Useful tips on Paris that are not found in guide books

USEFUL TIPS ON PARIS THAT NO GUIDE BOOK WILL TELL’!!

Paris….”Paris la ville lumiere”, is said when talking about the French capital. All of us or almost all dream of visiting Paris, the city of lights, the city of love, romance,Paris is searched for on the internet, in travel agencies and guides, but do we really know everything about this city?

The point of view of a traveller is always different, but the one of those who visited it more and more times, worked or lived there are totally different and that is why today we want to give you only useful information about Paris, the type that is not found in guide books but which are really important for who wants to visit this city.

USEFUL TIPS ON PARIS

To Paris it is best to get there by plane, and forget the car, do not go there by car nor rent one when there, it would just be a nightmare. The streets of Paris apart from the one to the famous Champs elysee, are narrow, and winding full of traffic at all times, not to speak of the parkings which are impossible to find or hidden in underground garages that are narrow and low where a normal suv would struggle to get through; the costs of underground public parking (and there are several scattered around the city) may also reach 30 euro per day.

The underground train is very useful and works great, hence do like the Parisians and travel by “metrò”, leaving the car at home!

The Parisian district par excellence where you will find the locals shopping, having a drink or going out is SAINT GERMAIN, well connected by the underground but also packed with taxis, an ideal place to go out in the evening.

If you want to go there in the summer please keep in mind that in Paris it does not get dark before midnight; until that time in fact there is light that is almost similar to the sunset of southern Europe. Also if you find yourselves nearby in July, do not miss the wonderful JAPAN EXPO, one of the biggest comics fairs in Europe, 4 days of temporary stores, events, presentations, cosplay and everything on the Japanese world and more, it is really really nice.

Lets now move on to the famous baguettes: it is true they put it under there arm, but they are really good, you can find all tastes and practically anywhere, but if you want to live the real experience then you will need to buy it from the local boulangerie of the district, i.e. a small local bakery where you find baguette precisely but also Quiche Lorraine, croque monsieur and all the delicacies made with bread and pizza.

The French cuisine however reserves many surprises and is not always loved by all; if you do not like the mustard note that you will find it everywhere even in the baguette and therefore you should always ask for the ingredients before, because very often it is not even declared in the ingredients, if there is written for example baguette with vegetables, there may be also mustard and is often not specified, hence always ask… for example in baguette with ham and cheese you will always fid butter too. The French are fans of cheeses, meats and wines and a typical dinner is precisely the basis of these they call CHARCUTERIE.

The French do not particularly like to speak in English, hence arm yourselves with a good dictionary and also with a good dose of patience because it sometimes takes time to understand what they are talking about when they use the terms in English with the French pronunciation, but however they always try to help.

If you are interested in the monuments or in particular activities inform yourself from home about the conditions, the timetables and the closures because nobody will tell you anything we happened to be on board a tourist bus, at the stop for the Louvre where many people got off to visit, and only after the bus left the stop the audio guide said that the museum was closed on tuesdays precisely that day……

Paris is a lively city and always on the move wth many people, vehicles and also activities to do, so try to stay at least 3-4 days to be able to taste a little of the parisian spirit or if you really can’t stay that long at least go back a couple of times but not in winter as for example in January, because in the event of snow Paris blocks completely and many tourist attractions close just after Christmas.