *

Paris is not cheap. London is not cheap. New York City is not Cheap.

Most of the major cities are never cheap. Generally though, you can find ways around that. In Paris though, it's very difficult to find "cheap routes". The food is expensive, the hotels are outragous, the sightseeing costs are pricey, the public transportation (which sucks) isn't very reasonable. An espresso will cost you 5 Euro's! You drink an espresso in 3 sips! that's almost 2 Euro's a SIP?!!!!

Maybe I'm a cheapskate, but if you are wanting to go to Paris on a budget. Good luck with that. Cause, you WILL go over that budget. The only way to stick with a budget in Paris, is to have someone you can stay with and to buy your food at a grocery store. Oh and to not go out very much. Which, who doesn't want to go out and do things while they are in Paris!??

No, the best thing to do if you want to see the so-called "real Paris" is have a somewhat disposable income. For a Parisian Weekend , bring about 500 pounds. For a Parisian Week, about 1000 pounds. That will include your hotel, transportation, food, and a few sightseeing places...And MAYBE a souvenir here and there.

***** The Beautiful *****

Paris, Itself.

The city may not be beautiful on every street you walk down, but it is beautiful overall. It's just not the tangible things but the aura and history that surrounds Paris. When you are in Paris, you feel alive and instantly alert to every sound , taste and smell. There aren't a lot of words to describe what Paris really is .....Other than Beautiful.

So, why have I given this beautiful City only THREE STARS!!!?

Because of the good things. It takes a bit of a "search" to find these "good things", yet, it's not hard to find the "bad things". More often than not, a night out in Paris disappointed me. Of course there were good nights, and then you had just the beauty of the city itself, but all the other influences taint it.......Paris in a way, is like a white washed grave.

On the outside, it appears exquisitely beautiful.....On the inside, it is full of the "not so beautiful".

You can take what I say with a grain of salt or do what you will with it. This is merely my opinion and take on the city and all the flavors and life surrounding it. I'm not damning the place as a bad destination. I personally though, did not feel overwhelmed too much by it.

I love France and, Strasbourg and the Loire Valley are two places I would even love to retire to when I get older.....I love several other French Cities more than Paris (Shock shock horror!=)

You want my opinion? Go see FRANCE........If you want to tell people you've seen Paris? Ok fine, go for one day to Paris.....Do a drive by or just spend all that day in the Louvre or in Montmartre.....But THEN .....Go OUTSIDE of Paris......You might be surprised when you tell people your favourite thing about France is NOT Paris.

(Also published on DooYoo under I_heart_elo)

* For all the Spelling and Grammar snobs:

Dear Spelling and Grammar snobs,

I'm so glad your tremendously good at spelling and grammar. It is indeed the bane of the English language how many people mutilate it. I wish I could float along with you in your world of perfect grammar and spelling. Then, I would know how to spell words like "Renaissance" without having to look it up , or use spellcheck. Alas, I am not of your league. I am but a poor, humble , peasant speller on top of being grammatically nuanced by slang through my American breathren.

Surprisingly enough, I do use spellcheck. Except, even with that , you should know yourself, the odd misspell slips through the cracks. With this review in particular, there might be one or two of you ready to grab your baseball (or cricket) bats and want to beat me soundly. That's ok, your a spelling/grammar snob, it's what you do. Know only that ,if you comment on my spelling/grammar, i'm only going to laugh and say to myself " What the....who cares! It's a review. It's readable! Lighten up!". In addition, i'm about 49% sure most of my french is spelled correctly since I actually spell better in French than English. (Montmartre is the correct spelling...many spell it "Montmarte" or "Montmatre" but those are wrong .....whoa i'm scaring myself that I knew that!)

In conclusion. Until review sites start using chinese water torture or thumb screws because a review has said ...."There" instead of "Their" or...... "They're" instead of "Their"....or any of the "There,Their, They're's"......please refrain from turning into a New York Times or Daily Mail Editor-in-Chief. You do not work for a magazine. Your are on a review site. Mistakes are going to happen unless everyone reads and re-reads, and reads and re-reads their own reviews 20 times. Maybe that's what you do? I dunno, but high five for being so thorough and having a huge amount of disposable time on your hands. I applaud your efforts and am sincerely jealous your the natural talented speller and grammar gods that you are.

Best Wishes

The occasional misspeller/grammatically erroneous....Me