I%26#39;m starting to plan a double London-Paris trip for late December, visiting London first (6 nights) then Paris via Eurostar (5 nights). But since this is our first time, I have to admit I%26#39;m more than a little anxious. I was wondering if anyone has tips for a married couple staying in Paris who do not speak one word of French?
Right now I%26#39;m tentatively planning to book a room at De La Tour Eiffel. Since this is our first time, we don%26#39;t mind at all doing all the touristy things and/or being smack dab in the middle of tourist central. In fact, given our neophyte status, we would prefer such places for now. So if anyone can recommend a nice, touristy hotel (no apartments) near the major sites, I%26#39;m open to suggestions.
I was wondering though, how possible is it to get by with just English? My main concerns are regarding eating establishments. I don%26#39;t plan to be a rude American and will actually try my best to learn French phrases to help, but realistically I%26#39;m going to have to get by on mainly English and a lot of pointing. So, are there some restaurants/cafes that are more accessible to English speaking diners than others?
Also, are there one or two guide books out there that anyone who%26#39;s been in our predicament has found the most helpful?
Thanks a lot! I%26#39;ve been reading this forum for a few days now and have already found a ton of useful leads to follow. But would welcome even more help/suggestions.
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Hello there. Your trip sounds like ours. We arrive in London and spend Xmas day there. Hopeing to go to Paris on 26th, all dependant on if its operating.
I have been interested in reading about apartments versus hotels. Also about Monmartre being great during the daytime but sleezy at night.
You wont be in your room very long as you will be out taking in the sights. Br prepared to only get 2 things in pere day as eg when we last went to the Louvre we spent 5 hours in it, easy.
Evidently the Effiel Tower twinkles at 11pm at night for a short while so look out your window.
The Palace of Versailles is worth a visit and ofcourse Notre Dame.
You can get by with alittle english. They say that the French do not like it if you cant speak their language, that might be so for some, but when we got lost 2 years ago I asked an innocent frenchman coming towards me how to get to our hotel. With finger pointing and waving he took us uphill all the way back to the hotel, no words were said by him, efficient I must say.
The local pharmacy of which there are many, you can generally signal symptoms if the person cant speak english. Dont go to western restaurants you want to go where the parisians go and experience this side of it. Hope this helps.
Also in London as as above do 2-3 things a day as you will have to rush through otherwise.
Cheers from NZ
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Relax! You will have a great time.
If you don%26#39;t speak French, it doesn%26#39;t automatically mean you speak English...there are so many other nationalities that visit Paris and get by smoothly.
Spending some time learning a few basics will stand you in good stead. People appreciate a the Bonjours, Au revoirs and S%26#39;il Vous Plaits very much.
I tend to stay in apartments, so I can%26#39;t help with hotels. I think may US visitors congragate in the 5th/6th arrondissements,so you may be more comfortable here. Having said that, any hotel in a single digit arrondissement will be central.
For eating, all restaurants must legally post their menus outside. Do not be scared to walk up and take a look at what%26#39;s on offer. Many places around popular tourist places will also have English translations to help you. Finally, several people have mentioned menu translators as good tools to have. %26quot;Eating %26amp; Drinking in Paris: French Menu Translator and Restaurant Guide, 3rd Edition%26quot; has been recommended here. A free online translator can be found at patriciawells.com/glossary/atoz/glossary.htm
Now to guide books. I am Lonely Planet person but others I%26#39;ve seen recommended here include DK Eyewitness, Frommers, Fodors jsut to name a few. What I suggest is to go to a book shop andtake a look at some NYC guides. Check out how they portray your city, and choose a Paris and London one based on what NYC guide appeals to you.
You%26#39;ve already made a great start in reading the posts here - there is so much information. Also don%26#39;t forget to use the search box to look for threads that may already have the info you need.
I hope this helps.
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Hi ryodin, good to know that you are planning to at the ned of the year...it will be real good to be there at that time as the city will in celebrations.But mate, it will be hard to get a hotel there at that time, so have a look at a guide for [url=http://www.sletoh.com/s132950.html]hotels in paris[/url] that will help you to make good advancements in your trip.
And as far as English is concerned..you need to learn just a few common phrases....and the rest can be understood by both of the speakers.
Enjoy the Trip!!!!
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You could use my guide. It%26#39;s free, no advertisements or promotions (other than what geocities puts on the website) and you can download it right away at http://geocities.com/hiddenparis
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don%26#39;t worry, Paris welcome so many tourists that you will be comfortable ... I suggest you to book an hotel in the 6th because Montmartre is certainely well worth during the day, but most of night life is in St Germain, i mean you can walk to numerous restaurants and cafés ...
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here are some cosy hotels in the 6th :
Villa d%26#39;Estrée (4 stars) expensive
Hotel Chaplin
Hotel de Fleurie
La Villa St Germain
Hotel de l%26#39;Odéon
Hotel de Seine
you can google all of them ...
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Don%26#39;t let the language thing stress you out too much. I don%26#39;t speak more than a few essential phrases of French (though I am learning) and have gotten by beautifully. English is widely spoken so you should be able to communicate. Pointing alog with an attempt at French works great!!!
We have also never had a difficult time at all finding restaurants that have English menus - especially in the more touristy areas.
Learn some essential french phrases. I love pastries so much, I make sure I know how to order one in French so that if I happen to be in an out of the way area, I can get one with no problems :)
Check out %26quot;The Unoffical Guide to Paris%26quot;. I have lots of guides, but I have found it the most helpful.
Have fun!!
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Wow, you all have provided me with a ton of great info. I can%26#39;t thank you enough! It boggles the mind how much good advice you%26#39;ve given.
We wanted to spend 2 weeks away from family and in-laws during the holidays for a change, so this is why we chose to go to London/Paris at this time of year. I know it will be hectic, but we don%26#39;t care so long as our hotel stays are secured. Coming from NYC, crowds are not a big deal to us. I can%26#39;t see it being that much different from Times Square on a saturday night or the subway during rush hour. :)
In particular, I%26#39;ve always wanted to visit Paris in the winter time. Whenever I see Paris depicted in movies or on tv, the scenes filmed during winter time resonate the most with me. Something to do with the lighting and general ambiance that time of year, I guess.
We won%26#39;t be going to Versailles this trip, but perhaps another time. For now, the only places we *have* to go to are: Tour Eiffel, Notre Dame, Arch de Triomphe, and the Louvre. These are the main ones, but I also want to see as many other places as I can within the main city, like the Latin Quarter, Catacombs, and Montmartre.
We%26#39;re trying to restrict all activities to the city itself for this trip. Versailles, Lyon, and Nice are planned destinations for a future trip to France, most likely during the Spring or Fall times.
Thanks again for the help, and please keep it coming. The more I know the better I%26#39;ll feel, although honestly I%26#39;m more excited than worried. I like to overplan, but I know in the end everything will work out fine.
Oh, and one more question:
Any tips on how to learn to speak some helpful phrases? I%26#39;m pretty good with languages (I speak Mandarin and Spanish), but have to actually hear something being spoken in order to get the correct pronunciation. I don%26#39;t want to actually buy an entire audio suite for the whole language, just something that would help visitors to Paris to get by on a few useful phrases. I totally intend to use as much French as I humbly can, and not insist that someone only speak English to me while I%26#39;m there. However, I only have a short amount of time to learn.
Thanks!
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ryodin, I was in Paris between Christmas and the New Year this year past. One thing to make sure to do (and it%26#39;s free :) is just walk around and look in the shop windows, especially the big dept stores. They%26#39;re all dressed up for the holidays and they are some of the best memories I have of the trip. The windows are so cleverly and beautifully done. Just gorgeous.
Do learn as much polite French as you can. Get a menu guide (ie: Eating %26amp; Drinking in France) and remember to make dinner reservations, even if you%26#39;re just walking by and decide you want to eat there that evening. You will be received a tiny bit better than if you just drop in. Have fun!
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Go to your public library and check out some beginning French tapes/CDs and listen to them for accents and how to say the words.
I suggest spending the extra night in Paris rather than in English (no offense meant to the many wonderful English people on this site) but I think there is far more to see in Paris than in London.
Many people like staying in the 4th arrondissement or the 5th or the 6th. Those are probably the three most popular arrondissements to stay in. The absolutely most wonderful place to stay is on the Ile St. Louis (which is right next to Notre Dame and in the 4th arrondissement).
You should definitely learn a few French phrases. It is considered rude to walk into a French shop and ask anything at all until you have greeted them with Bonjour Madame, etc. and say goodbye with Au revoir madame, etc. Otherwise, don%26#39;t worry about speaking English. Do you have any idea how many non-French speaking tourists have gone to Paris before you and had a wonderful time--too many to count.
Instead of being anxious, how about being excited. You can ask us any questions you have and we will help you. Plus use the %26quot;search%26quot; feature on this forum for additional information. Happy Planning!
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